World War II: Battles
Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command
The battles of the World War II were fought across the globe from the fields of Western Europe and the Russian plains to the China and the waters of the Pacific. Beginning in 1939, these battles caused massive destruction and loss of life and elevated to prominence places that had previously been unknown. As a result, names such as Stalingrad, Bastogne, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima became eternally entwined with images of sacrifice, bloodshed, and heroism. The most costly and far-reaching conflict in history, World War II saw an unprecedented number of engagements as the Axis and Allies sought to achieve victory. During World War II, between 22 and 26 million men were killed in battle as each side fought for their chosen cause.
World War II: Leaders & People
Fought on a global scale, World War II required the rapid expansion of armies and navies to meet the threat posed by the enemy. While the major combatants all possessed a core of professional officers and soldiers, these were soon supplemented by large numbers of volunteers and conscripts with over 100 million mobilized by war's end. As the fighting raged, less effective leaders were weeded out and replaced with those capable of achieving victory. Many of these successful soldiers and sailors became household names and would later play key roles in the postwar world.
World War II: Weapons
Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration
It is often said that few things advance technology and innovation as quickly as war. World War II was no different as each side worked tirelessly to develop more advanced and powerful weapons. During the course of the fighting, the Axis and Allies created increasingly more advanced aircraft which culminated in the world's first jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me262. On the ground, highly effective tanks such as the Panther and T-34 came to rule the battlefield, while at sea equipment such as sonar helped negate the U-boat threat while aircraft carriers came to rule the waves. Perhaps most significantly, the United States became the first to develop nuclear weapons in the form of the Little Boy bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima.
