When did World War II end?
World War II ended in 1945. Germany surrendered in May, celebrated as VE Day on May 8, and Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945.
The war in Europe ended after Allied forces closed in on Berlin. Adolf Hitler died on April 30, 1945, and Germany signed an unconditional surrender on May 7, effective the next day. Western countries celebrate May 8 as Victory in Europe Day; Russia marks Victory Day on May 9 because of the time difference.
Fighting continued in the Pacific. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 and the Soviet declaration of war on Japan, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender on August 15.
The official end
Japan signed the formal surrender documents aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. That date is usually given as the official end of World War II, which had begun with Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. The war lasted six years and one day and caused tens of millions of deaths.
Did You Know?
World War II involved more than 30 countries and is the deadliest conflict in history. After it ended, world leaders founded the United Nations in October 1945 to help prevent another global war.