World War II
It was the biggest and deadliest war in history, spanning six grueling years and involving countries in nearly every part of the world. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, World War II pitted the Allied forces (led by the United States, Great Britain and the U.S.S.R.) against the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy). Explore the battles, key players and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind today.
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The majority of the world's countries eventually formed two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Axis.
By the time the first Japanese bomber appeared over Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, tensions between Japan and the United States had been mounting for the better part of a decade, making war seem inevitable.
The Allied invasion of Normandy was among the largest military operations ever staged.
The Holocaust was the persecution and murder of millions of Jews, Roma, political dissidents, homosexuals and others by the Nazi regime.
The Hidden Army of Women That Helped Defeat Hitler
Flashback: The Hidden Army of Women That Helped Defeat Hitler
This 1944 American propaganda film imagine’s Hitler’s surrender and explains the Füher’s greatest mistake – his underestimation of American women. This episode of Flashback shows how female wartime workers were an indispensable part of America’s victory, even before the war was officially won.
3 Key Battles
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Both nations viewed civilian morale as essential to victory, but Germany shielded its people from many wartime hardships while Japan demanded far greater sacrifice.
The tennis club's center court even took a direct hit from a 500-pound German bomb.
A look back at one of the most hard-fought battles of World War II.
Austria’s national squad had been known as the 'Wunderteam,' but when conscripted to play for Germany, they were less impressive.
The Battle of Iwo Jima (February 19 – March 26, 1945) was an epic military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan during World War II. American forces succeeded in securing the island, which was considered to have great tactical importance for its airfields.
The vehicles could deliver supplies from ship to shore, but couldn’t cut it in rough waters.
A ragtag 'Hooligan’s Navy' defended America’s shores in WWII.
American women served in World War II in many roles: as pilots, nurses, civil service employees, and in many home-front jobs that were formerly denied to them.
The Germans and Japanese waged small-scale campaigns of bombing, sabotage and espionage.
Countless history books, TV documentaries and feature films made about World War II, many accept a similar narrative of the war in the West, which may not be entirely accurate.
As the U.S. sent troops to the front lines, artists were recruited to encourage those at home to do their part.
Radar, computers, penicillin and more all came out of development during the Second World War.
The majority of the world's countries eventually formed two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Axis.
Many Allied bombings released the equivalent energy of 300 lightning strikes and temporarily weakened the ionosphere, say researchers.
These five key events led to the conclusion of World War II on September 2, 1945.
