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"Not another war."
— Jacob Kowalski witnessing Gellert Grindelwald's vision of World War 2[src]

The Second World War (also known as World War Two or WWII) was a Muggle military conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945 and involved all of the world's major political powers at the time, specifically the Axis Powers of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan, and the Allied nations of (among others), the United States, United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and Nationalist China.

History[]

In 1927, 12 years prior the war's start, Gellert Grindelwald revealed a vision of the future Second World War (specifically the Blitzkrieg, the Warsaw Uprising, the Holocaust, and the United States' deployment of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki) to his followers as a demonstration of Muggle violence left unchecked by wizards' "guidance", and the growing threat of their weapons and technology. This vision was also witnessed by Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, Queenie Goldstein, Nagini, Leta Lestrange, Yusuf Kama, Credence Barebone, Jacob Kowalski, and multiple Aurors led by Theseus Scamander who had come to break up the rally. Jacob, a veteran of the First World War, was particularly horrified at the thought of a Second World War. Likewise, Queenie was so upset by the atomic bomb in particular that it served as a final inducement to join Grindelwald.[1]

Frank Bryce was called for military service during the Second World War. During the War, his leg was wounded and forced him to leave the service early, being back at Little Hangleton by 1943.[2]

In 1945, the same year the Second World War ended, Grindelwald's Global Wizarding War would end too, when Albus Dumbledore engaged his former friend in a duel of legendary proportions. Dumbledore would ultimately win the Elder Wand from Grindelwald, and have the defeated Dark wizard imprisoned in Nurmengard.

Behind the scenes[]

  • In the W.O.M.B.A.T. aptitude test, it is mentioned that a secret task force of wizards and Muggles may have helped the Allies to victory in the Second World War. However, as this was only one of several possible choices, it is unknown if this is true.
  • The Global War happening during this time period is merely a coincidence, and the Second Wizarding War references the horrible nature of this said war.
  • The fact that Albus Dumbledore defeated Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in 1945 may be based on the Allies' victory over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
  • J. K. Rowling draws several parallels between the pure-blood supremacy and Nazi ideology in her works. Rowling consciously drew such parallels: "The expressions 'pure-blood', 'half-blood' and 'Muggle-born' have been coined by people to whom these distinctions matter, and express their originators' prejudice. As far as somebody like Lucius Malfoy is concerned, for instance, a Muggle-born is as 'bad' as a Muggle. Therefore Harry would be considered only 'half' wizard, because of his mother's grandparents. If you think this is far-fetched, look at some of the real charts the Nazis used to show what constituted 'Aryan' or 'Jewish' blood [...] The Nazis used precisely the same warped logic as the Death Eaters. A single Jewish grandparent 'polluted' the blood, according to their propaganda".[3]
  • While one of Rolanda Hooch's lines in the GBA video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone refers to the "Great War", there are differences in some of the translations to other languages. In the Brazilian Portuguese translation, Hooch talks about the Second World War ("Segunda Guerra"), as she does in the Danish translation ("2. verdenskrig").

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

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