World War 2 Facts

World War 2 Facts. Firstly World War 2 is also referred to as World War II (WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World War. World War 2 was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It affected most countries in the world one way or another making it the most widespread war in history. All of the great powers became involved which eventually formed two main opposing Military forces and eventually accounted for over 100 million men and women serving in military units made up from over 30 countries.

Economically, the major powers gambled nearly all their industrial, economic and scientific capabilities to back up their war campaigns. The fatalities of World War 2 are horrifying with an estimate of between 50 to 85 million civilians losing their lives including the holocaust and the use of nuclear weapons at the end of the war making it the deadliest conflict in human history.

It all started with The Empire of Japan aiming to dominate East Asia and was already at war with the Republic of China in 1937. The Second World War is generally said to have begun September 1st 1939 with Poland being invaded by Germany which then led to subsequent declarations of war on the Germans by France and the United Kingdom. From 1939 to early 1942, Germany had a series of treaties and campaigns which led them to form an Axis with Italy with a master plan to dominate Europe. Following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories between themselves of their European neighbours, including Poland and the Baltic states. The UK and the other members of the British Commonwealth were then the only major Allied forces continuing the fight against the Axis, with battles taking place at sea in the Battle of the Atlantic and on land in North Africa. In June 1941, an invasion by the European Axis was launched with an attack on the Soviet Union which gave birth to the largest land theatre war in history. Many people think this was the start of the end for Germany as battles with Russia tied up major resources for the rest of the Second World war. Also in 1941, Japan joined up with the Axis and attacked the USA at Pearl Harbour and the Pacific including European territories and with surprise attacks, quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific.

The tables turned in 1942 when the Axis advance was stopped. Japan lost a series of naval battles and European Axis Army's where defeated in North Africa along with a decisive defeat at Stalingrad. The pressure started to mount even more in 1943 with a series of defeats for Germany in Eastern Europe, then the defeat of Italy when the Allies invaded to bring the nations surrender. The Americans clocked up some victories in the Pacific. The Axis then lost the initiative and started a strategic retreat on all fronts. By 1944, the Western Allies invaded France whilst the Soviet Union regained all territories lost previously and started to attack Germany and its allies. During the years of 1944-45, the Americans defeated the Japanese Navy and recaptured the Western Pacific Islands.

The war in Europe ended with an invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union culminating in the capture of Berlin by Russian and Polish troops resulting in the subsequent German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. Then came the Potsdam Declaration by the Allies July 26th, 1945. America claimed to end the war quickly in Japan with the dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 August and 9 August respectively. With the end of the war in sight, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan an invaded Manchuria which led to the surrender of the Japanese on the 15th August 1945. This ended the war in Asia and concluded in the total victory of the Allies over its foe the Axis.

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More Information: Lots of World Ware Two topics covered on the BBC website