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HISTORY

The Claim

Germany signed an unconditional surrender on May 7–8, 1945, which is commemorated as V-E Day.

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The Short Version

The historical record supports the claim. Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Reims on May 7, 1945, with a second signing in Berlin on May 8–9, and the surrender took effect on May 8, the date widely commemorated in Western countries as V-E Day. The main caveat is that Russia and some others observe May 9 because of the later Berlin signing and time-zone differences.

Caveats

  • The event was not a single simple moment: a first signing occurred at Reims on May 7, followed by a second Berlin signing late May 8/early May 9.
  • May 8 is the standard V-E Day date in Western Europe and North America, but Russia and some post-Soviet states commemorate May 9.
  • Earlier local German capitulations occurred before the general unconditional surrender, so summaries can blur the sequence of events.

The Receipts

  1. Surrender of Germany (1945)

    National Archives

  2. Why VE Day is celebrated on May 8 in Europe and May 9 in Russia

    Reuters

  3. World War II - Last days of the war in Europe

    Encyclopaedia Britannica

  4. German surrender document, 1945

    Library of Congress

  5. German Surrender Documents

    Yale Law School Avalon Project

  6. V-E Day: Victory in Europe

    U.S. Army

  7. The German Surrender in May 1945

    Museum Berlin-Karlshorst

  8. V-E Day: Victory in Europe

    The National WWII Museum

  9. V-E Day

    Encyclopaedia Britannica

  10. World War II – End of the war in Europe

    Encyclopaedia Britannica

+ 14 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

GermanyV-E Day

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