Missing in MiG Alley

Student Handout

The Changing Face of War

The United States was involved in five major international conflicts during the 20^th century. Each one of those wars was defined by the combatants involved, the number of armed forces engaged, the technologies employed, and the campaign strategies applied. In this activity, you will explore each of these aspects for the five major campaigns.

Procedure

1. The class will be organized into five teams. Each team will be assigned one of the following major wars of the 20^th century:

   • World War I
   • World War II
   • Korean War
   • Vietnam Conflict
   • Persian Gulf War

2. Each team member will be responsible for one of the following roles: historian, technologist, airplane specialist, or operational methods specialist. Each team member is responsible for gathering the information listed for each role.

3. Team members will conduct research in their assigned areas. Each team member should create a poster containing information about his or her assigned area. Posters should include a mix of text and visuals related to the assigned topic.

4. After team members have completed their posters, they will share what they learned with the class.

Historians
You will be given information on the combatants and number killed in your war. Create a bar chart for your war showing the number killed for each combatant nation. Develop a fact file for the war assigned to your team that includes how your war was started and how it was resolved.

Technologists
Gather information about what technologies were either introduced or refined during the war you are assigned, considering advancements in such areas as chemical, biological, or nuclear warfare, types of military arsenal (such as tanks or artillery), or communications technologies (such as sonar or the global positioning system).

Airplane Specialists
Describe the combat airplanes that were used in your assigned war and which country introduced them, detail how they were used, and specify at what speed they flew. Include images of at least two of the major combat aircraft used in your conflict.

Operational Methods Specialists
Create two maps showing the battle plans for two separate major engagements or campaigns during the war you are assigned. Include any special terms and tactical strategies that were made famous during the conflict. Define each strategy.