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BLITZKRIEG
Literally translated, Blitzkrieg means Lightning War where the word war is interchangeable with the word “force”. (Afrikaans / Dutch) As “lightning” implies, the tactic focuses on the use of speed and devastating force. Originally, Blitzkrieg described the use of an initial bombardment followed by the attack of highly mobile forces with speed and surprise.
It is often claimed that this technique was developed first by the Germans to counter the appalling stalemate of the trenches that had occurred during the First World War. In reality it predates WWII by many centuries. Certainly it has been adopted by many other nations and although rarely referred to by this name, remains the current tactic of many aggressive military assaults.
The tactic should not be confused with the “Shock and Awe” tactics popularized during the Invasion of Iraq. Although there are similarities there are significant differences!
The principles of Blitzkrieg are as follows:
- Be prepared – take the initiative
- Move faster than your enemy believes you can. Achieving this provides the element of surprise and confuses the opponent.
- Use multiple methods of attack – air, mobile armour, infantry and sea.
- Avoid strong defensive positions in favour of capturing important secondary positions and territory. For example, the Maginot line was a series of interconnected defensive bunkers designed to protect the Franco-German border. It cost an enormous amount to build and was completely useless as it was wholly bypassed by the Germans who attacked through Belgium. The “Sichelschnitt”, or German invasion plan of 1940 sent a decoy force to the line while the main attack cut through the Low Countries of Belgium and Holland. A further assault was mounted through the Ardennes Forest which lay north of the main French defences.
- Overwhelm the enemy with superior numbers and weapons – best kept secret until used.
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- Seek decisive confrontations that have a clear winner – you.
- Be prepared to rapidly move in secondary – stabilising – forces to hold the territory gained in the Blitzkrieg assaults.
- Rapidly and psychologically intimidate the occupied territory with displays of power and, if required, brutality. Occupied territories must genuinely believe that any form of resistance is futile.
- Absolutely ensure that supply lines can keep up with the speed of the advance.
- Pre-plan to use the resources of the occupied territories to sustain the advance.
- Swiftly choke off supplies to the remaining enemy strong points. The encircling manoeuvre.
- Know when to stop! The temptation of success is to keep going but eventually the success of the advance becomes the failure of the tactic as the supply lines fail to keep up.
- Dig in. When the advance has achieved its objective then secure the gains.
- Repeat the tactic when or where the enemy least expects it.
The name “Blitzkrieg” has become synonymous with the initial German advances of WWII but is often used in business today. It is most commonly seen in corporate (hostile) take overs.
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The similarities are remarkable. The takeover is well planned. The financing (resources) are stockpiled before the event. The actual takeover bid is unexpected. (surprise) The strongest shareholders are avoided in favour of more vulnerable ones. The speed of the attack leaves the current corporate management confused and major shareholders isolated. Panic and fear spreads through the defensive network. Once the company is acquired a new management team moves in rapidly. Any internal resistance is brutally squashed sending a powerful message to other potential resistance. The gains are secured and rapidly turned into further resources (selling off / breaking up).
However, Blitzkrieg can be used effectively in many other areas of business. For example: Two companies are competing for the same clients and have been for quite some time. Suddenly company “A” launches a new version of their product backed by an intensive advertising campaign followed by “hard sell’ personal sales calls. Clients converted are tied into long-term loyalty contracts. Negative stories about company “B” start to appear in the media. Suppliers to company “B” suddenly refuse to do business. Key executives of company “B” defect to company “A”. By the time company “B” sends in their sales force it’s too late because company “A” is somewhere else. Well … you get the idea.
Blitzkrieg is all about speed, superior force, resources and skills. It’s about moving too fast for the enemy to catch up and about capturing weak majorities rather than strong minorities. It’s about good supply lines and holding what has been gained. But … it’s mostly about surprise! |
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