World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

World War II was fought from 1939 to 1945. Learn more about World War II combatants, battles and generals, and what caused World War II.

World War II: Causes and Timeline | HISTORY

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Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in 1944, the largest amphibious invasion in history. Weeks later, the Allies liberated Paris from its Nazi occupiers. Meanwhile, Soviet forces battered the Nazis on WWII’s eastern front. In the U.S., Franklin Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth presidential term and Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall starred in their first film together, “To Have and Have Not,” introducing the immortal line, “You know how to whistle, don’t you?” 

1944

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April 20

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February 1

As World War II raged on, Allied troops made their first landing in Europe on the island of Sicily. Russian forces turned back German invaders in the Battle of Stalingrad. In the Pacific, Japanese troops evacuated Guadalcanal after bloody battles with U.S. troops. In the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Polish resistance fighters tried and failed to stop the deportation of Jews to Nazi death camps. Back on the American homefront, crooner Bing Crosby scored a huge hit with the song “White Christmas.”

1943

Discover what happened on June 17 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

June 17

1940

World War II ended in 1945, after Germany surrendered in May and Japan capitulated in August, days after powerful new atomic bombs exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Two months later, 29 nations ratified a charter to form the United Nations. Writer George Orwell coined the term “cold war,” predicting icy relations between the U.S. and U.S.S.R., while popular songs like “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" and “Sentimental Journey” reflected the stateside mood as some 4 million G.I.s returned home.

1945

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June 27

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June 29

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January 5

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August 15

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October 1

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October 30

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July 13

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September 11

After the surprise December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the U.S. entered World War II. Earlier in the year, Germany invaded the Soviet Union and, in one of many Nazi atrocities, executed 30,000 Jews in the Babi Yar massacre. In the U.S., Mount Rushmore was completed, Wonder Woman made her debut, “Citizen Kane” launched at the box office and General Mills introduced a new breakfast cereal called Cheerioats.

1941

Discover what happened on March 10 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

World War II ‑ This Day In History

Kamikaze pilots get first major order

Operation Corncob is launched while Hitler celebrates his birthday

British and Allied troops continue the evacuation of France, as Churchill reassures his countrymen

Germans employ Enigma coding machine for the first time

Germans advance in USSR

Largest tank battle in history ends

Emperor Hirohito announces Japan’s surrender

Hitler focuses East, sends troops to Romania

Experiments begin on homosexuals at Buchenwald

FDR approves Lend‑Lease aid to the USSR

Japanese begin evacuation of Guadalcanal

The Firebombing of Tokyo continues