Countries Involved in World War Two (WWII) 2022

There are already a remarkable number of nations at war, yet all of today’s conflicts would still dwarf World War II. WW2 was the largest conflict in human history, involving more than 100 million people from dozens of countries (more than in WWI) dispersed worldwide.




It was the worst war ever fought, with an estimated 21-25 million military fatalities and 50-55 million civilian deaths (including the almost 6 million Jews executed in Nazi concentration camps). Many nations sought to stay neutral in the lead-up to the conflict. As the battle continued, more nations were obliged to join the Allies or the Axis Powers.

As battles were fought and lost, regions were conquered and freed, and political agreements were established and abandoned, these alliances shifted and mutated during the conflict.

One country originally supported neither side but later switched sides, while many others began as neutrals but were ultimately pushed into the fight (often after a forceful change in government). Many nations found themselves on the fence between becoming allies and Axis or even neutral.

Who were the war allies of which countries?

France, Poland, and the United Kingdom were the Allies when World War II started in 1939. Days later, the British dominions of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa merged into a single nation.

As the war progressed, more nations joined the Allies, including two large powers that had originally planned to stay neutral.




A non-aggression agreement between Russia and Germany had led to Russia’s participation in the German invasion of Poland. As a result of Germany’s invasion of Russia in Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the Soviet Union rapidly allied itself with the Allies.

The assault on Pearl Harbor by Axis power Japan in December 1941 caused the United States, the second previously neutral nation, to enter the war. Since 1937, China had been engaged in a war with Japan, and in December 1941, it joined the Allies.

The Four Powers, which included the Big Three—the United Kingdom, the United States, and Russia—and China- were in charge of the Allied nations. There were also contributions from over twenty more nations.

Declaration of United Nations made by the Four Powers and 22 more nations on January 1 and 2, 1942, formally established the Allies’ unity. When the United Nations was officially established in 1945, the proclamation became the Charter of the Organization.




Allied countries in World War II:

CountryDate JoinedCountryDate JoinedCountryDate Joined
Argentina27 March 1945Finland*15 Sept. 1944Oman10 Sept. 1939
Australia3 Sept. 1939France3 Sept. 1939Panama7 Dec. 1941
Belgium10 May 1940Belgium28 Oct 1940Paraguay7 Feb. 1945
Bolivia7 Apr. 1943Guatemala9 Dec. 1941Peru12 Feb. 1945
Brazil22 Aug. 1942Haiti8 Dec 1941Philippines8 Dec 1941
British India3 Sept. 1939Honduras8 Dec. 1941Poland1 Sept. 1939
Bulgaria*8 Sept. 1944Iran9 Sept. 1943Romania*25 Aug. 1944
Canada10 Sept. 1939Iraq16 Jan. 1943Saudi Arabia1 Mar. 1945
Chile11 April 1945Lebanon27 Feb. 1945South Africa6 Sept. 1939
China9 Dec 1941Italy*10 Oct. 1943South Korea*10 Dec. 1941
Colombia26 July 1943Liberia27 Jan. 1944Soviet Union22 June 1941
Costa Rica8 Dec. 1941Luxembourg10 May 1940Syria26 Feb. 1945
Cuba9 Dec. 1941Mexico22 May 1942Turkey23 Feb. 1945
Czechoslovakia*16 Dec. 1941Mongolia1 Aug 1945United Kingdom3 Sept. 1939
Denmark8 Apr. 1940Nepal4 Sept. 1939United States8 Dec. 1941
Dominican Rep.8 Dec. 1941Netherlands10 May 1940Uruguay15 Feb. 1945
Ecuador2 Feb. 1945New Zealand3 Sept. 1939Venezuela15 Feb. 1945
Egypt24 Feb. 1945Nicaragua8 Dec. 1941Vietnam (Viet Minh)7 Dec. 1941
El Salvador8 Dec. 1941Norway8 Apr. 1940Yugoslavia6 Apr. 1941
Ethiopia14 Dec. 1942

*Notes

  • Bulgaria was a member of the Axis powers during World War II.
  • At the time of the statement, the government of Czechoslovakia was in exile.
  • On March 3, 1945, Finland declared war on Germany but retroactively applied the declaration to September 15, 1944, when Finland fought with Germany and Russia in the Second World War.
  • Both Italy and Romania were formerly members of the Axis powers.
  • The government of South Korea was just temporary.
  • The Viet Minh was responsible for Vietnam’s loyalty.




During World War II, which nations were allies of the Nazis?

The Tripartite Pact of 1940 brought together Germany, Italy, and Japan, the three principal Axis countries during World War II. After then, the Tripartite Pact gained six more members.

It was easy to predict the dates of the first four: November 20, 1940, for Hungary, November 23, 1940, for Romania, and then November 24, 1940, for Slovakia, and November 25, 1940, for Bulgaria.

The Tripartite Pact’s last two members have conditions attached to them. After the deal’s signing on March 25, 1941, the government of Yugoslavia was quickly destroyed by an uprising, and the new administration repudiated the accord only two days later.

It was this deed that sparked the Germans to invade Yugoslavia. At long last, despite its status as an illegal entity with no legal standing, the German-Italian puppet state Croatia signed on April 10, 1941.

Additional to the Tripartite Pact, other nations joined the Anti-Comintern Pact, which was less stringent. In many Anti-Comintern nations, neutrality was permitted, or only voluntary participation in the Nazi army was necessary.

Others’ bilateral agreements to obey them (along with certain illegitimate governments and nazi-installed puppet nations) were even less binding.




There were also puppet states, in which a newly conquered nation’s current government would be replaced by another one that ran independently but received instructions from the puppetmaster country. This was especially common among the Axis powers, notably Japan.

Countries that supported the Nazis during World War II:

CountryNatureCountryNature
BulgariaAxisLaos*puppet state
Burma (Ba Maw govt)*bilateral pactManchuko*puppet state
Cambodia (Kampuchea)*puppet stateMongolia (Mengjiang)*puppet state
CroatiaAxisPhilippines (Second Republic)*puppet state
Denmark*Anti-CominternRomaniaAxis
Finland*Anti-CominternSlovakiaAxis
GermanyAxisSoviet Union*bilateral pact
Greece (Hellenic States)puppet stateSpainAnti-Comintern
HungaryAxisThailandbilateral pact
India (Azad Hind)*puppet stateVichy France*puppet state
Iraqbilateral pactVietnam (Empire of Vietnam)*puppet state
ItalyAxisYugoslavia*non-ratified
JapanAxis

*Notes

  • It is possible that Denmark would have stayed neutral if Germany had not occupied it during much of World War II due to the small size of its participation.
  • Finnish troops fought with German troops against Russia during the Second World War but did not technically join the Axis.
  • Germany occupied Poland before the Soviet Union joined the Allies.
  • After a government coup, Yugoslavia agreed to join the Axis, but the pact was voided two days later.
  • The governments of all other Axis nations indicated with an asterisk (*) were either puppet regimes or illegitimate.




During World War II, which nations stayed neutral?

Many nations were able to maintain their neutrality throughout World War II, despite the difficulty of the undertaking. While several nations claimed to be neutral, they still provided limited assistance to one or both sides, such as sending volunteer soldiers or permitting travel over their country’s boundaries.

World War II’s Neutral Countries:

AfghanistanLatviaSpain
AndorraLiechtensteinSweden
BhutanLithuaniaSwitzerland
EstoniaMonacoTibet
IcelandPortugalTurkey
IranSan MarinoVatican City
IrelandSaudi ArabiaYemen

How long was World War II?




The German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, sparked a declaration of war by the governments of France and Great Britain two days later. Conflicts between Japan and numerous other Asian nations erupted as this one grew in scope.

When the Second Sino-Japanese War started on July 7, 1937, some historians believe that World War II began as early as September 19, 1931, when Japan invaded Manchuria.

Also See: Countries Involved in World War 1 2022

It’s also questionable when the battle will be over. This was known as V-J (Victory over Japan) day and marked the conclusion of World War II. However, from a legal standpoint, the war didn’t officially end until Japan’s formal surrender on September 2, 1945.




CountrySideNotes
Afghanistanneutral
Andorraneutral
ArgentinaAllied Co-BelligerentStayed neutral for most of the war. Did not sign the Declaration of United Nations, but did declare war on Germany.
AustraliaAllies
BelgiumAllies
Bhutanneutral
BoliviaAllies
BrazilAllies
BulgariabothBulgaria was part of the Axis powers from 1941-1944, then switched sides to the Allies in 1944.
Burma (Ba Maw government)Axis - Bilateral PactNot a legitimate government.
Cambodia (Kampuchea)Axis - Puppet StateJapanese puppet state which existed for roughy five months in mid-1945
CanadaAllies
ChileAlliesDeclared war on Japan
ChinaAlliesAt war with Japan since 1937
ColombiaAllies
Costa RicaAllies
CroatiaAxis - Puppet State
CubaAllies
Czechoslovakia (govt. in exile)AlliesGovernment in Exile
DenmarkbothDid not join Axis and supplied only volunteer troops, but was occupied by Germany through much of the war.
Dominican RepublicAllies
EcuadorAllies
EgyptAllies
El SalvadorAllies
Estonianeutral
EthiopiaAllies
FinlandbothFinland fought alongside Russia and against Russia in the Continuation War, 1941-1944, but did not join the Axis. Finland did not officially declare war on Germany until 3 March 1945, but made the declaration retroactive.
FranceAllies
GermanyAxis - Major Power
GreeceAllies
Greece (Hellenic States)Axis - Puppet StateRuled by Germany/Italy. Existed May 1941 to fall 1944.
GuatemalaAllies
HaitiAllies
HondurasAllies
HungaryAxis - Minor Power
Icelandneutral
India (Azad Hind)Axis - Puppet StateInsurgent military movement allied with Axis
India (British-controlled)Allies
IranAlliesPlanned to remain neutral, but was occupied by both sides and eventually joined Allies.
IraqbothNeutral government overthrown by coup in 1941. New regime supported Axis and fought against Britain, but was overthrown by Britain. Original government restored and supported the Allies
Irelandneutral
ItalybothOriginally one of the major Axis powers, Italy left the Axis once its dictatorial ruler, Benito Mussolini, was removed. Although Italy did not join the Allies, it did declare war on Germany, making it a co-belligerent which fought alongside the Allies.
JapanAxis - Major Power
LaosAxis - Puppet StateRuled by Japan
Latvianeutral
LebanonAllies
LiberiaAllies
Liechtensteinneutral
Lithuanianeutral
LuxembourgAllies
ManchukuoAxis - Puppet StateJapanese puppet state in China. Ceased to exist after Russian invasion in 1945.
MexicoAllies
Monaconeutral
MongoliaAlliesDeclared war on Japan
Mongolia (Mengjiang)Axis - Puppet StateRuled by Japan
NepalAllies
NetherlandsAllies
New ZealandAllies
NicaraguaAllies
NorwayAllies
OmanAllies
PanamaAllies
ParaguayAllies
PeruAllies
PhilippinesAllies
Philippines (Second Republic)Axis - Puppet StateRuled by Japan
PolandAllies
Portugalneutral
RomaniaAlliesOriginally an Axis power, Romania surrendered to Russia in 1944 and subsequently became an Allied participant.
San Marinoneutral
Saudi ArabiaAlliesNeutral through most of the war, but supported Allies with oil, hosted an Allied air base, and declared war on Germany and Japan in 1945.
SlovakiaAxis - Minor Power
South AfricaAllies
South Korea (provisional govt.)Allies
Soviet UnionbothHelped Germany invade Poland before eventually joining the Allies.
SpainneutralOfficially neutral, but sent volunteer soldiers to fight for Germany against Russia (and only Russia)
Swedenneutral
Switzerlandneutral
SyriaAllies
ThailandAxis - Bilateral Pact
Tibetneutral
TurkeybothEntered a friendship agreement with Germany in 1941, but did not send troops and declared war on Germany in 1945.
United KingdomAllies
United StatesAlliesDeclared war on Japan on Dec 8, 1941, war on U.S. declared by Germany and Italy Dec 11, 1941
UruguayAllies
Vatican Cityneutral
VenezuelaAllies
Vichy FranceAxis - Puppet StateIllegitimate puppet government
Vietnam (Empire of Vietnam)Axis - Puppet StateRuled by Japan
Vietnam (Viet Minh)Allies
Yemenneutral
YugoslaviaAlliesJoined Axis out of fear of invasion, but two days later a government coup prevented ratification of the agreement.




1 thought on “Countries Involved in World War Two (WWII) 2022”

  1. Pingback: Countries With Nuclear Weapons 2022 - World Populace

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top