10 facts about World War 2
Learn about this hugely important event in British history…
In September 1939, Britain entered into what would become the world’s most devastating war to date. Learn all about the events that changed the lives of millions in our World War 2 facts….
World War 2 facts
1. World War 2 was a battle between two groups of countries
– the “Allies” and the “Axis“. The major Allied Powers were Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States. The major Axis Powers were Germany, Italy and Japan.
Love animals? You’d love our magazine!
Ask your parents to check out Nat Geo Kids magazine!
(AD)
2. Before World War 2 began, Germany was ruled by a man named Adolf Hitler
Together with the Nazi Party, he wanted Germany to rule Europe. To gain more land and power, on 1 September 1939 German troops invaded Poland. After Hitler refused to stop the invasion, Britain and France declared war on Germany – World War II had begun.
3. During the course of the war, German forces advanced through Europe.
By the summer of 1941 they had invaded France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Yugoslavia* and the USSR*.
Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable Second World War primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!
4. Millions of Germans were imprisoned and killed because they didn’t fit the image of the ‘perfect’ German
Hitler wanted to create what he thought was the “best” and strongest race – and to the Nazi Party, this excluded certain groups, such as Jews, Gypsies and those with physical and mental disabilities. In an attempt to eliminate a “racial enemy” outside of Germany, such groups were also persecuted in the countries invaded by German forces.
5. The group most heavily targeted by the Nazis were the Jews
Around six million Jewish people were killed during World War 2 in one of history’s most terrible events – the Holocaust. Racist in his views, Hitler blamed Jewish people for Germany losing World War I and claimed they were dangerous to German people and society.
6. Around the same time that Germany fought for power in Europe, Japan wanted to control Asia and the Pacific
In 1937 (before World War 2 had officially begun) under Emperor Hirohito, Japan attacked China, bringing the two nations into years of conflict.
7. The US didn’t join the war until 1941, when Japan attacked the United States
– at their Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On 8 December 1941 (the very next day), the US declared War on Japan and, in turn, its German allies.
8. Some countries remained ‘neutral’ in World War 2
Such countries were Spain, Sweden and Switzerland – who chose not to join either side.
9. The Germans surrendered on 8 May 1945
In 1944, an Allied army crossed from Britain to free France from Nazi rule. One year later, Allied armies invaded Germany, forcing the Germans to surrender. After nuclear attacks on Japan’s major cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan also surrendered to Allied forces in August the same year. World War 2 had ended.
10. Around 64 million people died in World War 2
– that’s more than the entire population of the United Kingdom.
Find out more about the countries involved in World War 2 with our Germany, Japan and USA facts. Plus, learn about the life of Anne Frank, a young German girl who wrote a world-famous diary…
LEAVE A COMMENT
THANK YOU
Your comment will be checked and approved shortly.
WELL DONE,
YOUR COMMENT
HAS BEEN ADDED!
COMMENTS
this is so sad i am happy to have these facts
That was a lot of drama!
I didn’t know any of this
great information
That's not a very good part of the world's history.
so cool to know about!!!
i am glad i wasent alive then
This was very interesting
i really enjoyed this to help me understand remberance day as it is 6.11.24
I am the biggest World War 2 nerd ever!! !
I love these facts they really help with homework
This website helped me understand ww2 in a way i never have before. it also helped me with my homework
well im 14 but um well this is helping me undrstand what my grate grandpa went through
It helped a lot thanks
cool
this is so sad
that is so cooooooool
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I knew seven of them already but the three I learned were interesting
sad
Totally awesome
I loved it!!!
good website
it was so amazing
cool
cool
WOW!
WOW!
wow
so sad so manny people died
This is ok, it did help me with my work, but the layout could be better
Very nice
interesting facts! really nice
Nice, this really helped me with my school work, Thanks!!
This is nice, really helped me with school work, Thanks!! :D
you are sooo cool
wow so exciting
soooooo cool cool
so you are good
WOW
cool and interesting
Amazing!
Very Interesting
it was amazing learning about this.
Awesome!!!!
NICE WEBSITE THX
yes
Cool
WOW!
Wow
this was a great website
nice
Love them really helped my research
Coolest website ever
Good job on the article, maybe include some more information on events though.
Let's take action!
like it
sad stuff guys
Sad but cool
It was a transcendental event for humanity that we must avoid repeating because today there is greater military power and with several countries that have nuclear bombs. It would be a universal disaster without losers and winners.
this website is pretty good!
Really good facts helped a lot on my project :]
good job homework is easy and fun
Hey thanks nat geo! the facts were really interesting and helped alot with my project :) cya soon in another comment section:P
cool
This is very nice it help me so much.
cool
Thank you Nat Geo, you helped me with my project!
amazing but sad
nice
love it
I learned so much from this and it really helped me with my task
cool
nice facts
3/ & in Africa they invaded Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, British Somaliland; & and Britain in the Channel Islands; 6/ & Italy wanted to control large tracts of Africa to include Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti & British Somaliland. 8/ Portugal was neutral and so was Eire: if the former held sympathies for Britain the latter was a non belligérant sympathiser of Nazi Germany to the extent of mourning Hitler’s death, generously welcoming German children after the War Marshall Plan funds asssisting the war weary countries, and responding to an invitation to join NATO with a “....only if you give back our six counties”. Who needs enemies with friends like that ?
you guys are nice
Good info it is very useful
Loved the facts!
This was very helpful, thank you!
my great-grandmother fought in WW2 aged only 15, and survived ! :)
Facts are true
very true
hi
Those facts are very important and I think it is very interesting.
Just sad on how many people died
COOl
this was really helpful for school work!!!! And Hitler was the worst.
thank you for teaching me more stuff about ww2 so i can bring it back to school as homework
I think I have learnt about more world war 2 facts because we're learning about it
That I did not know but is was pretty scary and sad
this has told me alot more about ww2 than i knew. thank you!:)
These facts really have helped me on my homework!
awesome research
intresting
I love this work
There are lots of different facts
they were really interesting as we are doing world war 2 as our topic when we go back to school
I love history and learning about World War 2 all of these facts were very interesting. I love to look at World War 2 facts because it is so much fun to learn about history it is sooooooooooooooooo mkuch fun to do. Thavnks for making this website and I loved it . Thanks again for making this website it is so much fun to learn abut history!!!!!!!!!!!
this is good info
Excellent work with your facts.
thanks for the info
Thanks for the help
Cheers for the facts
I love to learn about ww2 very interesting!
very intresting
good info I liked it
very good info it helped me
good info
gooooooood information
very good info
good
I learnt so much today
wow i did not know that
Thanks for the information. Helped a lot
I learned so much
cheers for the key facts !
i have some newspaper clippings from then they are very interesting
Wow.... It's very cool .but it must have been had living those days
It must of been really bad to live in those days
my Grandpa Percy was in the wold war 2
That is sad news in the war.
Just amazing
useful
i love history
I think that the world should be peaceful
Helped me with projects
GOT AN A ON MY PROJECT
this was great help when i did my project and i got an A
I loved this article because it gave me a lot of information
I love this website, so much info
Awesome I really needed this
Thanks i really needed this
Interesting
Has a lot of useful information and a lot of facts, I would give it a ten out of ten
Nice Information Very Helpful
great information
Wow! Thanks, NatGeoKids.
good detail.
this helped me so much
wow interesting
World War 2 was a terrible and historic event of our planet.
I am cool
I think it could be better with what the people did when they were at home and what was the daily routine
cool
So cool
Cool
COOL
i have no idea wht I am
awsome
cool
cool
so cool
Amazing
So cool
hi
Amazing
cool site
helped
Cool!
man this people didnt know the war was going on and they where working tss
its cool
Sweet! My topic is WW2 so I need to do some research! UUUUUHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cool
THESE FACTS ARE GREATTTT
Ty soldiers rip
awesome dude so cool man cant believe it dud hahahahaha
awesome!!!!!!!!!
this is awesome,how did they make this.....
Lo long
I think it was really neat that you could get all the info.
very interesting
this is a cool acritcle
awesome!
cool
It was really really interesting .
cool
beastmode
amazing story i have read
war war why does it has to be war
This is so cool helped me with my power point and homework . Its awesome , cool , fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shibin high
This helps
This really helps
FABULOUS
I dont no what to say wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
awsome
Thanks for the help
cool
Very helpful
cool!
Cool! Really helped with my homework. I really hate Hitler now!
amazing
Great Really Helped Me With My Work
exellent page
Lol
wow
This was awesome it really helped me with my homework
Good help
COOL
COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
poooooooooooooooooo
wow I have leaned so much
This is very useful .
I am writing a story about World War Two and needed some facts, this was very helpful, thankyou! :D
REALLY GOOD HELPS ALOT HA HA HA
i love reading about ww2
good
THIS IS A GOOD SITE
good
YOU ARE BANANA BRO GET A LIKE MANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE HISTORY! :D
Helped me a lot with my fictional writing thanks ngkids
wicked
helps me with my project.
awesome i used this for an essay and i smashed it with an A+
Hey guys
Anyone wanna be friends?
Hey guys anyone wanna be friends?
So sad!
This is really good for my school project. =)(=
Lol
Lol
Lol
Cool and amazing
terrible
Helped me A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It helped me alot
I like this. It tastes funky
helpful
Hitler was a crazy psychopath
cool
I hate hitler but i love this avatar ehehe <3
Cool and great
it is the best for children
Awesome
I need 200 facts for my game board in 1 day my eyes hurt its homework
......in Britans darkest hour :blitz ,V
this helps me a lot
64 million! whoa thats a lot of numbers.
SENSASHINALL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome
This really Helped me!!!! thx
I wish that it was 20 facts but hey thanks ngk
It helps me
Oh my goodness, National Geographic, you helped with my topic and homework once more. This article gives me so much information and tells me specificly what World War Two is all about.
i love it thank you soo much helps me with my homework of world war two thankks keep it up
This helped me with my year 6 homework!
go on Britain
briliant
lots of geat facts! Cool stuff!
Hitlers mean!
I think it is great and the facts are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why would Hitler take all of those innocent lives? I dont think he was kind at all!
i think the website is very helpful
I really got my vision of World War 2! We are so lucky to be alive!RIP soldiers!
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!! didnt know that
that helped alot
CUSTOMIZE YOUR AVATAR