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# World War II

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World War II was a war fought from 1939 to 1945? in Europe, and from at least 1937? to 1945? in Asia. It was the largest armed conflict the world has ever seen, with a huge scope - spanning the entire world and involving more countries than any previous war - and fought with powerful new weapons, culminating in the atomic bomb. The conflict was wrought on civilian populations to a greater extent than in previous wars of the modern era, and served as a backdrop for genocidal killings by Germany, the Soviet Union, and Japan. World War II caused a greater number of deaths, about 61 million, than any previous war.

Increasingly Detailed Overview

The war's origins can be traced to the end of World War I. In the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was punished with the payment of reparations of war to the victorious nations, and forbidden from having a sizable military force. This, among other causes, led to a serious economic crisis, hyperinflation?, and civil unrest that made possible the rise of the Nazi Party.

Germany, under Adolf Hitler, began re-asserting itself in Europe, clandestinely remilitarising in contravention of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1936 the German army reoccupied the Rhineland?. There then followed the annexation of Austria in the spring of 1938, and then seizure, first of the (largely Germanic) Sudetenland? area in the west of Czechoslovakia, and then the remainder of Czechoslovakia. Britain had guaranteed the security of Czechoslovakia and it seemed as though war must break out at this point in 1938 when the [British Prime Minister]?, Neville Chamberlain flew to Munich, and, in an act of appeasement, signed papers acceding to the invasion. It must be remembered that Germany had militarily stolen a march on Britain who were completely unprepared for war at this time with the rapidly rearming German military machine, and Chamberlain characterised this craven act of appeasement as an effort to buy time in which to rearm. Germany finally became engaged in full-scale war on September 1, 1939 as a consequence of the invasion of Poland?, with whom both Britain and France had pledged guarantees.

Shortly thereafter on September 17, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, as had been agreed to between Hitler's Foreign Minister [von Ribbentrop]?, and his Soviet counterpart, Molotov?. Under this joint attack Poland fell quickly. Russia conquered the Baltic?, while Germany turned west. After quickly taking Belgium and the Netherlands, the might of the German army turned on France, who had entered the war shortly after Germany invaded Poland. France fell unexpectedly quickly, leaving Britain to stand alone against Germany.

Britain's resistance to the threat of German invasion was dogged. An outnumbered RAF fought a prolonged and ultimately successful airwar with the Luftwaffe during the early days of the war, a conflict known as the /Battle of Britain. /London? was later heavily bombed, as were many industrial cities such as /Birmingham? and /Coventry? or strategically important cities, such as the naval base at Plymouth. In reprisal for the bombing of Lubeck in 1942, Goering? launched a campaign of morale-destroying bombings aimed at many beautiful English cities of little military importance such as Exeter, Bath? and Norwich?, the [Baedeker Blitz]?. Britain was severed from supply lines with America by the German usage of U-boats to sink both military and mercantile shipping.

On June 22, 1941, the Germans launched a surprise invasion, codenamed [Operation Barbarossa]?, against their erstwhile Russian allies. They surrounded Leningrad? and almost reached Moscow, but were stopped by the severe Russian winter. They never regained the momentum and the Russian armies would eventually chase the Germans all the way back to Berlin.

Japan had invaded China in the early 1930s and had been actively engaged in military action there since 1937?. In an effort to discourage Japan's war efforts in China, the United States either threatened to, or did, stop traiding oil and steel (both very necessary to wage war) with Japan. Japan percieved this as an act of agression, and in December of 1941, the Japanese navy attacked the American Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Japan then invaded and conquered countries across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. At the same time Germany declared war on the United States, drawing America into a two theater war. America had until then remained out of the conflict although providing military aid to Britain through the Lend-Lease? program.

Germany's power was eventually broken by the disastrous Russian campaign, while the ultimately successful invasion of France from the Normandy beachheads by the Western allies in June 1944 opened up a second front. Incessant bombing of Germany's infrastructure and cities caused great casualties and disruption. Internally, Hitler survived a number of assassination attempts, one of which was that made by the head of the Abwehr, [Admiral Canaris]?.

When all was lost, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker along with his lover, [Eva Braun]?. The Russians took Berlin, and Germany was partitioned by the Allies. The final surrender documents were signed by General Alfred Jodl on May 7, 1945. May 8 was declared V-E (Victory In Europe) Day.

The Japanese expansion throughout the Pacific and Asia was halted by their devastating defeat at the [Battle of Midway]?, where they suffered crippling losses to their carrier fleet. From then on the Japanese fought a defensive war, as the U.S. began an island hopping campaign across the Pacific. Hard-fought battles at Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and others resulted in horrific casualties on both sides, but the Japanese were finally driven back. Faced with the loss of most of their experienced pilots, the Japanese resorted to Kamikaze tactics in an attempt to slow the U.S. advance. Meanwhile, Tokyo and other Japanese cities suffered greatly from attacks by American bombers?. Japan finally surrendered after the cities Hiroshima? and Nagasaki?, both industrial and civilian targets, were destroyed by [nuclear weapons]?. The final surrender was signed September 2, 1945, on the battleship [U.S.S. Missouri]?.

Historical Significance

Probably because of the example of World War I, compensation was not demanded of the defeated nations. On the contrary, a plan created by [George Marshall]?, the Economic Recovery Program, better known as the [Marshall Plan]?, meant billions of dollars being used by the US Congress for the reconstruction of Europe. The portion of Europe occupied by the Soviet Union did not participate in the plan. At the same time, the United States consolidated its military presence and links in Europe as preparation against possible Soviet aggression.

The combatants after 1941? were:

     *Allied powers
     Australia
     Canada
     China
     France
     New Zealand
     South Africa
     Soviet Union
     United Kingdom
     United States

     *Axis powers

     Germany -- Nazi Germany
     Italy
     Japan

     *Minor Axis Powers
     Romania
     Finland
     Hungary
     Bulgaria

World War II ended in 1945 with the defeat of the Axis powers.

Major battles of World War Two

     /Dunkerque? "Dynamo"
     [/Battle of Midway]?
     Pearl Harbor
     /Guadalcanal
     [/Battle of the Atlantic]?
     [/Leyte Gulf]?
     /Normandy or /D Day
     /Stalingrad
     [/El Alamein]?
     /Arnhem? "Market Garden"
     /Monte Cassino
     [/Battle of the Bulge]?
     /Battle of Britain
     /Kursk?
     [/Iwo Jima]?
     /Okinawa?
     [/The Battle of Crete]?

Major naval engagements of World War Two

      [The Battle of the River Plate]?

Major figures of World War Two

     Dwight Eisenhower
     [Douglas MacArthur]?
     [Chester Nimitz]?
     [George Patton]?
     Franklin Roosevelt
     [Harry Truman]?
     Winston Churchill
     Neville Chamberlain
     [George Marshall]?
     Bernard Montgomery
     Benito Mussolini
     [Charles DeGaulle]?
     Adolf Hitler
     Hermann Goering
     Heinrich Himmler
     Karl Doenitz
     [Chiang Kai-Shek]?
     Joseph Stalin
     [Viachislav Molotov]?
     Hideki Tojo
     [Isuroku Yamamoto]?
     [[Alan Brooke]
     [Lord Alexander]?

Major bombing campaigns of World War Two

     /Dresden
     /London?
     /Hiroshima?
     /Nagasaki?
     /Tokyo?
     /Warsaw?
     /Rotterdam?
     [[/"The Blitz"]]
     /Hamburg?
     /Plymouth

WW II, WW2, WWII and WW 2 are abbreviations of World War II. World War 2

See also:

- War
- World War I
- Cold War
- [Korean war]?
- [Vietnam war]?
- [Spanish American war]?
- Total war
- [Nuclear war]?

/Talk

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Last edited August 16, 2001 4:34 pm (diff)
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