World War II was man’s greatest industrialized conflict; we focus on the European Theater. We study the opposing strategies; the war on the factory floor; the battles of the Atlantic, North Africa, Sicily and Italy; the liberation of France and Eastern Europe; the air war, especially the bombing of Germany and the breaking of the German code Enigma. We discuss war leaders such as Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, Roosevelt and de Gaulle.
- Week 1: Versailles to Canned Goods, the Versailles Treaty to Hitler’s Invasion of Poland
- Week 2: Blitzkrieg: Hitler’s attack, from Poland to Operation Barbarossa, June 1941
- Week 3: Atlantic Lifeline: The Battle of the Atlantic, September 1941-June 1943
- Week 4: The Great Patriotic War: the decisive land campaign: the Eastern Front
- Week 5: The air war: The most concerted air campaign in history, the Bombing of Third Reich
- Week 6: Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa—the fall of Rome,
November 1942-June 1944 - Week 7: Operation Overlord: Normandy to the collapse of the Third Reich,
June 1944-May 1945 - Week 8: Nuremberg: War criminals face rule of law
May contain some material from LLI courses offered previously
Facilitator: Mark Albertson
Mark Albertson is the historical research editor for Army Aviation magazine in Monroe, Connecticut, and is the historian for the Army Aviation Association of America. He has authored six books, including On History: A Treatise. Mark is an avid speaker presenting programs on history, current events and politics.