What began the Second World War in 1939?
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With the German invasion of Poland
Two days later Britain and France declared war.
💡 Did you know? Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland between them.
All questions with answers
Which two alliances faced each other?
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Axis and Allies
Germany, Italy and Japan against a broad coalition.
💡 Did you know? The main Allies were the USA, Soviet Union and Britain.
Which dictator led Germany into the war?
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Adolf Hitler
His war of aggression aimed at “living space” in the east.
💡 Did you know? In 1945 he took his life in the Berlin bunker.
With which fast attack tactic did Germany overrun its enemies?
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The Blitzkrieg
Tanks and aircraft attacked together and fast.
💡 Did you know? France was defeated in weeks in 1940.
Which 1941 attack drew the USA into the war?
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The attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan attacked the US fleet in the Pacific.
💡 Did you know? President Roosevelt called it “a date which will live in infamy”.
Which 1942/43 battle became the turning point in the east?
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Battle of Stalingrad
An entire German army was encircled and destroyed.
💡 Did you know? From here the Red Army pushed the Germans back.
What is the systematic genocide of the Jews called?
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The Holocaust
The Nazis murdered around six million Jews.
💡 Did you know? Auschwitz became the symbol of this crime.
Which was the largest German extermination camp?
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Auschwitz
Over a million people were murdered there.
💡 Did you know? 27 January, its liberation day, is now a memorial day.
What is the 1944 Allied landing in Normandy called?
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D-Day
It was the largest amphibious operation in history.
💡 Did you know? It opened the second front in the west.
Which British prime minister led Britain through the war?
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Winston Churchill
He held the country together in its darkest hour.
💡 Did you know? He promised his people “blood, toil, tears and sweat”.
Which dictator led the Soviet Union?
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Joseph Stalin
The Red Army bore the brunt of the war against Hitler.
💡 Did you know? The Soviet Union suffered the most war dead.
Which US president led America for most of the war?
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Franklin D. Roosevelt
He made the USA the “arsenal of democracy”.
💡 Did you know? He died shortly before the war's end in 1945.
On which day did the war in Europe end?
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8 May 1945
The day is regarded as the “day of liberation”.
💡 Did you know? Berlin had earlier been taken by the Red Army.
Which new type of bombs did the USA drop on Japan in 1945?
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Atomic bombs
They struck Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
💡 Did you know? Tens of thousands died at once, many more from the aftermath.
Which two Japanese cities did the atomic bombs hit?
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Shortly afterwards Japan surrendered.
💡 Did you know? This also ended the war in the Pacific.
When did Japan sign the instrument of surrender?
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In September 1945
The signing took place on a US battleship.
💡 Did you know? This ended the last theatre of the war.
Which world organisation was founded in 1945 to keep peace?
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The United Nations
They were to prevent future world wars.
💡 Did you know? They replaced the failed League of Nations.
Roughly how many people died in total?
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About 60 million
Most of the victims were civilians.
💡 Did you know? It was the deadliest war in history.
Into which two blocs did the world split after the war?
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East and West
The USA and Soviet Union became rival superpowers.
💡 Did you know? From this arose the Cold War.
Which country was divided into four zones after the war?
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Germany
The USA, USSR, Britain and France each occupied a zone.
💡 Did you know? From the division later arose West and East Germany.
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