In 1939, Germany unleashed a new form of warfare on Europe – blitzkrieg, or ‘lightning war’. The strategy was to carry out rapid, overwhelming attacks combining tanks, motorized infantry and air support to smash through enemy lines. During the early years of the war, it was put into devastating effect and would change the face of modern conflict forever. With more than 250 original colour images – almost entirely never seen before – this remarkable new work is an immersive visual chronicle of the Wehrmacht’s blitzkrieg campaigns of 1939 and 1940, from the first tanks rolling into Poland to the sweeping conquests across Western Europe. The photos are from original colour slides and provide a genuine, vivid look at the past as it was originally seen. The accompanying historical commentary is based on thorough archival research, and together they take the reader to the heart of the frontline, conveying both the tactical brilliance of this revolutionary method of warfare and the terrible human toll. As well as covering the tanks, equipment and aircraft, the book captures snapshots of everyday life for soldiers and civilians, and the destruction caused by the campaigns: cities reduced to rubble, the German occupation of towns, the displacement of refugees, and casualties of war.