Second World War - Getty Images

Second World War

The Second World War, which started on 1 September 1939, was fought between two groups of countries: on one side were the Axis Powers (primarily Germany, Italy and Japan); and on the other side were the Allies (which included Britain, France, the Soviet Union, China and America, plus Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India). The war broke out when Germany, which was ruled by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, invaded Poland in 1939. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later, on 3 September 1939. It has been estimated that more than 50 million people died in the Second World War, including an estimated six million Jewish people in the Nazi genocide. The conflict ended on 2 September 1945 when Japan formally surrendered to the Allies

a pastel coloured illustration shows two hands reaching towards two steaming cups of tea. In the background there is a cherry blossom tree and two landscapes, one of China and the other of England

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Michael Wood on China's immense suffering in the Second World War. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph of three men in military uniform. The man in the middle, is holding his arm out pointing to something in the distance and to his left, is a man using binoculars

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The Stalingrad of Africa: the story of the battle for Tunis. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

On 27 January 1943, ARP wardens attend the funeral of victims killed in a daylight bombing raid — including several children and teachers. Such scenes were tragically common during the Second World War, as civilian areas remained vulnerable to Luftwaffe attacks despite improved air defences.

Second World War

Why were these British Second World War burials draped with Nazi flags?

On 31 August 1939, children from Chelsea line up with their belongings, ready to be evacuated from London as war looms. Part of a nationwide effort to move civilians — especially children — to safety, the evacuation began just days before Britain entered the Second World War.

Second World War

The biggest misconceptions about WW2 evacuees? This historian has the answers

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Burying the enemy: commemorating the world wars' fallen foes. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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After Hiroshima: the atomic plague. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A montage of images showing a man standing in the ruins of Hiroshima; a man dressed smartly wearing circular glasses; and a Japanese family with two parents sitting down with five children around them

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Senkichi Awaya: the lost mayor of Hiroshima. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph shows a group of Japanese military men on a train, while some young women prepare to get on the carriage. A young woman looks back over her shoulder

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Kavita Puri on VJ Day: "We don't talk about the war in Asia – which was a messy, complicated conflict". This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Why the Maginot Line couldn't save France in WW2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

On 10 March 1945, Tokyo residents who lost their homes in the devastating US air raid gather amid the ruins. Known as Operation Meetinghouse, the raid was the most destructive bombing in history, part of a wider firebombing campaign during the Pacific War. (Photo by Getty Images)

Second World War

Before the atomic bombs, the USA hit Japan with one of the most overlooked (but deadly) campaigns in WW2

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VJ Day: why don't we talk about WW2 in Asia?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

American physicist J Robert Oppenheimer arrives at Orly Airport in Paris to lecture at the Faculté des Sciences. Once a leading figure in the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer’s postwar career was marked by international engagement and growing controversy. (Photo by Getty Images)

Second World War

How Nazi secrets triggered the ultimate moral dilemma – and led to Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb

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Was the atomic bomb necessary to end war with Japan?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Hiroshima: in the shadow of the bomb. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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WW2 evacuees: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Dorrigo Evans (Jacob Elordi) and Bonox Baker (Reagan Mannix) square off against Major Nakamura (Show Kasamatsu) in The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Second World War

The Narrow Road to the Deep North: the real story behind the construction of the Burma Railway

Captain Robert S. Johnson, a former cabinet-maker from Oklahoma, stands beside his aircraft during the Second World War. With 25 confirmed kills, he was the US Air Force’s leading fighter ace in the European theatre and the recipient of numerous decorations.

Second World War

On one of WW2’s deadliest air routes, pilots’ biggest fear was surviving a crash – here’s why

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Mein Kampf: Hitler's dark vision for the future. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The Mitford Sisters | Part Two: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

J Robert Oppenheimer (left), and Cillian Murphy

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Is Oppenheimer a true story? Meet the real Robert Oppenheimer, ‘father of the atomic bomb’

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Flying ‘the hump’: the US pilots who navigated treacherous skies above the Himalayas in WW2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A female agent serving in Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War.

Second World War

Step inside the covert WW2 spy network that trained women to kill with their bare hands

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The Mitford Sisters | Part One: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of James Bond author Ian Fleming

Second World War

Think James Bond's pure fantasy? His creator's real WW2 missions were more outrageous than you'd believe

Two pilots dressed in military uniform sit in the cockpit of a small war plane. Both are looking out the window the right of the picture

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"England is invincible": How the Luftwaffe lost the Battle of Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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SOE: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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How the Allies won WW2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Barmier than Bond: Ian Fleming's extraordinary wartime escapades. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Winston Churchill and Winston the Platypus

Second World War

Winston and the platypus: how a bizarre WW2 diplomacy mission to influence Churchill ended in death and tragedy

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The Third Reich's first genocide. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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