World War 2 Facts

The 20th century witnessed two of the deadliest and scariest world wars, that are no less than scars on the face of humanity. World War 1 was fought between 1914 to 1918, and it was dominantly participated by various European countries. World War II was fought between the years 1939 to 1945. Many countries fought in the World War II and it is believed to be one of the deadliest wars in terms of casualties.

Facts About The Second World War

The 2nd World War was fought in Africa, Asia, Europe and Russia. Most of the greatest powers of the world were involved in this war and two military oppositions were formed: The Allies and the Axis. The major big wigs of Allies were the UK, The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the United States of America (USA). Many other countries came forward to help Allies as the war began. The Axis powers comprised Germany, Japan and Italy. Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria also were the belligerents who moved ahead to support Axis powers.

Here are some facts related to the World War 2:

• One year before the war was going to begin, the UK government distributed nearly 40 million gas masks to the citizens!
• Paul Tibbets, an American pilot, was the man who dropped the first ever atomic bomb in human history over Hiroshima on 6 August, 1945.
• The Ford-Werke AG, a unit of iconic Ford Motor company, did not suffer any loss as it was not bombed during the war (maybe due to political reasons)!
• Words like Flash and Thunder were used as code words by American soldiers in WWII.
• The movie 'Schindler's List' was inspired by 'Oskar Schindler' who saved thousands of Jews from treachery of Nazi concentration camps.

From late 1942, American troops started gaining control over Pacific ground. The official surrender of Germany on August May 7, and 8, 1945, about a week after Hitler had committed suicide, was the first major victory for the Allies. In spite of this, Japanese soldiers showed indomitable will power and resilience and still were not ready to surrender. The US army cut off supplies of food and other necessities on which the Japanese armies were heavily dependent. By the middle of 1945, Japan was unable to compete with the Allies in terms of industrial and ammunition production. Japanese homelands were invaded and many areas were under US control. Finally, on August 6 and 9, when atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, the Japanese government realized that they had no option but to surrender to the US army. One of the worst facts associated with the WWII is the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After Japan surrendered to US invasion, it was almost evident that the war had ended. The surrender of Germany and Japan is considered the formal ending of the Second World War.

Facts about Hitler

Adolf Hitler, the chief of the Nazi army and an ardent supporter of the concept of Nazism, had a significant role in World War II. Hitler was a high school drop out who originally belonged to Austria. As a young man, Hitler opted to fight for Germany in World War I. It is astonishing that Hitler, who had no family or contacts in initial years in Germany, rose to such a level of popularity in German politics.

The track of events of Hitler's life in World war II have been presented here:

• Adolf Hitler proclaims himself the 'Fuehrer of Germany', takes over as chancellor in 1933.
• Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia is handed over to Hitler in 1938 by Britain to give him what he wants. However, Hitler cheats and acquires rest of Czechoslovakia.
• Invasion of Poland marked the beginning of World War II on September 1, 1939 though many countries were already at war.
• In early September, France and Britain declare official war on Germany.
• On 10 July 1942, the major turning point of World War 2 occurred when in the Battle of Britain, the RAF (Royal Air Force) defeated Germany.
• In 1941 Germany attacks Russia breaking the non-aggression pact with Stalin.
• In 1942, Germany was thrown out of Africa.
• Germany loses the crucial battle of Stalingrad in 1942.
• In 1945 Hitler's bunkers are attacked. Some say Hitler shoots himself inside the bunker. However, the cause of Hitler's death is still a mystery.

The most devastating fact about World War 2 is that it led to the loss of millions of lives. If statistics are to be believed, nearly 50 to 70 million people lost their lives in the battle for power and control. These were some short facts and history of some major events that happened in this turbulent period. Though there probably are many more facts regarding the Second World War that have not been covered in this article, the above constitutes the more important events that occurred in this 6 year war.