End of war

Germany was fighting simultaneously against the world's three greatest powers, only a miracle could have staved off defeat, and none was forthcoming. From 1942 on, Germany could only hang on and try to exhaust its enemies, but their superior resources and increasingly skilled armies made the outcome first predictable and then inevitable. This was a situation that Hitler created. Where the Allies had a clear strategic concept, he had none. Ultimately he believed that war was his only tool, that his armies would win the war simply by winning battles, and that they would win battles in large part because of their racial and ideological superiority. In the end, the Soviets were closing in on Berlin, Hitler commits suicide and the Canadians begin to liberate Europe.

Victory in Europe (VE Day) The Allied troops fought to push Germany into a retreat. Allied troops pushed from the West (France through the Netherlands), the East (USSR), and the South (Italy). April 27, 1945 - Mussolini captured; killed the next day April 30, 1945 - Hitler realized that all was lost and did not want to suffer Mussolini’s fate; committed suicide in his bunker

May 2, 1945 - German forces in Berlin, Germany surrender to USSR May 1, 1945 - German forces in Italy surrender unconditionally May 2, 1945 - German forces in Berlin, Germany surrender to USSR May 4, 1945 - German forces in North West Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands surrender May 4, 1945 - German forces in Bavaria surrender May 6, 1945 - German forces in Breslau surrender May 6, 1945 - All remaining German forces surrender unconditionally May 8, 1945 - Victory in Europe; news of the surrender broke in the West; celebrations everywhere!

War in the Pacific Japan refused to accept any terms of surrender and had made clear that they would defend their island at all costs. After evaluating this with the number of American lives it would take to launch an invasion of Japan, US President Truman decided to drop an Atomic Bomb. The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. This was followed by a second bomb being dropped on the city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Over 220,000 people (mostly civilians) died as a result of these bombs and many more from radiation. Six days after the Nagasaki bomb, Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945.

Despite the best that has been done by everyone- -the gallant fighting of our military and naval forces, the diligence and assiduity of out servants of the State and the devoted service of our 100,000,000 people--the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage, while the general trends of the world have all turned against her interest. Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives.   Should we continue to fight, it would not only result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization.

Victory in Japan (VJ Day) The war in the Pacific lasted longer than the European war. The Americans had done most of the fighting against the Japanese, and it had taken them three years to bring their forces close enough to bomb Japan. The American military had already suffered about a million casualties, and they calculated that an invasion of Japan would cost at least a million more. The Atomic Bomb would allow the USA to attack Japan with far less American casualties.

The Casualties The numbers in the following tale are estimates of the civilian and military deaths in WWII. The true figures will never be known. Many people died without any record of their death, particular in some of the massacres committed by some of the armies. It was also difficult for records to be kept in many instances where the battlefield situation was confused, such as Normandy during the invasion. In addition, many of the statistics are being revised, particularly since the archives of the former Soviet Union became available Much of that wartime material is still being analyzed. If anything, these numbers are probably on the low side for what was the most lethal conflict in human history.

Country Military Deaths Civilian Deaths Total Soviet Union 13,600,000 7,700,000 21,300,000 China 1,324,000 10,000,000 11,342,000 Germany 3,250,000 3,810,000 7,060,000 Poland 850,000 6,000,000 6,850,000 Japan 1,506,000 300,000 1,806,000 Yugoslavia 1,400,000 1,700,000 Romania 520,000 465,000 985,000 France 340,000 470,000 810,000 Hungary 750,000 Austria 380,000 145,000 528,000 Greece Italy 330,000 80,000 410,000 Czechoslovakia 400,000 Great Britain 326,000 62,000 388,000

Country Military Deaths Civilian Deaths Total USA 295,000 ------- Netherlands 14,000 236,000 250,000 Belgium 10,000 75,000 85,000 Finland 79,000 Canada 39,000 India 36,000 Australia 29,000 Spain 12,000 22,000 Bulgaria 19,000 2,000 21,000 New Zealand South Africa 9,000 Norway 5,000

World War II was the most destructive war in human history. Both Allied and Axis powers suffered massive destruction and loss of life. Two of the casualties were Hitler and Mussolini. The discovery of the death camps of Europe and the aftermath of the atomic bomb in Japan drove home to the world just how destructive racism and uncontrolled arms buildups could be. This would have far-reaching effects throughout the rest of the century.