Germany Surrenders Unconditionally: V-E Day Ends Europe's War
Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 8, 1945, known as V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day). The formal ceremony took place at Soviet headquarters in Berlin-Karlshorst, where Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signed for Germany, Marshal Georgy Zhukov for the Soviet Union, and Air Chief Marshal Arthur Tedder for the Western Allies. Celebrations erupted across the Western world: a million people filled Whitehall in London, crowds packed Times Square in New York, and church bells rang in Paris. Churchill addressed the nation from Downing Street. The moment was bittersweet: the war in the Pacific continued, millions of Europeans were displaced refugees, and the full horror of the Holocaust was still being uncovered as Allied forces liberated concentration camps.
May 8, 1945
81 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 8
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