Skip to content

Questions about World War II by country

Short answers, pulled from the story.

How many people died in World War II according to country participation estimates?

Estimates of World War II deaths range from 40 million to 90 million people, including all genocide casualties, with a commonly cited figure of 85 million. China alone saw the Chinese Nationalist army suffer 3.2 million casualties and 17 million civilian deaths.

Which country was the first to achieve an Allied victory in World War II?

Ethiopia's liberation on the 5th of May 1941 is recorded as the first Allied victory of the Second World War. Emperor Haile Selassie was restored to his throne exactly five years after he had fled his capital, following a campaign by Ethiopian, British, and multinational forces working alongside the Arbegnoch resistance movement.

How did El Salvador help save Jews during World War II?

Salvadoran Consul General José Castellanos Contreras, working with Jewish-Hungarian businessman György Mandl, issued false documents of Salvadoran nationality to people of Jewish origin facing Nazi persecution. Together they helped save up to 40,000 Jews and Central Europeans. Judge José Gustavo Guerrero, former presiding judge of the Permanent Court of International Justice, also contributed to the operation.

What role did Belgian Congo play in World War II?

Belgian Congo served as a major economic asset for the Allies, producing large amounts of gold and uranium. The nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were made with uranium from Congolese mines. Congolese troops also fought as the Force Publique against Italian forces in the East African campaign.

What was Canada's military contribution to World War II?

Canada deployed 1.1 million service members during the war, of whom more than 45,000 died and 54,000 were wounded, at a financial cost of $21,786,077,519.13 between the 1939 and 1950 fiscal years. By the end of the war, Canada had the world's fourth largest air force and third largest navy, and the Canadian Merchant Navy completed more than 25,000 Atlantic crossings.

What did Cuba do during World War II and how did it fight in the Caribbean?

Cuba declared war on Japan on the 8th of December 1941 and on Germany and Italy on the 11th of December. The Cuban navy escorted hundreds of Allied ships through Caribbean waters, flew thousands of hours on patrol and convoy duty, rescued more than 200 survivors of U-boat attacks, and on the 15th of May 1943 sank a German submarine near Cayo Blanquizal. Six Cuban merchant ships were sunk by U-boats, killing around eighty sailors.