USAHEC Perspectives Lectures Series (Audio)

Legacy Lecture - June 16, 2010

The 1942 campaigning season ended in disaster for the German Wehrmacht, with twin and nearly simultaneous defeats at Stalingrad and El Alamein. Analysts have usually assigned responsibility for the catastrophe to the amateurish strategy of Adolf Hitler, or to miscalculations on the part of the German General Staff, or to various mistakes by the field commanders at critical junctures. But what if we have misconstrued the true causes of the catastrophe? What if, in fact, the Wehrmacht failed in 1942 not because of fundamental problems within the classic "German way of war," a unique combination of doctrines, attitudes, and assumptions whose roots lay deep in the history of Prussia and Germany?

In "Death of the Wehrmacht," military historian Dr. Robert Citino offers not only a detailed analysis of the German campaigns in the Soviet Union and North Africa, but also ties them into the traditional pattern of German operations extending back hundreds of years.

For video of the USHAEC's podcasts, or to learn more about the USAHEC, find education support for teachers, researchers, and soldiers, or to find more programs at the USAHEC, please visit our website at http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm (http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm)

LEGACY LECTURE - January 15, 2014

When failure rears its ugly head, tough decisions must be made. In war, that means accepting defeat or trying a new strategy. In response to insurgencies, the U.S. Military's historical reaction has been to implement counterinsurgencies using a wide array of strategies and tactics. However, the benefits of the military's use of counterinsurgency (COIN) efforts are widely debatable. Colonel Gian Gentile was the first to expose the discord amongst military strategists, analysts, and academics in their philosophies regarding COIN and its effectiveness in accomplishing the U.S.'s goals in Afghanistan in his 2008 article, "Misreading the Surge," World Politics Review. In his new book, Wrong Turn: America's Deadly Embrace of Counterinsurgency, Gentile further explores the dissent surrounding COIN doctrine. Colonel (Ret) Gian Gentile is the Senior Historian for the Rand Corporation and recently retired from the U.S. Army where he served as a professor of history at the United States Military Academy. Gentile has served as a visiting fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, and is an award winning historian and accomplished author.

For video of the USHAEC's podcasts, or to learn more about the USAHEC, find education support for teachers, researchers, and soldiers, or to find more programs at the USAHEC, please visit our website at http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm (http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm).

Dr. James Kimble of Seaton Hall University discusses U.S. Army's World War II Office of Civilian Defense efforts to convince the home front to make greater sacrifices in support of the war effort despite the U.S. government’s fervent censorship of American servicemen’s death on the battlefield. Since the imagery of death was officially censored early in the conflict, the campaign became a defining moment for the emotional involvement of civilians in what had been, for many, a distant war. Dr. Kimble reveals vital connections between the home front and the battlefront, and critiques the Roosevelt Administration's handling of the war's most gruesome propaganda.

This podcast includes powerful images of war death.  For video of the USHAEC's podcasts, or to learn more about the USAHEC, find education support for teachers, researchers, and soldiers, or to find more programs at the USAHEC, please visit our website at http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm (http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm).

Dr. Beverley  Eddy of Dickinson College presents a talk about how the U.S. Army realized the need for specialized psychological warfare tactics as World War II expanded. The job description was extensive: "prisoner and civilian interrogation, broadcasting, loudspeaker appeals, leaflet and newspapers production, broadcasting, and technical support." The mission was intense: weaken the morale of the Third Reich and then help Germany transition to an era free from Nazi oppression. The American Soldiers selected to man the Army’s "Mobile Broadcasting Companies," during the Second World War, however, were uniquely qualified to fight on a different battlefield from their rifle-bearing brethren – a war of hearts, minds, and intelligence.

For video of the USHAEC's podcasts, or to learn more about the USAHEC, find education support for teachers, researchers, and soldiers, or to find more programs at the USAHEC, please visit our website at http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm (http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm).

In the late summer of 1915, the German military powerhouse turned from the growing stalemate on the western front of World War I to a new objective: the conquest of Serbia’s mountainous and treacherous terrain to open a corridor to the Ottoman Empire.

Dr. Richard L. DiNardo is Professor for National Security Affairs at the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College at Quantico, Virginia.

For video of the USHAEC's podcasts, or to learn more about the USAHEC, find education support for teachers, researchers, and soldiers, or to find more programs at the USAHEC, please visit our website at http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm (http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm).

The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center at Carlisle Barracks, PA, USA, hosts U.S. Army history lectures and events throughout the year.  This lecture, entitled, "American Warlords," was given on September 21, 2016 by Mr. Jonathan Jordan, and discusses the senior American leadership during World War II.  For video of the USHAEC's podcasts, or to learn more more about the USAHEC, find education support for teachers, researchers, and soldiers, or to find more programs at the USAHEC, please visit our website at http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm (http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/lectures.cfm).