World War II: Pacific Theater (The Great Courses Series)

The Japanese attack on the United States Battle Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, socked most Americans. While the attack was a tactical success for Japan, it was also one of the most reckless strategic decisions in the history of warfare, for it awakened a sleeping giant and triggered some of the most harrowing and ferocious military actions the world had ever seen. For the United States, the war started and ended in the Pacific Theater, with the war against Japan. From 1941 to 1945, Japan and the United States waged the largest naval war in history - and in the end, it changed the course of history and re-made the modern world.

World War II: The Pacific Theater chronicles the global trajectory of the war in the Pacific: the epic battles, the military strategy and tactics, the leaders and commanders, the amphibious landings, the air attacks, and the submarine campaigns. From the jungles of Guadalcanal and the Philippines to the black sands of Iwo Jima, you'll meet fascinating figures such as General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral William Halsey, Admiral Chester Nimitz, the codebreakers at Station Hypo, and personal accounts from soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this course is how it reveals the way supply chains and industrial output affected the trajectory of the war. For example, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor had more to do with supplies of oil and rubber from South Asia than with any interest in conquering American territory. The lack of supplies wrecked Japan's ability to wage war effectively. However, American manufacturing output was truly staggering: millions of tons of new aircraft, destroyers, tank landing ships, cargo ships, and aircraft carriers. Thanks to American industry, the military was able to resupply the Navy and the Marines as they hopped from island to island, and battle to battle.

Using images and videos from The Great Courses and the History Channel, this course gives you an inside look at the strategy of the war on both sides and explores the tactical advantages each nation held, from industrial dynamism to advanced technology to sheer willpower. Assignments address the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Social Studies-History Standards.

This course is applicable towards the United States History Certificate.

Note: Course guidebook is included with the cost of the course.