In September 1939, Britain entered into what would become the world’s most devastating war to date. Learn all about the eventsthat changed the lives of millionsin our World War 2 facts….
World War 2 facts
1.World War 2was a battle between two groups of countries
– the “Allies”and the “Axis“. The major Allied Powers were Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States. The major Axis Powers were Germany, Italy and Japan.
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2.Before World War 2 began, Germany was ruled by a man named Adolf Hitler
Together with theNazi Party, he wanted Germany to rule Europe. To gain more land and power, on 1 September 1939 German troops invaded Poland. After Hitler refused to stop the invasion, Britain and France declared war on Germany – World War II had begun.
3. During the course of the war, German forces advanced through Europe.
By the summer of 1941 they had invaded France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Yugoslavia* and the USSR*.
Did you know that we have a FREE downloadableSecond World War primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!
4.Millions of Germans were imprisoned and killed because they didn’t fit the image of the ‘perfect’ German
Hitler wanted to create what he thought was the “best” and strongest race – and to the Nazi Party, this excluded certain groups, such as Jews, Gypsies and those with physical and mental disabilities. In an attempt to eliminate a “racial enemy” outside of Germany, such groups were also persecuted in the countries invaded by German forces.
5.The group most heavily targeted by the Nazis were the Jews
Around six million Jewish people were killed during World War 2 in one of history’s most terrible events – the Holocaust. Racist in his views, Hitler blamed Jewish people for Germany losing World War I and claimed they were dangerous to German people and society.
6.Around the same time that Germany fought for power in Europe, Japan wanted to control Asia and the Pacific
In 1937 (before World War 2 had officially begun) under Emperor Hirohito, Japan attacked China, bringing the two nations into years of conflict.
7.The US didn’t join the war until 1941, when Japan attacked the United States
– at their Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On 8 December 1941 (the very next day), the US declared War on Japan and, in turn, its German allies.
8.Some countries remained ‘neutral’ in World War 2
Such countries were Spain, Sweden and Switzerland – whochose not to join either side.
9.The Germans surrendered on8 May 1945
In 1944, an Allied army crossed from Britain to free France from Nazi rule. One year later, Allied armies invaded Germany, forcing the Germans to surrender. Afternuclear attacks on Japan’s major cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan also surrendered to Allied forces in August the same year. World War 2 had ended.
10.Around 64 million people died in World War 2
– that’s more than the entire population of the United Kingdom.
Find out more about the countries involved in World War 2 with our Germany, Japan and USA facts. Plus, learn about the life of Anne Frank, a young German girl who wrote a world-famous diary…
*Yugoslavia was a country established in 1918 in south-east Europe, which included modern-day Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
*USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or the Soviet Union) was a former country which included modern-day Russia, Ukraine and Estonia, as well as other socialist states.
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What was the cause of World War II? World War II began in Europe on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Great Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany on September 3.
What was the cause of World War II? World War II began in Europe on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Great Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany on September 3.
Over half of all people who died during WW2 were civilians. Britain built 132,500 aircraft during the Second World War. Britain had the least rationing of any country in Europe. Only a few countries decided to stay neutral in WW2.
World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945.
World War Two occurred due to the instability and insecurity created in Europe after World War One. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which ordered Germany to disarm and pay reparations, plunged Germany into economic and political instability that eventually led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered. After the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945, and the Second World War came to an end. The war cost the lives of more than 330,000 American soldiers. Many more were permanently injured or maimed.
Around six million Jewish people were killed during World War 2 in one of history's most terrible events – the Holocaust. Racist in his views, Hitler blamed Jewish people for Germany losing World War I and claimed they were dangerous to German people and society.
World War II has been the costliest conflict ever to occur on earth. It's also one of the most varied and complex, with nations changing sides, citizens of one country fighting each other more fiercely than they fought outsiders, and a myriad of new and sometimes bizarre weapons.
Cities were destroyed by air raids, the atom bomb was dropped on Japan and six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.Over 50 million soldiers and civilians died. However, the war that consumed half the world started with a peace agreement.
Inventions like synthetic rubber, the jeep, the atomic bomb, and even duct tape helped the Allies win World War II by allowing their militaries to wage war on an overwhelming scale.
Essentially, it became known as “World War II” through force of habit. There are no definitive first times it shows up, but there's plenty of evidence that while some people referred to the war against the Nazis as “The War” even today, others started calling it “World War II” as early as 1939.
The major causes of World War II were numerous. They include the impact of the Treaty of Versailles following WWI, the worldwide economic depression, failure of appeasem*nt, the rise of militarism in Germany and Japan, and the failure of the League of Nations.
Upon achieving power, Hitler smashed the nation's democratic institutions and transformed Germany into a war state intent on conquering Europe for the benefit of the so-called Aryan race. His invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, triggered the European phase of World War II.
Stalingrad marked the turning point of the Soviet–German War, a conflict that dwarfed the 1944–45 Allied campaign in Western Europe both in numbers and ferocity.
Essentially, it became known as “World War II” through force of habit. There are no definitive first times it shows up, but there's plenty of evidence that while some people referred to the war against the Nazis as “The War” even today, others started calling it “World War II” as early as 1939.
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