What was unique about Great Britain in World War 2?

Answer 1

From all I have heard and read - there was no other country in Europe so utterly convinced of its own invincibility. Despite the unexpected danger that Britain faced in the second half of 1940 only a handful of pessimists ever seriously thought that Germany could invade. Fortunately, this confidence wasn't ill founded. Though one can point to blunders in the 1930s, Britain had rearmed just about sufficiently in those areas that mattered most. The nation was solidly united from May 1940 onwards and prepared to make immense sacrifices. Of course, there was a huge difference between successful defense and the much harder task of bringing the Third Reich down, but it was a start.

Answer 2

"Modern" technology was used. More dangerous weaponry such as grenades, machine guns, and poisonous gasses took higher casualties on the opposing armies. There are likely more complex differences, but those are off the top of my head.

Answer 3

The death toll was substantially higher for both civilians and military forces

Answer 4

World War II was different from all other wars because it was the first, last and only time the atomic bomb was used as a weapon.

Answer 5

World War II was the first war in history where civilian deaths outnumbered military deaths due to saturation bombing.