How did the axis powers achieve victories in 1939 and 1940?

Answer 1

early Axis victoriesGerman military theory and tactics had undergone a radical change between the wars. Largerly due to the efforts of Heinz Guderian who came up with the idea of blitzkreig or lightnig war. The idea was, unlike the first world war, to mass your forces, specifically heavy high speed armour and air cover, and strike the enemy at a single point forcing a large corridor into the enemies territories. By moving armoured vehicles behind the major defenses of the enemy you can now destroy the communication and command structures of the enemy effectivley paralysing the forward defence forces which without guidance become ineffective and easily defeated.

These tactics failed to work in Russia because the Germans never pushed far enough to destroy the command and control structures of the Russians before the Russian winter came and gave the Russians time to reorganise and retaliate.