Vernichtungsgedanke

, literally meaning "concept of annihilation" in German and generally taken to mean "the concept of fast annihilation of enemy forces", is a tactical doctrine dating back to Frederick the Great. It emphasizes rapid, fluid movement to unbalance an enemy, allowing the attacker to impose its will upon the defender and to avoid stalemate. It relies on uncommonly rigorous training and discipline and thoroughly-professional leadership. Much of can be seen in Carl von Clausewitz's classic treatise .
The doctrine was used in the War of Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War. The military success of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the German Empire was the catalyst of the alliance systems of 19th-century Europe.
The arms races of the period produced the military equipment that eroded the attacker's advantage during Europe's "Long Peace". It gave an advantage to the defender and set the stage for the stalemate of the First World War. While was still viable on the 
Eastern Front, as seen with the Battle of Tannenberg and others, trench warfare dominated the Western Front, leaving little or no space to manoeuvre to the enemy's flank or rear, making the idea difficult to achieve. The Germans developed infiltration tactics as a way of bringing the idea back, notably with the Battle of Caporetto and Operation Michael. 
During the 1930s, British Army officers such as Vivian Loyd, proposed the widespread use of light tracked vehicles to provide speed and agility in support of tank units. Loyd's theory, known as the "armoured idea" or "all-tank idea", was not widely accepted by his superiors.
When World War II began, many German officers (including General Heinz Guderian) combined elements of infiltration tactics with tanks, evolving into the methodology now known as "Blitzkrieg".