This course examines the Second World War from a global perspective while using a thematic approach to compare the course examines the Second World War from a global perspective while using a thematic approach to compare the different experiences of each of the major belligerents. Whether covering the home front or the Holocaust, the cadets in the course will examine the social, political, cultural, and economic factors that contributed to how belligerents waged war, and, in turn, how war affected each of these four factors across the globe. Finally, this course examines the interrelationship of sea, air, and land forces, and the complexities of providing logistical support to joint and combined operations on an unprecedented scale. HI302 may be taken concurrently. The course examines the process whereby major powers have coordinated military force, diplomacy, economic resources, and other instruments to achieve political goals in war and during periods of international crisis.
Emphasis is given to the experience of Germany, Britain, and the United States.
Topics include the nature of strategy in World War I, the ends and means of Blitzkrieg warfare, Anglo-American strategic planning in World War II, and the theory and practice of strategy in the nuclear age.