World War II began in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland. It was a global war that lasted for 5 years till 1945. It was fought by Allied powers – mainly Great Britain, the United States, France and the Soviet Union; and Axis powers – mainly Germany, Italy and Japan.
It involved more than 1000 million people from 30 countries and is regarded as one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. It resulted in 85 million deaths due to genocide, deprivation, armed conflict and disease.
Germany was a pivotal player in World War II and began its sinister agenda of world domination by invading Poland on September 1, 1939. In response Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. The German armed forces were the best in the world in 1939 and due to advanced mechanization and their strategy of blitzkrieg or “lightning war” they were able to launch a systematic attack against the Allies.
On 22 June 1941, Germany led an invasion of the Soviet Union. In the meantime Japan was at war with China and attacked American and British territories including an attack on Pearl Harbour. This forced the US to declare war against Japan. Germany however, underestimated the Soviet Union which strategically retreated into their vast terrain and wore out the German army. The battle of Stalingrad sealed the fate of the Germans and the destruction of their 6th Army.
This defeat at the hands of the Soviets, along with the opening up of a western front by the Allies in 1944, eventually forced Germany to surrender on May 7, 1945.
However, due to the vast scale of the war which involved troops from every part of the world, the war ended in two stages. The second stage involved the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945 after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The official surrender of Japan is generally recognised as the final, official end of the Second World War.
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