# data[].attributes.headline
Chamberlain's policy of Appeasement (Sept. 30, 1938)

# data[].attributes.subject
Chamberlain's policy of Appeasement (Sept. 30, 1938)

# data[].attributes.body
Britain gave German land in order to keep the peace. The more Britain gave to Germany, the more Germany asked for.

# data[].attributes.body
The nonaggression pact was an agreement between Germany and the USSR to prevent a war from happening between the two countries. They also agreed to divide land between the two as a compromise.

# data[].attributes.body
Germany officially started the war by attacking Poland. It took less than a month for Poland to fall, giving Germany confidence in their capabilities for the war.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
NARRATOR: The 1st of September, 1939 - the Second World War begins with German air raids on Poland. Soon after, the German battleship Schleswig Holstein fires at Fort Westerplatte near Gdansk.

JOACHIM SCHOLZ: "At 4:45 a.m. our postbox was shaking, the windows were rattling, and I knew immediately this is the war. In front of the house, somebody shouted "The war-ship is shooting.'"

NARRATOR: The Nazi propaganda cameras make sure to capture the moment. Inside Gdansk, there is fighting between Germans and Poles. Many are killed.

ELZBIETA MARCINKOWSKA-SZUCA: "We were very sad. Many of our friends were killed. It's appalling that one man can do such a thing to another. It's inhuman, but the war transcends all boundaries."

NARRATOR: For Hitler, it is about more than annexing the areas separated from the German Reich after World War I. He wants to see Poland destroyed, and begins the war with a lie.

ADOLPH HITLER: "Tonight Poland has now attacked for the first time on our own territory - also with regular units."

NARRATOR: Two German army divisions of around 1.5 million men are set to roll over Poland. Britain and France have declared war on Germany, as envisaged in the alliance agreement with Poland. But there is no military assistance for the struggling nation. So the German army quickly penetrates the Polish defenses. Their superiority in tanks and aircraft is crushing. The Polish soldiers fight with desperate bravery.

ALBERT SEFRANEK: "In some cases, columns of Polish horse riders ran against machine gun positions. I even remember a cavalry charge that ran over our first line, but came up directly against tanks. Of course, it was all over."

NARRATOR: After two weeks of war, the Poles know it is a hopeless situation. But they continue to fight and declare Warsaw a fortress. The German Luftwaffe releases its bombs on this city of millions. On September 17, the Red Army invades. Shortly before the war, Hitler and the Soviet dictator Stalin had agreed to divide Poland between themselves. Behind the front, a different war begins. Thousands of Jews, Polish intelligentsia, and other supposed enemies are arrested, deported and executed. After four weeks of war, Warsaw capitulates. The 120,000 Polish defenders surrender the city to the German General von Blaskowitz.

STEFAN CISAK: "We were all broken-hearted, we asked 'What will happen to us? Families will be destroyed, we'll be taken away. We do not know if we will ever return to Poland.'"

NARRATOR: Neither the majority of German soldiers nor the defeated Poles can know what lies ahead.

SEFRANEK: "On the day of the ceasefire, our commander told us 'The war is over, we've won the war.' We did not suspect that the war had only really just begun in earnest."

NARRATOR: Not least the crimes of the occupation, to which millions of Poles, above all Jews, would fall victim.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The German Army Invasion of Poland Marking the Beginning of World War II

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Overview of the German invasion of Poland (1939), which marked the beginning of World War II.

# data[].attributes.body
France was being invaded by Germans. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were evacuated from France in 10 days. France was not yet prepared to begin the war, giving them no other choice but to retreat.

# data[].attributes.body
Battle of Britain was Germany's efforts to dominate the skies during the war.

# data[].attributes.body
Japan placed an unsuspected attack on Hawaii. This caused the U.S. to be more active in the War.

# data[].attributes.headline
Japanese Internment Camps (Feb. 19, 1942)

# data[].attributes.subject
Japanese Internment Camps (Feb. 19, 1942)

# data[].attributes.body
After the attack on Pearl Harbor the U.S. unjustly put western Japanese Americans in internment camps.

# data[].attributes.body
A battle of the western desert campaign between German and Italian forces.

# data[].attributes.body
Operation Torch was a compromised operation that made it so that the British would secure their victory in North Africa while it allowed American forces to fight against the Germans

# data[].attributes.body
The siege of Leningrad was a prolonged military blockade

# data[].attributes.body
It was a major battle on the eastern front where Nazi Germany and its allies lost to the soviet union for the control of Stalingrad

# data[].attributes.body
Where the Japanese Army transferred 75,00 American and Filipino prisoners of from Saysain Point, Bagac, Bataan and Mariveles to Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, via San Fernando, Pampanga

# data[].attributes.body
An important battle that secured dominance in the pacific

# data[].attributes.body
Where soldiers were scouting areas to be able to easily navigation and get around enemy's territory

# data[].attributes.body
Kamikaze strikes against Allied warships continued throughout World War II

# data[].attributes.body
brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest invasion force in human history

# data[].attributes.body
the world to mark the end of World War II in Europe

# data[].attributes.body
an epic military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan in early 1945

# data[].attributes.headline
Battle of Okinawa (March 26 - July 2, 1945)

# data[].attributes.subject
Battle of Okinawa (March 26 - July 2, 1945)

# data[].attributes.body
the last major battle of World War II — and the bloodiest of the Pacific campaign

# data[].attributes.body
an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima

# data[].attributes.body
The plutonium implosion bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man," was dropped on Nagasak

# data[].attributes.body
Victory over Japan Day is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
August 14. August 15. September 2. September 3. In most countries around the world, depending on where you are, one of these four days is recognized as VJ Day, or Victory over Japan Day.

In Australia, this celebration is called VP Day, or Victory in the Pacific Day.

For those who were not alive during World War II (or were very young), these various VJ Day date observations and names can seem confusing and rather conflicting at first. However, the different date observations and names simply come down to semantics and a better understanding of what happened during each of these days during the end of WWII.

When is VJ Day in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and South Korea?

Today, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom and several other nations commemorate August 15 as VJ Day.

On August 15, 1945, local time, Japan's Emperor Hirohito broadcast the surrender to the Japanese people on Radio Tokyo. August 15, 1945, marked the end of the fighting and the beginning of the lengthy process of officially ending WWII.

Because of time zone differences, many countries outside of Japan heard word of this surrender broadcast on August 14, 1945, and informally celebrated in real-time.

(Fun fact: August 14, 1945, is when the famous kissing photo was taken in New York City's Times Square.)

Despite any informal celebrations that occurred, many nations, including those mentioned above, also chose to formally commemorate this announcement a VJ Day as a holiday the next day, August 15.

When is VJ Day in Australia and Why is it Called VP Day?

Interestingly, in Australia, August 15 is called VP Day, or Victory in the Pacific Day. There is even a famous photo taken in Melbourne, Australia, on August 15, 1945, of an Australian woman wearing a "VP Day" sweater. According to Australian government records, she made the garment specially to wear on the day the war was officially over and allegedly never wore it again.

Despite popular myth, August 15 has never been called VJ Day in Australia.

When is VJ Day in the U.S.?

In the U.S., VJ day is officially acknowledged on September 2, 1945. This day marked the formal signing of the Instrument of Surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Japan's Tokyo Bay.

China and Taiwan also designate Sept. 2 as VJ Day.

When is VJ Day in the Philippines?

The Philippines mark September 3, 1945, as VJ Day because on that date Japanese Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, military governor of Japan to the Philippines, surrendered.

Regardless of what day it is commemorated or the name it is given, the anniversary of the end of WWII is as important to acknowledge today as it was in 1945.
- USO Senior Content Marketing Manager Sandi Gohn also contributed to this report.
-This story first appeared on defense.gov. It has been edited for USO.org in 2021.

More Stories Like This

What is VJ Day and Where Was the USO?
After years of warfare and loss, World War II officially ended on September 2, 1945, with the formal surrender of Japan. Here is how American service members - and the USO - celebrated the end of WWII across the country.

Relive VE Day Through the Eyes of WWII Veterans Who Were There
VE Day, short for "Victory in Europe Day," marked the end of World War II in Europe and is a significant WWII date. Although VE Day was over 75 years ago, these eyewitness accounts and VE Day photos of that day will make it feel like it was just yesterday.

How the Attack on Pearl Harbor Changed Hawaii, WWII and the USO
In addition to being a pivotal moment in military, Hawaii and world history, the attack on Pearl Harbor was also an important moment in USO history.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
History Explains Why the U.S. Marks VJ Day as September 2, 1945, Instead of August 15, 1945

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
August 14. August 15. September 2. September 3. In most countries around the world, depending where you are, one of these four days is recognized as VJ Day, for Victory over Japan Day, or VP Day, for Victory in Pacific Day. Here is why the U.S. recognizes September 2 as VJ Day.

# data[].attributes.body
The World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe

# data[].attributes.headline
Forming of the United Nations (April-June 1945)

# data[].attributes.subject
Forming of the United Nations (April-June 1945)

# data[].attributes.body
The Senate approved the UN Charter on July 28, 1945, by a vote of 89 to 2. The United Nations came into existence on October 24, 1945, after 29 nations had ratified the Charter.

# data[].attributes.body
1. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-britain-hoped-to-avoid-war-with-germany-in-the-1930s#:~:text=NEVILLE%20CHAMBERLAIN&text=Instituted%20in%20the%20hope%20of,as%20a%20policy%20of%20weakness.
2. https://www.annefrank.org/en/timeline/60/germany-and-the-soviet-union-sign-a-non-aggression-pact/#:~:text=In%20the%20night%20of%2023,countries%20that%20lay%20between%20them.
3. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/dunkirk
4.https://www.history.co.uk/articles/little-known-facts-about-wwii#:~:text=WWII%20was%20one%20of%20the,deaths%20occurred%20during%20pilot%20training.
5. Notes taken in class

# data[].attributes.body
WWII was the first war that required the large amount of pilots that it did. With the rush people were not trained correctly resulting in the loss of lives due to inexperience.

# data[].attributes.body
Poland recruited a bear into their troops. On their way to Iran, they ran into a brown bear and used him to carry ammunition and other items.

# data[].attributes.body
What year did the War Start?

(1939)

# data[].attributes.body
What countries were Allied with Germany during WWII?

(Italy and Japan)

# data[].attributes.body
What was the main reason of the war ending?

(The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulting in V-J Day)