World War II a global conflict World War II erupted in 1939 when Germany launched a brutal invasion of Poland igniting a global configration in 1941 the war took a dramatic turn when Japan devastated Pearl Harbor drawing the United States into the Maelstrom the tide of battle began to shift in 1942 with the Allies Triumph at the Battle of Stalingrad a pivotal moment on the east Eastern front in 1944 the audacious D-Day Landings in Normandy paved the way for the liberation of Western Europe ultimately in 1945 after the devastating atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan capitulated bringing the war to a close these cataclysmic events reshaped the course of history and left an indelible mark on the world