England
An Oxford World War II Conference
Program No. 21453RJ
Immerse yourself in the story of WWII in Oxford, where you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the outbreak of the war through lectures and expert-led speaker discussions.
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8 days
7 nights
16 meals
6B 5L 5D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
3
Lectures Begin
Oxford
4
Lectures Continue
Oxford
5
Lectures Continue
Oxford
6
Lectures continue.
Oxford
7
Final Day of Lectures
Oxford
8
Program Concludes
Oxford
At a Glance
On September 1, 1939 the threads of an increasingly tense web of international relations began to snap as German forces crossed the Polish border. One year later armed conflict was again in full swing across the world, with no end in sight. We invite you to join distinguished scholars and historians in Oxford, England for a historic conference in Road Scholar’s World War series. Delve into the development of the Second World War with leading experts at the conference.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Walking and standing up to 2 hours on some field trips.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Get insight from renowned experts, historians, authors, professors and broadcasters into the events of the Second World War with a special focus on a specific year.
- Focus on the events of that year in lectures.
- Learn about the events of the war on land, sea and in the air, as well as daily life on the home front, in an expert-led discussion.
- Enjoy the ambience of an Oxford College at St Hugh's, including dinner in hall, receptions and gala dinner and a gin tasting with John Harris.
General Notes
This conference program has a maximum of 120 like-minded participants, is classroom-based and features acclaimed experts. For field trips, the group will be divided into smaller groups. Double rooms are not offered on this program due to the rooming configurations at St. Hugh’s College. We offer a set of two single rooms with an adjoining area and shared bathroom facilities. Roommate matching cannot be offered.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Spencer Jones
Dr. Spencer Jones is an award-winning historian and author with a special interest in the First and Second World Wars and the life of Sir Winston Churchill. He is a senior lecturer in armed forces and war studies at the University of Wolverhampton, and serves in the British Army as the regimental historian of the Royal Artillery. His most recent publication is 'The Darkest Year: The British Army on the Western Front 1917' (Helion and Company, 2021).
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Spencer Jones
View biography
Dr. Spencer Jones is an award-winning historian and author with a special interest in the First and Second World Wars and the life of Sir Winston Churchill. He is a senior lecturer in armed forces and war studies at the University of Wolverhampton, and serves in the British Army as the regimental historian of the Royal Artillery. His most recent publication is 'The Darkest Year: The British Army on the Western Front 1917' (Helion and Company, 2021).
Suggested Reading List
(23 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
An Oxford World War II Conference
Program Number: 21453
1939: Countdown to War
Anatomy of a Campaign: The British Fiasco in Norway, 1940
Blitzkrieg: Myth, Reality and Hitler’s Lightning War – France 1940
Strange Defeat
Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War
The Triumph of the Dark: European History 1933 – 1939
The Coming of the Third Reich
The Duel: The Eighty Day Struggle Between Churchill and Hitler
Britain, France and Belgium 1939-1940
The Peace That Never Was: A History of the League of Nations
Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris
Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man
The Republic in Danger: General Maurice Gamelin and the Politics of French Defence, 1933-1940
The Lights that Failed: European History 1919-1933
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
When Britain Saved the West: The Story of 1940
Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis
France 1940: Defending the Republic
Churchill: Walking with Destiny
Winston Churchill dominates our view of the history of Britain in the twentieth century - the brash, brave and ambitious young aristocrat who sought out danger in late Victorian wars, the mercurial First Lord of the Admiralty who was responsible for the Dardanelles disaster in 1915, the Home Secretary who crushed the General Strike in 1926, the Colonial Secretary who rode with T. E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell at the Pyramids, the Chancellor who took the country back to the Gold Standard and then spent more than ten years in the political wilderness - and who, finally, was summoned to save his country in 1940. 'I felt that I was walking with destiny, and all my life had been but preparation for that hour.' Andrew Robert's titanic new biography interprets all these events, especially Churchill's leadership during the Second World War, which he sees through the prism of all Churchill's earlier life. He gives full visibility to Churchill's flaws, and brilliantly explains his genius. Roberts has used over forty collections of papers not available to Churchill's previous biographer Roy Jenkins (2001) and he is the first Churchill biographer to be granted access by the Queen to the private diaries of King George VI. This is the Churchill biography for our times and the next generation.
When the Children Came Home: Stories of Wartime Evacuees
First to Fight: The Polish War 1939
The Battle of Britain: Five Months which Changed History
The Third Reich in Power