when did wwii begin?
By a well established convention the dates are generally given as 1 September 1939 to 2 September 1945. The Second World War has start and end points that differ slightly, depending on national perspectives and on what part of the world is being described. In Europe, the war began with Hitler's attack on Poland, September 1st, 1939. Britain and France had defense treaties with Poland regarding a possible German attack, and declared war on Germany two days later.