*NOTE* This is a condensed version of my normal course #2 that normally runs for ten weeks into two weeks for summer! Please feel free to read the reviews from the regular course!

World War II is such an incredibly vast subject that many interesting topics have fallen by the wayside. Sometimes, we are so consumed with some of the more popular occurrences we don't give some of the lesser known topics their due diligence. Well, for those who have an interest in the subjects that might be just a bit off of the beaten path, I have created this course for you! Some of the topics are battles, some of them deal with technology and some of them are just obscure-but all of them are incredibly interesting! As an example, the Winter War in 1940 between the Soviets and Finns is relatively obscure but is incredibly interesting, and the initial outcome is not what you would expect. And did you know that the Invasion of Crete almost single handedly prevented future paratrooper operations for the German military? These and other topics I've researched are totally factual and incredibly compelling. The course will cover:

Lesson # 1 - The Winter War

Students will learn:
-Why the Soviets invaded Finland in 1940
-The comparisons of the two armies
-Terrain, climate
-Sniping
-The outcome

Lesson # 2 - Japanese Expansion Prior and at the beginning of WWII

Students will learn:
- When WWII really began for the Japanese
-Emperor Hirohito
-The Japanese Army of 1931
-The mentality of the Japanese soldier
-Invasions and gains up to 1942


Lesson # 3 - The Sinking of the Hood and the Bismarck (The Battle of the Denmark Strait)

Students will learn:
-The navies of Great Britain and Germany in 1940
-Battleships in 1940...what were they like?
-The Hood and the Bismarck compared
-The mission of the Bismarck and the Prinz Eugen
-Aircraft carriers and the Swordfish Biplane...and the history they made
-The battle itself; location, ships involved, and the outcome

Lesson # 4 - The Invasion of Crete - Operation Mercury, 1941

-Background
-Operation Mercury
-Defending Crete
-German Air Campaign
-Opening Attacks
-Battle Intensifies
-Error at Melame
-Long Retreat
-Allied Withdrawal 
-Surrender
-Casualties
-Aftermath

Lesson # 5 - Weapons and Technology of WWII

Students will learn:
-Radar
-Sonar
-Schnorkel
-Rockets
-Enigma and Ultra
-Penicillin
-Jet aircraft 
-The atomic bomb

Lesson # 6 - Stalingrad

Students will learn:
-The reasons for attacking Stalingrad
-The German and Soviet armies of 1942
-Fighting reaches the city
-Sniping in Stalingrad
-How winter affected both armies
-Operation Uranus
-The encirclement
-The German surrender

Lesson # 7 - War in the Pacific post-1942

Students will learn:
-Doolittle Raid
-The Battle of Midway
-Forces involved
-The importance of the LVT
-The Battle of Guadalcanal
-Kamikazes
-Iwo Jima
-The end of the war

Lesson # 8 - Obscure WWII

Students will learn:
-The attack on Mers-el-Kabir
-The first D-Day
-The assasination of Reinhard Heydrich
-Calvin Graham
-William Patrick Hitler
-Navajo Code Talkers
-Japanese Balloon Bombs
-Audie Murphy
-Hiroo Onoda

Lesson # 9 - The Manhattan Project

-Project is Green Lighted
-First Breakthrough
-The Project is Advanced
-Absolute Secrecy
-Preparation For Testing
-Successful Test
-Should the Bomb Be Dropped?
-Truman’s Choices
-The Bombs Are Dropped
-Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
-Effects of the Bomb Blasts

Lesson # 10 - Diversity in WWII

Students will learn:
-An overview of diversity in WWII
-Women in WWII
-WASP's
-Homefront
-Nurses
African Americans In WWII
-The Tuskegee Airmen
-761st Tank Battalion
Asian Americans in WWII
-442nd Regimental Combat Team


I teach by using slides, original photographs, video clips, discussions and more. There will be several question/answer periods during the session to address questions and comments.  No prior knowledge needed.  As the teacher, I will be dressed in an original uniform for each session.