World War II

World War II

A major global military conflict involving most countries in the world which began in 1939 and ended in 1945. With about 70 million in fatalities, World War II is the most widespread and deadliest conflict in human history. The war was marked by significant events that saw unprecedented mass killing of civilians including the Holocaust, the Nanjing Massacre and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare.

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World War II

Birkenau

Military; World War II

The concentration camp that was liberated by Soviet troops in January 1945. Together with the Auschwitz concentration camp, the Soviets discovered hundreds of corpses from people who had been ...

Buna

Military; World War II

An area of southeastern New Guinea, an island nation in the Southwest Pacific, just north of Australia. Australian and U.S. Army forces under MacArthur fought back the Japanese at Buna on January 2, ...

Jay beams

Military; World War II

Was introduced partly as a deception to help to confuse the Germans over the use of GEE. It was nevertheless just as useful as a homing beacon. A number of transmitters, from Lossiemouth to Manston ...

Potsdam Conference

Military; World War II

A summit between the U.S., Britain, and the USSR that began in Germany on July 16, 1945. Disagreements over the future of Europe at the Potsdam Conference planted more seeds for the coming Cold War. ...

Port Moresby

Military; World War II

A city in southeastern New Guinea, an island nation in the Southwest Pacific, just north of Australia. The Japanese were repulsed in their efforts to take Port Moresby by sea in the Battle of the ...

Rabaul

Military; World War II

An important Japanese base on the Pacific island of New Britain, northeast of Australia and New Guinea. Rabaul was the main base in the Japanese Southeast Area and was well situated to support ...

Granite

Military; World War II

A system of coloured flares and rockets deployed by the Royal Observer Corps to warn aircraft of high ground in fog and mist. In certain parts of the country the flares were used to steer fogbound ...