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WW II -- Paths to Global War
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WW II -- Paths to Global War |
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"No one starts a war -- or rather, no one in his senses should do so -- without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war ..." Carl von Clausweitz Von Krieg (On War) |
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" ... the judgment that Germany must be defeated first stands as the most important single strategic concept of the war." Louis Morton "Germany First: The Basic Concept of Allied Strategy in World War II" Command Decisions Kent Roberts Greenfield (ed) Washington: US Army Center of Military History, 2000 |
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Lesson Objectives
• Be able to recount the chains of events that led to the opening of hostilities in Europe and Asia in the 1930's. • Understand the genesis and significant features of the strategies of each major combatant: • Germany and Japan • Britain, France, Soviet Union, U.S. • Analyze the basic economic strength of each of the major Axis and Allied combatants. • Be able to recount and discuss the major events in World War II through the end of 1941. • Understand the role of the advances in military technology since the end of The Great War on the events of the first two years of World War II. |
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Study Guides
• What were the causes of World War II (Europe and Asia)? • How did the Battle of Khalkin Gol (a.k.a Nomonhan) fought in 1939 influence the conduct of World War II? • What was Germany's strategy in Europe? How did this strategy evolve? • What were the specific events that preceded the opening of hostilities in Europe? • How was the U.S. involved in the war prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor? • What was Japan's strategy in the Pacific? How did this strategy evolve? • What were the specific events that preceded the opening of hostilities in Asia? • What was the Anglo-American strategy? How did it evolve? • How prepared was the U.S. for World War II? |
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Assignment
Readings: Second Sino-Japanese War: Course of the War Wikipedia SKIM: "Invasion of Manchuria, interventions in China" READ: "Full scale invasion of China" Khalkin Gol: The forgotten battle that shaped WW2 • Map Siberian Lights (21 Jan 2008) The World At War, History of WW 1939-1945 Wilfried Braakhuis FOR THIS LESSON: Read "1939", "1940", and "1941". "The Invasion of Poland" Bradley Lightbody World War Two BBC "The Fall of France" Gary Sheffield World War Two BBC Germany First: The Basic Concept of Allied Strategy in World War II Louis Morton Command Decisions, pp. 11-48 Kent Roberts Greenfield, ed Washington: Department of the Army, Center of Military History, 2000 Supplemental Resources: "When Democracy Failed" Thom Hartmann, March 16, 2003 CommonDreams.org "The Last Week - The Road to War: Part 1 - Tokyo, August 30, 1939" David H. Lippman World War II Plus 55
German Horse Cavalry and Transport Intelligence Bullitin (March 1946) |
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