The Day World War II Ended
September 2 marks the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which officially put an end to World War II. Starting on 1 September 1939, the war lasted for 6 years and 1 day, and took the lives of 75-80 million people, more than half of them - civilians. It left a mark on the world that persists even today, after the cities have all been rebuilt, some from ground up.
For most, World War II is staunchly associated with the fighting in Europe: the endless marching columns of the Wehrmacht soldiers, the bombed out moonscapes of the European cities, and the massive Soviet tank charges sweeping across the Russian steppes. It is all too easy to forget that this terrible war did not, in fact, end on May 8 - there were 4 months of bitter fighting left to be done after the Victory in Europe.
For Germany, the war was over, but for many Germans it was not. Minefields had to be cleared, repairs made, and crimes - punished. The long and arduous process of Denazification and reintegration had begun.
The Soviet Union had its hands full as well, with rebuilding its own territories and policing the occupied ones. In August, when it became clear the Japanese wouldn’t surrender without a fight, the USSR gave it to them, invading Manchuria and crushing the Kwantung Army.
For many American servicemen, the Victory in Europe was distant and ephemeral. Tens of thousands would die on the atolls of the Pacific until the US would deploy the final drastic measure - the nearly mythical Atomic Bomb.
As the last member of the Axis standing, the Empire of Japan held out until August, but now, its resolve was completely broken.
All the while, the small but brave nation of Finland, still formally at war with both the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, was starting to rebuild. Its war against the Soviet Union, and the brief struggle against the Nazi Germany left swaths of the countryside destroyed by “scorched earth” tactics. There would be plenty of trials - show trials, most of them. But in the end, Finland had the distinction of being the only Soviet neighbour that fought most of the war as a German ally, but survived as a free democracy. It was a hard-won peace that still reigns today.
You will have a chance to see how it all started for Finland in our upcoming free Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty Prologue 1939 app featuring the first month of the Winter War. Make sure you do not miss it by Wishlisting and Following the project:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1683420/Strategic_Mind_Spirit_of_Liberty__Prologue_1939/
For most, World War II is staunchly associated with the fighting in Europe: the endless marching columns of the Wehrmacht soldiers, the bombed out moonscapes of the European cities, and the massive Soviet tank charges sweeping across the Russian steppes. It is all too easy to forget that this terrible war did not, in fact, end on May 8 - there were 4 months of bitter fighting left to be done after the Victory in Europe.
For Germany, the war was over, but for many Germans it was not. Minefields had to be cleared, repairs made, and crimes - punished. The long and arduous process of Denazification and reintegration had begun.
The Soviet Union had its hands full as well, with rebuilding its own territories and policing the occupied ones. In August, when it became clear the Japanese wouldn’t surrender without a fight, the USSR gave it to them, invading Manchuria and crushing the Kwantung Army.
For many American servicemen, the Victory in Europe was distant and ephemeral. Tens of thousands would die on the atolls of the Pacific until the US would deploy the final drastic measure - the nearly mythical Atomic Bomb.
As the last member of the Axis standing, the Empire of Japan held out until August, but now, its resolve was completely broken.
All the while, the small but brave nation of Finland, still formally at war with both the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, was starting to rebuild. Its war against the Soviet Union, and the brief struggle against the Nazi Germany left swaths of the countryside destroyed by “scorched earth” tactics. There would be plenty of trials - show trials, most of them. But in the end, Finland had the distinction of being the only Soviet neighbour that fought most of the war as a German ally, but survived as a free democracy. It was a hard-won peace that still reigns today.
You will have a chance to see how it all started for Finland in our upcoming free Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty Prologue 1939 app featuring the first month of the Winter War. Make sure you do not miss it by Wishlisting and Following the project:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1683420/Strategic_Mind_Spirit_of_Liberty__Prologue_1939/