But he did exist. And after coming to power in 1933, with the standard revolutionary promises to return the homeland to its former glory, infused with quite a bit of paranoia and anti-Semitism, many saw rapid re-militarization and eventually, inevitably, war. In the beginning, it was characterized by a new style of combat, made possible by the mechanized technology of tanks, airplanes, and especially trucks. This was the Blitzkrieg, a devastating tactic combining quick movement of troops, tanks, and massive use of air power to support infantry movements. And in the very early years of the war, it was extremely effective. The Nazis were able to roll over Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and then all of France, all within about nine months between the fall of 1939 and the summer of 1940. So after knocking out most of Central Europe, the Nazis set their sights on Great Britain.