World War 2 Facts for Kids

World War 2
  • Conflict Name: World War II and the Second World War
  • Conflict Start: September 1st, 1938
  • Conflict End: September 2nd, 1945
  • Conflict Belligerents: Allies and Axis Powers
  • Conflict Winner: Allies
  • Military Death Toll: 24,000,000+ fatalities
  • Civilian Death Toll: 49,000,000+ fatalities

25 World War 2 Facts for Kids

  1. World War 2 was fought between September 1st, 1938 and September 2nd, 1945.
  2. World War 2 is also called the Second World War.
  3. World War 2 is often abbreviated as WW2 or WWII.
  4. World War 2 was fought between two military alliances, the Allies and the Axis Powers.
  5. The main Allies included the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and China. Many other countries were a part of the Allies, but these were the big four.
  6. The main Axis Powers included Nazi Germany, the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Japan. Many other countries were part of the Axis, but these were the big three.
  7. Fighting took place in the Atlantic Ocean, Australia, China, Europe, Horn of Africa, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa, North America, the Pacific Ocean, South America and South-East Asia.
  8. By the end of World War 2, every country and territory somehow participated in the war.
  9. The Allies were victorious and won World War 2. However, WW2 was the deadliest conflict in human history, including genocide, the Holocaust and strategic bombing. Additionally, the end of the Second World War paved the way for nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear war.
  10. It’s estimated that over 24 million military personnel were killed in World War 2.
  11. It’s estimated that over 49 million civilians were killed in World War 2.
  12. Nazi Germany infamously committed genocide against European Jews. This is known as the Holocaust, and it’s estimated that the Nazis and their collaborators killed around six million European Jews.
  13. Adolf Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany, he was born on April 20th, 1889 and became the Fuhrer of Germany in 1934. Hhe committed suicide on April 30th, 1945, as the Red Army was nearing his bunker. Hitler is arguably one of the evilest dictators our world as every seen. He’s responsible for dragging the world into war for a second time, countless war crimes and atrocities against humanity.
  14. In the beginning of the war, Nazi Germany was successful at defeating and occupying much of Europe. Defeated and occupied countries include Poland (1939), Denmark (1940), Norway (1940), Belgium (1940), the Netherlands (1940), Luxembourg (1940), France (1940) Yugoslavia (1041) and Greece (1941). Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 and got close to Moscow before the Soviet Union started pushing them back.
  15. The German Army was able to defeat and occupy France in 46 days in 1940. The Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was a major blow to the Allies. It would take the Allies four years to push the German’s out.
  16. Nazi Germany attempted to capture Moscow, the Soviet Union capital during the Battle of Moscow between 1941 and 1942. The Soviet Union successfully defended Moscow and prevented the German’s from capturing it. This was a major setback for the German’s invasion of the Soviet Union.
  17. The United Kingdom was never occupied by Nazi Germany. However, extensive air and naval campaigns were carried out by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain.
  18. The United States joined the fighting in World War 2 after the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. This surprise attack by Japan killed over 2,300 Americans and wounded over 1,100.
  19. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific when the United States of America won a naval battle against the Empire of Japan between June 4th and June 7th in 1942. The United States Navy sunk four of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s aircraft carriers.
  20. The Battle of Kursk was the turning point on the Eastern Front in Europe. The Soviet Army was able to hold back the German Army and successfully recaptured a large amount of occupied territory from Nazi Germany.
  21. One of the deadliest battle of World War Two and in the history of warfare was the Battle of Stalingrad. This battle resulted in two million casualties between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler pushed the German Army to take Stalingrad at all costs. He wanted to capture Stalingrad for propagana purposes, because it beared the name of the Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin.
  22. On June 6th, 1944, Operation Overlord was executed by the Allies. Commonly known as D-Day or the Normandy Landings, this was the largest seaborne invasion in human history. This operation was the foundation for the Allies liberation of German-occupied Europe and to open the Western Front.
  23. The Ardennes Counteroffensive, also known as the Battle of the Bulge, was a major military offensive campaign by the Germans on the Western Front between 1944 and 1945. The goal was to split the allied lines, prevent the use of the Port of Antwerp in Belgium and hopefully force a peace treaty. While the German Army had success in the beginning, the allies ultimately pushed back the Germans. This was the last major military offensive by Nazi Germany in World War 2.
  24. World War 2 officially ended with the surrender of the Empire of Japan. The surrender was after the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It’s estimated that the two nuclear attacks killed between 129,000 to 226,000 Japanese. Most of the deaths were civilians.
  25. The end of World War 2 resulted in the United States and the Soviet Union becoming super powers. Both countries became engaged in a Cold War. The Cold War would become the biggest conventional and nuclear arms race in human history.