Brian O'Connor

ECUI 526 - Field Experience II

2-28-18

After completing the heading, please list the following content for the plan:

Title WWII- How Hitler Lost

Different title- less loaded
The downfall of the Third Reich
Subject Area(s) U.S History
Grade Level 10th
Summary of the Lesson Students will examine and explain the
factors that caused Germany to lose
WWII in a class discussion given
readings to review
Standards: (as applicable) CC.8.5.9-10.C- Analyze in detail a series
of events described in a text;
International Standards determine whether earlier events
National Standards caused later ones or simply preceded
Professional Organization Standards them.
PA Academic Standards CC.8.6.9-10.H- Draw evidence from
PA Core Standards informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
Essential Questions What factors resulted in the failure of
the Nazi party’s loss in WWII?
Objectives Students will be able to:
1. Cite evidence of factors that led
to the Allied victory in WWII in
class discussion
2. Develop a logical argument by
using homework and classwork
to defend their statements in
class discussion
3. Hypothesize what could have
happened if certain factors did
not occur
Vocabulary:
Estimated Time
Materials Required
Procedure
Each professor may choose to align
this section to his/her content areas.
This section will include anticipated
areas of differentiated instruction.
Battle of Britain- air battle above
England meant to weaken the British
People to prepare the Island for a Nazi
invasion
Stalingrad- a large defeat for Hitler in
Russia- great loss of lives as the Nazi
soldiers were left in the city through
the winter underprepared and
undersupplied
30 minutes
Homework- reading- 10 reasons
White board
Maps of WWII Europe- reinforce
geography given the number of places
referenced.
BEFORE: (10 Minutes)
Give students homework the night
before to read the “top 10 reasons
Hitler Lost WWII” article.
Introduce the topic by giving a review
of what the prior lessons had
discussed. Cover the rapid expansion
of German control over Europe.
Discuss the German losses at
Stalingrad and the Battle of Britain.
DURING: (30 Minutes)
After activating background knowledge
and orienting the students to the
topic, I will ask the question, “Given all
that you have learned in this unit, your
homework reading, and your
knowledge outside the classroom,
what do you think caused Nazi
Germany to lose the war?” Ask the
students, “Did the Nazi’s lose the
war?” After posing the question, I will
 tell the students that our conversation
must be respectful and courteous. It is
an opinion based question and just
because another student’s answer is
different does not mean it is wrong. I
will also ask the students to use their
notes, homework, and textbook to cite
evidence for their beliefs. This section
will be student led and I will merely
facilitate the conversation.

AFTER: (10 Minutes)

As the class period nears its end, or the
conversation naturally ends, I will sum
up and reiterate the student’s
comments to reinforce the multiple
significant reasons that led to the
Allied victory in WWII. I will then ask
the students to write a short essay for
homework examining some of the
reasons in more depth.

Some possible reasons:

1. Italian involvement in N. Africa
2. Invasion of Russia
3. Costly siege of Stalingrad
4. Failure in air campaign over Eng.
5. U.S. involvement- economic
powerhouse
6. Over investment in technology
belief that bigger is better
7. Command structure, lower level
could not make decisions
Formative Assessment The entire class period will be driven
by the students explaining what they
have learned and comparing different
causes of defeat.
 Student Resources Homework assignment, textbook,
notebook
Accommodations Adhere to 504 and IEP documents
Assessment The students will write a short essay
citing evidence of what factors led to
the defeat of Germany in WWII.

*Peer corrections/suggestions are in red ink

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/5-soldiers-who-fought-on-even-when-the-war-was-
over-or-when-the-odds-were-against-them.html

Top 10 reasons why Hitler lost WWII

Adolf Hitler, a man who swept the Germans up to incredible victories, was also the main reason
Germany ultimately lost the war. He refused to accept reality, took no advice from his Generals and then
made poor decisions. This way he ensured a relatively quick end of Nazi Germany.

Here follow ten other reasons why he lost the war.

10. His Allies in the Axis of Evil

Having no luck in enticing England to join in the fight against the USSR Hitler had to look for other, less
powerful countries. Italy was a natural choice, having an ideology similar to the Nazis, but when WWII
started their military equipment was already outdated. Other countries like Romania and Hungary were
enticed into the Axis, but neither could provide high-quality military assistance. In the case of Italy, Hitler
had to bail out his ally who started more than one ill-fated attack.

9 The Not One Step Back policy

Hitler saved the German army from catastrophic defeat in the winter of 1941 – 1942 when he ordered
his troops to stand and fight against the Russian counter attacks after their failed operation to capture
Moscow. At that point, a decision to withdraw could well have caused a total collapse of the German
front and an early defeat in Russia. After this, feeling vindicated, he took this policy too far and allowed
not a single unit to withdraw. He went so far as to give orders down to regimental and even company
level, bypassing normal military channels. His decision to deny the German 6th Army at Stalingrad to
withdraw caused its complete destruction. In later battles, he denied the army to pull out to more
favorable terrain or to shorten the lines. This caused the German Army countless casualties that it could
ill afford.

8 The right technology used incorrectly

The Germans were well in advance of the Allies when it came to Military Technology. Having vastly
superior tanks and jet airplanes being mass produced and correctly employed should have given the
Germans an edge in any battle. However, the quest for ever heavier tanks instead of concentrating on
the mass production of the good designs like the Panther tank left the Germans with a wide array of
tanks, each requiring different spare parts and expertise. Also, the reliance on forced labor meant that
quality control was a big issue, causing more frequent breakdowns which required more spares, etc.

7 Declaring War on the USA

On December 11, 1941, Germany declared war on the United States, in response to what was claimed to
be a series of provocations by the United States when they were still neutral. This occurred 4 days after
December 7, 1941 when the Empire of Japan launched its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. According to
the terms of the Anti-Comintern Pact signed with Japan, Germany was obligated to come to the aid of
Japan if a third country attacked Japan, but not if Japan was the aggressor. Nevertheless, the German
government (Hitler) chose to declare war on the United States. This proved to be a godsend for both
Churchill and Roosevelt who soon agreed on a Germany First strategy which meant the destruction of
Germany took precedent over Japan.

6. Hitler taking over as Commander-in-Chief

In December 1941 when the attack on Moscow stalled, the Soviets launched a massive counterattack
which threatened to rout the Germans bringing them to the brink of disaster. Hitler did not wish to
accept the facts, and he began removing officers from their command for not obeying orders or when
they proposed to withdraw. Hitler did not believe in giving back captured territory (see reason 9), so in
the biggest shake-up of Germany’s military high command, he declared himself commander in chief of
the army. He would train it “in a National Socialist way”—that is, by personal fiat. He would compose
the strategies, and the officers would dance to his tune.

5. Hitler did not listen to his Generals

Having won spectacular victories early in the war under his supervision, Hitler considered himself a
military genius. However, when the tides of war changed, Hitler blamed his Generals for not carrying out
his “brilliant” orders. Causing a downward spiral of mutual mistrust, in the end, Hitler only listened to
himself (see reasons 9 and 6). For instance, his plan to launch the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944,
despite his Generals misgivings, caused Germany to lose valuable men and material making the job of
the final defeat of Germany easier for the Allies.

4. The Russian Winter

Hitler was certain of a quick victory over the USSR, saying to his Generals “We have only to kick in the
door, and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.” Since victory would be achieved before
winter set in, there was no need to prepare for the Russian winter. However, being unable to capture
Moscow in the autumn of 1941 and force a Soviet surrender his troops had to face the full onslaught of
arctic cold in their summer uniforms.
3. The attack on Greece

Fully aware of the urgency to launch the assault on the USSR right after the thaw ended and Russian
roads became passable again, Germany ended up bailing out Italy (see reason 10) in their misadventure
in Greece. This military operation caused a 6-week delay of the attack on Russia. This delay meant that
first the autumn rains and then winter arrived before Operation Barbarossa could be completed and the
Russians destroyed.

2. Battle of Stalingrad

One of the costliest battles ever fought in a war, the Battle of Stalingrad became a turning point for the
second world war. Driving for the oil fields in the Caucasus the German 6th Army could have bypassed
or surround the city to take care of it later. However they were ordered to take the city itself and thus
were forced to fight for every city block, house and room causing massive casualties. Then the Soviets
launched an offensive and surrounded Stalingrad, trapping the 6th Army in a vast pincer movement.
Hitler refused to allow the 6th Army to break out towards friendly lines, making their destruction
inevitable.

1. A two front war

Hitler’s prime target had always been Russia but to secure Germany’s western flank and avoid a war on
two fronts Germany decided to attack France and Britain first. France was taken care off in a matter of
weeks but after losing the Battle of Britain Hitler had only partially achieved a secured western flank.
Then he declared war on the USA (see reason 7) and now Germany was forced to fight Britain and the
USA in North Africa, Italy and finally France. Hitler was constantly dividing his forces between two fronts.
Having to focus his strength everywhere meant he could not secure a decisive victory anywhere,
ultimately invited defeat.