Why ww2 started

Following the attack on Pearl Harbour, the US military sought to strike back at Japan, and a plan was formulated to bomb Tokyo. As Tokyo could not be reached by land based bombers, it was decided to use an aircraft carrier to launch the attack close to Japanese waters. The raid achieved little strategically, but was a tremendous morale booster in the dark days of It also led to the decision by the Japanese military to attack the only logical base of the attackers, the tiny atoll of Midway.

A powerful force of warships, with four large fleet carriers at its core Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and Soryu attacked Midway. This was a devastating blow to the Japanese and is considered the turning point of the Pacific War. The Japanese had largely roamed the Pacific Ocean, the South China Sea, the Malacca Straits and the Indian Ocean with impunity, launching raids from these same four carriers on Allied bases in these areas including Darwin, Colombo and along the Indian east coast.

With the loss of these carriers and more importantly their cadre of irreplaceable hard core highly trained naval aviators, the Japanese could no longer maintain an effective offensive and became largely defensive from then on.

Island hopping was a campaign of capturing key islands in the Pacific that were used as prerequisites, or stepping stones, to the next island with the eventual destination being Japan, rather than trying to capture every island under Japanese control.

Allied forces often assaulted weaker islands first, while starving out the Japanese strongholds before attacking them. Air raid sirens went off around the city and people ran for their shelters. However, minutes later, the all-clear symbol was given. This bomb detonated about 1, feet over Hiroshima and leveled much of the city within a few thousandths of a second.

Tens of thousands were killed immediately and many more would eventually die from the radiation poisoning. Although the bomb was actually more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, the foggy weather conditions and the hilly terrain of Nagasaki somewhat shielded a portion of the city from the worst effects. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content.

Search for:. The Failure of Peace Efforts During the s, attempts were made to achieve a stable peace. German Aggression in Europe Hitler launched his own expansionist drive with the annexation of Austria in March Change it as needed. Mukden Incident and the Invasion of Manchuria After winning the Russo-Japanese War in , Japan quickly became the dominant power in its region. Japan invades China The s saw a weak and politically chaotic China.

Allied Defeats in the Pacific and Asia late December Simultaneous with the dawn raid on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese carried out an invasion of Malaya, landing troops at Kota Bharu on the east coast, supported by land based aircraft from bases in Vietnam and Taiwan. Guadalcanal Weakens Japan August February Buna, Gona, and Rabaul Island Hopping Late Island hopping was a campaign of capturing key islands in the Pacific that were used as prerequisites, or stepping stones, to the next island with the eventual destination being Japan, rather than trying to capture every island under Japanese control.

This led to an immediate ceasefire with Japan, and surrender a month later. Licenses and Attributions. By the winter of , millions of American military personnel were on the move, but they were not alone. More than 60, women wed by American servicemen during World War II hoped to leave their old homes behind and rejoin their husbands for a new life in the United States. Interpreters and translators were the unspoken heroes of the Nuremberg Trials.

Their work at Nuremberg was a groundbreaking development in simultaneous interpretation. The courtroom of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg hosted nearly visitors each day, including members of the international press. Following victory, the Allies turned to the legal system to hold Axis leaders accountable. In an unprecedented series of trials, a new meaning of justice emerged in response to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both the Germans and the Japanese throughout the war.

The Hollywood Canteen, which had been in operation since October , closed its doors after one last hoorah on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, In all, more than 3, volunteers, many famous stars among them, had welcomed and entertained nearly four million servicemen and women.

The first international war crimes tribunal in history revealed the true extent of German atrocities and held some of the most prominent Nazis accountable for their crimes. Featured Content. Featured Articles. Article Type. Featured Video Content. Frequently Asked Questions.

This article is part of our larger educational resource on World War Two. For a comprehensive list of World War 2 facts, including the primary actors in the war, causes, a comprehensive timeline, and bibliography, click here.

What Started WW2? The approach of winter, along with dwindling food and medical supplies, spelled the end for German troops there, and the last of them surrendered on January 31, Soviet troops soon advanced into Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania, while Hitler gathered his forces to drive the Americans and British back from Germany in the Battle of the Bulge December January , the last major German offensive of the war.

An intensive aerial bombardment in February preceded the Allied land invasion of Germany, and by the time Germany formally surrendered on May 8, Soviet forces had occupied much of the country. Hitler was already dead, having died by suicide on April 30 in his Berlin bunker. President Harry S. Post-war Germany would be divided into four occupation zones, to be controlled by the Soviet Union, Britain, the United States and France. Heavy casualties sustained in the campaigns at Iwo Jima February and Okinawa April-June , and fears of the even costlier land invasion of Japan led Truman to authorize the use of a new and devastating weapon.

Developed during a top secret operation code-named The Manhattan Project, the atomic bomb was unleashed on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August. On August 15, the Japanese government issued a statement declaring they would accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, and on September 2, U. Although more than 1 million African Americans served in the war to defeat Nazism and fascism, they did so in segregated units.

The same discriminatory Jim Crow policies that were rampant in American society were reinforced by the U. Black servicemen rarely saw combat and were largely relegated to labor and supply units that were commanded by white officers. There were several African American units that proved essential in helping to win World War II, with the Tuskegee Airmen being among the most celebrated. But the Red Ball Express, the truck convoy of mostly Black drivers were responsible for delivering essential goods to General George S.

Yet, despite their role in defeating fascism, the fight for equality continued for African American soldiers after the World War II ended. They remained in segregated units and lower-ranking positions, well into the Korean War , a few years after President Truman signed an executive order to desegregate the U.

World War II proved to be the deadliest international conflict in history, taking the lives of 60 to 80 million people, including 6 million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust. Civilians made up an estimated million deaths from the war, while military comprised 21 to 25 million of those lost during the war.