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Dogfight: The Air War Over Europe in World War II
Joe Willmore
Average rating:4.9Number of reviews:(250)
Study the air war in Europe during World War II--the critical tactics, planes, and developments that shaped the war.
Class experience
US Grade 7 - 10
This one week, five session class will examine in-depth the air war in Europe during World War II. We will look at the different air combat doctrines by key nations (such as Germany, England, the US, and the USSR), tactics by each nation's air corps, how the air war evolved, the impact it had on the fighting and results and also key aircraft and what made them so superior (or inferior. We'll also look at key questions that include: --Was it a mistake for the US to engage in daylight...
Students will learn how the air war in Europe influenced the results of the war. Students will learn how tactics, doctrine, and aircraft evolved over the war and the implication that these developments after post-WW II. Students interested in aviation or aircraft history will gain an understanding of how the air war in Europe influenced those developments. Students will also learn about the key roles particular aircraft played in the war. Finally, students will learn about the role of women in aviation in the European air war.
I've facilitated numerous young adult discussions on sensitive topics that involve tough moral and value-based decisions starting with my time as a faculty member at the Northwestern University NHSI summer program and including numerous Outschool courses on a variety of social study topics. I avoid pushing a position on students (ie: "this is the correct answer") but instead frame these topics in terms of how difficult the decision was for policy-makers, the need to respect differing opinions, and the nuances involved in evaluating such issues.
Homework Offered
I will assign each student on the first session a person to research. This should take 1-2 hours. They'll then report what they found out about that person that makes them a notable figure during WW2 in Europe.1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Knowledge checks, questions asked individually and collectively.Grades Offered
This is a class about one aspect (aerial combat and strategy) of a war. It involves violence, discussion of casualties/deaths, and there will be pictures of aircraft that have been destroyed in mid-air. One of the questions I put to students is whether or not the allies should have bombed the concentration camps (to destroy the infrastructure used by the Nazis for systematized killing). There will be no pictures of concentration camps but there will be some discussion of their role, the numbers killed, and the historical context. The purpose of this question is to show the moral challenges that the decision-makers faced in this war. We will also cover the firebombing of some European cities (such as Hamburg and Dresden). I make an effort to create a discussion where everyone who has a position is heard and that position is respected. Conversations on sensitive topics need to recognize the moral challenges these situations confronted decision-makers with.
There are a multitude of books about the air war in Europe. Among the best of them are: "Air War" by Stephen Sears, "The Bombers and the Bombed" by Richard Overt, and "The First and the Last" by Adolph Galland. A particularly good fiction book that is detailed, looks at the story from multiple sides and characters, factually accurate, and is very well-written is Len Deighton's "Bomber."
Average rating:4.9Number of reviews:(250)
I was an instructor at George Mason University, University of Massachusetts, and University of Virginia. I've coached High School Debate (we finished 2nd in the country at NFL). I've coached youth soccer (including multiple all-star teams). ...
Group Class
$80
for 5 classes5x per week, 1 week
55 min
Completed by 46 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-17
3-12 learners per class
