The smart unit school initiated by the Alman tanks and the changed combat style in military doctrine (1939-1945)

This thesis examines the development of the tank that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century and the innovations it brought to the organization of warfare, focusing on the period of World War II. The process that began with the modeling of the armored car in 1903 resulted in the inclusion of tanks in the production program to end the longer-than-expected battles of the First World War. Although the Mark series of light tanks produced officially by England did not reflect the armored tradition technically, it proved that a new combat class would exist in land forces after the war. During the interwar period, while defense industry studies increased, various ideas about tanks were put forward in the army, and the first studies were carried out in education and doctrine. While the British and French command staffs argued that tanks should be an assistant class to the infantry, Germany argued that tanks should be used as the main attacking force in combat, and other classes should be arranged as the auxiliary force of tanks. As a result of this argument, the Blitzkrieg Doctrine, which was developed by the studies of von Thoma, Manstein, and Guderian of the German officer class, was put forward. The doctrine envisaged the predominant use of the principles of dominance and attack by basing on the cooperation of ground-air forces. In this sense, the doctrine introduced the term mechanized warfare to the military literature, which was initiated by the British but not continued. The national-scale militarism movements that began in Germany during the Adolf Hitler period also affected the tank class. While the design and production activities of tank and self-propelled artillery systems were increased by establishing new ministries during the war preparation process, care was also taken in the education materials. With the idea that the education given only in military schools was not enough, the Hitler Youth Organization, which was accepted from the age of 10, was established to teach young individuals the military profession. In addition, private military schools belonging to Hitler were structured to create an elite officer and bureaucrat class. With the opening of the Armored Forces School, the determination of exercise areas, the formation of training manuals and guides, the selection of uniforms and ranks, the tank class officially gained a separate combat class status. The Spanish Civil War, which occurred just before the war, and the subsequent Polish occupation were the first rehearsal grounds for mechanized warfare. The experiences gained here proved the requirement of the armored tradition in land forces by bringing the success of the French occupation where the Blitzkrieg Doctrine was applied for the first time. Within this scope, the use of tanks in both world wars is described, sometimes compared, and the general armored combat method is explained. The study presents the advantages and disadvantages of tanks by being supported by the situation of the German war industry, technical information about produced tank models, their performance in battles, and the memories of tank personnel. Therefore, this study is not a work of World War II History, but of the early history of tanks.