WORLD WAR II - DEADLINEST WAR IN HUMAN HISTORY

BIJELJINA, AUGUST 31 /SRNA/ - With Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, World War II began; it lasted six years and, in terms of the number of casualties, was the deadliest conflict in human history.

The war ended with the defeat of Germany, Italy, and Japan and their allies. Some 50 million people were killed, and more than 35 million were wounded in the war, which involved 61 countries.

In terms of the number of countries and people involved, as well as the number of human casualties and the extent of material destruction, World War II was the largest armed conflict in human history.

The war was marked by the mass deaths of civilians, particularly in the Soviet Union and China, including the Holocaust and the only instance of nuclear weapons being used in warfare.

In Europe alone, material damage was estimated at around 277.7 billion dollars, based on 1938 prices, while in Yugoslavia it amounted to 46.9 billion dollars.