World War II: Allied Powers, Axis Powers, Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, D-Day
World War II was a global conflict that began in 1939 and lasted until 1945 . It pitted two major alliances – the Allied Powers , consisting of the United States , Great Britain , the Soviet Union , China , and other countries – against the Axis Powers , consisting of Germany , Japan , and Italy . The war was marked by the Holocaust , a genocide of six million Jews and other minority groups at the hands of the Nazis in Germany , and atrocities committed by the Japanese against civilians. world ware to "World War II: The Greatest War in History The world is reeling from the effects of World War I, which was fought between 1914 and 1918 and took the lives of millions of people. world war 2 overview 1 . Invasion of Poland ( 19 39 ) 2 . Battle of France ( 19 40 ) 3 . Battle of Britain ( 19 40 ) 4 . Operation Barbar oss a ( 19 41 ) 5 . Battle of St aling rad ( 19 42 – 19 43