In 1938 , at the outbreak of World War II , which had a larger population , the Western Allies ( United Kingdom , France , Poland and British Dominions ) or the European Axis ( Germany and Italy )
By the beginning of 1942 , the major combatants were aligned as follows : the British Commonwealth , the United States , and the Soviet Union were fighting Germany and Italy ; and the British Commonwealth , China , and the United States were fighting Japan .