1. World War II was the most destructive conflict in history. It cost more money, damaged more property, killed more people, and caused more far-reaching changes than any other war in history.
2. The country with the largest number of WWII causalities was Russia, with over 21 million.
3. For every five German soldiers who died in WWII, four of them died on the Eastern Front.
4. Eighty percent of Soviet males born in 1923 didn’t survive WWII.
5. Even after the Allies arrived, many concentration camp prisoners were beyond help. In Bergen-Belsen, for example, 13,000 prisoners died after liberation.Nearly 2,500 of the 33,000 survivors of Dachau died within six weeks of liberation.
6. Out of the 40,000 men who served on U-boats during WWII, only 10,000 returned.
7. Survivors of both atomic bombings in Japan are called niju hibakusha, which literally means “explosion-affected people.
8. The Battle of the Bulge is the largest and deadliest battle for U.S. troops to date, with more than 80,000 American deaths.
9. The Japanese Kamikaze (“divine wind”) tactic was suggested on October 19, 1944, by Vice-Admiral Onishi in an attempt to balance the technological advantage of invading American forces. Though the numbers are disputed,
approximately 2,800 kamikaze pilots died. They sunk 34 U.S. ships, damaged 368, killed 4,900 sailors, and wounded 4,800.
10. In addition to Jews and gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses were also persecuted and murdered in German concentration camps.
11. From 1940-1945, the U.S. defense budget increased form $1.9 billion to $59.8 billion.
12. In 1941, a private earned $21 a month. In 1942, a private earned $50 a month.
13. During WWII, hamburgers in the U.S. were dubbed “Liberty Steaks” to avoid the German-sounding name.
14. The Nazis pirated the Harvard “fight song” to compose their Sieg Heil march.
15. William Hitler, a nephew of Adolf Hitler, was in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He changed his name after the war.
16. John Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison) starred in 14 WWII movies; however, due to a football injury, he never actually served in the war.
17. Prisoners of war in Russian camps experienced an 85% mortality rate.
18. Calvin Graham was only 12 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He won a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart before the Navy found out how old he was.
19. In the 1930s, the U.S. Army had only about 130,000 soldiers, making it the sixteenth largest force in the world, smaller than Czechoslovakia, Poland, Turkey, Spain, and Romania.
20. After the sneak attack at Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt searched for a bulletproof car. However, because government regulation prohibited spending more than $750 to buy a car, the only one they could find was Al Capone’s limo, which had been seized by the Treasury Department after he was arrested for tax evasion. FDR said, “I hope Mr. Capone won’t mind."
2. The country with the largest number of WWII causalities was Russia, with over 21 million.
3. For every five German soldiers who died in WWII, four of them died on the Eastern Front.
4. Eighty percent of Soviet males born in 1923 didn’t survive WWII.
5. Even after the Allies arrived, many concentration camp prisoners were beyond help. In Bergen-Belsen, for example, 13,000 prisoners died after liberation.Nearly 2,500 of the 33,000 survivors of Dachau died within six weeks of liberation.
6. Out of the 40,000 men who served on U-boats during WWII, only 10,000 returned.
7. Survivors of both atomic bombings in Japan are called niju hibakusha, which literally means “explosion-affected people.
8. The Battle of the Bulge is the largest and deadliest battle for U.S. troops to date, with more than 80,000 American deaths.
9. The Japanese Kamikaze (“divine wind”) tactic was suggested on October 19, 1944, by Vice-Admiral Onishi in an attempt to balance the technological advantage of invading American forces. Though the numbers are disputed,
approximately 2,800 kamikaze pilots died. They sunk 34 U.S. ships, damaged 368, killed 4,900 sailors, and wounded 4,800.
10. In addition to Jews and gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses were also persecuted and murdered in German concentration camps.
11. From 1940-1945, the U.S. defense budget increased form $1.9 billion to $59.8 billion.
12. In 1941, a private earned $21 a month. In 1942, a private earned $50 a month.
13. During WWII, hamburgers in the U.S. were dubbed “Liberty Steaks” to avoid the German-sounding name.
14. The Nazis pirated the Harvard “fight song” to compose their Sieg Heil march.
15. William Hitler, a nephew of Adolf Hitler, was in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He changed his name after the war.
16. John Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison) starred in 14 WWII movies; however, due to a football injury, he never actually served in the war.
17. Prisoners of war in Russian camps experienced an 85% mortality rate.
18. Calvin Graham was only 12 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He won a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart before the Navy found out how old he was.
19. In the 1930s, the U.S. Army had only about 130,000 soldiers, making it the sixteenth largest force in the world, smaller than Czechoslovakia, Poland, Turkey, Spain, and Romania.
20. After the sneak attack at Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt searched for a bulletproof car. However, because government regulation prohibited spending more than $750 to buy a car, the only one they could find was Al Capone’s limo, which had been seized by the Treasury Department after he was arrested for tax evasion. FDR said, “I hope Mr. Capone won’t mind."