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• World War II was a military conflict that began in 1939 and ended in 1945. During these 6 years the war involved all of the world's major powers, and generated nearly sixty million military and civilian casualties. The conflict resulted in a major shift in the balance of power in the 20th century: The Axis powers. led by Germany and Japan, were defeated by the Allied Powers. The charge against Nazi Germany was led by France and Great Britain. By the end of the conflict, these two powers, which had dominated international affairs for centuries, had become less important, while the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the new dominant powers in the post-war world.

• Fast Facts

  1. Began in September 1939 after German invasion of Poland
  2. Became a truly global conflict after Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
  3. Ended in August 1945 after the first combat use of atomic weapons against two Japanese cities
  4. Principal Axis Powers: Germany, Japan, Italy
  5. Principal Allied Powers: United States, Great Britain, Russia

• War Crimes

  On March 9, 2009, 87-year-old Charles Zentai pleaded with an Australian court, asking not to be extradited to Hungary for killing an 18 year-old Jewish boy during World War II. Zentai is listed on the 10 most-wanted list for the Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Center.Boston.com: Accused Nazi fights extradition to Hungary (March 10, 2009)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Adolf Hitler | Joseph Stalin | Winston Churchill | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Bob Dole | Harry Truman | John Demjanjuk | Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day | Frank Woodruff Buckles | Battlefield 1943

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