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who were the allies in ww2

The Allies in World War II were the coalition of countries that fought against the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) between 1939 and 1945.

Core Allied powers

Historians usually highlight a core group of major Allied states that carried most of the military and industrial burden.

  • United Kingdom (including its empire and dominions such as India, plus close support from colonies and protectorates)
  • France (initially a principal ally until its defeat in 1940; later, Free France continued the fight alongside the Allies)
  • Soviet Union (joined after Germany invaded it in June 1941)
  • United States (joined after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and Germany declared war on the US)
  • China (fighting Japan since the 1930s, recognized as one of the main Allied powers in the Pacific theatre)

These are often called the “Big Three” (UK, US, USSR) or “Big Four” when China is included.

Other Allied countries

Many other countries either declared war on the Axis, were invaded and their governments continued the fight in exile, or joined later in the war.

Commonly listed Allied nations include:

  • Poland
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa
  • Belgium
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Greece
  • Yugoslavia
  • Czechoslovakia (government-in-exile)
  • Brazil and other Latin American states that declared war on the Axis (for example Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, etc.)
  • Ethiopia, the Philippines, Iraq, Iran, Liberia and others that signed onto the Allied declarations during the war.

In general, any state that aligned itself with the “United Nations” coalition (the wartime name for the Allied grouping, formalized in the Declaration by United Nations of 1942) and fought against the Axis is counted as part of the Allies.

Simple way to remember it

  • The main Allies most people remember: United Kingdom, Soviet Union, United States, China, France.
  • Plus a large ring of supporting and occupied countries (like Poland, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Greece, Norway, Yugoslavia, Brazil and others) that contributed troops, resources, or bases to the common war effort.

TL;DR: The Allies in WW2 were a broad coalition led by the UK, USSR, US, China and France, joined by many other European, Commonwealth, Latin American and occupied states that opposed the Axis powers.