World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The war involved the many of the world's countries. Two opposing military alliances were formed: the Allies and the Axis.
While Japan was already at war with China in 1937, the Second World War began on September 1, 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Germany conquered much of Europe, eventually forming the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Approximately six million European Jews were killed by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany and this event would become known as the Holocaust.
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James Francis Byrnes (see Governor James Byrnes) rose to prominence in South Carolina and the nation, first in the House of Representatives, and then in the Senate. A supporter of Roosevelt's New Deal...
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The Columbia Army Air Base in Lexington County became the headquarters of Colonel Jimmy Doolittle's famous "Raiders," who trained there for their bombing run over Tokyo. Courtesy of the Thomas Cooper...
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The end of the Second World War came with the surrender of Japan on VJ Day, August 14, 1945. South Carolinians celebrated the victory with dancing in the streets of Charleston and with great joy. They...
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The April 12, 1945, death of Franklin D. Roosevelt at Warm Springs, Georgia, brought an outpouring of grief from the nation. Thousands of people flocked to watch his funeral train pass through the...
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Victory in Europe was celebrated throughout the nation after four years of warfare. Although American forces were still fighting in Japan, the Greenville "News" headline illustrates the celebration...
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Several prisoner-of-war camps were established in South Carolina to house captured Germans. This is the street of a camp in Hampton, photographed around 1944. Courtesy of Mildred B. Rivers.
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This Mt. Vernon Mills ceremony,held in Columbia, on October 27, 1943, presents the Army-Navy flag to one of the units in the mill for buying the most E-Bonds. Such ceremonies helped promote the sale...
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Civilians were encouraged to donate time and materials to the Red Cross efforts to support United States troops overseas. Here, Mrs. McKissick of Greenville knits supplies for the Red Cross. Courtesy...
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The Second World War, like the first, required sacrifice and work at home, as well as the commitment of soldiers fighting abroad. During the war, civilians were called on to conserve almost everything...
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The enlistment of men into the armed forces caused a labor shortage in industry and agriculture, which were both rapidly expanding production to meet wartime needs. For the first time, many women...
