Dr. Geoff Babb: “War in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, December 1941-May 1942”

“War in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, December 1941-May 1942”
Dr. Geoff Babb
Thursday, December 7, 2023 | 3:00 p.m.

In December 1941, from Wake Island to Burma, Japanese forces overran and overwhelmed key allied bases and facilities. British, American, Dutch, and Chinese forces were unable to stop the onslaught. By May 1941, the Dutch East Indies, Burma, Malaya and Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines were all in enemy hands. The invasions of 1942 saw the peak of Japanese expansion in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
of the Second World War.

Dr. Babb was commissioned from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He served as a US Army Military Intelligence Officer in Washington, DC and after completing education as a China Foreign Area Officer, was then assigned to Joint and Army Headquarters in Hawaii. He later was posted to the Command and General Staff College faculty at Fort Leavenworth. He earned a Masters in East Asian Languages and Cultures, and a Doctorate in History from the University of Kansas.

The Ft. Leavenworth Series

The Ft. Leavenworth Series is an annual roster of lectures focusing on significant historical events, usually with an emphasis on military history. Each lecture is presented by faculty from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Established by General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1881, the CGSC is the graduate college for U.S. Army and sister service officers. The esteemed faculty and guests of the CGSC provide unique and captivating insights into the history of military conflict from the ancient to the modern ages at the Dole Institute of Politics.

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to promoting political and civic participation as well as civil discourse in a bipartisan, philosophically balanced manner. It is located on KU’s West Campus and houses the Dole Archive and Special Collections. Through its robust public programming, congressional archive, and museum, the Dole Institute strives to celebrate public service and the legacies of US Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole.