World War II Broad Timeline
World
War II was truly a global war. Battles for
control of territories were being fought on the continents of Asia, Europe,
and Africa. Countries on the rest of
the continents not directly involved in combat were enlisted in the wars
supply effort.
Central America was enlisted into the war effort by increasing and supplying natural industrial rubber. Synthetic rubber was developed during the war to increase the supply. When the war ended the oversupply of natural rubber caused economic ruin for many countries. During this time in Chili, Potassium Nitrate was being mined and used for explosives. Many boomtowns sprang up all over Chile to supply this necessary raw material. Then during the same period, Ammonia Nitrate was found to be easier and cheaper to manufacture for explosives. Overnight, the boomtowns in Chile became ghost towns.
The Iron Ore mines on the continent of Australia expanded to supply steel for the war effort becoming one of the largest exporters of Iron Ore to Asia. The demand for Iron Ore from this continent to Asia has continued for over 70 years.
Countries not directly involved in combat expanded their populations by receiving vast numbers of European refuges. North America, South America, and Southern Africa became the new homes for these refuges. Assimilating into local communities, these refugees became hardworking members of society and prosperous new business owners.
North America was not as accommodating to Japanese refugees. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor the US established Japanese internment camps. US citizens of Japanese dissent were quarantined into these camps until the end of WW II. This was a humbling, disgraceful hardship for the Japanese community who were law-abiding American citizens.
When Japan began to lose control of the Philippines the jungles of Asia became a hiding place for billions of dollars’ worth of gold, diamonds, and priceless artifacts that Japan had stolen in war from China, Burma, and Jakarta. Some of the treasure was found decades later by a determined treasure hunter. These treasures were stolen again by the Marcos Regime for personal enrichment. The lawsuits to determine the return value of these war treasures remain unsettled.
Central America was enlisted into the war effort by increasing and supplying natural industrial rubber. Synthetic rubber was developed during the war to increase the supply. When the war ended the oversupply of natural rubber caused economic ruin for many countries. During this time in Chili, Potassium Nitrate was being mined and used for explosives. Many boomtowns sprang up all over Chile to supply this necessary raw material. Then during the same period, Ammonia Nitrate was found to be easier and cheaper to manufacture for explosives. Overnight, the boomtowns in Chile became ghost towns.
The Iron Ore mines on the continent of Australia expanded to supply steel for the war effort becoming one of the largest exporters of Iron Ore to Asia. The demand for Iron Ore from this continent to Asia has continued for over 70 years.
Countries not directly involved in combat expanded their populations by receiving vast numbers of European refuges. North America, South America, and Southern Africa became the new homes for these refuges. Assimilating into local communities, these refugees became hardworking members of society and prosperous new business owners.
North America was not as accommodating to Japanese refugees. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor the US established Japanese internment camps. US citizens of Japanese dissent were quarantined into these camps until the end of WW II. This was a humbling, disgraceful hardship for the Japanese community who were law-abiding American citizens.
When Japan began to lose control of the Philippines the jungles of Asia became a hiding place for billions of dollars’ worth of gold, diamonds, and priceless artifacts that Japan had stolen in war from China, Burma, and Jakarta. Some of the treasure was found decades later by a determined treasure hunter. These treasures were stolen again by the Marcos Regime for personal enrichment. The lawsuits to determine the return value of these war treasures remain unsettled.