How many Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II?

During World War II, over 16 million Americans served in the United States Armed Forces, with 405,399 killed in action and 671,278 wounded.

Overall United States involvement in World War II (1939-1945) eventually pitted Germany, Japan, and Italy (the Axis) against the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union (the Allies). The Allies acted to stop the militaristic ideologies and expansionist policies of Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan. Initially, the weak response of the European democracies to fascist aggression and American isolationism allowed the Axis powers to gain the upper hand.

When World War II was finally over, it turned out to be the largest armed conflict in world history. Its range covered over six continents and all the world's oceans. This war caused an estimated 50 million military and civilian deaths. It was global in scale and in its repercussions were seen all over the world and in every country in existence.

Historical experts held that major results of WW II were the beginning of the nuclear era, increased pressure to decolonize the Third World, the creation of the United Nations, and the advent of the Cold War. Also the WW II caused America's relative isolation from the rest of the world to end.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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5 Comments

seane

Bill Middleton, I agree. Two answers are completly correct.

lls

...lest we forget...

William Laughlin

Bill Middleton, It is not the MOST correct.

jharmstead

Organizing for the war changed America then and for the foreseeable future. The full military mobilization efforts for WW ll provided the US with military forces with a global reach and that structure has continued to the present day and now provides us with a military more powerful than the next 19 national combined military powers. Our industrial mobilization for the war provided excess capacity for decades following the conclusion of hostilities and we became and continue to be the worlds largest economy. The balance of power after the war favored the US since much of Europe had been destroyed while we grew; the colonial powers eventually lost their overseas possessions and our allies were in debt and suffered vast losses in men and material from which it took years to completely recover.