Pages

Friday, June 29, 2012

Website Spotlight: World War II (BBC)


Website URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/

Introductory Note:

Welcome to one in a series of posts which spotlight quality websites that I use with my U.S. History survey course students (I also use this particular website extensively in an upper-division course covering World War II) at Azusa Pacific University to enrich the regular material in our learning modules.

In this post, I limit myself to those specific aspects of the website which I find fit particularly well within our face-to-face class sessions (each student is required to bring a laptop to class) or as the basis for the students' regularly-assigned written reactions.

++++++++++

I ask the students to work through the following links:

I. World War Two: Key Events
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ww2_summary_01.shtml

II. The Gathering Storm

The Rise of Adolf Hitler
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/hitler_01.shtml

Japan's Quest for Empire 1931-1945
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/japan_quest_empire_01.shtml

III. Blitzkrieg: Germany's 'Lighting War'

Blitzkrieg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/blitzkrieg_01.shtml

The Fall of France
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/fall_france_01.shtml

Dunkirk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff2_dunkirk.shtml

Animated Map: The Fall of France (Dunkirk)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_ani_fall_france_campaign.shtml

IV. Britain Stands Alone

Winston Churchill: Defender of Democracy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/churchill_defender_01.shtml

The Battle of Britain (audio and video clips from BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/battle_of_britain

Battle of Britain (text)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff3_battlebritain.shtml

The Battle of the Atlantic
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_atlantic_01.shtml

The Battle of the Atlantic Game
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_gms_battle_atlantic.shtml

The Blitz
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff3_blitz.shtml

V. The Allies in Retreat

Hitler and 'Lebensraum' in the East
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/hitler_lebensraum_01.shtml

Hitler's Invasion of Russia in World War Two
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/hitler_russia_invasion_01.shtml

The Dieppe Raid (1)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff4_diepperaid.shtml

The Dieppe Raid (2)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/dieppe_raid_01.shtml

Colonies, Colonials and World War Two
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/colonies_colonials_01.shtml

Rommel in the Desert
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/rommel_desert_01.shtml

VI. The Tide of War Turns

World War Two: The Battle of El Alamein
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_el_alamein_01.shtml

Animated Map: The Battle of El Alamein
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_ani_el_alamein.shtml

The Battle of Midway
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_midway_01.shtml

Partisans: War in the Balkans 1941-1945
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/partisan_fighters_01.shtml

VII. The Axis in Retreat

Animated Map: The Italian Campaign
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_ani_italy_campaign.shtml

World War Two: The Battle of Monte Cassino
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_cassino_01.shtml

VIII. Special Section: D-Day and Operation Overlord

D-Day: Beachhead
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/dday_beachhead_01.shtml

Animated Map: The D-Day Landings
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_ani_d_day.shtml

Operation Overlord: D-Day to Paris
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/overlord_d_day_paris_01.shtml

Animated Map: Operation Overlord (On to Paris)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_ani_overlord_campaign.shtml

The Allies at War (With Each Other)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/allies_at_war_01.shtml

GI Joe: US Soldiers of World War Two
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/us_soldiers_01.shtml

IX. Victory in Europe and Japan

The Battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_arnhem_01.shtml

Animated Map: The Battle of Arnhem
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_ani_arnhem.shtml

The Battle of the Bulge
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_bulge_01.shtml

The Battle for Berlin in World War Two
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/berlin_01.shtml

World War Two: How the Allies Won
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/how_the_allies_won_01.shtml

V-weapons Attack Britain
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff7_vweapons.shtml

X. Post-war Reconstruction and Retribution

Why Churchill Lost in 1945
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/election_01.shtml

XI. Special Section: The Secret War

Breaking Germany's Enigma Code
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/enigma_01.shtml

Double Cross - MI5 in World War Two (Double Agents)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/mi5_ww2_01.shtml

British Special Operations Executive (SOE): Tools and Gadgets Gallery
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/soe_gallery.shtml

Training SOE Saboteurs in World War Two
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/soe_training_01.shtml

SOE Quiz: Destination D-Day (Game to See If You Can Make It as a Secret Agent)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_gms_soe_quiz.shtml
++++++++++

Concluding Note:

I hope you will use this blog post in conjunction with both the modules on my Learning Professor wiki and the numerous other posts in my Website Spotlight series.

1. The website spotlighted in this post fits within the following U.S. History survey course module on the wiki:
http://thelearningprofessor.wikispaces.com/World+War+II

2. The other blog posts in my Website Spotlight series--chronologically displayed by U.S. History survey course module-- can be found on this wiki page:
http://thelearningprofessor.wikispaces.com/WEBSITE+SPOTLIGHT 

No comments:

Post a Comment