Today's Itinerary and Activities
Day 4: July 9
We continued our study of the Battle of the Scheldt by starting with Woensdrecht Ridge, followed by the advance along the South Beveland Peninsula and capture of Walcheren Island. We considered the 13 Oct Black Friday controversy, amphibious landings on Walcheren and the decision to blow open its great dykes.
We continued our study of the Battle of the Scheldt by starting with Woensdrecht Ridge, followed by the advance along the South Beveland Peninsula and capture of Walcheren Island. We considered the 13 Oct Black Friday controversy, amphibious landings on Walcheren and the decision to blow open its great dykes.
The South Beveland Penninsula is narrow, surrounded by water, with dykes forming a defensive bank. Have students study a map of Europe to see how it is connected by water. The Netherlands connects the northern, southern, and inland Europe – access to the port of Antwerp is essential.
The British have secured Antwerp, and our job is to open up access to the port, as the surrounding area is held by the Germans.
Questions for students include:
We struggled with the decision-making: What can we afford? What can we sacrifice? We know the civilians are starving. This raises an ethical dilemma which underlies all of our efforts in this region. By law we are required to feed our POWs the same ration scale as own troops and protect them per the Geneva Convention. This means we feed them more than civilians and offer them greater protection. Is this right? This introduces the ethical dimension of history as well as continuity and change. Have students look at the rules that govern war. How have they changed over time? Read tour participant Larry's blog post to hear a teacher's initial thoughts! |
The Battle of the Scheldt |
The bevrijdingsmuseum zeelandWe visited the wonderful Bevrijdingsmuseum in Zeeland, where we had the opportunity to view both military and civilian artifacts as well as primary source documents from the area during the Battle of the Scheldt. Take a closer look at the gallery below for a more detailed description of the Battle of the Scheldt.
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Museum as textHave students consider the museum as a text that they can read and analyze:
Who are the authors? What is the story they're trying to tell? What do they do that is effective? What are the criteria for effectiveness? |
Photo Gallery
Classroom questionsHow can we judge or be critical of the people in the past?
How do you win a war? What would have happened if Hitler had been killed in July 1944? At what price point does the cost become too high? When do you shut the operation down? How important is the objective? Who is responsible for the war extending to 1945? The Allies for not finishing a winnable war in 1944? Or the Germans for pushing on when they knew they were beat? (this is a current debate among historians!) How do you balance civilian needs with the needs of the operation? Which takes precedence? |
Pedagogical pauseOne pedagogical practice our tour leaders work with each day is to stop before you get to the answer, before the discussion reaches its apex. Try this in your classrooms! It feed the motivation to do ones own research, to find out the answers to questions unanswered in class.
Today we also discussed guest speakers vs. guest resources. We know that lecture is the least effective – even when it feels engaging learners are entertained but have not necessarily learned. Having one guest speaker present to a class and answer questions is similar. Instead, try bringing in individuals as guest "resources" for students working in groups, to answer different questions and have different perspectives represented. |