World War II

Clockwise from top left: Chinese forces in the Battle of Wanjialing, Australian 25-pounder guns during the First Battle of El Alamein, German Stuka dive bombers on the Eastern Front winter 1943?1944, US naval force in the Lingayen Gulf, Wilhelm Keitel signing the German Instrument of Surrender, Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad

Date1 September 1939 (1939-09-01) ? 2 September 1945 (1945-09-02) (70006000000000000006 years, 70001000000000000001 day)
LocationEurope, Pacific, Atlantic, South-East Asia, China, Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa, briefly North and South America
ResultAllied victory


Collapse of the Third Reich

Creation of the United Nations


Emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers


Beginning of the Cold War (more...).


Belligerents
Allies

 Soviet Union (1941?45)
 United States (1941?45)
 United Kingdom
 China
 France[a]
 Poland
 Canada
 Australia
 New Zealand
 South Africa
 British India
 Yugoslavia (1941?45)
 Greece (1940?45)
 Denmark (1940?45)
 Norway (1940?45)
 Netherlands (1940?45)
 Belgium (1940?45)
 Czechoslovakia
 Brazil (1942?45)
 Mexico (1942?45)

Client and puppet states
Philippines (1941?45)
Mongolia (1941?45)
Axis

 Germany
 Japan
 Italy (1940?43)
 Hungary (1940?45)
 Romania (1941?44)
 Bulgaria (1941?44)

Co-belligerents
 Finland (1941?44)
 Thailand (1942?45)
 Iraq (1941)

Client and puppet states
 Manchukuo
 Italian Social Republic (1943?45)
 Croatia (1941?45)
Serbia (1941?44)
 Slovakia

Commanders and leaders
Allied leaders

Joseph Stalin
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Winston Churchill
Chiang Kai-shek
Axis leaders

Adolf Hitler
Hirohito
Benito Mussolini

Casualties and losses
Military dead:
Over 16,000,000
Civilian dead:
Over 45,000,000
Total dead:
Over 61,000,000 (1937?45)
...further detailsMilitary dead:
Over 8,000,000
Civilian dead:
Over 4,000,000
Total dead:
Over 12,000,000 (1937?45)
...further details

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Campaigns of World War II


Europe
PolandPhoney WarWinter WarDenmark & Norway
France & BeneluxBritainBalkansYugoslav FrontEastern FrontFinlandWestern Front (1944?45)
Asia & The Pacific
ChinaPacific OceanSouth-East AsiaSouth West PacificJapanManchuria (1945)
Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre
North AfricaEast AfricaMediterranean SeaAdriaticMaltaIraqSyria-LebanonIranItalyDodecaneseSouthern France