On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan discuss the impact of naval strategy on World War II and introduce Victor Davis Hanson.

This seven-lecture course, taught by Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn and Wayne and Marcia Buske Distinguished Fellow Victor Davis Hanson, examines the causes of World War II and dives into the strategies that gave the Allies the upper hand over the Axis.

At the beginning of World War II, naval doctrine emphasized the primacy of battleships in naval warfare. However, the war revealed the battleship’s limitations and the importance of a diversified and flexible fleet centered around aircraft carriers. The Allies’ ability to build and supply such a fleet allowed them to achieve naval supremacy first in the Atlantic and eventually in the Pacific.