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World War 2

A comprehensive World War 2 history guide with facts and information on one of the most important events in British history.

  • Overview
    • World War 2 Summary
    • World War 2 Facts
    • World War 2 Timeline
    • World War 2 Prisoners Of War
    • Soldiers In World War 2
    • WW2 FAQ
      • Who Started World War 2?
      • Causes of World War 2
      • When Did WW2 Finish?
      • Which countries were involved in World War Two
      • When was World War 2?
      • Who won World War 2?
      • How Many People Died In World War 2
    • WW2 Planes: A History of World War 2 Aircraft
  • Battles
    • The Blitz
    • Pearl Harbour
    • Battle Of Britain
    • Dday
    • Operation Barbarossa
    • The Battle Of Kursk
    • Operation Overlord
    • Battle Of Midway
    • Battle of Stalingrad
    • The Invasion Of Poland
    • Operation Cerberus
  • Leaders
    • Winston Churchill
    • Franklin D Roosevelt
    • Adolf Hitler
    • Benito Mussolini
    • Emperor Hirohito
    • Joseph Stalin
  • Home Front
    • Evacuees Of World War 2
    • World War 2 Recipes
    • World War 2 Shelters
  • Anne Frank
  • Miscellaneous
    • World War 2 Books
    • World War 2 Movies
    • World War 2 Poems
    • World War One
    • The Phoney War
    • Blitzkrieg
    • World War 2 Allies
  • World War 2 For Kids
    • World War 2 Facts Kids
    • Children in World War 2

Which countries were involved in World War Two

Much like the First World War, the number of countries involved in the Second World War was exceedingly high. There were two main opposing armies, towards whom other countries pledged their allegiances.

The side considered the ‘aggressors’ of the Second World War was known as the ‘Axis powers’, led by Nazi Germany, and joined by Italy from 1940-43, as well as Japan, who led the Axis power in the Pacific theatre. As Nazi Germany expanded in territory, and occupied other countries within Europe, the number of countries thus fighting on the side of the Nazis grew. Countries annexed by the Axis leaders include Austria, parts of Mongolia and China, Romania, some of the Pacific Islands, Greece, France, Libya, Somalia, Poland, the Philippines, and Bulgaria. Countries that willingly fought in support of the Axis powers include Thailand, Iraq, and Finland.

Great Britain, Russia, and the USA were the leading countries of the Allied forces, although Great Britain was the only one to declare war against Germany as early as 1939. France also declared war in 1939, but was defeated and subsequently occupied by the Nazis in 1940. Russia – then known as the USSR – did not join the war effort until 1941, after the attempted occupation of Moscow, which followed a successful invasion of the capital, Leningrad (now known as St Petersburg). The USA joined following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941. The offense against Russia, and the arrival of the USA in the Allied forces, are considered the point at which the war began to turn in the favour of the Allies, since Hitler looked to have over-stretched himself in the pursuit of Russia, and the USA brought an enormous number of men into the army on the side of the Allies.

Great Britain in the 1940s still had a lot of countries within its Empire and Commonwealth, and so many of them were brought in to fight for the Allied cause. Countries that fought for the Allies include Canada, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Jamaica, New Zealand, the Netherlands, British India (which included territories we now know as Burma, Bangladesh, and Pakistan), Mexico, Belgium, and Southern Rhodesia, which is now called Zimbabwe.

 

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Overview

WW2 Summary
WW2 Facts
WW2 Timeline
Soldiers in WW2
WW2 Planes
WW2 Prisoners Of War

Leaders

Winston Churchill
Franklin D Roosevelt
Adolf Hitler
Benito Mussolini
Emperor Hirohito
Joseph Stalin

Home Front

Evacuees of WW2
WW2 Recipes
WW2 Shelters

Misc

WW2 Books
WW2 Movies
WW2 Poems
World War One
The Phoney War
Blitzkrieg
WW2 Allies

Kids

WW2 For Kids
Children in WW2
WW2 Facts For Kids

Battles

The Blitz
Pearl Harbour
Battle of Britain
D-Day
Operation Barbarossa
The Battle Of Kursk
Operation Overlord
Battle Of Midway
Battle Of Stalingrad
The Invasion Of Poland
Operation Cerberus

Common Questions

Who started WW2?
Causes of WW2
When did WW2 finish?
Which countries were involved in WW2?
When was WW2?
Who won WW2?
How many people died?

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