World War II
1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945
Recorded HistoryWorld War II
The war that began in 1939.
The Second World War is dated here from Germany’s invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 to Japan’s surrender aboard USS Missouri on 2 September 1945.
The war in Asia began earlier, in July 1937. The European war became global in December 1941.
1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945, placed on the scale of its era on a line leading toward now.
- Period
- 1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945
- Edition
- 1/1
- Status
- Not Released
Background artwork
Cinematic background showing a bombed city street under searchlights. An illustration generated with an AI image tool for TIME. It is an artistic depiction, not a photograph or a record of the moment. The scene is imagined and not a specific place.