[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
Papua, New Guinea, 1942
Allied Advance Across Owen Stanley Mountains, 26 Sept.-15 Nov. 1942
The Solomons: Guadalcanal and Florida, 1942
Southwest Russia, 1942: German Advance to Stalingrad, Operations, 24 July-18 November 1942
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941: Status of Forces and Allied Theater Boundaries, 2 July 1942
India-Burma, 1942: Allied Lines of Communication, 1942-1943

[SampleMan]

The Germans made huge gains in 1941 when they outmanuevered the Russians, avoiding direct action and flanking them with pincher movements.

Stalingrad could have been flanked as well, and should have been, as should have Moscow. Yes a large force would have been required to encapsulate the city, but only until it was starved out.

The German delay in dealing with the Balkans was probably the biggest factor in saving Stalin. Had the Germans kicked off a month earlier in the summer of 1941, things might have been very different. Moscow was the rail hub and taking or surrounding it would have greatly curtailed the Soviet ability to maneuver, there after.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda... for the Germans. Ultimately, the Soviet war machine saved millions of Western lives by keeping half the German forces engaged.

[colorado tanker]

New Guinea through the Owen Stanleys strikes me as one of the most miserable places in the world to fight, geographically and climatologically.