Heinrich Himmler, IG Farben Auschwitz plant, July 1942

This is an attempt to see World War 2 through the eyes of people who lived or fought on the territories controlled by the Axis powers, originally the Rome–Berlin Axis. Axis' principal members in Europe were Nazi Germany, the Kingdom of Italy, Hungary, and Spain. During World War II, Nazi Germany and Axis powers occupied or controlled a number of countries in Europe and beyond. At its zenith in 1942, the Axis presided over large parts of Europe, North Africa, and East Asia, either through occupation, annexation, or puppet states. The collection is made with an image recognition aid, so a small percentage of images may be wrongly attributed as European & 1939-1945. Here is a list of some of the countries that were occupied or allied with Nazi Germany during the war: Austria: Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, after the Anschluss, which was the union of Austria and Germany. Czechoslovakia: Nazi Germany occupied the western and southern regions of Czechoslovakia in 1938, after the Munich Agreement. The rest of the country was occupied in 1939, after the invasion of Poland. Denmark: Nazi Germany occupied Denmark in 1940, after the invasion of Norway. France: Nazi Germany occupied France in 1940, after the fall of Paris. The French government set up a collaborationist regime in the unoccupied zone of Vichy. Greece: Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Greece in 1941, after the fall of Crete. Italy: Italy was an ally of Nazi Germany during World War II, but was also occupied by German forces after the fall of Mussolini in 1943. Netherlands: Nazi Germany occupied the Netherlands in 1940, after the invasion of Belgium. Norway: Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Norway in 1940. Poland: Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Poland in 1939, at the start of World War II. Belgium: Nazi Germany occupied Belgium in 1940, after the invasion of the Netherlands. Luxembourg: Nazi Germany occupied Luxembourg in 1940, after the invasion of Belgium. Ukraine: Nazi Germany occupied parts of Ukraine during World War II, after the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Belarus: Nazi Germany occupied Belarus during World War II, after the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Russia: Nazi Germany invaded and occupied parts of the Soviet Union during World War II, after the invasion in 1941. Yugoslavia: Nazi Germany occupied parts of Yugoslavia during World War II, after the invasion in 1941. Albania: Nazi Germany occupied Albania in 1943, after the fall of Mussolini. Hungary: Hungary was an ally of Nazi Germany during World War II, but was also occupied by German forces after the fall of the Hungarian government in 1944. Romania: Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany during World War II, but was also occupied by German forces after the fall of the Romanian government in 1944. Bulgaria: Bulgaria was an ally of Nazi Germany during World War II, but was also occupied by German forces after the fall of the Bulgarian government in 1944. Finland: Finland was an ally of Nazi Germany during World War II, but was not occupied by German forces.

Auschwitz concentration camp was a complex of Nazi concentration and extermination camps located in the Polish town of Oświęcim during World War II. It was the largest of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camps, where over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered between 1940 and 1945. The camp was originally established as a detention centre for political prisoners, but quickly became a place for the systematic extermination of Jews, Roma, homosexuals, the disabled and others deemed 'undesirable' by the Nazi regime. The camp was divided into three main areas: Auschwitz I, the administrative centre; Auschwitz II (Birkenau), the extermination camp; and Auschwitz III (Monowitz), a slave labour camp. Conditions at Auschwitz were horrific, with prisoners subjected to forced labour, starvation, disease and medical experiments. The gas chambers and crematoria at Birkenau were used to murder thousands of people every day. Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet troops on 27 January 1945. Today it serves as a museum and memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

The Nuremberg Trials, also known as the Nuremberg process, were a series of trials held in Nuremberg, Germany, from 1945 to 1946, in which leaders of Nazi Germany were prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against peace, and crimes against humanity. The Nuremberg process was initiated by the Allied powers after the end of World War II, with the goal of bringing the major perpetrators of the war to justice. The trials were conducted by the International Military Tribunal (IMT), which was composed of judges from the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The International Military Tribunal (IMT), composed of judges from the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, was established to try the major war criminals, including top Nazi officials such as Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess, and Joachim von Ribbentrop. The IMT also established a framework for subsequent trials of lower-ranking Nazis and collaborators. The defendants were charged with crimes such as waging aggressive war, crimes against peace, and crimes against humanity, including genocide and war crimes. The Nuremberg process was significant because it established the principle that individuals, including heads of state, could be held accountable for their actions, even during times of war. It also introduced the concept of crimes against humanity, which refers to acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population. The Nuremberg process was not without controversy, with some critics arguing that the trials were biased and that the defendants were denied a fair trial and that it was victor's justice, and that the Allied powers were punishing only the defeated Axis powers while ignoring their own war crimes. However, the trials are generally seen as a landmark in the development of international law and the fight against impunity for war crimes and crimes against humanity.