Vernichtungsgedanken, meaning "annihilation thoughts" in German, is a Prussian / German strategic doctrine, dating to Frederick the Great. It emphasizes rapid, fluid movement to unbalance an enemy, allowing the attacker to impose his will upon the defender and avoid stalemate. It relies on uncommonly rigorous training and discipline and thoroughly professional leadership. Much of Vernichtungsgedanken can be seen in Clausewitz’ classic treatise Vom Kriege (On War). The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: Preußen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prusai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ... Carl Phillip Gottlieb von Clausewitz (June 1, 1780 _ November 16, 1831) was a Prussian military thinker. ... On War (Ger. ...

This doctrine was used successfully in the War of Austrian Succession, The Seven Years' War, The Napoleonic Wars, The Austro-Prussian War, and The Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). The military success of Kingdom of Prussia/Germany was the catalyst of the alliance systems of 19th century Europe. The War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). ... The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763) pitted Great Britain, Prussia and Hanover against France, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony. ... The Napoleonic Wars are the wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule of France. ... The Austro-Prussian War (also called the Seven Weeks War or the German Civil War) was a war fought between the Austrian Empire and Prussia in 1866 that resulted in Prussian dominance in Germany. ... The Franco-Prussian War (July 19, 1870 – May 10, 1871) was fought between France and Prussia (backed by the North German Confederation) allied with the south German states of Baden, Bavaria and Württemberg. ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Kingdom of Prussia existed from 1701 until 1918, and from 1871 was the leading kingdom of the German Empire, comprising in its last form almost two-thirds of the area of the Empire. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

The arms races of this period produced the military equipment which eroded the attacker’s advantage during Europe's "Long Peace", giving decisive advantage to the defender and setting the stage for the catastrophic stalemate of the First World War. It was the Western Front in this war which ended Vernichtungsgedanken’s long reign as the premiere strategic doctrine of modern warfare. A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... WWI redirects here. ... See Western Front (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... An act of war - the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan during World War II War is a state of widespread conflict between states, organisations, or relatively large groups of people, which is characterised by the use of violent, physical force between combatants or upon civilians. ... Modern can simply mean something that is up-to-date, trendy, new, or from the present time. ... For other uses of War, see War (disambiguation). ...

When the interbellum concluded and Europe went again to war, many of the officers in high command in Germany (chief among them General Heinz Guderian) were all too aware of this doctrinal failure and had specific ideas for its replacement. They had, however, to fight prewar battles to overcome bureaucratic inertia. They mostly won those battles, bringing forth a doctrinal revolution during the Second World War which included the methodology now known as Blitzkrieg. Early enthusiasm for the opportunities provided by tanks and other armored mobile units was referred to in the 1930s as the armored idea. A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... General Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (17 June 1888-14 May 1954) was a military theorist and General of the German Army during the Second World War. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Blitzkrieg relied on close cooperation between infantry and panzers (tanks). ... // Events and trends The 1930s were spent struggling for a solution to the global depression. ...

The last pure Vernichtungsgedanken campaign was the invasion of Poland in 1939. Polish September Campaign Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign — also known as Polish-German War of 1939, in Poland often as Wojna obronna 1939 roku (Defensive War of 1939), in Germany as Polish Campaign... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...