World War II started on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. The war ended on September 2, 1945, with the official surrender of Japan. The conflict lasted for six years and one day, making it the deadliest and most destructive global war in history, claiming over 50 million lives. The main participants were the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allies (France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China) among others.
