When the act of surrender is signed. Major General of the French Army
May 8, 1945 in the suburbs of Berlin Karshorst was signed by the Act of unconditional surrender Nazi Germany and its armed forces.
The act of Germany's unconditional surrender was signed twice. On behalf of Dönitz, Hitler's successor after his presumed death, Jodl suggested that the Allies accept Germany's surrender and arrange for the signing of the corresponding act on 10 May. Eisenhower refused to even discuss the postponement and gave Yodl half an hour to decide on the immediate signing of the act, threatening that otherwise the Allies would continue to deliver massive strikes against the German troops. The German representatives had no choice, and after agreement with Dönitz, Jodl agreed to sign the act.
On the part of the command of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, the act was to be witnessed by General Beddel Smith. Eisenhower proposed from the Soviet side to witness the act to Major General I.A. Susloparov, a former representative of the Headquarters of the Allied Command. Susloparov, as soon as he learned about the preparation of the act for signing, reported this to Moscow and handed over the text of the prepared document, requesting instructions on the procedure.
By the time the signing of the act of surrender began (it was tentatively scheduled for 2 hours and 30 minutes), no response was received from Moscow. The situation developed in such a way that the act could not have been signed by the Soviet representative at all, so Susloparov achieved the inclusion of a note in it about the possibility, at the request of one of the allied states, of a new signing of the act, if there were objective reasons for this. Only after that did he agree to put his signature under the act, although he understood that he was extremely risky.
Germany's surrender was signed on May 7 at 2:40 CET. The act provided that unconditional surrender comes into force from 23:00 on May 8. After that, a belated ban on Susloparov from participating in the signing of the act came from Moscow. The Soviet side insisted on signing the act in Berlin with a significant increase in the level of persons who would sign the act and testify to it with their signatures. Stalin instructed Marshal Zhukov to organize a new signing of the act.
Fortunately, the note, which was included at the request of Susloparov in the signed document, allowed this to be done. Sometimes the second signing of the act is called the ratification of what was signed the day before. There are legal grounds for this, since on May 7 G.K. Zhukov received an official order from Moscow: "The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command authorizes you to ratify the protocol on the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces."
To resolve the issue of a new signing of the act, but for more high level, Stalin joined in, turning to Churchill and Truman: “The treaty signed in Reims cannot be canceled, but it cannot be recognized. Surrender must be committed as the most important historical act and accepted not on the territory of the winners, but where the fascist aggression came from, in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the supreme command of all countries anti-Hitler coalition».
As a result, the United States and England agreed to carry out a new signing of the act, and the document signed in Reims to be considered the "Preliminary Protocol on the Surrender of Germany." At the same time, Churchill and Truman refused to postpone the announcement of the signing of the act for a day, as Stalin asked, arguing that heavy fighting was still going on on the Soviet-German front, and we had to wait until the surrender came into force, that is, until 23:00 on May 8 . In England and the United States, the signing of the act and the surrender of Germany to the Western Allies was officially announced on May 8, Churchill and Truman did it personally, addressing the people by radio. In the USSR, the text of their appeals was published in newspapers, but for obvious reasons only on May 10th.
It is curious that Churchill, knowing that the end of the war would be announced in the USSR after the signing of a new act, said in his radio address: “Today we will probably think mainly about ourselves. Tomorrow we will give special praise to our Russian comrades, whose valor on the battlefield was one of the great contributions to the common victory.
Opening the ceremony, Marshal Zhukov addressed the audience, declaring: “We, representatives of the Supreme Command of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces ... are authorized by the governments of the anti-Hitler coalition to accept the unconditional surrender of Germany from the German military command.” After that, representatives of the German command entered the hall, presenting a document of authority signed by Dönitz.
The signing of the act ended at 22:43 CET. It was already May 9 in Moscow (0 hours 43 minutes). On the German side, the act was signed by the Chief of Staff of the Supreme High Command of the Armed Forces of Germany, Field Marshal Wilhelm Bodevin Johann Gustav Keitel, the Chief of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe, Colonel General of Aviation Hans Jurgen Stumpf, and General Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, who became the Reich President of Germany after the appointment of Dönitz. Unconditional surrender was accepted by Marshal Zhukov (from the Soviet side) and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Force Marshal Tedder (Eng. Arthur William Tedder) (Great Britain).
General Carl Spaatz (USA) and General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (France) put their signatures as witnesses. By agreement between the governments of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, an agreement was reached to consider the procedure in Reims preliminary. However, in Western historiography, the signing of the surrender of the German armed forces, as a rule, is associated with the procedure in Reims, and the signing of the act of surrender in Berlin is referred to as its "ratification"
Soon, the solemn voice of Yuri Levitan sounded from radios throughout the country: “On May 8, 1945, representatives of the German High Command signed an act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces in Berlin. The Great Patriotic War waged by the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders has ended victoriously.
Germany is completely destroyed. Comrades, Red Army, Red Navy, sergeants, foremen, officers of the army and navy, generals, admirals and marshals, I congratulate you on the victorious end of the Great Patriotic War. Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the battles for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!”
By order of I. Stalin, a grandiose salute from a thousand guns was given that day in Moscow. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in commemoration of the victorious end of the Great Patriotic War Soviet people against the Nazi invaders and the historic victories of the Red Army, May 9 was declared Victory Day.
KIEV, May 8 - RIA Novosti Ukraine. Seventy-one years ago, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany was signed.
Below is some background information.
On May 8, 1945, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany was signed, a legal document establishing a truce on the fronts of World War II directed against Germany, obliging the German armed forces to stop resistance, surrender personnel and transfer materiel to the enemy, and in fact meant the withdrawal of Germany from the war.
The document marked the years 1941-1945 and the end of World War II in Europe.
The act of surrender was signed twice.
In the last months of the existence of the Nazi regime in Germany, the authorities intensified numerous attempts to conclude a separate peace with the Western powers. The German generals planned to capitulate to the Anglo-American troops, continuing the war with the USSR. To sign the surrender in Reims (France), where the headquarters of the commander of the Western Allies, US Army General Dwight Eisenhower, was located, the German command sent a special group that tried to achieve a separate surrender to Western front, but the allied governments did not consider it possible to enter into such negotiations.
Under these conditions, the German envoy Alfred Jodl agreed to the final signing of the act of surrender, having previously received permission from the German leadership, but the authority given to Jodl remained the wording to conclude an "armistice agreement with General Eisenhower's headquarters."
On May 7, 1945, Germany's unconditional surrender was signed for the first time in Reims. On behalf of the German High Command, it was signed by Colonel-General Alfred Jodl, Chief of the Operational Staff of the German High Command, on behalf of the Anglo-American side, Lieutenant General of the US Army, Chief of the General Staff of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, Walter Bedell Smith, and on behalf of the USSR, the representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command at Allied Command Major General Ivan Susloparov.
Also, the Act was signed by the Deputy Chief of the French National Defense Staff, Brigadier General Francois Sevez, as a witness. The capitulation of Nazi Germany came into force on May 8 at 23.01 CET (May 9 at 01.01 Kyiv time). The document was drawn up in English language and only the English text was recognized as official.
The Soviet representative, General Susloparov, who by this time had not received instructions from the Supreme High Command, signed the act with the proviso that this document should not exclude the possibility of signing another act at the request of one of the allied countries.
The text of the act of surrender signed in Reims differed from the document that had long been developed and agreed between the allies. The document entitled "Unconditional Surrender of Germany" was government approved United States on August 9, 1944, the government of the USSR on August 21, 1944 and the government of England on September 21, 1944 and was an extensive text of fourteen clearly worded articles, which, in addition to the military terms of surrender, also stated that the USSR, the USA and England "will have with regard to Germany by the supreme power" and will present additional political, administrative, economic, financial, military and other requirements. In contrast, the text signed at Reims was brief, containing only five articles, and dealt exclusively with the surrender of German armies on the battlefield.
After that, in the West, the war was considered over. On this basis, the United States and Great Britain proposed that on May 8 the leaders of the three powers officially declare victory over Germany. The Soviet government did not agree and demanded the signing of an official act of unconditional surrender of Germany, since fighting on the Soviet-German front still continued. Forced to sign the Reims Act, the German side immediately violated it. German Chancellor Admiral Karl Doenitz ordered the German troops to Eastern Front retreat to the west as quickly as possible, and, if necessary, fight their way there.
Stalin stated that the Act should be solemnly signed in Berlin: “The treaty signed in Reims cannot be canceled, but it cannot be recognized. , - in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the supreme command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. Following this statement, the Allies agreed to hold a second signing ceremony for the act of unconditional surrender of Germany and its armed forces in Berlin.
Since it was not easy to find a whole building in the destroyed Berlin, it was decided to carry out the procedure for signing the act on the outskirts of Berlin Karlshorst in the building where the club of the fortification school of sappers of the German Wehrmacht used to be. It was prepared for this room.
The acceptance of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany from the Soviet side was entrusted to Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov. Under the protection of British officers, a German delegation was brought to Karlshorst, which had the authority to sign an act of unconditional surrender.
On May 8, at exactly 22:00 CET (24:00 Kiev time), representatives of the Soviet Supreme High Command, as well as the allied high command, entered the hall decorated with the state flags of the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain and France. The hall was attended by Soviet generals, whose troops participated in the storming of Berlin, as well as Soviet and foreign journalists. The signing ceremony was opened by Marshal Zhukov, who greeted the representatives of the allied armies in Berlin occupied by the Soviet Army.
After that, on his orders, the German delegation was brought into the hall. At the suggestion of the Soviet representative, the head of the German delegation presented a document on his powers, signed by Doenitz. The German delegation was then asked whether it had the Act of Unconditional Surrender in hand and whether it had studied it. After an affirmative answer, the representatives of the German armed forces, at the sign of Marshal Zhukov, signed an act drawn up in nine copies (three copies each in Russian, English and German). Then the representatives of the allied forces put their signatures.
From the German side, the act was signed by the head of the Wehrmacht Supreme High Command, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, the Luftwaffe (Air Force) representative, Colonel General Hans Stumpf, and the Kriegsmarine (Navy Forces) representative, Admiral Hans von Friedeburg. Unconditional surrender was accepted by Marshal Georgy Zhukov (from the Soviet side) and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Marshal Arthur Tedder (Great Britain). General Carl Spaats (USA) and General Jean de Latre de Tassigny (France) put their signatures as witnesses. The document stipulated that only the English and Russian texts were authentic. One copy of the act was immediately handed over to Keitel. Another original copy of the act on the morning of May 9 was delivered by plane to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army.
The procedure for signing the surrender ended on May 8 at 22.43 CET (May 9 at 0.43 Kyiv time). In conclusion, a large reception was held in the same building for representatives of the allies and guests, which lasted until the morning.
After the signing of the act, the German government was dissolved, and the German troops completely laid down their arms.
The date of the official announcement of the signing of the surrender (May 8 in Europe and America, May 9 in the USSR) began to be celebrated as Victory Day in Europe and the USSR, respectively.
A complete copy (i.e., in three languages) of the German Military Surrender Act, as well as an original document signed by Doenitz, certifying the credentials of Keitel, Friedeburg and Stumpf, are stored in the collection of international treaty acts of the Archive foreign policy Russian Federation. Another original copy of the act is located in Washington in the US National Archives.
The document signed in Berlin is, with the exception of minor details, a repetition of the text signed in Reims, but it was important that the German command surrendered in Berlin itself.
The act also contains an article that provided for the replacement of the signed text with "another general instrument of surrender." Such a document, called the "Declaration on the Defeat of Germany and the Assumption of Supreme Power by the Governments of the Four Allied Powers," was signed on June 5, 1945, in Berlin by the four Allied Commanders-in-Chief. It almost completely reproduced the text of the document on unconditional surrender, worked out in London by the European Consultative Commission and approved by the governments of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain in 1944.
Now in the building where the signing of the act took place, there is a German-Russian museum "Berlin-Karlshorst".
In 1945, on May 8, in Karshorst (a suburb of Berlin) at 22.43 Central European time, the final Act of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and its armed forces was signed. It is no coincidence that this act is called final, since it was not the first.
From the moment the Soviet troops closed the ring around Berlin, the German military leadership faced the historical question of preserving Germany as such. For obvious reasons, the German generals wanted to capitulate to the Anglo-American troops, continuing the war with the USSR.
To sign the surrender to the Allies, the German command sent a special group and on the night of May 7 in the city of Reims (France) a preliminary act of Germany's surrender was signed. This document stipulated the possibility of continuing the war against Soviet army.
However, the absolute condition of the Soviet Union remained the demand for the unconditional surrender of Germany as a fundamental condition for the complete cessation of hostilities. The Soviet leadership considered the signing of the act in Reims only an intermediate document, and was also convinced that the act of surrender of Germany should be signed in the capital of the aggressor country.
At the insistence of the Soviet leadership, the generals and personally Stalin, the representatives of the allies gathered again in Berlin and on May 8, 1945 signed another act of surrender of Germany together with the main winner - the USSR. That is why the German Unconditional Surrender Act is called final.
The solemn signing ceremony of the act was organized in the building of the Berlin military engineering school and was chaired by Marshal Zhukov. Under the final Act of unconditional surrender of Germany and its armed forces are the signatures of Field Marshal W. Keitel, Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy Admiral von Friedeburg, Colonel General of Aviation G. Stumpf. On the part of the Allies, the Act was signed by G.K. Zhukov and British Marshal A. Tedder.
After the signing of the Act, the German government was dissolved, and the defeated German troops were completely laid down. Between May 9 and 17, Soviet troops captured about 1.5 million German soldiers and officers, as well as 101 generals. The Great Patriotic War ended with the complete victory of the Soviet army and its people.
In the USSR, the signing of the final Act of Germany's unconditional surrender was announced when it was already May 9, 1945 in Moscow. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in commemoration of the victorious end of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders, May 9 was declared Victory Day.
After the fall of Berlin and the Fuhrer's suicide, Germany recognized itself defeated.
On May 6, 1945, Grand Admiral Doenitz, who was the de facto head of the fascist German state and commander-in-chief of the remnants of the Wehrmacht, agreed to unconditional surrender.
Photo. General Jodl during the signing of the preliminary protocol.
On the night of May 7, the allies in the Anti-Hitler coalition, in Reims, where Eisenhower's headquarters were located, signed a preliminary protocol on the surrender of the Wehrmacht. According to him, from 23:00 on May 8, hostilities ceased on all fronts.
On behalf of the Soviet Union, the protocol was signed by General I.D. Susloparov, on behalf of the Western allies - General W. Smith and on behalf of Germany - General Jodl. Only a witness was present from France.
Photo. Signing of the preliminary protocol of surrender.
After the signing of this act, our Western allies hastened to notify the world of Germany's surrender to the American and British troops. However, Stalin insisted that “surrender must be carried out as the most important historical act, and accepted not on the territory of the winners, but where the fascist aggression came from - in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the supreme command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition."
Photo. Celebration of the surrender of Germany in the United States.
On the night of May 8-9, 1945, in Karlshorst, an eastern suburb of Berlin, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany was signed.
The ceremony of signing the act took place in the building of the military engineering school, where a special hall was prepared, decorated with the state flags of the USSR, the USA, England and France. At the main table were representatives of the allied powers. The hall was attended by Soviet generals, whose troops took Berlin, as well as Soviet and foreign journalists.
Photo. Conference room in Karlshorst. Everything is ready for the signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany.
Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was appointed representative of the Supreme High Command of the Soviet troops. The High Command of the Allied Forces was represented by the British Air Marshal Arthur V. Tedder, Commander of the Strategic air force United States General Spaats and Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, General Delattre de Tassigny. From the German side, Field Marshal Keitel, Admiral of the Fleet Baron von Friedeburg and Colonel General of Aviation Stumpf were authorized to sign the act of unconditional surrender.
Photo. Keitel follows the signing of the act of surrender.
The ceremony of signing the surrender at 24 o'clock was opened by Marshal G.K. Zhukov. At his suggestion, Keitel presented to the heads of the allied delegations a document on his powers, signed by Doenitz himself. The German delegation was then asked whether it had the Act of Unconditional Surrender in hand and whether it had studied it. After Keitel's affirmative answer, the representatives of the German armed forces, at the sign of Marshal Zhukov, signed an act drawn up in 9 copies. Then Tedder and Zhukov put their signatures, and representatives of the United States and France as witnesses. The procedure for signing the surrender ended at 00:43 on May 9, 1945. The German delegation, by order of Zhukov, left the hall.
Photo.Keitel signs the Act.
The act consisted of 6 paragraphs of the following content:
"one. We, the undersigned, acting on behalf of the German High Command, agree to the unconditional surrender of all our armed forces on land, sea and air, as well as all forces currently under German command, to the High Command of the Red Army and at the same time to the High Command Allied Expeditionary Force.
2. The German High Command will immediately issue orders to all German commanders of the land, sea and air forces and all forces under German command to cease hostilities at 2301 hours CET on May 8, 1945, to remain in their places , where they are at that time, and completely disarm, handing over all their weapons and military equipment to local Allied commanders or officers assigned by representatives of the Allied High Command, not to destroy or cause any damage to steamships, ships and aircraft, their engines, hulls and equipment , as well as machines, weapons, apparatuses and all military-technical means of warfare in general.
3. The German High Command will immediately assign appropriate commanders and ensure that all further orders issued by the Supreme High Command of the Red Army and the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces are carried out.
4. This act shall not prevent its replacement by another general instrument of surrender, concluded by or on behalf of the United Nations, applicable to Germany and the German armed forces as a whole.
5. In the event that the German High Command or any armed forces under its command do not act in accordance with this act of surrender, the High Command of the Red Army, as well as the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force, will take such punitive measures or other actions. as they deem necessary.
6. This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English texts are authentic.
Photo. German representatives before the closing of the meeting.
At 0:50 the meeting was adjourned. After that, a reception took place, which was held with great enthusiasm. Much was said about the desire to strengthen friendly relations between the countries of the anti-fascist coalition. The festive dinner ended with songs and dances. As Marshal Zhukov recalls: “I also could not resist and, remembering my youth, I danced“ Russian ”.
Photo. Allied delegation in Karlshorst.
The land, sea and air forces of the Wehrmacht on the Soviet-German front began to lay down their arms. By the end of the day on May 8, the Kurland Army Group, pressed against the Baltic Sea, stopped resisting. About 190 thousand soldiers and officers, including 42 generals, surrendered.
Photo. The surrender of the German garrison of Bornholm.
The Soviet landing force, which landed on the Danish island of Bornholm on May 9, captured it 2 days later and captured the German garrison stationed there - 12,000 soldiers.
Photo. The allies are busy counting captured vehicles.
Small groups of Germans on the territory of Czechoslovakia and Austria, who did not want to surrender along with the bulk of the troops of Army Group Center and tried to make their way to the west, the Soviet troops had to destroy until May 19 ...
Photo. The surrender of a German regiment in Czechoslovakia.
The signing of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany ended the Great Patriotic War.
Photo. Soviet soldiers celebrate Victory Day.
On May 8, 1945, at 22:43 CET (at 00:43, May 9, Moscow time), in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, in the building of the former canteen of the military engineering school, the Act of Germany's unconditional surrender was signed.
May 7, 1945. Personal and strictly secret message from Mr. Churchill to Marshal Stalin:
"I have just received your message and also read a letter from General Antonov to General Eisenhower proposing that the announcement of Germany's surrender be postponed until May 9, 1945. It will be impossible for me to postpone my application for 24 hours, as you did Moreover, the parliament will demand information about yesterday's signing in Reims and about the official ratification scheduled for today in Berlin ... "
On the morning of May 8, correspondents from all the major newspapers and magazines in the world and photojournalists began to arrive in Berlin to capture the historical moment of the legal registration of the complete defeat of Nazi Germany.
In the middle of the day, representatives of the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces arrived at the Tempelhof airfield. The Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force was represented by Eisenhower's Deputy Air Chief Marshal Arthur William Tedder, the US Armed Forces by the Commander of Strategic Air Forces, General Carl Spaatz, and the French Armed Forces by Army Commander-in-Chief General Jean-Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny. From the airfield, the Allies arrived at Karlhorst, where it was decided to take from German command unconditional surrender.
At the same airfield from the city of Flensburg, under the protection of British officers, the former Chief of Staff of the Wehrmacht Supreme Command, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Commander-in-Chief naval forces Admiral General of the Fleet G. von Friedeburg and Colonel General of Aviation Hans Stumpf.
Here, in Karlshorst, in the eastern part of Berlin, in the two-story building of the former canteen of the German military engineering school, a hall was prepared where the signing ceremony was to take place. Soon, all representatives of the command of the allied forces arrived at the Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union G. Zhukov, to agree on procedural issues. Keitel and his companions at that time were in another building.
At precisely 24:00, Zhukov, Tedder, Spaatz and de Lattre de Tassigny entered the hall decorated with the national flags of the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain and France. The hall was attended by Soviet generals, whose troops participated in the legendary storming of Berlin, as well as Soviet and foreign journalists.
Generals Bogdanov and Berzarin
The signing ceremony was opened by Marshal Zhukov. He greeted the representatives of the allied armies in Berlin occupied by the Red Army at the historic moment of the surrender of the common enemy - Nazi Germany. “We, representatives of the Supreme Command of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces ... are authorized by the governments of the anti-Hitler coalition to accept the unconditional surrender of Germany from the German military command,” he solemnly said.
At the suggestion of the Soviet representative, Keitel handed over to the heads of the Allied delegations a document by which Doenitz authorized the German delegation to sign the act of surrender. The German delegation was then asked whether it had the Act of Unconditional Surrender in hand and whether it had studied it. The question was repeated in English by Marshal Tedder. After Keitel's affirmative answer from the German side, the act was signed by Field Marshal General, Chief of the Wehrmacht High Command Wilhelm Keitel, Luftwaffe representative Colonel General Stumpf and Kriegsmarine Admiral von Friedeburg.
Signed by Wilhelm Keitel:
Stumpf's signature:
Unconditional surrender was accepted by Marshal Zhukov (from the Soviet side) and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Marshal Tedder (Great Britain).
General K. Spaats (USA) and General J. de Latre de Tassigny (France) put their signatures as witnesses.
At 0 hours 43 minutes (Moscow time) on May 9 (at 22 hours 43 minutes Central European time on May 8), 1945, the signing of the Act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces was completed. The German delegation was asked to leave the hall. Keitel, Friedeburg, Stumpf bowed and left the hall.
Accepting the surrender Soviet Union did not sign peace with Germany. The decree on ending the state of war was adopted by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on January 25, 1955.
