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World War II: Battlefield Europe
The topic of World War II’s European Theater is so vast that it requires an expert historian to make sense of it all. How was the war in Europe fought over the course of seven long, arduous years? What led to Germany’s early sustained gains, and what eventually stymied its advances? Why did the war in Europe unfold the way it did, and what socio-economic factors led to Germany’s unconditional surrender after millions of lives were lost?
For award-winning Professor David R. Stone of the U.S. Naval War College, it all boils down to a matter of strategy. Strategic choices—political ones, economic ones, military ones—are the organizing principles that can help any of us make sense of the war in Europe. “Political and military leaders had to make hard decisions,” Professor Stone says. “We can learn a lot by looking at those choices.”
World War II: Battlefield Europe is Professor Stone’s expansive 24-lecture exploration of the 20th century’s defining conflict. Designed in partnership with HISTORY® and using a distinctly European perspective (in which the United States is a supporting player instead of a main character), this course provides a fresh lens through which to study the European Theater’s major battles, larger-than-life personalities, twists of fate, and tales of intrigue. You’ll uncover the strategic decisions behind U-boat assaults, urban bombing campaigns, Operation Barbarossa, D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the invasion of Italy, the French resistance, the fall of Berlin, V-2 rockets, and so much more. By the end of the last lecture, you’ll better understand why the war in Europe unfolded the way it did—and why its legacy resonates for all players down to this very day.
While World War II had two theaters of combat, the European Theater of 1939 to 1945 was the violent core of this global conflict between the forces of totalitarianism and those of freedom. It was on the European continent where Nazi Germany began its project of expansion and murder. It was on the European continent where Allied and Axis forces clashed at Stalingrad, el-Alamein, Anzio, and Normandy. And it was on the European continent where Nazi Germany was ultimately defeated and the stage was set for the Cold War that would consume the post-war world.
Strategic Looks at Epic Battles
In developing World War II: Battlefield Europe, Professor Stone came up with the conservative estimate that there are over 300,000 books and 30,000 scholarly articles dealing with World War II. It’s a conflict that’s so enormous, no one can master it all at once.
That’s why these lectures dig deep into the European Theater of war, and specifically the real-life military and political strategies behind some of the war’s most definitive battles.
The Battle of Britain: From the second half of 1940 through most of 1941, the British Royal Air Force and its German equivalent, the Luftwaffe, waged a desperate struggle for control of the skies over England. Dubbed the Battle of Britain by Winston Churchill, the fight raises a number of important strategic questions, including whether Germany’s shift from attacking the RAF to bombing British cities (which appealed to Hitler’s desire to make Britain suffer) might have cost the Nazis their chance at victory.
The Battle of Stalingrad: While Stalingrad (known today as the city of Volgograd) was one of World War II’s most decisive battles, the regional industrial center in the southeastern section of European Russia wasn’t important in itself. But the city sits where the Volga River takes a big swing westward as it flows south into the Caspian Sea, which meant the Germans couldn’t let the city remain in Soviet hands as it was too big a threat to the flank of their push to grab the oil fields around the Azerbaijani city of Baku.
The D-Day Invasion: Training for war is, naturally, serious business. It was even more so for the Allied invasion of Europe. Two months before the landing at Utah Beach, 750 American soldiers died at Slapton Sands in southwest England during a training exercise, which was attacked by the Germans. Because a number of the dead Americans had been briefed on the D-Day invasion plans, their bodies had to be recovered to ensure they hadn’t been captured and the plan wasn’t compromised.
The Battle of the Atlantic: What finally turned the tide in favor of Allied submarines and sea forces? Much of the eventual victory was due to technological developments, including better sonar and radar with which to find enemy subs; a forward-firing battery of depth charges known as “the hedgehog”; and a torpedo known as “Fido” (deliberately called a mine to be misleading to the enemy), which could track submerged submarines and, more important, could be dropped from Allied aircraft.
Provocative Questions, Illuminating Answers
A large part of military strategy isn’t just executing plans, but learning lessons from both victory and defeat. Professor Stone contextualizes the defining mom...
For award-winning Professor David R. Stone of the U.S. Naval War College, it all boils down to a matter of strategy. Strategic choices—political ones, economic ones, military ones—are the organizing principles that can help any of us make sense of the war in Europe. “Political and military leaders had to make hard decisions,” Professor Stone says. “We can learn a lot by looking at those choices.”
World War II: Battlefield Europe is Professor Stone’s expansive 24-lecture exploration of the 20th century’s defining conflict. Designed in partnership with HISTORY® and using a distinctly European perspective (in which the United States is a supporting player instead of a main character), this course provides a fresh lens through which to study the European Theater’s major battles, larger-than-life personalities, twists of fate, and tales of intrigue. You’ll uncover the strategic decisions behind U-boat assaults, urban bombing campaigns, Operation Barbarossa, D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the invasion of Italy, the French resistance, the fall of Berlin, V-2 rockets, and so much more. By the end of the last lecture, you’ll better understand why the war in Europe unfolded the way it did—and why its legacy resonates for all players down to this very day.
While World War II had two theaters of combat, the European Theater of 1939 to 1945 was the violent core of this global conflict between the forces of totalitarianism and those of freedom. It was on the European continent where Nazi Germany began its project of expansion and murder. It was on the European continent where Allied and Axis forces clashed at Stalingrad, el-Alamein, Anzio, and Normandy. And it was on the European continent where Nazi Germany was ultimately defeated and the stage was set for the Cold War that would consume the post-war world.
Strategic Looks at Epic Battles
In developing World War II: Battlefield Europe, Professor Stone came up with the conservative estimate that there are over 300,000 books and 30,000 scholarly articles dealing with World War II. It’s a conflict that’s so enormous, no one can master it all at once.
That’s why these lectures dig deep into the European Theater of war, and specifically the real-life military and political strategies behind some of the war’s most definitive battles.
The Battle of Britain: From the second half of 1940 through most of 1941, the British Royal Air Force and its German equivalent, the Luftwaffe, waged a desperate struggle for control of the skies over England. Dubbed the Battle of Britain by Winston Churchill, the fight raises a number of important strategic questions, including whether Germany’s shift from attacking the RAF to bombing British cities (which appealed to Hitler’s desire to make Britain suffer) might have cost the Nazis their chance at victory.
The Battle of Stalingrad: While Stalingrad (known today as the city of Volgograd) was one of World War II’s most decisive battles, the regional industrial center in the southeastern section of European Russia wasn’t important in itself. But the city sits where the Volga River takes a big swing westward as it flows south into the Caspian Sea, which meant the Germans couldn’t let the city remain in Soviet hands as it was too big a threat to the flank of their push to grab the oil fields around the Azerbaijani city of Baku.
The D-Day Invasion: Training for war is, naturally, serious business. It was even more so for the Allied invasion of Europe. Two months before the landing at Utah Beach, 750 American soldiers died at Slapton Sands in southwest England during a training exercise, which was attacked by the Germans. Because a number of the dead Americans had been briefed on the D-Day invasion plans, their bodies had to be recovered to ensure they hadn’t been captured and the plan wasn’t compromised.
The Battle of the Atlantic: What finally turned the tide in favor of Allied submarines and sea forces? Much of the eventual victory was due to technological developments, including better sonar and radar with which to find enemy subs; a forward-firing battery of depth charges known as “the hedgehog”; and a torpedo known as “Fido” (deliberately called a mine to be misleading to the enemy), which could track submerged submarines and, more important, could be dropped from Allied aircraft.
Provocative Questions, Illuminating Answers
A large part of military strategy isn’t just executing plans, but learning lessons from both victory and defeat. Professor Stone contextualizes the defining mom...
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Published January 1, 2020
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About the author
David R. Stone
14 books17 followersDavid Stone, director of the Institute for Military History and 20th Century Studies, is the Pickett professor of military history at Kansas State University and an award-winning author. He specializes in Russia and the Soviet Union, South Asia and military history.
Stone's first book, "Hammer and Rifle: The Militarization of the Soviet Union, 1926-1933," was a selection of the History Book Club. It also was named the winner of the 2001 inaugural Best First Book prize of the Historical Society and was co-winner of the 2001 Shulman Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies. In 2006 he published "A Military History of Russia: From Ivan the Terrible to the War in Chechnya," and was named one of America's top young historians by the History News Network. He was editor of the 2010 book, "The Soviet Union at War, 1941-1945." He also is the author of more than 24 articles and book chapters on Russian/Soviet military history and foreign policy.
His current research includes Leon Trotsky and his role in the creation of the Soviet army, international finance and the collapse of the Soviet system, and the Soviet military in the run-up to World War II.
Stone earned a doctorate in history from Yale University and bachelor's degrees in history and mathematics from Wabash College.
He joined K-State in 1999. He has been recognized for his teaching with the 2001 K-State Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Stone's first book, "Hammer and Rifle: The Militarization of the Soviet Union, 1926-1933," was a selection of the History Book Club. It also was named the winner of the 2001 inaugural Best First Book prize of the Historical Society and was co-winner of the 2001 Shulman Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies. In 2006 he published "A Military History of Russia: From Ivan the Terrible to the War in Chechnya," and was named one of America's top young historians by the History News Network. He was editor of the 2010 book, "The Soviet Union at War, 1941-1945." He also is the author of more than 24 articles and book chapters on Russian/Soviet military history and foreign policy.
His current research includes Leon Trotsky and his role in the creation of the Soviet army, international finance and the collapse of the Soviet system, and the Soviet military in the run-up to World War II.
Stone earned a doctorate in history from Yale University and bachelor's degrees in history and mathematics from Wabash College.
He joined K-State in 1999. He has been recognized for his teaching with the 2001 K-State Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 14, 2025
A solid narrative history focused on military strategy if that’s your thing.
May 20, 2021
I am a WWII buff and, although introductory and by its nature limited, this course is exceptional. Prof. Stone's presentation, professionalism, and love of history is evident in every lecture. As I was listening to the course I could not but think how beneficial it would be to make a course like this part of any high school curriculum. Sine qua non of a healthy democracy is an informed electorate. A timely and eloquent reminder where the world was just a few decades ago would certainly be beneficial to those who question, or have become oblivious, to the importance of facts and basic compassion for the "other" marginalized and dehumanized groups.
May 17, 2023
کمونیست دوآتشه میتونه جنگ جهانی دوم رو تو دو جمله خلاصه کنه: بحرانی بود که غرب کاپیتالیست ایجادش کرد. و ما حلش کردم
چندان هم بیراه نیست
کمونیست دوآتشه میتونه حرف استالین رو تکرار کنه که ما اگه قدرتمند نشیم، زیر پا له میشیم. اگه استالین صنعت روسیه رو توسعه نداده بود، و ارتشش رو تقویت نکرده بود،
مثل باقی اروپای شرقی زیر زنجیر تانکهای هیتلر، در سکوت و بیتفاوتی آمریکا و انگلیس و غیره، له نمیشد؟ء
چندان بیراه نیست
راستی، به نظرتون چند درصد از ارتش هیتلر در جبهه شرق کشته شدند؟
جایی خوندم نود درصد
مخلص کلام اینکه بیاعتمادی روسیه به غرب و تلاشش برای قدرتمند شدن قابل درکه. سواد سیاسی ندارم، ولی جنگ امروز اوکراین به نظرم اونقدرها هم سیاه و سفید نیست که رسانهها میگن
چندان هم بیراه نیست
کمونیست دوآتشه میتونه حرف استالین رو تکرار کنه که ما اگه قدرتمند نشیم، زیر پا له میشیم. اگه استالین صنعت روسیه رو توسعه نداده بود، و ارتشش رو تقویت نکرده بود،
مثل باقی اروپای شرقی زیر زنجیر تانکهای هیتلر، در سکوت و بیتفاوتی آمریکا و انگلیس و غیره، له نمیشد؟ء
چندان بیراه نیست
راستی، به نظرتون چند درصد از ارتش هیتلر در جبهه شرق کشته شدند؟
جایی خوندم نود درصد
مخلص کلام اینکه بیاعتمادی روسیه به غرب و تلاشش برای قدرتمند شدن قابل درکه. سواد سیاسی ندارم، ولی جنگ امروز اوکراین به نظرم اونقدرها هم سیاه و سفید نیست که رسانهها میگن
June 2, 2023
Great introduction to the European theater. It feels like he sometimes tries a bit too hard to make sure that every side has it's "downside" spotlight, when Churchill's weaknesses or blindspots are not even on the same wavelength as Stalins'. Other than a flavor of modern inability to take strong sides, this seems like a good set of 24 lectures. I watched them on Wondrium, and that's the best way (pictures, animated maps, video footage) but they can be profitably listened to as well.
October 22, 2021
The lecturer is a Soviet Union expert, an excellent instructor
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews