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World War II: The horror of war in pictures
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A woman runs from burning buildings as flames and smoke engulf a French town set on fire by retreating German troops during World War II. World War II A wide view of bombed Tokyo during World War II shows ruined buildings, empty lots with gardens, and a large intact department store in the upper left near the Ginza district. World War II World War II; Cassino Holocaust Vidkun Quisling, wearing a dark suit and hat, stands at the center among soldiers and civilians at the edge of a mass grave in a wooded area in Trandum Forest, Norway, around 1945. Second Sino-Japanese War A large group of Russian men, women, and children stand closely together while two Nazi officers face them, delivering instructions, during World War II. Men, women, and children gather belongings from rubble-strewn London street after German bombing raids in 1941; damaged buildings and a truck loaded with goods are visible.

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A woman runs from burning buildings as flames and smoke engulf a French town set on fire by retreating German troops during World War II.
World War II A woman fleeing the burning buildings of her French town, which German troops had set afire during their retreat, c. 1944. While the Germans did not conduct a strict scorched-earth policy as they withdrew, they did carry out reprisals against perceived Resistance strongholds. On June 10, 1944, at Oradour-sur-Glane, France, SS troops killed 642 people, including 207 children, by herding them into buildings and setting fire to the entire village.

World War II: The horror of war in pictures

Written by
Michael Ray
Michael Ray is an assistant managing editor who has worked at Britannica since 2003. In addition to leading the Geography and History team, he oversees coverage of European history and military affairs....
Michael Ray
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

The deadliest and most destructive war in human history claimed between 40 and 50 million lives, displaced tens of millions of people, and cost more than $1 trillion to prosecute. The financial cost to the United States alone was more than $341 billion (approximately $4.8 trillion when adjusted for inflation). Nearly one-third of homes in Great Britain and Poland were damaged or destroyed, as were roughly one-fifth of those in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and...

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