Essay 1: Despite France putting up fierce resistance in the trenches during the Great War and suffering millions of casualties over four years of fighting, the French army collapsed in just six weeks in May-June 1940. Why did France fall so quickly in World War II? Discuss both the causes for French defeat (Allied failures) and the reasons for the German victory (German successes). Consider such issues as what each army learned from World War I, competing tactical doctrines, training and readiness, war plans, leadership, and resources.
Essay 2: Evaluate Japanese strategy (the use of ways and means to achieve strategic goals) in Asia from the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 through the Battle of Midway in June 1942. In what respects were the Japanese successful during this period, and in what ways did they sow the seeds of their ultimate defeat?
