Outline of World War II

World War II articles Alphabetical index: 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Campaigns  |  Countries  |  Equipment Lists  |  Outline  |  Timeline  |  Portal  |  Category

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to World War II:

World War II, or the Second World War – global military conflict from 1939 to 1945, which was fought between the Allied powers of the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union against the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan, with their respective allies. Over 60 million people, the majority of them civilians, were killed, making it the deadliest conflict in human history.^[1]

Precursors
Asian events · European events · Timeline
Campaigns of World War II Europe Poland Phoney War Denmark & Norway France & Benelux Britain Balkans Yugoslav Front Eastern Front Finland Western Front (1944–45) Asia & The Pacific China Pacific Ocean South-East Asia South West Pacific Japan Manchuria (1945) Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa Other Campaigns Atlantic Strategic Bombing America Contemporaneous Wars Chinese Civil Winter War Soviet–Japanese Border French–Thai Ili Rebellion
1939 · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 Eastern front · Western Front · Pacific War · Battles · Mediterranean, Middle East and African Campaigns · Commanders Technology · Military operations · Manhattan Project Air warfare of World War II · Home front · Collaboration · Resistance
Aftermath
Casualties · Further effects · War crimes · Japanese war crimes · Consequences of Nazism
Depictions
World War II articles Alphabetical index: 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Campaigns  |  Countries  |  Equipment Lists  |  Outline  |  Timeline  |  Portal  |  Category
History of World War II by country and region Albania Argentina Australia Austria (Anschluss) Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Burma Cambodia Canada Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Channel Islands China Czechoslovakia Denmark Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) Egypt Estonia Finland France Germany Gibraltar Greece Greenland Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Iran Iraq Ireland Italy Japan Laos Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak (Malaysia) Manchukuo Mexico Mongolia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Newfoundland Norway Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Romania Singapore Slovakia South Africa Soviet Union Spain Sweden Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom United States Vatican City Vietnam Yugoslavia
World War II Western Europe Eastern Europe Africa Mediterranean Asia and the Pacific Atlantic Casualties Military engagements Topics Conferences Commanders Participants Allies (Leaders) Australia Belgium Brazil Canada China Czechoslovakia Ethiopia France Greece India Luxembourg Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway Philippines Poland South Africa Soviet Union United Kingdom United States Yugoslavia Axis and Axis-aligned (Leaders) Bulgaria Reorganized National Government of China Croatia Finland Germany Hungary Iraq Italy Italian Social Republic Japan Manchukuo Romania Slovakia Thailand Vichy France Resistance Albania Austria Baltic States Belgium Czech lands Denmark Estonia Ethiopia France Germany Greece Hong Kong India Italy Jewish Korea Latvia Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Philippines Poland (Anti-communist) Romania Thailand Soviet Union Slovakia Western Ukraine Vietnam Yugoslavia Timeline Prelude Africa Asia Europe 1939 Invasion of Poland Phoney War Winter War Atlantic Changsha (1939) China 1940 Weserübung Netherlands Belgium France UK North Africa British Somaliland Baltic States Moldova Indochina Greece Compass 1941 East Africa Invasion of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Front Greece Crete Soviet Union (Barbarossa) Finland Lithuania Middle East Kiev Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran Leningrad Moscow Sevastopol Pearl Harbor Hong Kong Philippines Changsha (1941) Malaya Borneo 1942 Burma Changsha (1942) Coral Sea Gazala Midway Blue Stalingrad Dieppe El Alamein Guadalcanal Torch 1943 End in Africa Kursk Smolensk Solomon Islands Sicily Lower Dnieper Italy Gilbert and Marshall Changde 1944 Monte Cassino and Shingle Narva Cherkassy Tempest Ichi-Go Normandy Mariana and Palau Bagration Western Ukraine Tannenberg Line Warsaw Eastern Romania Yugoslavia Paris Gothic Line Market Garden Estonia Crossbow Pointblank Lapland Hungary Leyte Bulge Burma 1945 Vistula-Oder Iwo Jima Okinawa Surrender of Italy Berlin Czechoslovakia Budapest West Hunan Surrender of Germany Manchuria Philippines Borneo Atomic bombings Surrender of Japan Aspects General Air warfare of World War II Attacks on North America Blitzkrieg Comparative military ranks Cryptography Home front Manhattan Project Military awards Military equipment Military production Nazi plunder Technology Total war Strategic bombing Bengal famine of 1943 Aftermath Effects Expulsion of Germans Operation Paperclip Operation Keelhaul Occupation of Germany Morgenthau Plan Territorial changes Soviet occupations (Romania, Poland, Hungary, Baltic States) Occupation of Japan First Indochina War Indonesian National Revolution Cold War Decolonization Popular culture War crimes German and Wehrmacht war crimes The Holocaust Italian war crimes Japanese war crimes Unit 731 Allied war crimes Soviet war crimes United States war crimes War rape German military brothels Camp brothels Rape during the occupation of Japan Comfort women Rape of Nanking Rape during the occupation of Germany Prisoners Finnish prisoners of war in the Soviet Union German prisoners of war in the Soviet Union German prisoners of war in the United States Italian prisoners of war in the Soviet Union Japanese prisoners of war in the Soviet Union Japanese prisoners of war in World War II Nazi crimes against Soviet POWs Polish prisoners of war in the Soviet Union Romanian prisoners of war in the Soviet Union Category Portal  definition  textbooks  quotes  source texts  media  news stories

Contents 1 Essence of World War II 2 Causes of World War II 3 The Holocaust 4 Participants in World War II 5 Timeline of World War II 5.1 Summary timeline 5.2 Comprehensive timeline 6 World War II by region 6.1 World War II theatres, fronts, and campaigns 6.2 World War II by country 7 Other initiatives in World War II 7.1 Propaganda during World War II 8 People in World War II 8.1 Leaders in World War II 8.2 Military forces of World War II 9 Technology during World War II 9.1 Equipment of World War II 9.1.1 Vehicles of World War II 9.1.2 Weapons of World War II 10 Common military awards 10.1 Soviet Union 10.2 United States 10.3 United Kingdom 10.4 France and Belgium 10.5 Poland 10.6 Nazi Germany 11 The End of World War II 12 Aftermath of World War II 13 World War II in pop-culture 14 World War II lists 15 See also 16 References 17 External links

Essence of World War II

Main articles: World War II and Timeline of World War II

• Adolf Hitler
• Axis vs. Allies
• The Holocaust
• European Theater
• Pacific Theater
• Mechanized warfare
• Modern warfare
• Total war
• World War

Causes of World War II

• Adolf Hitler
• Events preceding World War II in Asia
• Events preceding World War II in Europe
• Imperialism
  • Expansionism
    • Expansionist nationalism
      • Lebensraum
• Nazi Party
• Treaty of Versailles

The Holocaust

• Anti-Jewish legislation in prewar Nazi Germany
• Diary of Anne Frank
• Nazi book burnings
• Nazi concentration camps
  • Nazi concentration camps in Norway
• Nazi eugenics
• Nazi human experimentation
• Racial policy of Nazi Germany
• Auschwitz concentration camp

Participants in World War II

• Allies of World War II (see also Allies)
  • Major Allied powers
    • United Kingdom
    • Soviet Union (June 1941–1945)
    • France (September 1939 – June 1940) / Free French (June 1940 to end of war)
    • United States (December 1941–1945)
    • Greece
    • Poland
    • China
    • Canada
  • Minor Allied powers
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    • South Africa
    • Brazil
• Axis powers
  • Major Axis powers
    • Nazi Germany
      • Glossary of the Third Reich
    • Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
    • Empire of Japan
  • Minor Axis powers
    • Bulgaria
    • Croatia
    • Hungary
    • Romania
    • Slovak Republic
    • Kingdom of Yugoslavia (for two days)
    • Thailand
  • (For co-belligerents, puppet states, and collaborator states, see Axis Powers).

Timeline of World War II

Summary timeline

• Invasion of Poland (September 1-October 6, 1939)
• Phoney War
• Battle of the Atlantic (September 3, 1939-May 7, 1945)
• Invasion of Denmark and Norway (April 9–June 10, 1940)
• Invasion of the Low Countries and the fall of France (May 10-June 25, 1940)
• Dunkirk evacuation (May 26-June 4, 1940)
• Battle of Britain (September 1940)
• Operation Barbarossa (Invasion of the Soviet Union, commencing on June 22, 1941)
• Siege of Leningrad (September 8, 1941-January 27, 1944)
• Battle of Moscow (October 2, 1941-January 7, 1942)
• Attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)
• Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4–8, 1942)
• Battle of Midway (June 4–7, 1942)
• Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942-February 2, 1943)
• Dieppe Raid (August 19, 1942)
• Second Battle of El Alamein (October 23-November 5, 1942)
• Operation Torch (November 8–10, 1942)
• Battle of Kursk (July 4-August 23-1943)
• Allied invasion of Sicily (July 9-August 17, 1943)
• Allied invasion of Italy (September 3–16, 1943)
• Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces (Signed on September 3, declared on September 8, 1943)
• Battle of Monte Cassino (January 17-May 18, 1944)
• Landings at Anzio (January 22-June 5, 1944)
• D-day (June 6, 1944)
• Destruction of Army Group Centre (June 22-August 19, 1944)
• Invasion of Southern France (August 15, 1944)
• Gothic Line (August 25-December 17, 1944)
• Operation Market Garden (September 17–25, 1944)
• Battle of Hürtgen Forest (September 19, 1944-February 10, 1945)
• Battle of Aachen (October 2–21, 1944)
• Battle of the Scheldt (October 2-November 8, 1944)
• Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944–January 25, 1945)
• Battle of Berlin (April 16-May 2, 1945)
• Victory in Europe Day (May 8, 1945)
• Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6 and 9, 1945)
• Victory over Japan Day (August 15, 1945)

Comprehensive timeline

• Timeline of World War II (1939–1945)
  • Timeline of events preceding World War II
    • Events preceding World War II in Asia
    • Events preceding World War II in Europe
  • Timeline of the invasion of Poland (1939)
  • Timeline of the Second Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945)
  • Timeline of the Winter War (1939–1940)
  • Timeline of the Norwegian Campaign (1940)
  • Timeline of the North African Campaign (1940–1943)
  • Timeline of World War II (1939)
  • Timeline of World War II (1940)
  • Timeline of World War II (1941)
  • Timeline of World War II (1942)
  • Timeline of World War II (1943)
  • Timeline of World War II (1944)
  • Timeline of World War II (1945)

World War II by region

• Free World (World War II)

World War II theatres, fronts, and campaigns

• African campaigns of World War II
• Home front during World War II
• Mediterranean Theatre of World War II
• Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
• Timeline of the Eastern Front of World War II
• U.S. campaigns in WWII
• Western Front (World War II)
• Campaigns of World War II
• East African Campaign (World War II)
• Eastern Front (World War II)
• Italian Campaign (World War II)
• West Africa Campaign (World War II)
• European Theatre of World War II
• South-East Asian Theatre of World War II
• Attacks on Australia during World War II
• Attacks on North America during World War II
• Australian home front during World War II
• List of Military operations on the Eastern Front European Theater during WW2
• United States home front during World War II
• Arctic convoys of World War II

World War II by country

• Albania
• Australia
• Belarus
• Bulgaria
  • Bulgarian resistance movement during World War II
• Carpathian Ruthenia
• Egypt
• Estonia
  • Occupation of Estonia by Nazi Germany
• Finland
• France
• Germany
  • Nazi Germany
• Gibraltar
• Greece
  • Axis occupation of Greece during World War II
• Greenland
• Hungary
• India
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
  • Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany
• Leningrad Oblast
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
  • Axis naval activity in New Zealand waters
• Philippines
• Romania
• South Africa
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Vietnam
• Yugoslavia (See also Yugoslavia during the Second World War)
  • Bombing of Belgrade in World War II
  • Invasion of Yugoslavia
  • Yugoslav Front of World War II
• Occupation of Baltic republics by Nazi Germany
• Occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany
• Occupation of Denmark
• Occupation of the Channel Islands
• Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany
• Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany

Other initiatives in World War II

• Nazi plunder

Propaganda during World War II

• American propaganda during World War II
  • Walt Disney's World War II propaganda production
  • List of Allied propaganda films of World War II
• British propaganda during World War II
• Nazi propaganda
• Soviet propaganda during World War II

People in World War II

• Persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust
• History of the Jews during World War II
• List of individuals and groups assisting Jews during the Holocaust
• American Minority Groups in World War II
• Hispanic Americans in World War II

Leaders in World War II

• Allied leaders of World War II
• Axis Leaders of World War II
• Commanders of World War II

Military forces of World War II

• List of World War II aces by country
• List of World War II air aces
• British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
• British Army Groups in WWII
• British Brigades in World War II
• British Corps in World War II
• 17th Airborne Division

Technology during World War II

• German military technology during World War II
• Allied technological cooperation during World War II
• Technological escalation during World War II

Equipment of World War II

• Equipment losses in World War II

Vehicles of World War II

• List of World War II military vehicles by country
• List of World War II military vehicles of Germany
• List of World War II ship classes
• List of World War II ships
• List of World War II ships of less than 1000 tons
• List of WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft by manufacturer
• List of aircraft of Italy, World War II
• List of aircraft of Japan, World War II
• List of aircraft of Russia, World War II
• List of aircraft of World War II
• List of aircraft of the Armée de l'Air, World War II
• List of aircraft of the British, World War II
• List of aircraft of the Luftwaffe, World War II
• List of aircraft of the U.S. military, World War II
• List of armoured fighting vehicles of World War II
• List of broadsides of major World War II ships
• List of undersea-carried planes during World War II
• List of weapons on Japanese combat aircraft
• List of prototype WWII combat vehicles
• List of foreign vehicles used by Nazi Germany in World War II
• List of helicopters used in World War II
• List of jet aircraft of World War II
• List of limited service World War II combat vehicles

Weapons of World War II

• Nazi chocolate bar bomb
• Nazi belt buckle pistol

Common military awards

Soviet Union

• Hero of the Soviet Union
• Order of Lenin
• Order of Suvorov
• Order of the October Revolution
• Order of the Red Banner
• Order of Victory

United States

• Medal of Honor
• Silver Star
• Bronze Star
• Distinguished Flying Cross
• Air Medal
• World War II Victory Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
• European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
• American Campaign Medal

United Kingdom

• Victoria Cross
• Air Force Cross
• Order of the Bath
• Order of the British Empire
• Distinguished Flying Cross
• Africa Star
• Pacific Star

France and Belgium

• Croix de Guerre

Poland

• Cross of the Valorous
• Order of Polonia Restituta
• Virtuti Militari

Nazi Germany

• Iron Cross

The End of World War II

• End of World War II
• End of World War II in Europe
• End of World War II in the Pacific

Aftermath of World War II

• Allied war crimes during World War II
• Axis war criminals
• Nazi crimes against ethnic Poles
• Nazi gold
• Post–World War II baby boom
• Pursuit of Nazi collaborators
• Cold War
• Emergence of superpowers

World War II in pop-culture

• Fiction based on World War II

World War II lists

Main articles: List of World War II topics and Lists of World War II topics

See also

• History of the Second World War

References

External links

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