(90) World War II War Era Veteran’s Organizations & Patriotic Societies • Battle Maps • Memorials
World War II (often abbreviated to WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the world’s countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of “total war”, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust (in which approximately 11 million people were killed) and the strategic bombing of industrial and population centres (in which approximately one million were killed, and which included the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), it resulted in an estimated 50 million to 85 million fatalities. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history.
World War II Time Period: 1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945 (6 years and 1 day)
World War II Locations: Europe, Pacific, Atlantic, South-East Asia, China, Middle East, Mediterranean, North Africa and Horn of Africa, briefly North and South America.
World War II’s American Casualties and losses:
407,300 dead from all causes
Overall casualties up to 419,400
Bicol Campaign, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 3-4 April 1945.
World War II’s Veteran’s Organizations & Patriotic Societies
1st Cavalry Division Association
First Special Service Force Association
Second Air Division Association, The Heritage League
Second Marine Division Association
4th Armored Division
The Eighth Air Force Historical Society
8th Armored Division
9th Infantry Division Association
11th Airborne Division Association
17th Airborne Division
23rd Bomb Squadron Association
25th Infantry Division Association
Society of the 30th Infantry Regiment Association
43d Infantry Division Association
65th Infantry Division Association
70th Infantry Division Association
77th Artillery Association Organization
82nd Airborne Division Association
99th Infantry Division Association
The 101st Airborne Division Association
164th Infantry Association
303rd Bomb Group (H)
325th Glider Infantry Association, 82nd Airborne Division
401st Bombardment Group Association
483rd Bombardment Group (H) Association
505th Parachute Regimental Combat Team Association
507th Parachute Infantry Association 2008 Reunion
508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Association
509th Parachute Infantry Regiment Association
549th Engineer Light Ponton Company
517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team
526th Armored Infantry Battalion Combat Team Association Association
550th Airborne Infantry Association
704th Tank Destroyer Battalion Association
Air Force Association
Americal Division Veterans Association
American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor Memorial Society
American G.I. Forum of the United States
American Veterans Committee
American Veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam (AMVETS)
American War Dads
Blinded Veterans Association
Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc
China-Burma-India Hump Pilots Association
China-Burma-India Veterans Association
Coast Guard Combat Veterans Association
Destroyer-Escort Sailors Association
Gold Star Wives of America
International B-24 Liberator Club
Merrill’s Marauders Association
Military Railway Service Veterans
National Association of Atomic Veterans
National Counter Intelligence Corps Association
The National World War II Glider Pilots Association, Inc.
OSS-101 Association
P-38 National Association
P47 Thunderbolt Pilots Association
P-51 Mustang Pilots Association
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Pearl Harbor Survivors Association
The Polar Bear Association of World War II
Polish Army Veterans Association of America
Tuskegee Airmen
United States Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II
United States Submarine Veterans, Inc.
US Navy Salvage Divers Reunited
Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge
Women’s Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association
Persian Gulf Command Veterans Organization World War II
National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs
Berlin Airlift Veterans Association
The Combat Infantrymen’s Association
The 244th Engineer Combat Battalion
187th Infantry Regiment (Rakkasans)
Air Force Aid Society
Armed Forces Benefit Association
Joe Foss Institute
Naval Enlisted Reserve Association
Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association
Cold War Veterans Association
Marine Corps Cryptologic Association
Navy Seabee Veterans of America
Surface Navy Assocation
U.S. Air Force Academy Association of Graduates
The Naval Enlisted Reserve Association
The Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund
United States Air Force Military Heritage Database
American GI Forum of the United States
Top of Page
World War II War Battle Map(s)
World War II Battles – Europe & Africa, 1939-1942
Invasion of Poland – September 1 – October 6, 1939
Battle of the Atlantic – September 3, 1939 – May 7, 1945
Battle of the Bzura – September 9 – 22, 1939
Winter War – November 30, 1939 – March 13, 1940
… 104 more
World War II Memorial
1750 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024