Advanced Topics in European History:
“Generalship in Europe & North Africa in World War II”
A HIS 391 (7878), Fall 2015
Tu/Th 4:15-5:35 (SS-117)
Instructor:
Dr. H. Peter Krosby, Professor of History (SS-145G)
Office hours: Tu & Th 9:00-10:00 & 1:00-2:30
E-mail: hkrosby@albany.edu
This course deals with the quality of military leadership during World War II in the European
theater of operations, including North Africa, at various levels of command. We will examine
selected military operations conducted by commanders of army groups (e.g., Gen. Konstantin
Rokossovsky and Operation Bagration), armies (e.g., Lt. Gen. George Patton in France), corps
(e.g., Maj.Gen. Richard O’Connor in North Africa), and divisions (e.g., Brig.Gen. Erwin Rommel
in France). We will also look at command failures (e.g., Maj.Gen. Lloyd Fredendall in North
Africa) and controversies (e.g., Lt.Gen. Mark Clark in Italy).
The course will be conducted as a seminar. Students are expected to participate actively in all
class discussions and will take turns briefly introducing the commanders. The quality of these
10-15-minute oral presentations will influence course grades positively or negatively.
Readings
The basic text in this course is Thomas W. Zeiler, Annihilation: A Global Military History of World
War II (Oxford University Press, 2011). All other required readings are from the Internet, most
of them Wikipedia articles, which are listed under the appropriate dates in the Schedule of
Topics. All biographical articles as well as some others go beyond the World War II period, but
should be read in full nonetheless. All articles will be discussed in class, as well as the larger
contexts within which the campaigns and battles occurred and the commanders functioned. It
is imperative that all items be read by the dates for which they are scheduled.
Research Paper
A research paper on one commander, or a comparison of two or more, is required. Due Nov.
19, it’s worth 20% of the course grade. A style manual—The Happy Footnoter—will be distributed, and you are to follow it in every respect. That includes title page, typed double-spaced
text, size 12 font, and one-inch margins all around. The paper should reflect your ability to
present a well-reasoned historical argument, and to interpret and evaluate primary as well as
secondary sources. Optimum length is 8-10 pages.
In your research, you may wish to check out Osprey Publishing’s Command series, which offers
64-page biographies of thirty military figures, including nine covered in this course. Many are
available cheaply from Amazon.com. Osprey also publishes a series of scholarly monographs on
World War II military topics. The same goes for Stackpole Books (Military History/World Wars),
a series of studies of military operations and commanders. If you do your research paper on
one of them, buying the relevant volume is a good idea, but make sure you buy from a highly
rated U.S. seller that can deliver quickly. Amazon.com is an umbrella dealer for foreign as well
as American sellers whose prices, reliability, and speed of delivery can vary radically.
Exams
The only exams in this course are four 30-minute essay tests, each worth 20% of your course
grade. The lowest of the four test grades will be dropped -- unless you duplicate it; the total
value of three tests will still be 80%. You may not choose which grade to drop by skipping a
test; skip one, and you lose its value. Makeup tests will be given if you miss a scheduled one
for reasons beyond your control, as certified by the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies.
Grades reflect knowledge, comprehension of issues, and ability to express them. Grading is AE. An “I” may be given, but only if you have completed at least three of the five assignments.
There will be no extra work for improved grades. Students with learning or performance disabilities should register promptly in BA-120 and bring me the letters provided. Special testing
conditions will then be arranged.
Policies
Attendance is essential in a seminar. Avoidable absences in excess of two will affect your
grade. Arrive on time and stay until the end. Coming and going as you please during class is a
disturbance as well as a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
Cheating is the capital crime of academe, yet plagiarism on papers has become an increasingly
common problem. Don’t do it; you will be caught! The policy of the History Department is as
follows:
Plagiarism is taking (which includes purchasing) the words and ideas of another and passing
them off as one’s own work. If in a formal paper a student quotes someone, that student
must use quotation marks and give a citation. Paraphrased or borrowed ideas are to be
identified by proper citations. Plagiarism will result, at the minimum, in a failing grade for
the assignment.
Schedule of Topics
Aug. 27: Orientation.
Sep 1: Achtung—Panzer! Guderian Practices his Theories.
READ: “Heinz Guderian”, “Achtung Panzer—Heinz Guderian”, “Heinz Guderian—
Wikiquote”, “Blitzkrieg”, “Invasion of Poland”, ”2nd Panzer Army”, “Battle of
Sedan (1940)”, “Battle of Bialystok-Minsk“, “Battle of Smolensk (1941)“, “Battle
of Moscow“, Zeiler pp. 55-60.
Sep 3: David vs. Goliath: Two Finnish Colonels, Three Soviet Divisions.
READ: “Hjalmar Siilasvuo”, “Paavo Talvela”, “Winter War”, “Battle of Suomussalmi”,
“Battle of Tolvajarvi”, “Battle of Raate Road”, “44th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)”,
Zeiler pp. 69-73.
Sep 8: The Boldest Operation: Falkenhorst’s Baedeker Invasion Plan.
READ: “Nikolaus von Falkenhorst”, “Operation Weseruebung”, “Norwegian Campaign”, “Battle of Drobak Sound”, “Battles of Narvik”, “Eduard Dietl”, “Erwin
Engelbrecht”, Zeiler pp. 73-78.
Sep 10: The Ghost Division: 7th Panzer’s Tour de France.
READ: “Erwin Rommel”, “Battle of France”, “7th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)”,
“Battle of Arras (1940)”, “Erwin Rommel—Biography—General—Biography.
com”, “The Forced Suicide of Field Marshal Rommel, 1944”, “Erwin Rommel-Wikiquote”, Zeiler pp. 78-90.
NOTE: Classes suspended 9/13 (Rosh Hashana); resume 9/15 at 12:35.
Sep 15: Waltzing Matilda: O’Connor’s Blitz from Sidi Barrani to Beda Fomm.
READ: “Richard O’Connor”, “North African Campaign”, “Western Desert Campaign”,
“Operation Compass”, “Battle of Sidi Barrani”, “Battle of Bardia”, “Tenth Army
(Italy)”, “Matilda II”, Zeiler pp. 117-22, 129-34.
NOTE: Classes suspended 9/22 at 12:35 pm (Yom Kippur); resume 9/24 at 12:35.
Sep 17: Blitz in East Africa: General Cunningham’s 53-Day 1,725-Mile Marathon.
READ: “Alan Cunningham”, “East African Campaign (World War II)”, “Battle of
Keren”, “Second Battle of Amba Alagi”, “Prince Amadeo, Duke of Aosta”, “Italian
guerrilla war in Ethiopia”, Zeiler pp. 122-23.
Sep 24: Sink, Burn and Destroy: The fiery Admiral Cunningham.
READ: “Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope”, “Battle of the
Mediterranean”, “Battle of Calabria”, “Battle of Taranto”, “Battle of Cape Matapan”, Zeiler pp. 124-27.
TEST #1: All readings from 8/27 through 9/24 & Zeiler, chapters 4, 5, 6, 8, 9.
Sep 29: By the Book: Montgomery from El Alamein to the Elbe.
READ: “Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein”, “Battle of Alam
el Halfa”, “Second Battle of El Alamein”, “Battle of the Mareth Line”, “Battle of
Wadi Akarit”, “Battle for Caen”, “Operation Market Garden”, “Operation Plunder”, Zeiler pp. 204-10, 215-16, 329-35, 344-45.
NOTE: Deadline for choosing research paper topic. Submit written proposal with
preliminary bibliography (follow The Happy Footnoter model).
Oct 1: Taking Care of Number One: Fredendall’s ‘My Safety First’ Command Style.
READ: “Lloyd Fredendall”, “Operation Torch,” “Battle of the Kasserine Pass” “Command Failure: Lloyd Fredendall and the Battle of Kasserine Pass”, “Combat
Orders at Kasserine Pass 1943”, Zeiler pp. 210-16.
Oct 6: Rome or Bust! Clark’s Egocentric Italian Campaign.
READ: “Mark W. Clark”, “Italian Campaign (World War II)”, “Gothic Line”,“Trasimene
Line”, “United States Army North”, “Mark W. Clark: A General Reappraisal—
History Net”, “General Clark’s Decision to Drive on Rome”, “Rage Over the
Rapido—History Net”, Zeiler pp. 220-23, 274-80.
Oct 8: Death Mountain: Gen. Anders and the Poles on Monte Cassino.
READ: “Wladyslaw Anders”, “Polish Armed Forces in the West”, “Anders’ Army,” “II
Corps (Poland)”, “Battle of Monte Casino”.
Oct 13: General Who? Stanislaw Maczek from Jordanow to Falaise.
READ: “Stanislaw Maczek”, “Battle of Jordanow”, “Battle of Lwow (1939)”, “10th
Armored Cavalry Brigade (Poland)”, “10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade (Poland)”,
“1st Armoured Division (Poland)”, “I Corps in the West (Poland)”, “Hill 262”,
“Falaise Pocket”. Zeiler pp. 219-23, 276-81.
Oct 15: Eisenhower’s Favorite General: Bradley from Normandy to the Bulge, 1944.
READ: “Omar Bradley”, “World War II: General Omar Bradley, Biography”, “Omar
Nelson Bradley—General of the Army”, “Omar N. Bradley—World War II-HISTORY.com”, “Falaise pocket”, “Battle of the Bulge”, Zeiler pp. 294-309.
Oct 20: Citizen Soldier: Troy Middleton from Brest to the Bulge.
READ: “Troy H. Middleton”, “45th Infantry Division (United States)”, “VIII Corps
(United States)”, “Battle for Brest”, “Commentary: The General That History
Forgot…” [by Mitchell Kaidy]. Recommended: “General Troy H. Middleton:
Steadfast in Command” [by Patrick N. Kaune].
Oct 22: America’s Fightingest General: Patton from Normandy to Czechoslovakia.
READ: “George S. Patton”, “Battle of Arracourt”, “Battle of Metz”, “George Patton, A
Giant of a General at the Bulge”, “Lorraine Campaign”, “United States Army Central”, “George S. Patton—Wikiquote”, Zeiler pp. 304-09, 312-14.
TEST #2: All readings from 9/29 through 10/22 & Zeiler, chapters 13, 17, 19.
Oct 27: Best of the Brits? Horrocks from Alam el Halfa Ridge to Bremen.
READ: “Brian Horrocks”, “XXX Corps (United Kingdom)”, “Battle of Alam el Halfa”,
“6th June 1943: Random bullet strikes down General Horrocks”, “Operation
Market Garden”, “How it really was: General Sir Brian Horrocks—Corps Commander”, Zeiler pp. 207, 329-35.
Oct 29: Best of the Germans? Manstein on the Eastern Front.
READ: “Erich von Manstein”, “Hitler’s Warriors – Manstein The Strategist--You
Tube”, “Siege of Sevastopol (1941-42)”, “Battle of the Dnieper”, “Third Battle of
Kharkov”, “Battle of Kursk”, Zeiler, pp. 193-95, 286-93.
Nov 1: The Unknown German: Hermann Balck, Vizard Panzer Commander.
READ: “Hermann Balck”, “The Greatest German General No One Ever Heard Of” [by
David T. Zabacki], “Translation of Taped Conversation with General Hermann
Balck” [Columbus Laboratories], “Tatsinskaya Raid”, “11th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)”, “XLVIII Panzer Corps”, “Army Group G”.
Nov 5: Hugging the Enemy: Chuikov at Stalingrad.
READ: “Vasily Chuikov”, “Battle of Stalingrad”, “Hugging the Enemy/tarnmoor”, “62nd
Army (Soviet Union)”, “8th Guards Army (Soviet Union)”, “Marshal Vasily Chuikov
82, Dies” [The New York Times, 3/20/82], “6th Army (Wehrmacht)”. Zeiler pp.
198- 203.
Nov 10: Stalin’s Bagration: Rokossovsky and the Annihilation of Army Group Center.
READ: “Pyotr Bagration”, “Konstantin Rokossovsky--Wikipedia”, “Operation Bagration”, “Bobruysk Offensive”, “Minsk Offensive”, “Lublin-Brest Offensive”, “Konstantin Rokossovsky—Wikiquote”, Zeiler pp. 346-51.
Nov 12: Youngest Ever: The Precocious Ivan Chernyakhovsky.
READ: “Ivan Chernyakhovsky”, “3rd Belorussian Front”, “East Prussian Offensive”,
“Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive”, “Minsk Offensive”, “Vilnius Offensive”, “Kaunas Offensive”.
TEST #3: All readings from 10/27 through 11/12 & Zeiler, chapters 12, 21, 22.
Nov 17: Hitler’s Fireman: Model from Moscow to the Ruhr.
READ: “Walter Model”, “9th Army (Wehrmacht)”, “Operation Mars”, “Battle of
Kursk”, “Operation Kutuzov”, “Army Group North”, “Army Group B”, “Battle of
Chambois”, “Hill 262”, “Huertgen Forest”, “Operation Queen”, “Battle of the
Bulge”, “Ruhr Pocket”, Zeiler pp. 200-01, 283-93, 309, 332-33.
Nov 19: Flying High—and Low: The Multi-tasking Kesselring, 1939-45.
READ: “Albert Kesselring”, “Italian Campaign (World War II)”, “Volturno Line”, “Barbara Line”, “Winter Line”, “F.J.P. Veale on the Trial of Field Marshal Kesselring”,
Zeiler pp. 92-98, 219-23, 276-81. Recommended: “Kesselring: An Analysis of the
German Commander at Anzio” [by Captain Teddy D. Bitner].
NOTE: Research paper due.
Nov 21: The Boy Wonder: Malinovsky from Ukraine to Manchuria.
READ: “Rodion Malinovsky”, “Battle of Stalingrad”, “2nd Guards Army”, “Southwestern Front (Soviet Union)”, “3rd Ukrainian Front”, “Jassy-Kishinev Offensive”,
“Siege of Budapest”, “Budapest Offensive”, “Soviet Invasion of Manchuria”,
“Soviet-Japanese War (1945)”, “Transbaikal Front”. Recommended: “August
Storm: The Soviet Strategic Offensive in Manchuria,” Leavenworth Papers No. 7
[by David Glantz], pp. 71-107, 173-76 & “August Storm: Soviet Tactical and
Operational Combat in Manchuria, 1945,” Leavenworth Papers No. 8 [by Glantz],
pp. 1-6, 127-65, 187-92.
NOTE: Classes suspended 11/25 (Thanksgiving); resume 11/30.
Dec 1: Almost Victorious: Grand Admiral Doenitz, the Frustrated Submariner.
READ: “Karl Doenitz”, “World War II: Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz”, “The Conduct of
the War at Sea—Natural History and Heritage Command”, “Wolfpack (naval
tactic)”, “Nuremberg Trial Defendants: Karl Doenitz” [Jewish Virtual Library],
Zeiler pp. 105-14, 236-41, 382-83.
Dec 3: Soldier/Diplomat: Eisenhower, the International Commander.
READ: “Dwight D. Eisenhower”, “Dwight Eisenhower–World War II–General Eisenhower”, “Dwight D. Eisenhower–US Army Center of Military History”, “How
World War II Wasn’t Won” [NY Times], Zeiler pp. 211-12, 214, 216, 294-95, 309,
338, 340, 344-45.
Dec 8: Looking Back: Comparing the Commanders.
TEST #4: All readings from 11/17 through 12/8 & Zeiler, chapters 18, 24, and
pp. 51-52, 378-81, 412-15.