Path to Blitzkrieg: Doctrine & Training in the German Army, 1920-39

by Robert M. Citino

In the wake of World War I, the German army lay in ruins--defeated in the war, sundered by domestic upheaval, and punished by the Treaty of Versailles. A mere twenty years later, Germany possessed one of the finest military machines in the world, capable of launching a stunning blitzkrieg attack against Poland in 1939. Well-known military historian Robert M. Citino shows how Germany accomplished this astonishing reversal and developed the doctrine, tactics, and technologies that its military would use to devastating effect in World War II.

Genres: History, Military History, Military Fiction, War, World War II, Audiobook, Germany

302 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Robert M. Citino is an American history professor, scholar and writer currently teaching at the University of North Texas. He specializes in German military history and has earned acclaim by writing several historical books on the subject. He has appeared as a consultant on the History Channel several times on the subject of World War II and German military tactics.

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Citino's earlier works, this accounting of the evolution of doctrine in the German army of the Weimar period emphasizes how much work was done to create the concepts and units that executed what was referred to as "blitzkrieg," even before the creation of the Third Reich. As this monograph is now a generation old one does wonder what questions Citino would handle differently in retrospect; one such question might be whether the criminality displayed by the German officer class during World War II might have had some roots in the scofflaw mentality cultivated in the period before the Nazi seizure of power.

Originally written: December 8, 2019.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Path to Blitzkrieg, written by Robert Citino details how the defeated and disbanded army of Germany at the end of the First World War was shaped into the ruthless killing machine as seen in the Second World War during the interwar period (1919-1939). The book goes through many details, such as what types of different training and military doctrines that the Wehrmacht or Germany army went through between the years of 1920 to 1939. Another type of detail is who the many different generals were that oversaw the creation of the new Wehrmacht. Finally, the book introduces the policies that helped improve upon the numerous failings plaguing the army. Not only does the book cover interesting militaristic facts, but also much of the history surrounding the Wehrmacht in the interwar period. From the Freikorps that defeated the communist uprising at the end of World War One, to the different restrictions that the Treaty of Versailles placed on the army, to even the different technology trade deals between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Nazi Germany. I would give this book a four star rating because it is a really good book; however, the book should have gone into more detail about the issues the Weimar government placed on the army. The only other thing that could’ve made this book even better was if it mentioned some of the politics inside of the Wehrmacht. I would recommend this book only to those who already have an in-depth knowledge of World War Two, because otherwise very little of the book will make sense.

[Mark Blane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book Mr. Citino! This books starts out with the era of Hans von Seeckt from after the end of World War 1, the Treaty of Versailles, and toward the end of Seeckt's Reichswehr leadership in 1926. The book ends in the actual practice of Blitzkrieg with the Invasion of France on May 10, 1940, but Citino makes the case clear, this is not Blitzkrieg, but rather the evolution of Bewegungskrieg (war of movement) harkening back to the days of Frederick the Great (Der Fritz).

All in all, it is a fundamental review of how you get to Blitzkrieg in the 1940s during World War II, from the Seeckt leadership era. Extremely insightful, and the his sources are mainly from the original German of the German High Command. Extremely rare to find that in an American author which gives it a very good touch of Wehrmacht "je ne sais quoi."

The book will leave the reader craving more of Citino's brilliant works and other authors in which it cites and sources in the bibliography section.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Citino highlights how the German Army moved from defeat in World War I, the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, to rebuild and rethink it's doctrine, tactics and technologies to become a conqueroring power in 1939.

Why I started this book: Found new audio titles from my long Professional Reading list.

Why I finished it: Detailed and thorough, Citino walks the listener thru the many exercises of the 1920s when German command officers plan and explored the feasibility of different tactical doctrine. Fascinating to see the comments of foreign observers especially with the knowledge that they would be facing this same army in the next decade.

[Rudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focusses on doctrine and exercise, engaging with the small details of military manuals. Is heavily focused on Hans von Seeckt and reads somewhat as an intellectual diary of him. Insightful for its detail, but not an essential or even particularly profound read to follow its "sequels".

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on careful study of German military documents, this is a thorough study of the Von Seeckt era.

[James Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not quite as readable as his other works, Citino does a fine job in describing the German army between the wars by dividing the narrative into three phases. The fist, 1920-26, saw Seeckt devising ways to make the Reichswehr the most efficient small army in the world within the parameters of the Versailles Treaty. The second period, 1927-33, saw the army “bruising” the rules to create maneuvers to reflect a larger army. The Nazi phase saw the deployment of real tanks and planes with the Panzer division. Throughout these periods, emphasis on mobility, aggressive maneuvers and individual initiative indicate that the framework for Blitzkrieg existed long before Hitler.