A takeover offer that is intended to be so attractive that very few objections will arise and the takeover will occur swiftly. In German, "blitz" means lightning and "krieg" means war. Thus, a blitzkrieg refers to a surprise offensive that is both powerful and swift and was used to describe World War II bombing raids.
To curtail surprise takeovers such as Blitzkrieg Tender Offers and Saturday Night Specials, the Williams Act of 1968 was introduced, placing severe restrictions on tender offers and required disclosure of direct or indirect ownership of 5% or more of any class of equity.
