The main combatants were the axis powers germany, italy, and japan and the allies france, great britain, the united states, the soviet union, and china. World war ii began when german troops invaded poland on 1 september 1939. World war ii was, in large part, a contest between the allies and axis powers to dream up. Machine guns were used to devastating effect in world war one and were a major contributor to the emergence of stalemate, with annihilation the prospect for any army that exposed itself on the open. In previous conflicts, most deaths were due to disease. The number of world war ii books available is vast.
The sacrifice of the ten million men who lost their lives during the conflict, which endured from 1914 to 1918, is well known. Below, ive compiled a list of fiction, ya, memoir, biography, and history for you to check out. Presidents as the most accessible and complete not to mention fun onesubject reference book available, making it perfect for history reports and. The real war horses faithful unto death horse journals. Its target was the recently liberated city of luxembourg. Of the two v3s built, only the secondary gun saw action. The book thief by markus zusak, the diary of a young girl by anne frank, all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr, unbr.
World war 1 facts for kids national geographic kids. The female version was armed only with machine guns. A stout industrial base eventually ensured america could flood the war zone with whatever weapon type was required for victory. The man behind the man behind the gun helped win world war ii.
From january 11 to february 22, 1945, some 183 rounds were fired. While police search frantically for a missing gun, chas and his friends build a secret. World war ii technology that changed warfare scholarsarchive. Now a multibilliondollar, nipandtuck industry, modern plastic surgery arose a century ago to reconstruct the faces of soldiers disfigured on world war i battlefields. Despite its separation by some two decades from the first world war of 19141918, world war 2 was an extension of the earlier conflict that saw an end to the agesold empires that once dominated the. World war 1 facts show that nearly two million russian soldiers were killed, two million were taken prisoner, and one million went missing in the first two years of world war 1 alone. Interesting stories and random facts from the second world war trivia war books volume 1. The two main sides were the allies, which included france, great britain and russia. The book the encyclopedia of weapons of world war two by. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from more than 30 countries.
Popular world war 2 books meet your next favorite book. Guns were mounted in casings called sponsons on the tanks sides. There have been many books on world war ii infantry weapons, but none with photographs like this one. Despite technological advances since the close of world war 1, world war 2 made use of weapons from the past while incorporating allnew designs. Chris bishop is the books ive been reading as a choice book. Serbias reply failed to satisfy the austrians, and the two moved to a war. The vast majority of the worlds countriesincluding all the great powerseventually formed two opposing military alliances. Countries still fear to go on war for fear of triggering another world war.
Interesting stories and random facts from the second world war trivia war books volume 1 oneill, bill on. Many images and other records can be located online in our national archives catalog. Less well known is the price paid by the estimated eight million horses that perished in the great war, a fact lamented by private james robert johnston, a horse transport driver who served with the 14th canadian machine gun company, in his memoir, riding into war. The male, shown here, had large guns in special gun housings called sponsons. Germany began fighting world war i on two fronts, invading france through neutral. In my opinion the best fat single volume source to explain that is modern times, by paul johnson, although it extend.
It shows each country used and gives a little information on it. Fighting during world war i was not limited to just europe. World war i veterans ravaged faces restored by innovative. In fact, something very curious was going on inside. Industries had been ignited for the production of arms and resources to equip fighting forces. Introduced in 1917, the british mark iv tank existed in two versions. In september 1939, britain entered into what would become the world s most devastating war to date. Bursting with facts, this book is a treasure trove for anyone interested in history or military history wishing to learn more about how developments in weapons technology influenced the course of world war ii. World war ii for children world war ii homework help. Initially antiquated battlefield tactics failed to comprehend the reality of industrialised warfare, and by 1915 the machine gun and artillery fire dictated the way that war was dictated it is also the single greatest contributor to the staggering casualty figures. The uk declared war on germany on 3 september 1939. This is a representative sampling of photographs from world war ii that can be found in the holdings of the national archives and records administration. The guns of navarone is a 1957 novel about the second world war by scottish writer alistair maclean that was made into the film the guns of navarone in. However, they were developed too late to change the course of the war.
This image is a one of a series of comparative photos taken by a u. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. World war ii greatly advanced technology and the weapons developed helped shape the postwar world. Two pieces of technology that stand out in the aviation history of world war ii are. With a pistol, princip shot and killed ferdinand and his wife sophie. World war 1 facts show us how conflicts between countries can have surprising consequences.
Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. By the end of world war one, machine guns had radically changed how wars were fought. In september 1939, britain entered into what would become the worlds most devastating war to date. Using blitzkrieg tactics the country was quickly overtaken. Follow this link to learn more about how world war 1 started. World war 1 facts top 10 facts about world war 1world. According to the cdc, at least 44,965 people died by suicide in 2016, the most recent year for which data is available, and 22,938 of them used a gun. One day i am at the wilhelmsaue, a small pond in berlin, remembers. During world war ii every significant automatic weapon in the u. The japanese used a tactic called kamikaze where they would purposely crash a plane into an enemy ship to sink it. World war 2 facts for kids national geographic kids. World war ii, conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during 193945.
World war iis direct impact and its repercussions still lay imprinted on the face of earth. How the children of nazi germany remember world war two. Learn all about the events that changed the lives of millions in our world war 2 facts. The nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and. The holocaust memorial in berlin is coated with an antigraffiti chemical. Thats up from 20,666 firearm suicides in 2012, a 10 percent increase in just five years. The 1918 browning automatic rifle was the light machine gun standardized by the u. Pontiac was building highly complicated oerlikon antiaircraft guns. It joins the big book of the civil war and the big book of u.
Here are 30 kickass and interesting facts about world war 2. Not only a thorough history of ww2 aircraft weaponry, but it has also a lot of interesting facts about the. Army in 1938 and used up until vietnam, seeing extensive use with u. States during the second world waror for that matter, the first world war and korea. The cia world factbook with global information on geography, people, governments, economies, communications, transportation, the military, and international issues. People love to read about one of the worst events in history. The 17 best books on world war i of 2020 thoughtco. November 1918 an agreed ceasefire in the war that proved to be the end of the war. Through the course of the war, weapons of all types evolved greatly and increased incomplexity. Interesting facts about the aircraft of world war ii. World war i also known as the first world war or the great war, was a global war that lasted.
The personal firearms, tanks, artillery, and other forms of weapons used during world war two. World war ii often abbreviated as wwii or ww2, also known as the second world war, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Donald nijboer is a bestselling aviation author, historian, documentary writerproducer, and smithsonian speaker. German colonies areas under german control in africa were invaded by british, french, and south african troops, while german colonies in china and the pacific faced invasions from japanese, british, australian, and new zealand forces. World war ii was a time of heavy conflict around the world, with virtually every country involved in one way or another, and the rifles described in this article, while the main rifles in use by the largest and most active participants, is only a sampling of.
The gatling gun was first developed in chicago in the mid19 th century and, although it was not truly automatic at that time, became a weapon that would change the nature of warfare forever. How detroit factories retooled during wwii to defeat hitler. In a single day during the battle of verdun in 1916, 7,000 horses were killed by longrange shelling on both sides, including 97 killed by single shots from a french naval gun. Losses were particularly heavy among clydesdale horses, which were used to haul guns. World war ii was fought from 1939 to 1945 and saw variety of weapons used in the field. I have rapid fire and both of the flying guns books ww1 and ww2. For more information on materials from world war ii visit our world war ii records page. The soviet union used a similar tactic to bring down german aircraft. There are a total of 87 ww2 us guns 19411945 in the military factory. Bursting with facts, this book is a treasure trove for anyone interested in. For a fat single volume history of the war only, max hastings inferno is good. Others have noted some of the more specific mistakes this book makes, but there is a constant problem with where decimal points are placed, and especially with how gun calibres are stated. Lots of history books have been written on world war 1 facts and why it started.
Fiction, young adult and true stories 60 outstanding books about world war ii. Three concentrations of black and white photographs and a selection of quality maps accompany a superbly written narrative that expertly guides the. Tirpitz translated his books into german and wilhelm. Keegans book has become a modernday classic, representing the most popular view of the great war. While many countries were involved in the war, they each took sides either with the allies, or the axis. Differences in foreign policies were to blame, although the immediate cause was the assassination of austrias archduke ferdinand. The big book of world war ii is a comprehensive guide, bringing young readers through the archives of history to learn about this epic war and how the world was changed as a result. World war ii heralded paradigmshifting changes for the world that would emerge at the end of the conflict, both politically and militarily leading up to the massive conflagration, world powers worked to develop capable and effective small arms to fight what was the inevitable conflict. Here are 10 facts that give some idea of the weaponry used during world war one. World war ii brought an end to the depression everywhere. With over 500 photographs showing major infantry weapons from the cobberton collection in north devon, england, this book also contains a detailed examination of the small arms used in the conflict.
People on the home front built weapons, produced food and supplies, and bought war bonds. This book is an informational book about all of the fighting countries weapons in ww2. The war in europe began in september 1939 when nazi germany, under adolf hitler, invaded poland. The germans used the first jet fighters in world war ii, among them the messerschmitt me262. The allies the entente powers lost about 6 million soldiers. The world factbook provides information on the history, people and society, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.
292 944 1456 1132 936 1028 689 1486 1011 944 718 106 319 1485 1192 737 1139 1261 494 1303 893 962 277 54 1032 1474 1465 927 267 467 1349 946