VE day: 69 years ago this week.

[Statistikhengst]

Victory in Europe Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


On this day 69 years ago, the Germans surrended unconditionally to all Allied forces. It was May 7th, 1945, at 02:41 am in the city of Reims, France, at Eisenhower's Headquarters. The unconditional surrender of the German "Wehrmacht" was set to go in effect at 15:00 (3:00 pm) on May 8th.

And here, the Allied Generals celebrating after the signing:

2nd from the right: Dwight D. Eisenhower, one of the greatest Generals and also undoubtably one of the greatest Presidents in our history.

Here, some silent film of the signing:



The Russians were unhappy with the arrangement and demanded that the Germans also surrender to them at Zhukov's headquarters as well and so...

...on May 8th, the Germans surrended unconditionally in Berlin (it was already May 9th in Russia) to the Russians.

Here some british newsreel of the surrender:



Part of the reason WHY the Germans decided to sign the surrender in the middle of the night and to surrender at the western headquarters first was to give them enough time to allow as many of their soldiers and citizens the chance to slip into US-American, British and French occupied territories, for most Germans were completely terrified of what would happen to them were they to fall under Russian control, considering the atrocities they had committed upon millions of Russians during the war. There was a MASSIVE flight of people on May 7th - any way they could, into US occupied areas of Germany.

So, VE-Day is technically not just one day, but rather, a span of three days.

But by the time the news was officially released at home in the USA and the big party was underway, it was May 8th, which was also President Harry Truman's birthday. This was an interesting mix of joy and melancholy, for the nation was still mourning the passing of FDR - and flags, which had been ordered to fly at half-mast following his death on April 12th, stayed at half-mast during the spontaneous celebrations that happened throughout our Union on May 8th.

Here is one newsreel from the surrender:



Circa 2 weeks before, American Forces had just met up with and toasted with Russian Forces at Torgau on the Elbe and had also occupied Junkers Werke and the Residenzstadt Dessau (80 minutes away from Berlin). This day is known as Elbe Day.

Lots of staged photos were taken for the press on that day:

It was so historic, we made a stamp about it:

I visited Torgau in 1999 and stood on that bridge, completely rebuilt in 1997. Here is how that bridge looks today:

It was a deeply moving experience for me in ways I can't even describe. I plan to visit Torgau with some friends again this summer.


A couple of thoughts:


Next year will be the 70th anniversary of VE-Day.

Assuming an average age of 20 for a soldier who was still fighting the war when it ended, this means that the few Vets left out there will be around 90 or older next year.

"The Greatest Generation" is dying out.

There will probably be lots and lots of rememberances next year about this.

If you see a WWII vet today, why not shake his hand, why not hug him and thank him for what he did back then? Let him know that we have not forgotten his generation.

Here's to the Allies 69 years ago!



[MENTION=36767]Bloodrock44[/MENTION] [MENTION=15726]Hossfly[/MENTION]

 

[Statistikhengst]

If you have the time and can stomach this, here is 58 minutes of unedited film from the very end of the war, put together, without commentary. A lot of it is color film.




Film from all sides of the spectrum. I was kind of amazed to see this kind of film collage.

 

[jon_berzerk]

Assuming an average age of 20 for a soldier who was still fighting the war when it ended

my dad was 24 at the end of the war

 

[guno]

Assuming an average age of 20 for a soldier who was still fighting the war when it ended

my dad was 24 at the end of the war

The same age as my dad , he was Navy

 

[jon_berzerk]

Assuming an average age of 20 for a soldier who was still fighting the war when it ended

my dad was 24 at the end of the war

The same age as my dad , he was Navy

dad was in the army pacific

when he returned home

he out processed pows in Minnesota and Iowa

for a short time

 

[Statistikhengst]

Assuming an average age of 20 for a soldier who was still fighting the war when it ended

my dad was 24 at the end of the war

Sounds about right, a range from 18-25.

 

[Statistikhengst]

Assuming an average age of 20 for a soldier who was still fighting the war when it ended

my dad was 24 at the end of the war

The same age as my dad , he was Navy

My paternal Grandpa was 27 when it ended, but he was in the Pacific, at Okinawa.

 

[Sunni Man]

My father was 20 when the war ended.

He was with the 10 Mountain Division and participated in the invasion of Sicily and then fought the entire length of Italy. Ending up at the Po valley in northern Italy when the war ended. (Purple Heart and Bronze Star)


His brother, my uncle, was a U.S. Marine who fought at Iwo Jima and hated Jap's until the day he died.

Decades after the war would still constantly refer to those "son's of Tojo" in expletive laden language. ..

 

[SFC Ollie]

I have 2 members of my post who are still active in the post who are WW2 veterans. One recently received the Knight of the French Legion of Honor medal from the French Government.

 

[Swagger]

My headmaster, Mr. Walsh, a fearsome Irishman, lost an eye on Sword beach. He always wore an eye patch. Someone in my class once worked up the courage to ask my geography master what it was like on the beaches, to which he turned from the blackboard, looked him in the eye and said: "Like stepping into another world", before returning to the lesson at hand. And that's all he ever said on the matter.

There's long been a rumour that boxing and orienteering were heavily promoted in the national curriculum after the war by a secret society of ex-officers working for the Education Secretary to prepare young men for the possibility of an invasion, such was their fear of it, having come so close to enduring an enemy occupation.

 

[SFC Ollie]

My Uncle landed on D Day.Omaha Beach He never talked about any of his service. Until one day when I was home on leave, he invited me to watch the Longest Day with him. Most of what he said during the movie amounted to "yep" Until the one scene where General George A Taylor was walking around yelling for people to get up and move " The only ones staying on this beach are the dead and those who are going to die." At that point Uncle Harry said, "Nope. They cut it. I was just 3 feet to his left and they didn't show me, they screwed up."

 

[srlip]

Brokaw got it right. We shall never again see their like, much less their numbers.

 

[Moonglow]

My Grandfather landed in Normandy and said he walked all the way to Austria, that's all he would ever tell us..