26 Mind-Blowing World War II Facts You Need To Know

World War II was by far the deadliest conflict humanity ever created. Before then, we used archaic weapons to try to end opponents. The staggering losses of the Second World War forced people to desire peace instead of conflict.

Today, we’ll dive into the brutality of a war that took the lives of tens of millions of people. So join us as we explore 26 mind-blowing World War II facts.

World War II Spanned Six Continents

World War II’s destruction was immense and felt on every continent on Earth. It spanned multiple countries like Egypt, Australia, Japan, India, and China.

The immense geographical nature of the war meant that battles occurred in various regions and terrains, from the deserts of North Africa to the jungles of Southeast Asia.

The Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest in World War II. It began on September 1939 and ended on September 8, 1945, 6 days after World War II had officially ended.

The Battle of the Atlantic was crucial for forces maintaining supply lines between Europe and North America. German U-boats occasionally targeted Allied merchant ships, trying to cut off their supplies; this led to the creation of convoy systems, where merchant ships traveled in groups escorted by warships.

The Germans eventually lost when Allied forces began cracking their codes.

The Rise And Fall of The Enigma Machine

The Enigma machine was a complex feat of engineering equipment that gave the Germans the upper hand for a while. They used it to send military instructions over long distances in encrypted formats that were almost impossible to break.

However, all that changed with the arrival of Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park team. Their work was successful as they broke the Germans’ codes; this laid the groundwork for advanced decryption systems in computing.

The Impact of Radar Technology

Radar, invented just four years before the war, allowed the detection of enemy aircraft and ships at great distances, even in poor visibility.

The technology was crucial in the Battle of Britain, where the Royal Air Force (RAF) effectively intercepted German bombers. Radar eventually became a part of naval warfare and helped the Allies in the Battle of Midway, where the Imperial Japanese Army lost four carriers and the US lost one.

The Manhattan Project and Atomic Bombs

The Manhattan Project was one of the most secretive projects of World War II. It involved scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

The project was successful and led to the creation of the atomic bombs Little Boy and Fat Man, dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Though people knew about atomic bomb testing, there were other aspects of the Manhattan Project that involved humans. From 1945 to 1947, about 29 humans were injected with radioactive elements like plutonium, uranium, and polonium.

The inhumane tests resulted in deaths and led to the creation of laws that forbade using healthy humans for dangerous tests.

The D-Day Invasion

The D-Day invasion, officially called Operation Overlord, on June 6, 1944, was a battle that involved immense planning of the Allied forces. The invasion aimed to create a foothold in Nazi-occupied Europe, and soldiers, aircraft, and naval bombardments were crucial to the strategy. The plan succeeded and led to the liberation of Western Europe, which changed the tide of the war.

The Tragic Siege of Leningrad

The Siege of Leningrad was among the longest and most devastating sieges in history. Finnish and German forces encircled Leningrad, cutting off supplies and continuously bombarding the people of the city.

Despite the extreme hardships, the city’s soldiers held the Axis forces. The Soviet’s Red Army eventually led a counteroffensive that broke the siege, marking a victory for the Allies.

Women in World War II

As men went off to fight in World War II, women took on roles considered unsuitable for them. They worked in munitions factories, shipyards, and farms and served in auxiliary military units, lessening the war’s economic burden.

The Ghost Army

The Ghost Army, which was officially called the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, was a unit that specialized in deceiving the enemy.

They used false devices like inflatable tanks, sound recordings, and fake radio transmissions to create an illusion of troop movements, tricking the German forces.

They were successful, and their work led to Germany’s defeat in the Battle of the Bulge.

The Battle of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad was marked by brutal urban warfare and significant casualties. It all began when the Germans entered Russia and tried to take the city of Stalingrad, which resulted in the most brutal urban warfare ever fought by humans.

The Soviets eventually encircled the German forces and won. Casualties on both sides were upwards of 4 million people.

The Axis forces lost over 1600 aircraft, 3000 tanks, and 11000 guns. The Soviets lost about 5000 combat aircraft, over 4300 tanks, and 15000 guns.

Stalingrad was a turning point on the Eastern Front. It gave the Soviet Union enough power to push back the German advance.

Kamikaze Pilots

The term “kamikaze” translates to “divine wind.” It was a Japanese phrase used for suicide pilots targetting Allied naval vessels. The pilots, who were young and inexperienced, willingly sacrificed their lives to destroy the enemy.

The kamikaze attacks grew during the final stages of World War II, highlighting Japan’s desperation.

The Imprisonment of Japanese Americans

During the war, the United States’s President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, used Executing Order 9066 to legalize the imprisonment of Japanese Americans.

Families were forcibly relocated to camps in remote areas, which resulted in Japanese Americans losing their homes and businesses.

In 1988, President Reagan and the government apologized for their actions and offered every detained Japanese American 20000 dollars in cash.

The Blitz

The Blitz was a particularly dark time for the United Kingdom as it involved the Axis bombing different parts of the country, particularly at night time. London was the primary target, and civilians took shelter in underground stations and makeshift bunkers.

Operation Barbarossa

Operation Barbarossa was Germany’s ambitious plan to destroy the Red Army and conquer the Soviet Union. The invasion, which used the Blitzkrieg tactic, caught the Soviets off guard, leading to rapid German advances.

However, luck turned on the German forces as a harsh winter and immense Soviet resistance stalled their offensive. The operation resulted in Germany’s failure and marked a significant turning point as the Soviets began a counterattack. Though the Germans lost, the Soviets had casualties of over 4 million people.

The Holocaust: A Genocide Unprecedented

The Holocaust was the systematic persecution and annihilation of six million Jews by the Nazi regime. The Nazis created concentration camps where they used gas chambers to kill Jewish people.

The atrocities committed in camps like Auschwitz and Treblinka remain a reminder of the consequences of hatred and xenophobia.

Though the Holocaust is remembered for the annihilation of Jews, other groups faced systematic termination.

The second largest group was Soviet civilians, followed by Polish people, disabled people, Romani people, Slovenian people, homosexuals, Spanish republicans, and even Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The Bataan Death March

After the Allied loss in the Battle of Bataan, the Japanese forces forced captured American and Filipino soldiers to march to prison camps with little food and water.

The terrible conditions and brutal treatment by Japanese soldiers resulted in thousands of deaths. Overall, the Allied forces lost more than 106000 troops.

The Impact of World War II on Science and Technology

World War II led to significant advancements in science and technological fields. Some of these advancements include Penicillin, used to treat infections on the battlefield.

Besides medicine, the engineering field saw immense advancement during the war. New inventions created during this time include superglue, jet engines, radar, ATMs, satellites, microwave ovens, synthetic rubber, skin grafts, atomic bombs, blood plasma transfusion, and electronic computers.

Without the war, the aerospace and IT industries would have been severely behind.

The Liberation of Concentration Camps

As Allied forces advanced into Nazi territories, they discovered German-controlled concentration camps and freed the prisoners.

The scenes of severely malnourished prisoners and the evidence of mass killings shocked the world. The liberation of these camps portrayed the severity of the atrocities committed by the Nazis.

The Devastation of Dresden

Though most historical sources focus on the atrocities of the Axis forces, the Allied forces also partook in mass destruction and killing. The bombing of Dresden was one of them.

Between February 13 and 15, 1945, the United States and the United Kingdom dropped a total of 3,900 tons of bombs on the city of Dresden, resulting in widespread destruction and the death of more than 25,000 people.

Dresden, known for its cultural heritage, was almost destroyed by the bombing campaign. The German government published a report claiming the casualties of the bombing was over 200,000.

To this day, the bombing remains a controversial issue, as strategists debate over its necessity.

The Nuremberg Trials

The Nuremberg Trials, from 1945 to 1946, were military tribunals the Allied forces organized to prosecute leaders of the Nazis. The trials were famous for the prosecution of people who partook in crimes against humanity and crimes against peace.

Prominent Nazis like Hermann Göring and Rudolf Hess were tried and sentenced. Hermann Göring, who was second in command to Hitler, was killed, and Rudolf Hess received a life sentence.

The Nuremberg Trials contributed to the creation and development of international institutions like the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Resistance Movements Against The Axis

European resistance organizations sprang up to sabotage the Axis occupation as WW2 raged. In France, the Maquis fought against the German forces and helped gather intelligence for the Allied forces. Other movements, like the Home Army in Poland, organized uprisings.

Resistance fighters risked their lives in enemy territories to disrupt their operations and aid prisoners of war.

Strategic Bombing Campaigns

As the war destroyed Europe, the Allied forces began targeting the critical infrastructure of Axis forces. They bombed them in a bid to destroy their production power. Axis cities subjected to immense bombing included Berlin, Tokyo, and Hamburg.

Though the campaign sought to weaken the Axis’ ability to create war materials, it led to many civilian deaths.

Flamethrowers in World War II

Flamethrowers were introduced in WW2 to clear enemy fortifications, bunkers, and trenches. The weapon’s ability to spew flammable liquid over a distance made it highly effective in close-quarters combat.

When people witnessed the carnage flamethrowers created, they became controversial as there was also the danger they posed to the operators.

The Tehran Conference: Meeting of The Big Three

The Tehran Conference, held for four days from November 28 to December 1, 1943, was the first meeting between the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union.

The conference focused on military strategy against the Axis and what was to happen after the war.

Some crucial agreements during the conference included opening a second front in Western Europe; this led to the D-Day invasion, which would be a massive defeat for the German forces.

WWII And The Global Economy

World War II immensely impacted the world’s economy and changed global politics and power dynamics.

As most countries had used up their ammunition, their hold on colonies severely weakened, speeding up decolonization throughout the globe.

The war also led to the formation of international institutions that aimed to promote economic stability, enforce universal human rights, and foster cooperation among nations. They are the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank.

The Battle of El Alamein

The Battle of El Alamein was a turning point in World War II for the North African Campaign. The Allied forces launched an offensive against the Axis army, a coalition of German and Italian troops led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.

The Allies were victorious and stopped the Axis forces trying to enter Egypt and gain control of the Suez Canal, a vital shipping route.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed learning about our 26 World War II facts. If you enjoyed this you’ll love our Government Atrocities Facts. Don’t forget to leave us a comment and share.