A Brief History on World War II

Note: Jack has been learning about WW2 at school. So he wrote this on his own (this is not an assignment from any of us nor it is from his school). I guess this is the time when 11-year-old Jack starts educating his mum, because I did not learn this part of the history. My history lessons about WW2 was about the Pacific side - our vilain was the Japanese not the Germans. Well done son!

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World War II was a violent war between the Axis powers and the Allies. All across the world there were numerous battles and fights which brought many deaths and chaos.

The Axis powers

The Axis powers (sometimes known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, axis countries or just the Axis) were basically countries that approved of administrating the world. The three major Axis powers, Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, enrolled a military alliance to sign the Tripartite Pact, which originated their powers. People, of all varieties, were assassinated by the Axis armies, navies and air forces. Britain fought Germany and Italy, mostly in the air, in the Battle of Britain. Meanwhile, Japan fought the United States, alongside China, the United Kingdom, British India, Australia and Soviet Union, in the Pacific Wars.

The Allies

(Three of the central allied leader: Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin)

The Allies were countries who officially opposed to the Axis powers; the British Empire, the Soviet Union and the U.S.A were commonly known as ‘The Big Three’. Before France’s defeat in 1940, they were a major ally, though Poland’s dedications were, in fact, larger. Many countries fought for the Allies although some stayed neutral as time progressed.

The French Resistance

(Croix de Lorraine)

The French Resistance is a resistance movement who fought, mostly in France, the Germans and the Vichy Regime during World War II. Resistance groups consisted armed men and women of all ages, occupations and religions. Some would publish underground newspapers whilst others discovered secret passages which helped Allied soldiers escape. Their greatly-admired work was a great advantage for the Allies.

Evacuation in Britain

The only citizens who were evacuated to the countryside were children and pregnant women; the reason for this is because children are the future of Britain so you must protect the future. Though, some did stay at their homes as their already-miserable parents couldn’t bear the thought of evacuating their children. All evacuations went smoothly and no one was hurt or killed.

Air raid shelters

The two main shelters in Britain were the Anderson shelters (left) and the Morrison shelters (right). An Anderson shelter was, basically, a deep, dug-up hole covered with an arc of galvanised corrugated steel panels, which was then covered with the left-over earth. Morrison shelters were, oddly enough, tables with steel plate table tops, welded wire mesh sides and a metal ‘mattress’ type floors. Although Anderson shelters were obviously safer and more lives were saved by them, the Morrison shelters still saved many lives. Despite all this if a bomb fell on any of the shelters then the unfortunate people inside would die; shelters only protected people from the blast of bombs.

1939

Hitler invades Poland on Sept. 1st, Britain and France later declared war.

1940

Rationing began in the UK; this was to prevent an unfair share of food.
Churchill becomes the new Prime Minister of Britain.
The British Expeditionary Force were evacuated from Dunkirk, France.
Britain’s victory from the Battle of Britain forces Hitler to postpone his invasion plans.

1941

Operation Barbarossa began in 1941-the invasion of Russia.
The Blitz continued against Britain’s major cities (e.g. Manchester, London and Coventry)
Tobruk, North Africa is taken by the Allies who resisted German attacks.
Pearl Harbor is hit by Japan, the US joins the war.

1942

• Unfortunately, Singapore falls to Japan in February –around 25 thousand civilians were taken prisoners.
• Germany suffers a great setback in Stalingrad, Russia and El Alamein, Egypt.
• In June, American naval victory at the Battle of Midway marks a turning point in the Pacific War.
• Assassination of Jews began at Auschwitz, Poland.

1943

German surrendering in Stalingrad marks Hitler’s first major defeat.
Allied victory in North Africa enables the invasion of Italy.
Italy surrenders, but Germany takes over.
British and Indian forces battles with Japan in Burma.

1944

The Allies lands at Anzio and bombs monastery in Monte Cassino.
Soviet forces overwhelm Eastern Europe.
D Day: France is invaded by the Allies. Paris is liberated in August.
Guam gets liberated by the US Okinawa, and Iwo Jima gets bombed.

1945

Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz.
Russia reaches Berlin; Hitler committed suicide and the Germans surrendered on May 7th.
Truman replaces Roosevelt as President, whilst Atlee replaces Churchill.
After atomic bombs are dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan surrenders August 4th, 99days after Germany’s surrender.
Despite the vast amount of deaths in World War II, countless survived and some are still here today to tell their extra-ordinary stories.

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