Fact 1 - WW2 was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945 which involved nearly all the nations of the world
Fact 2 - Causes of WW2:
Causes of WW2:The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was created in 1919 to ensure peace in Europe following WW1. The treaty stipulated that land was taken away from Germany, That Germany would pay for damages caused by the war and that Germany could only have a small army with no air force, submarines or tanks
Causes of WW2: Polices of Adolf Hitler
Hitler reversed the clauses in the Treaty of Versailles, started to expand German territories invading Austria and Czechoslovakia, built up the German armed forces and military weapons
Causes of WW2: German treaties
Germany made treaties with Italy and Japan (Italy had invaded Abyssinia and Japan had invaded Manchuria in China)
Causes of WW2: Failure of Appeasement and the Munich Agreement
Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Britain. believed that the policy of appeasement would result in 'Peace in our time.' Hitler broke the terms of the Munich agreement
Causes of WW2: Failure of the League of Nations
Failure of the League of Nations to intervene and prevent war
Fact 3 - WW2 started September 1, 1939 and ended September 2, 1945
Fact 4 - WW2 covered territories of Europe, Pacific, Atlantic, South-East Asia, China, Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa
Fact 5 - Major Leaders of the Allies were Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill
Fact 6 - Major Leaders of the Axis were Adolf Hitler, Emperor Hirohito and Benito Mussolini
Fact 7 - Nearly 62 million people died during and leading up to the conflict
WW2 Fact 8 - On 1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland and Britain and France declared war on Germany
WW2 Events WW2 Fact 9 - The Phoney War: The Phoney War was period of limited military activity in Europe following the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 and preceding the Battle of France in May 1940
WW2 Fact 10 - Blitzkrieg: Blitzkrieg was the name given to the fast, violent and intensive military offensive including bombing via aerial attacks
WW2 Fact 11 - The Blitz: The Blitz was the name given to the intensive bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941 which commenced when London was bombed for 57 consecutive nights
WW2 Fact 12 - Dunkirk: Following the fall of France the survivors of the British Expeditionary Force and other allied forces were evacuated from Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo
WW2 Fact 13 - Battle of Britain: The Battle of Britain was the air campaign waged by the German Air Force called the Luftwaffe against Great Britain (RAF - Royal Air Force) during the summer and autumn of 1940
WW2 Fact 14 - The Eastern Front: On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia
WW2 Fact 15 - Pearl Harbor: In 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and the US entered the war
WW2 Fact 16 - Allies take Tobruk in North Africa
WW2 Fact 17 - Tobruk: Allies take Tobruk in North Africa in 1941
WW2 Fact 18 - Stalingrad and El Alamein: In 1942 setbacks for Germany at Stalingrad and El Alamein
WW2 Fact 19 - Singapore: 25,000 prisoners when Singapore falls to Japan in 1942
WW2 Fact 20 - Battle of Midway: June 1942 marks a US victory in the Battle of Midway when American planes defeated a Japanese fleet on its way to invade the Midway Islands
WW2 Fact 21 - Auschwitz: The Holocaust: The holocaust had already begun but in 1942 the concentration camp at Auschwitz started the systematic murder of Jews. An estimated 2,000,000 persons, including 1,500,000 Jews were murdered at Auschwitz
WW2 Fact 22 - Stalingrad: Germany surrenders at Stalingrad in 1943, a major defeat for the Germans
WW2 Fact 23 - North Africa: The allies win victory in North Africa in 1943 and the invasion of Italy begins
WW2 Fact 24 - Burma: The allied forces of Britain and India fight the Japanese in Burma in 1943
WW2 Fact 25 - Anzio: Allies land at Anzio in Italy, called Operation Shingle,
WW2 Fact 26 - Italy surrenders in 1943
WW2 Fact 27 - D Day: June 6, 1944, known as D Day, marks the date when the Allies invaded France and Paris is subsequently liberated
WW2 Fact 28 - Iwo Jima: Iwo Jima is bombed and Guam is liberated by the US Okinawa
WW2 Fact 29 - The Western Front: June 6, 1944, US and British forces returned to France launching launched Operation Market-Garden and the Battle of the Bulge
WW2 Fact 30 - Death of Hitler and Germany surrenders: The Russian army liberates Auschwitz and reaches Berlin. Adolf Hitler commits suicide on 30 April 1945. Germany surrenders on May 7
WW2 Fact 31 - Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Atomic bombs are dropped on Hiroshima (6 August - US B29 Super fortress bomber, called the 'Enola Gay') and Nagasaki (9 August - US Superfortress 'Bockscar' bomb was called Fat Man) and Japan surrenders on 14 August 1944
Fact 32 - WW2 ended September 2, 1945
