World War II
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What was World War 2? In the 20th century there were two 'world wars'. Many countries were affected by the wars. The first war lasted from 1914 to 1918. Though it was fought mostly in Europe, people called it the First World War (World War 1).
The Second World War (World War 2) lasted from 1939 to 1945. It was fought in Europe, in Russia, North Africa and in Asia. 60 million people died in World War 2. About 40 million were civilians. Children as well as adults were affected by the war.
There were many countries involved in World War II. The main ALLIED powers were the United States, Russia, England, Canada and France. The main AXIS powers were Germany, Japan, and Italy. The NEUTRAL countries were Spain, Sweden, Finland and Switzerland.
The German air force, the Luftwaffe, began to mount assaults on British RAF (Royal Air Force) stations. Germany began bombing London, the capital of England. This series of attacks on Britain's capital was known as the Blitz. Great Britain remained great, however, and survived Germany's most destructive efforts.
Why were children evacuated? People expected cities to be bombed, as enemy planes tried to destroy factories. But bombs would hit homes and schools too, so children would be in danger. The government tried at the start of the war to 'empty the cities' of children and mothers, This was 'evacuation', to protect them from air raids.
The plan was put into action in September 1939. About 800,000 children left their homes. However, many returned home after a few weeks. Others stayed in the countryside for the rest of the war.
The Japanese army invaded China and controlled northern Indochina (Burma). The U.S. military responded by cutting Japan's supply of American goods. Japan didn’t like this so it turned on the one force that could stop it: the United States Navy. On December 7, 1941, a Japanese task force attacked the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. They sank four battleships, and destroyed nearly 20 aircraft. The next day, the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain declared war on Japan.
Burma
Before the Second World War broke out, Burma was part of the British Empire. The Japanese conquest of Burma was the opening chapter of the Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II, which took place over four years from 1942 to 1945.