BERLIN, GERMANY. 1945-07. AMERICAN GENERALS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (LEFT), GEORGE S. PATTON (CENTRE) WITH UNITED STATES PRESIDENT HARRY S. TRUMAN AT A FLAG RAISING CEREMONY. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION)
80TH ANNIVERSARY VICTORY IN EUROPE DAY
8 MAY 1945 to 8 MAY 2025
After nearly six years of war, Germany officially surrendered unconditionally to the Allies at Rheims on 7th May 1945. Nearly six years of war that had cost the lives of millions, destroyed homes, families and cities and had brought huge suffering and privations to the populations of entire countries.
WW2 lasted 2,076 days, beginning with Germany’s invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, ending when Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Western Allies and Russia on 7 May 1945.
Hitler commits suicide
Adolf Hitler, the man who led the Nazi party to power in Germany, the Third Reich and was Germany’s first Nazi dictator committed suicide on 30 April 1945 at his Führerbunke, Berlin – leaving behind the Nazi creation of thuggery, horror, violence, destruction, hatred and murder of European Jews.
Hitler chose his successor – Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz – a gifted naval officer and devoted Nazi, but he had come up through the ranks of the military, not the Nazi party, unlike other prominent leaders of the Third Reich. The two men were never closely associated.
[Dönitz began his military career in 1910, enlisted in the German Imperial Navy. He received a commission in 1913 and requested a transfer to the burgeoning German submarine force in 1916. Dönitz took command of U-boat UB-68 in 1918. His time as a submarine captain did not last long, however. While operating in the Mediterranean, his submarine suffered technical malfunctions that forced it to the surface. Rather than let the U-boat fall into enemy hands, Dönitz scuttled the vessel and surrendered to the British. He spent the rest of the war in a British POW camp.]
Donitz – Successor to Hitler
Karl Dönitz’s two sons, Peter and Klaus, both died in World War II while serving in the German Navy. Peter died on May 19, 1943, when his submarine, U-954, was sunk in the North Atlantic. Klaus died on May 13, 1944, aboard a torpedo boat, S-141, which was also sunk, off the coast of Selsey, England.
When Dönitz learned of Eisenhower’s insistence on a simultaneous German surrender on all fronts without the destruction of ships or airplanes, the German leader regarded it as unacceptable. From Dönitz’s headquarters in the town of Flensburg on the Danish border, he instructed his lieutenants to cable Eisenhower that a complete capitulation was impossible but a capitulation in the west would be immediately accepted. Eisenhower held steadfast in his resolve and threatened to resume bombing raids and close borders to those fleeing from the east if Dönitz did not sign a surrender on May 7. Only when Dönitz was faced with this threat of consigning all German soldiers outside American lines to Soviet captivity did he finally agree to surrender. The fact that the capitulation would not go into effect until midnight on May 8 was a small consolation that gave German soldiers 48 hours to flee to American lines. Dönitz authorized General Alfred Jodl to sign the document of surrender, which the latter did at 2:41 AM on May 7 at Reims in occupied France. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin then insisted on another signing ceremony in Berlin which took place in the early morning hours of May 9.
Hitler had sealed the fates of German soldiers years earlier by insisting on a policy of no retreat.
Above: Donitz and Hitler
Karl Dönitz, as head of state, had ordered continuation of the war in the East, aiming to facilitate the evacuation of German soldiers and civilians from the eastern front before surrender. In fact Donitz firstly wished to prolong the war as long as possible.
Dönitz attempted to negotiate a favorable surrender with the western allies in order to avoid abandoning German soldiers and equipment to the Soviet Union. Dönitz knew that Soviet captivity would likely mean death for hundreds of thousands of German soldiers. But Hitler had sealed these soldiers’ fates years earlier by insisting on a policy of no retreat. Dönitz had endorsed this decision not only by supporting Hitler but by ordering German sailors to face Soviet tanks in Berlin.
Donitz sent General Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Army to Rheims to meet with the Allies and sign the surrender.
RHEIMS, FRANCE – Signing the Surrender
Present at Reims were representatives of the four Allied Powers – France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States – and the three German officers delegated by German President Karl Doenitz.
Above: With General Alfred Jodl, who was the authorised signatory, were his aide Major Willhelm Oxenius and Admiral Hans-George von Friedeburg who was a chief German negotiator.
After the war, Jodl was sentenced to hang for his war crimes.
Oxenius was a key figure in the surrender process, present at the signing ceremony at Reims with Jodl and General Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg. He was a member of the German delegation and also served as a translator.
Willhelm Oxenius served as a staff officer at the Operations Directorate of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW).[Operations. Officially, the OKW served as the military general staff for the Third Reich, coordinating the efforts of the army, navy, and air force.]
He also served as an Operations Officer for Panzergruppe West in France during June 1944. [June 1944, Panzergruppe West was a key German amored formation in France, actively defending against the Allkied Normandy invasion.They were primarily focused on the area around Caen, attempting to contain the British and Canadian forces. The RAF Raid on La Caine, which killed many of their staff and wounded their commander, significantly impacted their operations.]
Admiral von Friedeburg
Admiral Hans-George von Friedeburg was the only representative of the armed forces to be present at the signing of the German instruments of surrender in Luneburg Heath on 4 May 1945, in Reims on 7 May and in Berlin on 8 May 1945.
From Sept 1941 Hans-Georg von Friedeburg was the deputy commander of the U-Boat Forces of Nazi Germany and the last Commanding Admiral of the Kriegsmarine. From Sept 1941 he oversaw training and deployment of the U-boat bases in France. In Feb 1943 he took command of the U-boat force.
When Dönitz became Reich President on 1 May 1945 von Friedeburg succeeded him as Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine, the German Navy. He was heavily involved in preparing and signing the German surrender in early May 1945.
Von Friedeburg committed suicide shortly afterwards, upon the dissolution of the Flensburg Government.
LT GEN WALTER BEDELL SMITH
Lt. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, SHAEF chief of staff, led the Allied delegation as the representative of General Eisenhower. Eisenhower refused to meet with the Germans until the surrender had been accomplished. Other American officers present were Maj. Gen. Harold R. Bull and Gen. Carl Spaatz.
After the signing of the Reims accord, Soviet chief of staff Gen. Alexei Antonov expressed concern to SHAEF that the continued fighting in the east between Germany and the Soviet Union made the Reims surrender look like a separate peace. The Soviet command wanted the Act of Military Surrender, with certain additions and alterations, to be signed at Berlin. To the Soviets, the documents signed at Berlin on May 8, 1945, represented the official, legal surrender of the Third Reich. But the Berlin document had few significant changes from the one signed a day earlier at Reims.
On 7 May, at his headquarters in Reims, France, Supreme Allied Commander General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of all German forces. The document of surrender was signed on behalf of Germany by General Alfred Jodl and came into effect the following day.
Above: Reims, France. The Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).
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Signatories: General Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Armed Forces High Command, signed for Germany.
Terms of Surrender: All German forces were to cease active operations at 23:01 hours Central European Time on May 8, 1945.
Significance: This surrender effectively ended the war in Europe.
Subsequent Surrender: Due to complications with the Soviet Union’s representation, a second surrender ceremony was held in Berlin on May 9, 1945. This date is widely recognized as Victory in Europe Day (VE Day).
The surrender was initially signed at Reims on May 7, 1945, but a second signing ceremony was held at Berlin on May 8, 1945, to include Soviet representatives. While the Reims surrender was important, the Berlin signing is generally considered the official, legal surrender of Nazi Germany.
On the night of May 8th 1945, representatives of the victorious Allies finally received the official surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, in a former army officers’ canteen, in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst.
Soviet leader Josef Stalin wanted his own ceremony. At Berlin on 8 May, therefore, a further document was signed – this time by German Field Marshal William Keitel. Dönitz’s plan was partially successful and millions of German soldiers surrendered to Allied forces, thereby escaping Soviet capture.
German Surrender Berlin 8 May 1945
The German surrender in Berlin on May 8, 1945, was signed by Field Marshall Willhelm Keitel, Colonel-General Hans-Jurgen Stumpff and General -Admiral Hans Georg Von Friedeburg representing the German High Command. (Keital was a known ‘Yes-man’ to Hitler’.) Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov, who had led the 1st Belorussian Front into Berlin in April 1945 would attend on behalf of the Supreme High Command of the Soviet Red Army, with Marshal Arthur Tedder of the Royal Air Force, representing the Allied Expeditionary Force.
Three representatives of the armed services of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) had arrived earlier in the day from the western German city of Flensburg by plane – when finally met by the Allied representatives at 10pm they would engage in over two hours of deliberations until the instrument of surrender was finally signed at 00:16 on May 9th (Central European Time).
Shortly after midnight, the surrender was signed on behalf of the German High Command by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Colonel-General Hans-Jürgen Stumpff and General-Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg. Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov signed the document on behalf of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army and British Air Marshal Arthur W. Tedder as deputy of the Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force. After the signature, Zhukov invited his Western Allies to a banquet.
Below: Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel at the signing. He was later sentenced to death for war crimes and hanged on October 16, 1946.
Above: Left Colonel-General Hans Jurgen Stumpff served as the Luftwaffe representative at the signing of the unconditional surrender of Germany in Berlin. Stumpff was released from British captivity in 1947; he died in 1968.
Right: General-Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg, German naval officer during World War II who served as the second-to-last Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (German Navy). He also served as the deputy commander of the U-boat Forces. Attended the surrender and signing in Berlin. He committed suicide 23 May 1945 aged 49 years.
8 May 1945: Berlin, Field Marshall Keitel signed the unconditional surrender to the Red Army on behalf of the Wehrmacht. One day earlier Germany had capitulated to the Western Allies in Reims, France.
Above: London, Churchill waves to the massive crowd at Whitehall.
Statiticians caculated there was nearly 40 kg rubble per person from the Berlin ruins.
Above and below: The Reichtag
Berlin was bombed 363 times by US, UK and Russia.
MARSHAL GEORGY ZHUKOV – HERO OF THE SOVIET UNION 1945
There is much written about the life of General Zhukov and many myths.
Here are some facts:
He was born into rural peasant poverty and sought a better life in Moscow at a young age.
He joined the Red Army in the Russian Civil War and rose to become head of Soviet forces in Manchuria (1938–39).
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Defense of Moscow: Zhukov was instrumental in defending the Soviet capital from the German advance in 1941.
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Defense and Counteroffensive at Stalingrad: He oversaw the defense of Stalingrad and planned the successful counteroffensive that encircled the German Sixth Army.
Battle of Kursk: Zhukov’s leadership was crucial in the Soviet victory at Kursk, a major turning point in the war on the Eastern Front.
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Belorussian Offensive: Zhukov commanded the Soviet offensive through Belorussia, contributing to the collapse of the German Army Group Centre.
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Final Assault on Berlin: He personally commanded the final assault on Berlin, which led to the German surrender.
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He returned to Moscow a popular hero and was soon out of favour with Stalin.
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After Stalin’s death, Zhukov returned to favour, becoming minister of defence in 1955. He then fell out with Nikita Khrushchev, who sacked him in October 1957. The two men developed significant political differences. Khruschev’s fall in 1964 allowed the restoration of Zhukov’s reputation, although he was not appointed to office again. He died on 18 June 1974.
‘On 16 November, 1944 Zhukov became commander of the 1st Belorussian Front which took part in the Vistula–Oder Offensive and the battle of Berlin. He called on his troops to
“remember our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, our wives and children tortured to death by the Germans. We shall exact a brutal revenge for everything.“
More than 20 million Soviet soldiers and civilians died as a result of the war. In a reprise of atrocities committed by German soldiers against Soviet civilians in the eastward advance into Soviet territory during Operation Barbarossa, the westward march by Soviet forces was marked by brutality towards German civilians, which included looting, burning and rapes.’
The Monument of MARSHALL ZHUKOV
Above: the monument commemorates Marshall Georgy Zhukov, who was responsible for much of the Soviet Victory in during World War II.
Above: Zhukov with Montgomery
Dwight D. Eisenhower played a key role in the end of World War II in Europe. He was Supreme Allied Commander overseeing the Allied forces that decisively defeated Nazi Germany. The German surrender was signed at Eisenhower’s headquarters in Reims, France, on May 7, 1945. This event marked VE Day (Victory in Europe Day)
Above: Winston Churchill and Eisenhower March 1945.
Above: Churchill, Eisenhower & Stalin. Both Eisenhower and Roosevelt were highly regarded. Stalin often repeated to the Allies that he was not interested in Berlin. Assured them it was of no interest! Well that is a lie. Stalin at the same time was ordering his armies to fast-track their days to Berlin. Taking Berlin was to be their priority!
Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin
The Soviets had taken Berlin. But it was not to be theirs entirely. At the Yalta conference in February, the Allies had agreed to divide the city between them. America, Britain, and France soon brought their areas together to form West Berlin, an island off the west amid the Soviet-controlled sea of East Germany.
With WW2 over, the Cold War began in Europe.
The war in Europe was over however, for Australia at this time most of our troops were fighting the Pacific war or were POWs of Japan – the War had not ended here. It would be another 3-4 months before our men would come home. Japan surrendered 15 August 1945, however it would be another month or more before all the POW’S would be located and freed.
A section of the huge crowd attending the Shrine of Remembrance for the VE Day service on 9 May 1945.
Watch the VE Day Australian War Memorial Canberra.
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/ve_day
Dönitz and his administration were allowed to remain in Flensburg for another two weeks. They spent their time holding cabinet meetings in which they debated meaningless matters of policy such as whether portraits of Hitler should be removed. Dönitz was finally arrested by the allies on May 23.
In the postwar era, Dönitz portrayed himself as a professional soldier who knew nothing of Hitler’s war plans or atrocities. In reality, Dönitz was a fervent believer in Adolf Hitler and privately admitted he knew about German concentration camps as early as 1934. He similarly tried to portray his actions at the end of the war as an effort to save German soldiers from the clutches of communism. In reality, his orders failed to preserve most troops in the east because he did not order German troops facing American, British, and French forces in the west to stop fighting. Nor did he permit German troops in the east to retreat until it was too late.
In 1946 he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment by the International Military Tribunal at Nürnberg. He was released from prison in 1956 and retired on a government pension.
There exists many estimations of the number of death during WW2. Below is another.
10 Countries With The Highest World War II Fatalities
- Soviet Union – 24,000,000
- China – 19,500,000
- Germany – 7,700,000
- Poland – 5,600,000
- Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) – 3,500,000
- Japan – 2,850,000
- India – 2,087,000
- French Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) – 1,250,000
- Yugoslavia – 1,000,000
- Romania – 833,000
ANOTHER ESTIMATION OF NUMBER OF DEATHS:
1. CHINA – 20 M
2. RUSSIA 13.9M
3. UKRAINE 6.8M
4. POLAND 6M
5. GERMANY 5.7M
6. JAPAN 3.1M
7. INDIA 3.1M
9. BELARUS 2.3M
10. MYANMAR 1M