World War II was a global war involving fighting in many parts of the world and many countries. Most countries fought in the years 1939–1945 but some started fighting in 1937. Most of the world's countries, including all the great powers, fought as part of two military alliances: the Allies (Britain, the Commonwealth, China, France, the USA and USSR) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan).
In 1938 German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party annexed Austria and occupied Sudetenland under the Munich agreement with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain had naively thought that the nice Mr Hitler would stick to their agreement and stop at Sudetenland.
After annexing Czechoslovakia. Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939 thus precipitating World War II.
Just before the war, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a peace agreement. The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was a neutrality pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed in Moscow on August 23, 1939 by foreign ministers Joachim von Ribbentrop and Vyacheslav Molotov, respectively, agreeing that they would not attack each other for ten years. It also divided Poland between them.
World War II is generally said to have begun on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland by 1.5 million German troops and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by France and the United Kingdom.
British reporter Clare Hollingworth broke the news of Hitler invading Poland. The British embassy didn't believe her until she held a telephone out of the window of her room to capture the ongoing sounds of war. Hers was the first report the British Foreign Office received about the invasion of Poland.
The first death in World War II was Franciszek Honiok, a German of Polish descent. The Gestapo murdered him and left his body at a radio station that the Gestapo, dressed in Polish uniforms, attacked. The body helped "prove" Polish aggression to justify Germany's invasion of Poland the next day.
From late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan.
After Germany invaded and defeated France, Belgium and the Netherlands in May 1940, the British Army found itself trapped in northern France standing alone against Germany. King George VI, issued a call to the nation for a National Day of Prayer. The British Christians flocked to the churches. A week later their troops were successfully evacuated from Dunkirk and helped by a curious decision made by Hitler to hold his troops back and not attack the British army. The last of the British army left on June 3, 1940.
France surrendered to Nazi Germany on June 22, 1940, just six weeks after the Nazis launched their invasion of Western Europe. Hitler had France surrender in the same railway carriage at the same spot as France and Britain made Germany surrender in World War I.
In July 1940 Germany's Luftwaffe aircraft began the Battle of Britain, large scale attacks on British ports, aircraft factories and civilian targets. It was intended as a preliminary to the German invasion plan Operation Sea Lion, once the Luftwaffe had air superiority over the UK. Again in early September King George VI called the nation to prayer, again many flocked to the churches and the Luftwaffe's failure to overwhelm the RAF forced Hitler to postpone and eventually cancel Operation Sea Lion.
On June 22, 1941, the Nazis broke the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact when they and the other European Axis powers launched an invasion of the Soviet Union. By December 1941 the Germans were within 40 kilometres/25 miles of Moscow. However, after two months of fighting in increasingly harsh weather, the exhausted German troops were forced to suspend their offensive. This allowed the Soviets to begin a massive counter-offensive that pushed the German troops 100–250 kilometres (62–155 mi) west.
The Egyptian passenger steamship Zamzam was sailing from New York with 202 passengers including 140 missionaries of 20 different denominations bound for various mission fields in Africa. On April 17, 1941 the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis, mistaking the Zanzam for a British Q-ship or troop transport was mistakenly attacked and sunk it in the South Atlantic. However, all the missionary passengers managed to abandon ship and were miraculously delivered.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States at their Pearl Harbor naval base in the Pacific and the two wars became one.
PRELUDE
In 1938 German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party annexed Austria and occupied Sudetenland under the Munich agreement with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain had naively thought that the nice Mr Hitler would stick to their agreement and stop at Sudetenland.
After annexing Czechoslovakia. Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939 thus precipitating World War II.
Just before the war, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a peace agreement. The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was a neutrality pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed in Moscow on August 23, 1939 by foreign ministers Joachim von Ribbentrop and Vyacheslav Molotov, respectively, agreeing that they would not attack each other for ten years. It also divided Poland between them.
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| Joachim von Ribbentrop and the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, after signing the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, |
OPENING HOSTILITIES
World War II is generally said to have begun on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland by 1.5 million German troops and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by France and the United Kingdom.
British reporter Clare Hollingworth broke the news of Hitler invading Poland. The British embassy didn't believe her until she held a telephone out of the window of her room to capture the ongoing sounds of war. Hers was the first report the British Foreign Office received about the invasion of Poland.
The first death in World War II was Franciszek Honiok, a German of Polish descent. The Gestapo murdered him and left his body at a radio station that the Gestapo, dressed in Polish uniforms, attacked. The body helped "prove" Polish aggression to justify Germany's invasion of Poland the next day.
From late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan.
After Germany invaded and defeated France, Belgium and the Netherlands in May 1940, the British Army found itself trapped in northern France standing alone against Germany. King George VI, issued a call to the nation for a National Day of Prayer. The British Christians flocked to the churches. A week later their troops were successfully evacuated from Dunkirk and helped by a curious decision made by Hitler to hold his troops back and not attack the British army. The last of the British army left on June 3, 1940.
DUNKIRK-D-DAY
France surrendered to Nazi Germany on June 22, 1940, just six weeks after the Nazis launched their invasion of Western Europe. Hitler had France surrender in the same railway carriage at the same spot as France and Britain made Germany surrender in World War I.
In July 1940 Germany's Luftwaffe aircraft began the Battle of Britain, large scale attacks on British ports, aircraft factories and civilian targets. It was intended as a preliminary to the German invasion plan Operation Sea Lion, once the Luftwaffe had air superiority over the UK. Again in early September King George VI called the nation to prayer, again many flocked to the churches and the Luftwaffe's failure to overwhelm the RAF forced Hitler to postpone and eventually cancel Operation Sea Lion.
On June 22, 1941, the Nazis broke the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact when they and the other European Axis powers launched an invasion of the Soviet Union. By December 1941 the Germans were within 40 kilometres/25 miles of Moscow. However, after two months of fighting in increasingly harsh weather, the exhausted German troops were forced to suspend their offensive. This allowed the Soviets to begin a massive counter-offensive that pushed the German troops 100–250 kilometres (62–155 mi) west.
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| German soldiers during the invasion of the Soviet Union by the Axis powers, 1941 |
The Egyptian passenger steamship Zamzam was sailing from New York with 202 passengers including 140 missionaries of 20 different denominations bound for various mission fields in Africa. On April 17, 1941 the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis, mistaking the Zanzam for a British Q-ship or troop transport was mistakenly attacked and sunk it in the South Atlantic. However, all the missionary passengers managed to abandon ship and were miraculously delivered.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States at their Pearl Harbor naval base in the Pacific and the two wars became one.
Within 24 hours of the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan successfully invaded the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), much of New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Guam, and other strategic areas All over the Western Pacific.
The Second Battle of El Alamein was fought between October 23 and November 11, 1942 near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. "Let us pray that the Lord mighty in battle will give us the victory" prayed General Montgomery, the commander of the Allied forces prior to the battle. The battle resulted in the first major victory for the Western Allies; the Germans were forced to retreat back to Tunisia, a significant turning point in the Desert Campaign.
Later, Germany and Italy were defeated in North Africa and then, decisively, at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. More civilians died in the battle of Stalingrad than the nuclear attacks on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.
German Me-264 bombers were capable of reaching and bombing New York City, but leaders decided it wasn't worth the effort.
The only known armed German military operation on North American soil during World War II was the installation of a covert weather station in northern Canada. Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26 was erected by a German U-boat crew in Northern Labrador in October 1943.
In June 1943 the British and Americans began a strategic heavy bombing campaign against Germany, which carried on for the rest of the war. Konstanz was one of the few towns in Germany left untouched by the Second World War. Instead of blackout, the city would leave all its lights on at night in order to fool Allied bomber crews into thinking that it was part of nearby neutral Switzerland.
Key setbacks in 1943, which included a series of German defeats on the Eastern Front, the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy, and Allied victories in the Pacific, cost the Axis its initiative and forced it into strategic retreat on all fronts.
The Western Allies invaded German-occupied France when 156,000 US, British, and Canadian troops landed on the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944.
Among the first soldiers wearing German uniforms captured at Normandy, were several Koreans. They had been forced to fight for the Japanese until captured by Russian troops, then captured by German troops who sent them to Normandy, where Americans captured them.
After the Allies invaded France at D-Day, they headed towards Germany on the Rhine River, while the Soviets kept closing in from the East.
When Allied troops reached the Rhine River in 1945, a popular thing to do was to "pee" in it. The two most prominent persons to do so were Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and U.S. General George Patton, who had himself photographed in the act.
By February 1945 the Soviets had reached the German border. The Battle of Berlin began on April 16, 1945 when the Soviet Red Army launched a massive offensive against the German capital of Berlin. The Soviets were able to quickly overwhelm the German defenders,
The Second Battle of El Alamein was fought between October 23 and November 11, 1942 near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. "Let us pray that the Lord mighty in battle will give us the victory" prayed General Montgomery, the commander of the Allied forces prior to the battle. The battle resulted in the first major victory for the Western Allies; the Germans were forced to retreat back to Tunisia, a significant turning point in the Desert Campaign.
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| A mine explodes close to a British tank |
Later, Germany and Italy were defeated in North Africa and then, decisively, at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. More civilians died in the battle of Stalingrad than the nuclear attacks on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.
German Me-264 bombers were capable of reaching and bombing New York City, but leaders decided it wasn't worth the effort.
The only known armed German military operation on North American soil during World War II was the installation of a covert weather station in northern Canada. Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26 was erected by a German U-boat crew in Northern Labrador in October 1943.
In June 1943 the British and Americans began a strategic heavy bombing campaign against Germany, which carried on for the rest of the war. Konstanz was one of the few towns in Germany left untouched by the Second World War. Instead of blackout, the city would leave all its lights on at night in order to fool Allied bomber crews into thinking that it was part of nearby neutral Switzerland.
Key setbacks in 1943, which included a series of German defeats on the Eastern Front, the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy, and Allied victories in the Pacific, cost the Axis its initiative and forced it into strategic retreat on all fronts.
The Western Allies invaded German-occupied France when 156,000 US, British, and Canadian troops landed on the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944.
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| American troops approaching Omaha Beach, during D-Day, |
Among the first soldiers wearing German uniforms captured at Normandy, were several Koreans. They had been forced to fight for the Japanese until captured by Russian troops, then captured by German troops who sent them to Normandy, where Americans captured them.
THE END IN EUROPE
When Allied troops reached the Rhine River in 1945, a popular thing to do was to "pee" in it. The two most prominent persons to do so were Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and U.S. General George Patton, who had himself photographed in the act.
By February 1945 the Soviets had reached the German border. The Battle of Berlin began on April 16, 1945 when the Soviet Red Army launched a massive offensive against the German capital of Berlin. The Soviets were able to quickly overwhelm the German defenders,
By May 2, Berlin had been captured. The Battle of Berlin was a major turning point in World War II. It marked the end of the German war effort in Europe, and led to the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany.
The Battle of Berlin was a costly battle for both sides. The Soviets suffered over 80,000 casualties, while the Germans suffered over 50,000 casualties. The city of Berlin was also heavily damaged, with much of it destroyed by the fighting.
Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery accepted the total and unconditional surrender of the German forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany including all islands and Denmark on May 4, 1945 at Lüneburg Heath, east of Hamburg. The surrender preceded the end of World War II in Europe and was signed in a carpeted tent at Montgomery's headquarters on the Timeloberg hill at Wendisch Evern.
Victory in Europe Day, generally known as VE Day (United Kingdom) or V-E Day (US), is celebrated across Western European states on May 8. The day celebrates the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the end of World War II in Europe. The term VE Day existed as early as September 1944, in anticipation of victory.
Victory Day is a significant celebration that honors the triumph of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in 1945. The Soviet government officially proclaimed this victory on the morning of May 9, immediately after the signing ceremony held in Berlin. In 1965, Victory Day was designated as a non-working day in specific Soviet republics. Since the formation of the Russian Federation in 1991, May 9 has been officially recognized as Victory Day, and it is observed as a non-working holiday, even if it happens to fall on a weekend. In such cases, the following Monday is also designated as a non-working day to commemorate the occasion.
Japan, which aimed to dominate Asia and the Pacific, was at war with China by 1937, though neither side had declared war on the other.
In December 1941 Japan attacked America's Pearl Harbor naval base and declared war on the USA and Britain.
Rapid Japanese conquests over much of the Western Pacific ensued. They were perceived by many in Asia as liberation from Western dominance; this resulted in the support of several armies from defeated territories.
The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought between May 4-8, 1942. During the battle, United States Navy aircraft attacked and sunk the Japanese Imperial Navy light aircraft carrier, Shōhō. The battle marked the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fought without visual contact between warring ships. It was the first battle of World War II in which the Allies were able to stop a major advance of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The Axis advance in the Pacific was halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway.
Alaska was the only part of the United States that was invaded by the Japanese during World War II. The territories were the island of Adak and Kiska in the Aleutian Chain.
Following a massive bombardment, 35,000 U.S. and Canadian troops stormed ashore on Kiska in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands. Twenty-one troops were killed during the operation, and it would probably have been worse, but Japanese forces had already withdrawn, ending the campaign in the islands.
In August 1945 the Americans dropped atom bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forcing the surrender of Japan.
The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed by Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu on behalf of the Japanese Government, ending World War II in the Pacific on September 2, 1945.
The youngest U.S. serviceman of record was 12-year-old Calvin Graham, who served in the U.S. Navy. He was wounded and given a dishonourable discharge for lying about his age, but his status was later changed by an act of Congress.
The highest rated American killed was Lt. Gen. Leslie McNair, killed in a bombing raid by the U.S. Army Air Corps.
The last U.S. Marine killed was a prisoner of war in Japan. He died when rescue flights dropped food and supplies, and a package came open during descent, its contents fell out, and he was killed by a can of Spam that hit him on the head.
During World War II, Britain drafted women, starting with 20-30 year old singles, and eventually employing almost 90% of all single women and 80% of all married women in essential war work in roles such as mechanics, engineers, munitions workers, air raid wardens, bus and fire engine drivers.
The war brought great numbers of women into industrial work, which led to greater freedom in dress. More women went into business, and they adopted dresses that were simple and easy to maintain.
During World War II shorts and slacks became common because they permitted free movement and were safer to wear near machinery.
A popular style for men and boys in the World War II period was the snug, waist-length battle jacket worn by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The garment was readily adopted for sports activities.
The UK's worst civilian disaster of World War II was at Bethnal Green Tube station on March 3, 1943, when 173 people — 27 men, 84 women and 62 children — were crushed to death after crowds rushed into the station's bomb shelter as an air-raid warning was sounded.
In Britain during the Second World War there was a Ministry of Food campaign which used the slogan, "potatoes are good for you." This was so successful that a new campaign started saying "potatoes are fattening."
After the U.S. entered World War II, the actress Carole Lombard went to her home state of Indiana for a war bond rally, selling over $2 million worth of war bonds. She wanted to return home quickly (it was rumored that she had heard Gable was having an affair) so flew home.
On January 16, 1942, Lombard, her mother, and 20 other people were killed when the plane crashed outside of Las Vegas. She was 33. President Franklin D. Roosevelt posthumously awarded Lombard the Medal of Freedom as the first woman killed in the line of duty in World War II.
The first German soldier killed in the war was killed by Japanese troops in China in 1937.
The first American serviceman killed was by the Russians in Finland, 1940.
On the evening of March 16, 1940, fourteen German Luftwaffe bombers flew 550 miles over the North Sea to the British Naval base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, Nineteen of the bombs fell on targets which had no military significance. One of them killed a 27 year-old County Council employee, James Isbister – becoming the first civilian to be killed in a German bombing raid on the UK in World War II.
The first German bombs of World War II to fall on England were dropped on Chilham and Petham, in Kent on May 10, 1940. The bombs were dropped by a force of 12 Heinkel He 111 bombers, which were part of a larger attack on shipping in the English Channel. The bombs caused some damage to property in the two villages, but there were no casualties.
THE PACIFIC WAR
Japan, which aimed to dominate Asia and the Pacific, was at war with China by 1937, though neither side had declared war on the other.
In December 1941 Japan attacked America's Pearl Harbor naval base and declared war on the USA and Britain.
Rapid Japanese conquests over much of the Western Pacific ensued. They were perceived by many in Asia as liberation from Western dominance; this resulted in the support of several armies from defeated territories.
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| The extent of Japanese military expansion in the Pacific, April 1942 By Createaccount |
The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought between May 4-8, 1942. During the battle, United States Navy aircraft attacked and sunk the Japanese Imperial Navy light aircraft carrier, Shōhō. The battle marked the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fought without visual contact between warring ships. It was the first battle of World War II in which the Allies were able to stop a major advance of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The Axis advance in the Pacific was halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway.
Alaska was the only part of the United States that was invaded by the Japanese during World War II. The territories were the island of Adak and Kiska in the Aleutian Chain.
Following a massive bombardment, 35,000 U.S. and Canadian troops stormed ashore on Kiska in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands. Twenty-one troops were killed during the operation, and it would probably have been worse, but Japanese forces had already withdrawn, ending the campaign in the islands.
In August 1945 the Americans dropped atom bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forcing the surrender of Japan.
The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed by Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu on behalf of the Japanese Government, ending World War II in the Pacific on September 2, 1945.
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| Japanese foreign affairs minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Japanese Instrument of Surrender |
SOLDIERS EXPERIENCES
The youngest U.S. serviceman of record was 12-year-old Calvin Graham, who served in the U.S. Navy. He was wounded and given a dishonourable discharge for lying about his age, but his status was later changed by an act of Congress.
The highest rated American killed was Lt. Gen. Leslie McNair, killed in a bombing raid by the U.S. Army Air Corps.
The last U.S. Marine killed was a prisoner of war in Japan. He died when rescue flights dropped food and supplies, and a package came open during descent, its contents fell out, and he was killed by a can of Spam that hit him on the head.
CIVILIAN LIFE
During World War II, Britain drafted women, starting with 20-30 year old singles, and eventually employing almost 90% of all single women and 80% of all married women in essential war work in roles such as mechanics, engineers, munitions workers, air raid wardens, bus and fire engine drivers.
The war brought great numbers of women into industrial work, which led to greater freedom in dress. More women went into business, and they adopted dresses that were simple and easy to maintain.
During World War II shorts and slacks became common because they permitted free movement and were safer to wear near machinery.
A popular style for men and boys in the World War II period was the snug, waist-length battle jacket worn by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The garment was readily adopted for sports activities.
The UK's worst civilian disaster of World War II was at Bethnal Green Tube station on March 3, 1943, when 173 people — 27 men, 84 women and 62 children — were crushed to death after crowds rushed into the station's bomb shelter as an air-raid warning was sounded.
In Britain during the Second World War there was a Ministry of Food campaign which used the slogan, "potatoes are good for you." This was so successful that a new campaign started saying "potatoes are fattening."
After the U.S. entered World War II, the actress Carole Lombard went to her home state of Indiana for a war bond rally, selling over $2 million worth of war bonds. She wanted to return home quickly (it was rumored that she had heard Gable was having an affair) so flew home.
On January 16, 1942, Lombard, her mother, and 20 other people were killed when the plane crashed outside of Las Vegas. She was 33. President Franklin D. Roosevelt posthumously awarded Lombard the Medal of Freedom as the first woman killed in the line of duty in World War II.
FIRSTS
The first German soldier killed in the war was killed by Japanese troops in China in 1937.
The first American serviceman killed was by the Russians in Finland, 1940.
On the evening of March 16, 1940, fourteen German Luftwaffe bombers flew 550 miles over the North Sea to the British Naval base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, Nineteen of the bombs fell on targets which had no military significance. One of them killed a 27 year-old County Council employee, James Isbister – becoming the first civilian to be killed in a German bombing raid on the UK in World War II.
The first German bombs of World War II to fall on England were dropped on Chilham and Petham, in Kent on May 10, 1940. The bombs were dropped by a force of 12 Heinkel He 111 bombers, which were part of a larger attack on shipping in the English Channel. The bombs caused some damage to property in the two villages, but there were no casualties.
The attack marked the beginning of the Blitz, a sustained bombing campaign by the German Luftwaffe against targets in England that lasted for eight months. The Blitz caused widespread damage and loss of life, but it failed to break the morale of the British people.
During the Second World War, the chaplain's department has had the highest causality percentage in the British army. Ten per cent of the chaplains who bought Christ's message to the soldiers on the front line never returned home to Britain.
49% of German military losses happened in the last 10 months of the Second World War in Europe.
In World War II only one percent of the pilots accounted for thirty to forty percent of enemy fighters shot down in the air. Some pilots didn't shoot down a single enemy plane.
German Submariners had the highest casualty rate of all forces in World War II - 70% died in service.
More U.S. servicemen died in the Army Air Corps than did Marines. While completing the required 30 missions over enemy territory, an airman's chance of being killed was 71 percent.
In an effort to maintain world peace, the Allies formed the United Nations after the Second World War. It replaced the League Of Nations, which had been so ineffectual in preventing war.
Germany was divided into two countries called the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
Most eastern and central European countries fell into the Soviet sphere, which led to establishment of Communist-led regimes, with full or partial support of the Soviet occupation authorities. this included East Germany, which became a Soviet satellite state.
On March 10, 1974, a Japanese soldier, Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda was found on the island of Lubang in the Philippines, having held out, unaware that World War II had been over for nearly 30 years. Onoda had been ordered to stay on the island and continue the fight, and he refused to surrender until he received orders from a superior officer. For years, he survived by foraging for food and supplies and engaging in occasional skirmishes with local residents and police. It wasn't until 1974 that he was finally convinced to surrender and return to Japan.
The Japanese pilot who attacked a town in Oregon during World War II returned years later to present his family’s 400-year-old samurai sword to the city as a symbol of regret.
Britain incurred so much debt fighting World War II that it didn't make its final loan payment until 2006.
Sources Compton's Encyclopedia, Leavenworthtimes
STATISTICS
During the Second World War, the chaplain's department has had the highest causality percentage in the British army. Ten per cent of the chaplains who bought Christ's message to the soldiers on the front line never returned home to Britain.
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| World War II deaths By Oberiko at English Wikipedia, |
49% of German military losses happened in the last 10 months of the Second World War in Europe.
In World War II only one percent of the pilots accounted for thirty to forty percent of enemy fighters shot down in the air. Some pilots didn't shoot down a single enemy plane.
German Submariners had the highest casualty rate of all forces in World War II - 70% died in service.
More U.S. servicemen died in the Army Air Corps than did Marines. While completing the required 30 missions over enemy territory, an airman's chance of being killed was 71 percent.
AFTERMATH
In an effort to maintain world peace, the Allies formed the United Nations after the Second World War. It replaced the League Of Nations, which had been so ineffectual in preventing war.
Germany was divided into two countries called the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
Most eastern and central European countries fell into the Soviet sphere, which led to establishment of Communist-led regimes, with full or partial support of the Soviet occupation authorities. this included East Germany, which became a Soviet satellite state.
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| Post-war border changes in Central Europe and creation of the Eastern Bloc By Mosedschurte |
The Holocaust was a genocide in which Nazi Germany systematically killed six million Jews during World War II. Its aftermath left millions of Jewish refugees for whom the British Mandate of Palestine became the primary destination. In 1947 The United Nations General assembly adopted the UN Resolution to divide Western Palestine between the Jews and the Arabs and The Jewish state of Israel was proclaimed the following year.
The Japanese pilot who attacked a town in Oregon during World War II returned years later to present his family’s 400-year-old samurai sword to the city as a symbol of regret.
Britain incurred so much debt fighting World War II that it didn't make its final loan payment until 2006.
Sources Compton's Encyclopedia, Leavenworthtimes
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