Fought all over the planet, World War II featured some of the most famous battles and operations, warships and warplanes, attacks and sieges, and soldiers and leaders in history Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Douglas MacArthur, Fmperor Hirohito, and Winston Churchill all became household names. Despair and victory, triumph and tragedy struggle and sacrifice, atrocities, savageries, and the Holocaust placed their marks on the devastated landscape. And the war also necessitated many inventions, including the ballistic missile, atomic bomb, and radar. When it was all over, 50 million people-half of whom were innocent civilians-lay dead. From Blitzkrieg, the Pearl Harbor attack, and the D-Day invasion to the Holocaust and Hiroshima, The Handy World War II Answer Book answers 550 of the most intriguing questions about this epic struggle between democracy and fascism, including … How did Hitler gain so much influence?, How did the Great Depression help lay the foundations for World War II?, What was Blitzkrieg?, What was the Luftwaffe's most effective dive-bomber?, What were the secrets of Station X?, How did the Nazi death squads operate?, Who were the British Commandos?, Was Australia ever attacked by Japan?, Why did Japan attack the American base at Pearl Harbor?, Who was George S. Patton?