The major instability created in Europe during the first world war led to World war 2, also termed the 2nd world war, involving the majority of the world’s countries.
The first world war had already created massive loss globally, and the priority was to safeguard the integrity of the nations and avoid any further war efforts. Still, when world war 2 happened, everything shattered in the first place.
The war began with two highly energetic groups, allied and Axis forces. Some world war 2 facts that one must know to get full insights into what just happened in the past.
Impact Of First World War & World War 2 Facts
When world war 1 ended in the year 1918, people wanted no more world war. This didn’t happen as world war 2 was even more drastic.
The German invasion of Poland under Hitler’s regime was something that can never be erased from history.
Although, the league, under the organization’s founding agreement, decided not to involve in war again.
Second world war still happened that led to major destruction worldwide. The world is still facing its consequences at a major level.
The world faced a major crisis in every aspect whether it is financially, or by any other means. Mankind lost its fate and felt devastated. Definitely, war was not the solution.
The second world war happened just after two decades after world war 1. World war 2 facts are endless ones you want to go deeper into that.
The global war happened between 1939-45. The riot happened between the axis powers, Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the allied powers, Great Britain, Russia, and the U.S.
World war 2 was even more destructive than world war I. The war has created fear among the people globally. Lives were on the stack, and massive destruction happened. Each incident led to suffering and the spread of haterade among people.
The Root Cause Behind World War 2
The major reason behind world war 2 was Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany, who decided to rule over Europe along with the Nazi Party. Their only motive was to become more powerful and prosperous.
Adding to world war 2 facts, Adolf Hitler was firm about his decision of taking over Poland, which leads to war later on. Other countries also shook hands and joined the war.
Adolf Hitler became the national pride of Germans and became prime minister in 1933.
The Axis And The Allied Powers
The allies of Germany, Italy, and Japan were formed and named as Axis powers. These three countries have so many things in common.
These countries were led by the German invasion, Adolf Hitler along with Benito Mussolini, who was an Italian dictator, and Japanese Emperor Hirohito,
The opposition party was allied powers led by Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union.
Five more countries joined the axis during world war 2; these countries are Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Croatia.
The Allied powers were led by the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. These countries were led by British Prime minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin.
Many countries further joined the alliance such as Belgium, Norway, Netherlands, United States, Yugoslavia, Finland, China, Australia, Brazil, Greece, Mongolia, Mexico, Burma, Luxemburg, India, Finland, and the list goes on.
In addition to facts about world war 2, the story behind naming axis powers is also interesting. Actually, Mussolini originally proclaimed that Europe would rotate around the “Rome-Berlin Axis.” The thought came from here only, and the name was officially announced.
Some World War 2 Facts Related To Axis And Allied Forces
The pact of steel, an alliance between Germany and Italy, was signed by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini on May 22, 1939.
In the beginning, on 1939, the German dictator Adolf Hitler was firm in invading and occupying Poland.
Secret negotiation did happen to the signing of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact in which the Germans and the Soviets both agreed that Poland should be divided between them.
In the beginning, Adolf Hitler thought that Germany could attack Poland without any disturbance from Soviet or British intervention and ordered the invasion on August 26 but on the flip side, the news of the signing on August 25 spread. Things went uneasy, causing him to postpone the war for a few days temporarily.
The hindrance didn’t stop Hitler, and he declared war against Poland. The armed forces of Hitler believed in their spirit, and the war began. In response, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3rd September.
The largest war in history had seen a drastic ending with death cases of between 40,000,000-50,000,000, making world war 2 the largest conflict ever.
Resources And Forces Of The European Army
The allied forces, namely Great Britain, France, and Poland, were altogether superior in industrial resources, military power, and also in the population at one point in time.
On the other hand, the German army was focused, had a fighting spirit, and was disciplined to a great extent.
France had a total of 90 infantry divisions, Great Britain had 10 infantry divisions, whereas Poland had 30 infantry divisions.
World War 2 Duration
World war 2 was an expansive war that lasted from 1939-1945. The war was fought between the Axis forces and the Allied forces.
The second world war was basically the continuation of world war i. The war ended, leaving its effect worldwide.
World war 2 was not only fought in Europe but in many places across the world. Adding to facts about world war 2, millions of Germans were imprisoned and later killed because they could not stand out on Adolf Hitler’s expectations.
At the time when the German invasion took place for power in Europe, the Japanese attack on China also happened. Japanese military attacked China under Emperor Hirohito to gain power in Europe. The main aim of Japan was to control Asia and the Pacific.
The Nazi party leader Adolf Hitler believed in his willpower, prepared his armed forces, and signed strategic treaties with Japan and Italy to fulfill his dream of dominating the world.
Hitler’s invasion of Poland was the reason for the conflict. Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, and world war 2 began.
The estimation says 45-60 million people were killed, and 6 million were murdered in Hitler’s Nazi concentration camps. In Hitler’s diabolical, it was named as “Final Solution,” now called Holocaust.
World war I already left Europe unstabilized, and then world war 2 was also no less destructive.
Hitler, after signing alliances with Italy and Japan against the Soviet Union, sent his German troops to occupy Austria in 1938. A year later, German troops annexed Czechoslovakia.
The group that was mostly targeted were Jews by german troops. This was the most horrible fact about the second world war. Hitler was constantly blaming Jews for the defeat of world war I and also claimed that they were not good for the German armed forces.
Dates To Remember And World War 2 Facts
January 30, 1933
On this date. Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany.
September 29, 1938
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France altogether signed the Munich agreement.
September 17, 1939
Germany invades Poland. This was the same year Poland’s allies Britain and France and the war began with Germany.
September 17, 1939
The Soviet Union invaded Poland on this date. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin ordered the invasion of Poland.
September 27, 1939
Warsaw surrenders to German forces. A day to remember, Poland was kept on hold for 9 days.
December 13, 1939
The first naval engagement of the second world war happened on this day when British cruisers defeated German soldiers.
December 7, 1941
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese army attacked Pearl Harbor surprisingly on Oahu island.
December 8, 1941
This date must be remembered in the world’s history when the United States officially declared war on Japan before entering world war 2. Japanese troops attacked the French, Philippines, and Indochina i.e,(Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) along with British Singapore. Japanese occupied the Philippines, Indochina, as well as Singapore in April 1942 and took over Burma.
December 11-13, 1941
On this date, Nazi Germany along with its Axis partners declared war On the United States in the answer of what the US did.
June 28, 1942-September 1942
On this date, Nazi Germany along with its Axis partners attacked the Soviet Union in the city of Stalingrad, Caucasus.
Germany was at the peak of its military success in World War 2 after having penetrated Egypt.
August 7-February 9, 1943
On this date something unusual happened, for the first time first Allied armies went into rebellion against Japanese forces and took Florida, Tulagi, and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
August 23, 1944
Soviet troops induce the Romanian opposition to overthrow the Antonescu regime.
August 29, 1944-October 28, 1944
During this period, there are specific incidents took place.
- Slovak National Council’s leadership.
- In late October, the Germans captured Banska Bystrica.
October 20, 1944
US troops landed in the Philippines.
April 30, 1945
This was the year when a shocking thing happened. Hitler commits suicide.
May 1945
Allied armies conquered Okinawa(The last island stop before the main Japanese islands).
August 6, 1945
On this day, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
August 8, 1945
On this day, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria.
August 9, 1945
On this day, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
September 2, 1945
Finally, on this day, Japan formally surrendered, and its the end of world war 2.
The Major Outbreak Of World War 2
The world war 2 facts seem endless, and it is quite deep. To understand the aspects, one must dig into the whole scenario. In late August 1939, Adolf Hitler and Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin signed the German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact, which was troublesome for London and Paris.
On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. Just after 2 days, France and Britain declared war on Germany; this was the beginning of world war ii.
On September 17, Soviet troops invaded Poland. The attack from both sides leads to the failure of Poland. By early 1940, Germany and the Soviet Union had divided control over the nation.
World War 2 Facts To Remember
World war 2 facts: On December 7, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan. Although, US involvement in the second world war is something that completely changed the structure of the nation. Millions of men and women get involved quickly after the war.
People got much involved in the war and started supporting the armed forces with whatever means they got.
During the war, American citizens joined a multi-program to meet the demand as the steel demand increased. American citizens have started recycling scrap metal devices. American forces’ entry helped in getting economical growth back to normal.
Adding to world war 2 facts, one thing that happened was President Franklin D. Roosevelt declaring that as the United States is neutral in law, it doesn’t mean it remains neutral in the thought process. In short, it was suggested to help the needy in war.
The United Kingdom lacked the capital to pay its army and urgently needed help from the United States.
On the flip side, President Roosevelt was stopped not to help any country as it was against American law and would affect the netizens of the United States.
The neutrality act of 1939 allowed armies to purchase war material from the United States based on “cash and carry.”
The Johnson act of 1934 says that the countries guilty of not paying the U.S loans are not allowed for any further credit.
On December 17, President Roosevelt proposed a new initiative that was termed Lend-Lease. The United States contracted Lend-Lease agreements with more than 30 countries, and 50$ billion was spent on assistance.
This was a clear strategy of the United States to defeat Nazi Germany without entering the war until it saw the war effort in the army of the United States. When American forces were not physically participating in the war, this was a clear picture in front of the world.
Order Of Invasion(World War 2 Facts)
The war began in Europe in 1939 with the invasion of Poland. After this, attacks happened on Denmark and Norway and thereafter on Belgium. Netherlands and France were the next targets that were achieved.
The battle of Britain began in 1940. Unfortunately, this was German’s first failure. The German airforce named Luftwaffe was unable to defeat Britain’s, Royal Air Force.
Later on, Germany extended war on Greece and North Africa. Although, the Greek campaign was a failure, and in early 1941, Germany was forced to come to Italy’s assistance.
In 1941, the Germans invasion was the Soviet Union. Between 1937-41, the major conflict between Japan and China led to influence US relations with both nations.
When Chinese and Japanese forces clashed with each other on the Marco Polo bridge near Beijing, the war between these two nations reached another level.
Initially, the USA used to supply oil, iron, steel, and whatever the Japanese army needed at that time, but unfortunately, after a time, the USA had to stop.
After January 1940, the United States increased aid to China and the land lease program with Japan to facilitate all the military support.
After facing a clear shortage, Japanese leaders concluded that they would remain calm. However, US leaders had not given up on negotiated settlement and doubted that a Japanese attack might happen on the US.
Precisely, it happened, which was quite shocking; Japanese planes bombed the US fleet at Pearl Harbor on the 7th of December 1941. Thousands of Americans were wounded and killed. American ships and aircraft were destroyed in the war. In answer to this, the US declared war on Japan.
Talking about world war 2 facts and missing the battle of midway isn’t possible. It was a major turning point in the history of world war 2.
Japan tried to do a surprise attack on the US but failed drastically as Americans were attentive this time and cracked Japan’s communication codes. In consequence, Japan had a heavy loss.
World War 2 Fact Related To Major Events
World war ii was a global war and it left its mark for years to come. People around the globe talk about it and still get goosebumps over what had happened in the past.
On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered in front of the world. The major attack on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki are one of the most terrible events in world war 2.
The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki after which Japan surrendered on 2nd September 1945.
This was the very first time when the atomic weapon had been used in a war so far. Beside knowing the fact that this is going to be horrible in future, the incident happened.
After this world war ii ended. Many instructions happened during the world war, including the death of people and a massive loss of capital and property. Countless people got injured during the war.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki faced major destruction. The effect of the atomic bomb is terrible as people got physical disabilities and still recovering from the same. A clear warning that no more world war is needed in the future.
World War 2 Facts: After The War
The war between the allied and axis powers had resulted in the deterioration of the world population by 4 percent. Allied plans and US decisions lead to future issues. The divergent plans on the Korean peninsula led to the Korean war in the year 1950.
One of the conspiracies is the United Nations partition plan for Palestine that pushed Israel to declare its independence in 1948 and continue the Arab-Israeli conflict.
World war is undoubtedly the most influential event of the twentieth century. The destruction that happened post world war is uncountable. This also leads to the dawn of the nuclear age.
America on the other hand proved to be the most influential country and emerged as the most powerful nation worldwide. The military and economic power of the US is unparallel.
Talking about the women section particularly, soon after declaring war amongst the nations. Women participated in the war by different means. Women enjoyed employment gains during the war. This was iconic to see women in manufacturing factories for the first time in history.
There is sorrow and deeply shattered feelings among the people globally. The war had shaken people mentally and physically. People lose their close ones, and nations face conflicts.
The war ended, and the Soviet Union won Berlin and later accepted German surrender. World war 2 facts do not end here, and there is so much more to know as a reader.
The end of the state of war with Germany was declared by former allies in the year 1950. In the Petersberg agreement of 22nd November 1949, it was said that west German wanted an end to the state war.
Conclusion
The chaos and challenges that came post-war left the world traumatized forever. People who became homeless were rescued somehow, but the situation was still dramatic.
This article consists of world war 2 facts and their effect. The world has seen enough during the war and post-war. Nevertheless, this was not just a war but an eye-opening historical event that led to misery, outbreaks, and so on.
World war 2 consists of a series of incidents and happenings that one must know about. Some world war 2 facts are beyond our imagination, and it’s really important to dig past to understand the effects of war so that the future could be more secure and people would be more aware of the disguise that can happen because of war.
