Outline of World War II explained

See main article: article and World War II.

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.^[1]

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

See main article: 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

See main article: Participants in World War II.

The Axis powers

See main article: article and Axis powers.

Major Axis powers

See main article: article and Tripartite pact.

• Germany
• Japan
• Italy

Other Axis powers

• Hungary
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Finland

The Allied powers

See main article: article and Allies of World War II.

The 'Big Five' major allies

See main article: article and Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

• 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

See main article: Axis leaders of World War II.

• Adolf Hitler – Führer (leader) of Germany
• Hirohito – Emperor of Japan
• Benito Mussolini – Prime Minister and Duce of Italy

Allied leaders

See main article: Allied leaders of World War II.

• 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

• 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

• Army of Africa
• French Liberation Army
• French Expeditionary Corps
• Armistice Army (Vichy)

• 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

• Red Army
• Military units and formations of the Soviet Union in World War II
• Field armies of the Soviet Union

• Army groups of the National Revolutionary Army

• Wehrmacht
• German Army
  • Afrika Korps
• Luftwaffe
• Kriegsmarine
• Schutzstaffel
• Waffen-SS
  • Gestapo
• List of German divisions in World War II

• 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

• List of Italian divisions in World War II
• Royal Italian Army
• Regia Marina
• Regia Aeronautica
• Blackshirts

Timeline of World War II

See main article: Timeline of World War II and List of World War II battles.

The following list includes some of the largest events in World War II:

1939

See main article: Timeline of 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

See main article: Timeline of World War II (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

See main article: Timeline of World War II (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

See main article: Timeline of World War II (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

See main article: Timeline of World War II (1943).

• July 4: Battle of Kursk
• July 9: Allied invasion of Sicily
• September 3: Allied invasion of Italy and surrender of Italy

1944

See main article: Timeline of World War II (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

See main article: Timeline of World War II (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

See main article: List of theatres and campaigns of World War II.

Europe

See main article: European Theatre of World War II.

• Eastern front
• Western front
• Mediterranean and Middle Eastern theatre
  • Italian Campaign
• Arctic theatre
  • Arctic convoys

Asia

See main article: Pacific War.

• 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

See main article: 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)
  • Invasion of Poland
  • Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany
  • Soviet invasion of Poland
  • Slovak invasion of Poland
  • 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

See main article: War crimes in World War II.

The Second World War was characterized by many instances of War crimes:

Genocide

See also: Outline of genocide studies.

The Holocaust

See main article: 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
• List of limited service World War II combat vehicles

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

See main article: Propaganda in 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

See main article: 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
• Pursuit of Nazi collaborators

World War II - related media

• World War II in popular culture
• The Holocaust in popular culture
• List of World War II films
• History books about World War II

See also

• Lists of World War II topics
• Opposition to World War II
• Outline of war
• Outline of World War I

Bibliography

• Book: Bix , Herbert P. . Herbert P. Bix . September 4, 2001. Hirohito and the making of modern Japan . HarperCollins . 978-0-06-093130-8 . April 6, 2022. .

External links

Directories

• Yahoo—"World War II"
• Directory of Online World War II Indexes & Records
• WWW-VL: History: WWII

General

• World War II Database
• The Second World War—Spartacus Educational
• Deutsche Welle special section on World War II created by one of Germany's public broadcasters on World War II and the world 60 years after.
• Canada and WWII
• End of World War II in Germany
• World War II Encyclopedia by the History Channel
• World War II Awards and their recipients.

Media

• U.S. National Archives Photos
• World War II Poster Collection hosted by the University of North Texas Libraries' *Digital Collections
• World War II Propaganda Leaflet Archive
• World War 2 Pictures In Colour

• Multimedia map—Presentation that covers the war from the invasion of the Soviet Union to the fall of Berlin
• Radio news from 1938 to 1945
• The Art of War Online Exhibition at the UK National Archive

On-line documents

• World War II Military Situation Maps. Library of Congress
• After Action Reports (AAR's) and other official documents about the American Divisions during the Second World War
• Maps from the Pacific and Italian theaters
• Officially Declassified U.S. Government Documents about World War II
• The Soviet History of World War II, 28 October 1959—Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Current Intelligence.
• Daily German action reports

Stories

• WW2 People's War—A project by the BBC to gather the stories of ordinary people from World War II

Documentaries

• The World at War (1974) is a 26-part Thames Television series that covers most aspects of World War II from many points of view. It includes interviews with many key figures (Karl Dönitz, Albert Speer, Anthony Eden etc.) (Imdb link)
• The Second World War in Colour (1999) is a three episode documentary showing unique footage in color (Imdb link)
• Battlefield (documentary series) is a television documentary series initially issued in 1994–1995 that explores many of the most important battles fought during the Second World War.
• The War (2007) is 7-part PBS documentary recounting the experiences of a number of individuals from American communities.

Notes and References

1. [Jim Dunnigan|Dunnigan, James]