World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many engaging in total war o
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I 646 5188 17, Flugzeuge Junkers Ju 87
Matilda tanks on the move outside the perimeter of Tobruk, Libya, 18 November 1941. E6600
Bundesarchiv Bild 183 R76619, Russland, Kesselschlacht Stalingrad
World War II was the deadliest military conflict in history. An estimated total of 60–75 million deaths were caused by the conflict, including those who died from deprivation, famine and disease. This
World War II
…countries participated, with many engaging in total war on an unprecedented scale. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the deaths of 60 to 75 million people, a majority of whom were civilians. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides including the Holocaust. After the Allied…
Bodies of U.S. Marines on the beach of Tarawa. The Marines secured the island after 76 hours of intense fighting. Over 1,000 American and ~4,600 Japanese troops died in the fighting.
Soviet soldiers killed during the Toropets–Kholm Offensive, January 1942. Officially, roughly 8.6 million Soviet soldiers died in the course of the war, including millions of POWs.
Soviet POWs held by the Nazis in Mauthausen concentration camp. It is estimated that at least 3.3 million Soviet POWs died in German custody.
Polish military officers executed by the Soviet NKVD in the Katyn massacre, exhumation photo taken by the Polish Red Cross delegation in 1943