Chapter Three: The Patterns of War, 1939-1945 Summary and Analysis

Germany shocked the world by defeating Poland in less than a month. The Germans had introduced the blitzkrieg, or lightning attack, and armored panzer units brought about overwhelming superiority on the ground. Although battles with armored tanks were largely successful at the beginning of the war, most of the war was bloody, trench-to-trench and man-to-man warfare. The romanticism of the tank battles created images that were promoted by both the Allied and Axis powers. Although America was neutral at this point, President Roosevelt altered U.S. Neutrality acts in order to aid Britain and France.

Germany invaded Norway and Denmark to guarantee a supply of vital raw materials. The armies of Belgium, Holland, and France soon surrendered to German aggression. Germany stopped short of invading the scrappy Brits whose...