World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers.

When was the real start of ww2?

On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland from the west; two days later, France and Britain declared war on Germany, beginning World War II. On September 17, Soviet troops invaded Poland from the east.

Did ww2 actually start in 1937?

The official date of the beginning of World War II should be advanced from Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 to 1937, when Japan began its large-scale invasion of China, a state media report has said. “In France we call it the war of 1939-1945. ...