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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Guderian do during his final meeting with the Fuhrer that upset Hitler significantly?

2. What was Guderian's primary concern, following the assassination attempt of July 20th?

3. What did von Kluge attempt to do to Guderian?

4. In Guderian's story about the Court of Honor, what did the soldier do instead of killing himself?

5. Why was Guderian interrogated following the evacuation of Warsaw?

Short Essay Questions

1. What personal danger did Guderian face in Chapter 12?

2. What happened when the Russians invaded German-allied Romania?

3. What defensive mistakes did Hitler constantly make during the allied advances in Europe?

4. How were the opinions about entering into war different for Hitler and for the General Staff?

5. What defensive mistake did Rommel make in dealing with the allied landings at Normandy?

6. What problems did the German General Staff face in the inter-war period?

7. Summarize Guderian's opinion of Hitler's overall strategic mistakes.

8. What major attack did Hitler order for Army Group Vistula during the events of Chapter 12?

9. What rumor did Guderian hear about Field Marshal von Kluge on July 18th?

10. What factors caused the German General Staff to adopt strategies for motorized and tank warfare?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Just before launching his attack against Poland, Hitler signed a non-aggression pact with Russia that, in theory, guaranteed peace between these nations for the immediate future. This agreement allowed Hitler to safely and quickly invade Poland with little concern for a Russian attack on his rapidly-advancing and disorganized troops.

1) Explain why Hitler sought and signed the non-aggression pact with Russia. What major strategic advantages did this pact provide for Germany?

2) Discuss the agreement between Germany and Russia to split Poland's territory and explain how this agreement enticed Russia to agree to the deal arrangement and to avoid attacking Germany.

3) Explain how Hitler took advantage of the period of relative peace that the non-aggression pact provided him following the conclusion of the Polish campaign.

Essay Topic 2

When he was reinstated in the army, Guderian was given the rank of Inspector-General of the Armored Troops. This was a very important position that gave Guderian the authority he had always sought, but it came late in the war and at a time when the organization of the armored troops was in a desperate condition.

1) Explain the reasons Guderian was reinstated into the army and given his new rank.

2) Summarize the responsibilities and authority Guderian gained in his new capacity.

3) Explain how Guderian was able to quickly assemble an effective staff.

4) Discuss the state of the German armored troops at the time Guderian assumed his new command, and discuss the changes that Guderian made to these forces in order to make them effective once again.

Essay Topic 3

The German high command considered the invasion of France carefully, discussing several possible plans of attack. The final plan proved to be phenomenally effective and resulted in the quick routing of French and allied forces and the eventual annexation of most of France.

1) Discuss the major plans considered by the German high command for the invasion of France.

2) Explain Guderian's suggestions for the planning of this invasion, and discuss why these suggestions were unorthodox but effective.

3) Summarize the course of the German invasion of France, including a discussion of Guderian's personal involvement.

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