The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to World War II:
World War II, or the Second World War was a global military conflict that was fought between September 1, 1939, and September 2, 1945. The war pitted two major military alliances against each other: the Allies of the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, China and others against the Axis of Germany, Japan, Italy and others. Over 60 million people, the majority of them civilians, were killed, making it the deadliest conflict in human history.Dunnigan, James; Albert Nofi. Dirty Little Secrets of World War II: Military Information No One Told You About the Greatest, Most Terrible War in History, William Morrow & Company, 1994.
The Second World War was known for modern warfare and tactics such as air warfare, strategic bombing, blitzkrieg and the first, and only, use of nuclear weapons in warfare. It is also known for the numerous war crimes committed during its duration, mostly by Axis forces but also by Allied forces, that left tens of millions of civilians dead through genocides, massacres and starvation; such as the Holocaust, Three Alls Policy, Genocide of ethnic Poles, Unit 731, Nanjing massacre, Hunger Plan and the Warsaw Uprising.
Causes of World War II
World War I Treaty of Versailles Imperialism, expansionism and nationalism Expansionist nationalism Lebensraum Japanese nationalism Events preceding World War II in Europe Fascism in Europe National Fascist Party Benito Mussolini Nazi Party Adolf Hitler Events preceding World War II in Asia Statism in Shōwa Japan Japanese invasion of Manchuria Xi'an Incident Second Sino-Japanese War
Participants in World War II
The Axis powers
Major Axis powers
Germany Japan Italy
Other Axis powers Hungary Romania Slovakia Bulgaria Croatia Finland
The Allied powers
The 'Big Five' major allies
Soviet Union United States United Kingdom China France
Other major allies Poland Yugoslavia Greece Canada Netherlands Belgium Czechoslovakia India Australia
People in World War II
Leaders in World War II
Axis leaders
Adolf Hitler – Führer (leader) of Germany Hirohito – Emperor of Japan Benito Mussolini – Prime Minister and Duce of Italy
Allied leaders
Joseph Stalin – Leader of the Soviet Union Franklin D. Roosevelt – President of the United States Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Chiang Kai-shek – Leader of China
Military forces of World War II List of World War II aces by country List of World War II air aces
British Army during the Second World War History of the Royal Navy British Army Groups in WWII British Corps in World War II List of British Commonwealth divisions in the Second World War Canada in World War II Indian Army during World War II
Military history of France during World War II Army of Africa French Liberation Army French Expeditionary Corps Armistice Army (Vichy) Vichy French Air Force Milice (French Militia)
Military history of the United States during World War II List of formations of the United States Army during World War II United States Navy in World War II United States Army Air Forces American Minority Groups in World War II
Military history of the Soviet Union
Red Army Military units and formations of the Soviet Union in World War II Field armies of the Soviet Union
National Revolutionary Army
Army groups of the National Revolutionary Army
Military history of Germany
Wehrmacht Heer Luftwaffe Kriegsmarine Waffen-SS Gestapo Afrika Korps (DAK) List of German divisions in World War II
Military history of Japan
Imperial Japanese Armed Forces Imperial Japanese Army Imperial Japanese Army Air Service Imperial Japanese Navy Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces List of Japanese Infantry divisions
Military history of Italy during World War II
List of Italian divisions in World War II Royal Italian Army Regia Marina Regia Aeronautica Blackshirts (MVSN)
Timeline of World War II
The following list includes some of the largest events in World War II:
1939
August 23: Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact September 1: Germany invades Poland, beginning the war September 3: War is declared on Germany by the United Kingdom and France, the Battle of the Atlantic and Phoney War begins September 17: After the Soviet Union defeats Japan in Mongolia, they invade Poland as well November 30: The Soviet Union invades Finland
1940
April 9: Germany invades Denmark and Norway May 10: Germany invades France and the low countries May 26: British troops evacuate Dunkirk June 10: Italy declares war on United Kingdom and France July 10: Germany begins an air campaign against Britain September 7: Germany begins a major bombing campaign against Britain
1941
June 22: Germany invades the Soviet Union September 8: The Siege of Leningrad begins October 2: The Battle of Moscow begins December 7: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into the war
1942
February 8: Fall of Singapore May 4: Battle of the Coral Sea June 4: Battle of Midway July 1: First Battle of El Alamein July 17: Battle of Stalingrad August 19: Dieppe Raid October 23: Second Battle of El Alamein November 8: Operation Torch
1943
July 4: Battle of Kursk July 9: Allied invasion of Sicily September 3: Allied invasion of Italy and surrender of Italy
1944
January 17: Battle of Monte Cassino January 22: Landings at Anzio April 19: Operation Ichi-Go June 6: D-Day June 22: Destruction of Army Group Center August 1: Warsaw Uprising August 15: Invasion of Southern France September 17: Operation Market Garden September 19: Battle of Hürtgen Forest October 23: Battle of Leyte Gulf December 16: Battle of the Bulge
1945
April 16 - May 2: Battle of Berlin May 8: Victory in Europe Day August 6 and 9: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki August 15: Victory over Japan Day September 2: Surrender of Japan
World War II by region
Theatres and major campaigns
Europe
Eastern front Western front Mediterranean and Middle Eastern theatre Italian Campaign Arctic theatre Arctic convoys
Asia
Second Sino-Japanese War South-East Asian Theatre Pacific Ocean theatre
Africa For all theatres in Africa, see:
North African campaign West Africa campaign East African campaign
Other Home front during World War II
By country
Europe Albania Albania under Italy Belarus Bulgaria Bulgarian resistance movement during World War II Carpathian Ruthenia Estonia Occupation of Estonia by Nazi Germany Finland France Germany Gibraltar Greece Axis occupation of Greece during World War II Hungary Ireland Italy Italian Campaign Allied invasion of Sicily Allied invasion of Italy Latvia Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany Leningrad Oblast Netherlands Soviet Union Spain United Kingdom Yugoslavia Invasion of Yugoslavia Occupation of Baltic republics by Nazi Germany Occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany Occupation of Denmark German occupation of the Channel Islands History of Poland (1939–1945) Occupation of Poland (1939–1945) Administrative division of Polish territories during World War II War crimes in occupied Poland during World War II Polish culture during World War II Romania
Asia Burma India Nepal Philippines Vietnam
Africa Algeria Egypt South Africa Southern Rhodesia
Oceania Australia New Zealand Axis naval activity in New Zealand waters
The Americas United States Canada Greenland
War crimes
The Second World War was characterized by many instances of War crimes:
Genocide
The Holocaust
Nazism Nazi Party Nazi eugenics Political views of Adolf Hitler Anti-Jewish legislation in prewar Nazi Germany Diary of Anne Frank Nazi book burnings Nazi ghettos Nazi concentration camps Nazi extermination camps Auschwitz Belzec Chełmno Majdanek Sobibor Treblinka History of Jews in Europe History of the Jews during World War II List of major perpetrators of the Holocaust Nazi human experimentation Racial policy of Nazi Germany Persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust List of individuals and groups assisting Jews during the Holocaust
Other genocides
Nazi genocide of ethnic Poles Romani genocide
Massacres
Three Alls Policy Nanjing massacre Massacres during the Warsaw Uprising Wola massacre Ochota massacre Katyn massacre
Mistreatment of civilians
Comfort women Unit 731 Rape during the occupation of Germany Population transfer in the Soviet Union
Technology during World War II
Technology during World War II German military technology during World War II Allied technological cooperation during World War II Technological escalation during World War II
Equipment of World War II Lists of World War II military equipment Equipment losses in World War II
Vehicles of World War II List of World War II military vehicles by country List of World War II military vehicles of Germany List of World War II ship classes List of World War II ships List of World War II ships of less than 1000 tons List of WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft by manufacturer List of aircraft of Italy, World War II List of aircraft of Japan, World War II List of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy List of aircraft of Russia, World War II List of aircraft of World War II List of aircraft of the French Air Force during World War II List of aircraft of the British, World War II List of aircraft of the Luftwaffe, World War II List of aircraft of the U.S. military, World War II List of armored fighting vehicles of World War II List of broadsides of major World War II ships List of undersea-carried planes during World War II List of weapons on Japanese combat aircraft List of prototype WWII combat vehicles List of foreign vehicles used by Nazi Germany in World War II List of helicopters used in World War II List of jet aircraft of World War II
Weapons of World War II List of World War II weapons List of World War II infantry weapons List of World War II firearms of Germany
Other initiatives in World War II Nazi plunder
Propaganda during World War II
Black propaganda World War II political cartoons List of Allied propaganda films of World War II American propaganda during World War II Walt Disney's World War II propaganda production British propaganda during World War II Propaganda and India in World War II Soviet propaganda during World War II Nazi propaganda Propaganda in Fascist Italy Propaganda in Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II
Common military awards
Soviet Union Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin Order of Suvorov Order of the October Revolution Order of the Red Banner Order of Victory
United States Medal of Honor Purple Heart Silver Star Bronze Star Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal World War II Victory Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal American Campaign Medal
United Kingdom Victoria Cross Air Force Cross Order of the Bath Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross Africa Star Pacific Star
France and Belgium Croix de Guerre
Poland Cross of the Valorous Order of Polonia Restituta Virtuti Militari
Nazi Germany Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany Iron Cross
Aftermath of World War II
The end of World War II End of World War II in Europe End of World War II in the Pacific
Immediate events War reparations Japanese reparations Forced labor of Germans in the Soviet Union Nuremberg trials International Military Tribunal for the Far East
The post-war world
Cold War Emergence of United States and USSR as global superpowers NATO Warsaw Pact Iron Curtain Proxy wars Decolonization Post–World War II baby boom