The war from 1939 to 1945 of the Allied forces, including United Kingdom, Soviet Union, the United States, France, and China against the Axis Powers, including Germany, Italy, and Japan
A war fought from 1939 to 1945, in which Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the United States, China, and other allies defeated Germany, Italy, and Japan. a war involving almost every major country in the world. On one side were the Allies (including the UK, France, and Poland, and after 1941 the US and the Soviet Union) and on the other side the Axis (including Germany, Japan, and Italy). The war was started by Adolf Hitler, the Nazi leader of Germany, who aimed to increase German power by attacking other countries and taking control of them. The war ended when Germany was defeated, and the US dropped nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. About 55 million people were killed in the war (1939-45)