Clipped from German 'Blitzkrieg' (lightning war) during WWII — from a rapid military tactic to the London bombings to any sudden intense effort.
A sudden, intense military attack or campaign; more broadly, any sudden, energetic, and concerted effort.
Shortened from German 'Blitzkrieg' (lightning war), a compound of 'Blitz' (lightning) and 'Krieg' (war). The term 'Blitzkrieg' described the rapid, combined-arms warfare strategy Germany employed in the invasion of Poland in September 1939. British newspapers quickly shortened it to 'the Blitz,' which became the standard name for the German bombing campaign
The term 'Blitzkrieg' was not an official German military doctrine — the Wehrmacht never used it as a formal strategic concept. It was popularized by Western journalists, particularly after the fall of France in 1940, to describe the speed and shock of German combined-arms operations. German generals themselves more often spoke of 'Bewegungskrieg' (war