World War II

World War II was the most terrible war ever fought. It not only killed over 17 million soldiers but also killed twice as many civilians through starvation, bombings and massacres.

World War II truly started when Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Great Britain thought that the USSR (Russia) would defend Poland but Hitler and Stalin made a pact. Germany invaded Poland from the west, and a few weeks later USSR invaded from the east.

It was the rst true Global War fought on the plains of Europe, in jungles of Southeast Asia, on deserts of Africa and on and under the Atlantic Ocean.

In May – June 1940, the Germans quickly over-ran Norway and Denmark, then Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. By August 1940, Italy joined the war on the German side and Germany launched air-raids on England.

Hitler feared that the USSR would turn against him so he launched a sudden invasion on the USSR on June 22, 1941. The United States of America joined the forefront of the battle when Japan bombed the US eet without warning in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

Germany, Italy and Japan joined forces as the main ‘Axis’ powers. Britain, USA, USSR and to a lesser extent China and several other nations together were called the ‘Allies’.

In 1942, the Allies halted the Axis in Africa and invaded Italy in 1943 and France in 1944. In 1945, the Allies drove into Germany from east and west. Germany surrendered in May 7, 1945. It all ended when the US dropped atomic bombs on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.

Haritha Silva (15 years) St. Joseph’s College, Colombo