A Brief History of World War II
The immediate and most obvious outcome of World War II was the enormous destruction and loss of life. The war devastated entire countries, turned cities and villages to rubble and caused the deaths of many millions of people. The Soviet Union suffered the greatest loss of life - 26.6 million people. Germany and its European allies lost, according to various estimates, from 8 to 13 million people. At least 6 million citizens of Poland, 6 million Jews, 2-3 million Japanese, 1.7 million citizens of Yugoslavia died.
China's military losses were approximately 5 million people, and about 18 million people died in China during the war, mainly from starvation and disease. Indigenous casualties in Asian and African countries where hostilities took place: Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaya, Tunisia, Syria, Ethiopia and Somalia - no one counted.
World War II was fought all throughout the world, not just in Europe. Between 1940 and 1943, the Axis forces attempted to cut off the Allies' Middle Eastern oil supply during the North African Military Campaigns. Western Egypt, Eastern Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia were all involved in these campaigns. The Axis countries were unable to achieve their goal, and the Allied powers were able to eliminate the German threat. The Pacific Theater of World War II was also involved. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 4, 1941, causing significant damage to the American Pacific fleet. The Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, and Burma were all conquered by Japan.