How did World War 2 end and who won?

Answer 1

The Allies (mainly composed of the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union, but included many other nations) defeated the Axis Powers (mainly composed of Germany, Japan and Italy).

The war was won on many fronts. Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Germany's battles with the Soviet Union, known as the Eastern Front, ended disastrously for Germany. The Eastern Front cost Germany much of its most experienced troops. The Germans also lost in North Africa to US and British forces. This set the Allies up for the invasion of Italy. Italy surrendered in 1943 to the Allies. In 1944, the Allies landed in German-occupied France and slowly pushed back German forces. Germany was trapped on two fronts - the British, Americans and French from the west, and the Soviets from the east. Germany surrendered in 1945, when the Soviets captured Berlin.

World War II was also won in the Pacific front, a showdown mostly between the US and Japan. The United States were able to capture key islands through a tactic called island hopping. Eventually, the US captured Okinawa, an island practically on Japan's front door. An invasion of Japan was planned to finish the war, but the atomic bombs were first dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese surrendered to the Allies after the atomic bombs were dropped, surrendering in September 1945.