As the war turned against Germany, Hitler began to make increasingly serious defensive blunders, often refusing to allow troops to withdraw to defensible positions or to retreat when overwhelmed by enemy forces. These decisions cost many Germans their lives and turned the course of the war irrevocably against Germany.

1) Identify and explain the events that caused Germany to go on the defensive.

2) Describe, based on the German army's doctrine and mentality, how ready the German forces were to fight a defensive war.

3) Use examples from the book to explain some situations were German military leaders recommended prudent defensive strategies, such as tactical withdrawals.

4) Explain or speculate as to why Hitler refused these recommendations, and explain the consequences of these decisions.

Essay Topic 2

After breaking through Belgium and Luxembourg, the German forces routed French and allied divisions, sending them fleeing North to the channel and south to the heart of France. The English expeditionary force was badly disorganized and compacted into a small area at Dunkirk, where they were slowly evacuated. Many military leaders wanted to launch a massive ground attack against these forces, but Hitler indulged Goering's desire to demonstrate the power of the German Luftwaffe by destroying the English from the air. This proved more difficult than planned, and most of the English army escaped.

1) Discuss the events that caused the English army to be cornered at Dunkirk.

2) Explain the opinions of Guderian and other military leaders about what should have been done to wipe out the English army.

3) Explain the reasons that caused Hitler to send only the Luftwaffe to attack this vulnerable position.

4) Summarize the Luftwaffe's attempts to wipe out the English.

5) Using information from the book and Guderian's personal insights, speculate how the war could have gone differently had ground forces been allowed to attack Dunkirk en masse.

Essay Topic 3

The July 20th assassination plot against Hitler ended with the killing of several top German military leaders, the light wounding of the Fuhrer, and the execution of most of the conspirators. The German officers who carried out the assassination attempt believed they could end the war by killing Hitler, but Guderian expressed doubt that Hitler's death would mean anything for Germany.

1) Explain the July 20th plot, including the people involved, the plan for the assassination, how the attack was carried out, and how successful the plan was.

2) Discuss the motivations of the conspirators and explain what they hoped to achieve through their actions.

3) Describe Guderian's attitude towards the assassination attempt, including a discussion of his criticisms of the methods used by the conspirators and their morals.

(see the answer keys)

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