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.
A 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 11 p.m. on May 8 fighting stopped 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.
A 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."
A 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 signing of the Act on unconditional surrender Nazi Germany.
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.
A 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, the commander of the US strategic air forces, General Spaatz, and the 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.
A 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.
A 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.
A 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 ”.
A 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.
A 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.
A 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 ...
A photo. The surrender of a German regiment in Czechoslovakia.
The signing of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany ended the Great Patriotic War.
A photo. Soviet soldiers celebrate Victory Day.
Exactly 70 years ago, on May 8, 1945, on the outskirts of Berlin, Karlshorst, at 22:43 CET (May 9 at 00:43 Moscow time), the final act of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was signed.
A selection of photographs dedicated to this significant event.
1. The building of the German military engineering school in the suburbs of Berlin - Karlshorst, where the signing ceremony of the Act of unconditional surrender of Germany was held.
2. Representatives of Germany at the table during the signing of the Act of unconditional surrender. In the photo they are sitting from left to right: Colonel General Stumpf from the Air Force, Field Marshal Keitel from ground forces and Admiral General von Friedeburg from the navy. 05/08/1945
3. American General Dwight Eisenhower and British Air Marshal Arthur Tedder at a press conference after the signing of the surrender of Germany in Reims (France) on May 7, 1945.
4. Representatives of the Allied Command after the signing of the surrender of Germany in Reims (Wrance) on May 7, 1945.
In the photo from left to right: Chief of the USSR military mission in France, Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov (1897-1974), Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces in Europe, British Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan Morgan, 1894-1967), American Lieutenant General Bedell Smith, American radio commentator Harry Butcher, American General Dwight Eisenhower, British Air Marshal Arthur Tedder and Chief of Staff of the British Navy Admiral Sir Harold Burro.
5. Colonel-General Alfred Jodl (center) signs the German surrender at the Allied Headquarters in Reims at 02.41 local time on 7 May 1945. Sitting next to Jodl are Grand Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg (right) and Jodl's adjutant Major Wilhelm Oxenius.
The leadership of the USSR was dissatisfied with the signing of Germany's surrender in Reims, which was not agreed with the USSR and relegated the country that made the greatest contribution to the Victory to the background. At the suggestion of the Soviet government and personally I.V. Stalin and the Allies agreed to consider the procedure in Reims a preliminary surrender. The Allies also agreed that the matter should not be postponed, and appointed the signing of the German Surrender Act in full form in Berlin for May 8, 1945.
6. The signing of the surrender of Germany in Reims on May 7, 1945. In the photo, from right to left: adjutant A. Jodl, Major Wilhelm Oxenius, Colonel General Alfred Jodl and Grand Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg; from left to right: Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces in Europe, British Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, French General Francois Seve, Chief of Staff of the British Navy, Admiral Sir Harold Burro, radio commentator Harry Butcher, American Lieutenant General Bedell Smith, Adjutant I.A. Susloparov Senior Lieutenant Ivan Chernyaev, Chief of the USSR military mission in France, Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov (1897-1974), American General Carl Spaatz, cameraman Henry Bull, Colonel Ivan Zenkovich.
7. Colonel-General Alfred Jodl (center) signs the surrender of Germany at the headquarters of the allied forces in Reims at 02.41 local time on May 7, 1945.
8. Representatives of the German command come to the table to sign the surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945. In the photo from left to right: Adjutant A. Jodl, Major Wilhelm Oxenius, Colonel General Alfred Jodl and Grand Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg.
9. The head of the USSR military mission in France, Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov (1897-1974), shakes hands with the commander of the allied forces in Europe, American General Dwight Eisenhower at the signing of the act of surrender of Germany in Reims on May 7, 1945. To the left of I.A. Susloparov - his adjutant senior lieutenant Ivan Chernyaev.
10. The Chief of Staff of the Allies in Europe, the American Lieutenant General Bedell Smith, signs the act of surrender of Germany in Reims on May 7, 1945. In the photo on the left is Admiral Sir Harold Burro, Chief of Staff of the British Navy, on the right is Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov (1897-1974), head of the USSR military mission in France.
11. The head of the USSR military mission in France, Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov (1897-1974), signs the act of surrender of Germany in Reims on May 7, 1945. In the photo on the far right is American General Carl Spaatz. To the left of I.A. Susloparov - his adjutant senior lieutenant Ivan Chernyaev.
12. Wehrmacht Artillery General Helmut Weidling leaves the bunker during the surrender of the Berlin garrison. May 2, 1945
13. Representative of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army, commander of the 1st Belorussian Front Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, who signed the Instrument of Surrender from the USSR. In the background is a Soviet cameraman filming the signing ceremony. Berlin. 09/08/1945
17. Representatives after the signing of the Act of unconditional surrender in Berlin-Karlshorst on May 8, 1945. The German act was signed by Field Marshal Keitel (in front to the right, with a marshal's baton) from the ground forces, Admiral General von Friedeburg (to the right behind Keitel) from the navy and Colonel General Stumpf (to the left of Keitel) from the military -but-air force.
18. Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, signing the Act of unconditional surrender of Germany from the German side, is served the text of the Act. To the left, second from the viewer, G.K. is sitting at the table. Zhukov, who signed the Act on behalf of the USSR. Berlin. 05/08/1945
19. Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, General of the Infantry Krebs (left), who arrived on May 1 at the location of the Soviet troops in order to draw the High Command into negotiation process. On the same day, the general shot himself. Berlin. May 1, 1945
20. The Soviet delegation before signing the Act of unconditional surrender of all armed forces Germany. Berlin. 05/08/1945 Standing on the right - the representative of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army, the commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov, standing in the center with his hand raised - Deputy Commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, General of the Army V.D. Sokolovsky.
21. Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, who is signing the Act of Germany's unconditional surrender from the German side, is presented with the text of the Act. G.K. is sitting at the table on the left. Zhukov, who signed the Act on behalf of the USSR. Berlin. 05/08/1945
22. Representatives of the German command, led by Field Marshal Keitel, are sent to sign the Act of Germany's unconditional surrender. May 8, Berlin, Karlhorst.
23. Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces Lieutenant General of the Infantry Hans Krebs at the headquarters of the Soviet troops in Berlin. On May 1, Krebs arrived at the location of the Soviet troops in order to draw the High Command into the negotiation process. On the same day, the general shot himself.
24. Surrender of the Germans on the spit Frisch-Nerung, East Prussia. German and Soviet officers discuss the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrender German troops. 05/09/1945
25. Surrender of the Germans on the spit Frisch-Nerung, East Prussia. German and Soviet officers are discussing the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrendering German troops. 05/09/1945
26. Surrender of the Germans on the spit Frisch-Nerung, East Prussia. German officers take from Soviet officer conditions of surrender and the procedure for surrender. 05/09/1945
27. Surrender of the Germans on the spit Frisch-Nerung, East Prussia. German officers accept from the Soviet officer the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrender. 05/09/1945
28. Surrender of the Germans on the spit Frisch-Nerung, East Prussia. German and Soviet officers are discussing the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrendering German troops. 05/09/1945
29. The surrender of the Germans on the spit Frisch-Nerung, East Prussia.
30. Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signs the act of unconditional surrender of Germany. Berlin, May 8, 1945, 22:43 CET (May 9 at 0:43 Moscow time).
31. Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel goes to the signing of the Act of unconditional surrender of Germany. Berlin. 05/08/1945
32. Arrival in Berlin for the ceremony of signing the Act of Surrender of Germany of the Air Chief MarshalGreat Britain Tedder A.V. Among those meeting: General of the Army Sokolovsky V.D. and commandant of BerlinColonel General Berzarin N.E. 05/08/1945
33. Arrival in Berlin, Field Marshal W. Keitel, Admiral of the Fleet H. Friedeburg and Colonel General of Aviation G. Stumpf to sign the Act of unconditional surrender of Germany. Among the escorts is General of the Army Sokolovsky V.D. and Colonel General Berzarin N.E. 05/08/1945
34. First Deputy People's Commissar Foreign Affairs of the USSR Vyshinsky A.Ya. AndMarshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K. heading to the signing ceremonyThe act of unconditional surrender of Germany. Karlshorst. 05/08/1945
35. Air Chief Marshal of Great Britain Sir Tedder A. and Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K. looking through the documents on the terms of the surrender of Germany.
36. Signing Field Marshal Keitel W. Act of unconditional surrender of all armed forces in Germany. Berlin. Karlshorst. 05/08/1945
37. Commander of the 1st Belorussian Front Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K.signs the Act of unconditional surrender of all German armed forces.
38. Dinner in honor of the Victory after the signing of the terms of the unconditional surrender of Germany. From left to right: Chief Air Marshal of Great Britain Sir Tedder A., Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K. Commander of the US Strategic Air Force General Spaatz K. Berlin. 08-09.05.1945
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The photo selection is made on the basis of materials:
Russian state archive film and photo documents.
All photos are clickable.
Photo albums "Great Patriotic War"
The act of unconditional surrender of Germany is a document that ended the Great Patriotic War. This Act stated that the war ended with the complete defeat of Nazi Germany. That the Act was signed in Berlin, taken Soviet troops, emphasized the decisive role of the USSR in the defeat of fascism.
In 1944-1945. The Great Patriotic War was transferred to the territory of Nazi Germany. Although in 1945 the prospect of the defeat of fascism became obvious, the question remained unclear which part of Germany would be under the control of the USSR, and which - by the Western Allies. The Nazis, considering themselves the bulwark of Western civilization against communism, did everything to stop the offensive of the Red Army. The German military and officials rightly believed that their fate would be somewhat easier if they were in the hands of the Western allies than Stalin. The Soviet leadership feared that, under the auspices of the United States and Great Britain, German nationalism might revive and again threaten the USSR.
Despite the fact that the Soviet troops had not yet completed the capture of the large fortress of Koenigsberg on the flank of their offensive, it was decided to advance on Berlin.
The Soviet troops were opposed by the Vistula Army Group under the command of Colonel General G. Heinrici and the Center Army Group under the command of Field Marshal F. Scherner - a total of about 1 million people, 10,400 guns and mortars, 1,500 tanks and assault guns and 3300 combat aircraft. Another 8 divisions were in the reserve of the main command of the ground forces. The number of the garrison in Berlin itself exceeded 200 thousand people.
In order to encircle and capture Berlin, the Soviet command concentrated the troops of the 1st and 2nd Belorussian, 1st Ukrainian fronts and other forces - 162 rifle and cavalry divisions, 21 tank and mechanized corps, 4 air armies with a total strength of 2.5 million people, about 42 thousand guns and mortars, over 6250 tanks and self-propelled guns, 7500 combat aircraft.
The way to Berlin was covered by fortifications on the Seelow Heights. In order to avoid heavy losses, it was necessary to take them suddenly, with one blow. The commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, G. Zhukov, concentrated a strong strike force against the heights, and in order to stun the defenders, powerful aviation searchlights were directed at them before the attack. On April 16, the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts went on the offensive. On April 19, the Seelow Heights were taken. On April 24, troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts surrounded a 300,000-strong enemy grouping southeast of Berlin. Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, the Soviet troops under the command of Zhukov and the commander of the 1st Ukrainian front I. Konev on April 25 surrounded Berlin and advanced towards the Elbe towards the Allies. On April 25, near the city of Torgau, the 5th Guards Army met with the 1st American Army.
The assault on Berlin began. The Germans fought for every house. Berlin was turned into a system of powerful fortifications. It had already been largely reduced to ruins by the Allied bombings, but the ruins made it difficult for the Soviet troops to move forward. Step by step, Soviet troops took possession of the most important objects cities, the most famous of which was the Reichstag. This height dominated the city center, where the Reich Chancellery was located, near which Hitler was hiding in a bunker. When the red banner was hoisted on it, it became clear that Berlin had fallen. On April 30, realizing that Nazism had failed, Hitler committed suicide. Power passed to Goebbels, but on May 1 he chose to follow Hitler. On May 2, the Nazis in Berlin capitulated.
A large German grouping continued to operate in the Czech Republic. As early as May 5, an uprising took place in Prague. But the Germans defeated the rebels. On May 9, units of the Red Army finished off German troops near Prague. With the surrender of German troops near Prague, hostilities in Europe actually ended.
The German command delayed the surrender, hoping that as many troops as possible would be able to leave the remnants of the eastern front and surrender to the western allies.
On May 2, the new Reich President of Germany, Grand Admiral K. Dönitz, held a meeting at which it was decided to stop resisting the Anglo-Americans and pursue a policy of private capitulations at the level of army groups, continuing the resistance of the Red Army. In Reims, where the headquarters of the commander of the Western Allies, D. Eisenhower, was located, Dennit's representatives tried to achieve a separate surrender in the West, but Eisenhower refused this.
On May 7, 1945, in Reims, the Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces in Europe, W. Smith, the representative of the USSR, Gen. I. Susloparov and General A. Jodl, authorized by the government of K. Dönitz, signed a protocol on the surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany on May 8. For the remaining hours, the German leadership hoped to evacuate as much as possible more troops and refugees to surrender in the west.
Susloparov took part in the signing of the surrender in Reims, not yet knowing that Stalin was strongly opposed to it being accepted outside of Berlin, taken by the Soviet troops. But he insisted on the inclusion in the agreement of a clause that allowed the capitulation in Reims to be replaced by a more general agreement (this clause was then repeated in the final version of the surrender - already in Berlin).
Stalin rejected the proposal of Truman and Churchill to announce the end of the war on May 8th. He believed that the Act should be solemnly signed in Berlin: “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 of the anti-Hitler coalition. The Allies agreed to hold a second signing ceremony in Berlin. Eisenhower indicated to Jodl that the German commanders-in-chief of the branches of the armed forces would be brought to carry out the final official procedure at a time and place to be specified by the Soviet and Allied commands. Eisenhower decided not to go to Berlin, so as not to belittle the significance of the surrender at Reims.
On the night of May 8-9, 1945, on the outskirts of Berlin, Karlshorst, in the building of the former canteen of the military engineering school (it was not easy to find the whole building in the destroyed Berlin), the Act of unconditional surrender was signed by representatives of the German command Field Marshal W. Keitel, Admiral G. Friedeburg and Colonel-General of Aviation G. Stumpf. From the USSR, the surrender was accepted by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Vyshinsky and the representative of the Soviet Supreme High Command, Marshal of the Soviet Union G. Zhukov. The command of the expeditionary forces in Europe was represented by Deputy Commander D. Eisenhower, Air Chief Marshal of Great Britain A. Tedder. The agreement was also signed by General C. Spaats, Commander of the US Strategic Armed Forces, and General J.-M. Delattre de Tassigny.
The text of the surrender signed at Karlshorst repeated the surrender at Reims (in order not to cause new disputes between the allies, it was repeated in full), but it was important that the German command in Berlin itself now surrendered. Representatives of the German High Command agreed to "the unconditional surrender of all our armed forces on land, at sea and in the 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 of the Allied Expeditionary Forces" from 23 -01:00 Central European Time on May 8, 1945. The ceremony ended at 0:43 on May 9, 1945. The Great Patriotic War and the Second World War completed in Europe.
ACT OF MILITARY SURRENDER.
1. 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 Supreme High Command of the Red Army and at the same time 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 to all forces under German command to cease hostilities at 23:01 hours Central European Time on May 8, 1945, to remain in their places where they are at this time, and disarm completely, handing over all their weapons and military equipment to local Allied commanders or officers assigned to representatives of the Allied High Commands, not to destroy or cause any damage to steamships, ships and aircraft, their engines, hulls and equipment, but also machines, armaments, 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 fail to 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 action they deem necessary.
6. This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English texts are authentic.
On behalf of the German High Command:
Keitel, Friedenburg, Stumpf
In the presence:
They were also present at the signing as witnesses.
Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. M., 1999.
Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections. M., 1990.
Konev I.S. Forty-fifth. M., 1970.
Chuikov V.I. End of the Third Reich. M., 1973.
Shtemenko S.M. General Staff during the war. M., 1985.
Vorobyov F.D., Parodkin I.V., Shimansky A.N. Last assault. M., 1975.
Why did the German command offer stronger resistance on the eastern front than on the western?
Who inherited the post of Reich President after Hitler's suicide?
Why was the signing of Germany's final surrender at Reims unacceptable?
Why does paragraph 4 of the Surrender Act signed in Berlin speak of the possibility of a new agreement? Has it been signed?
The act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces was signed on May 7 at 02:41 in Reims by the Chief of the Operational Headquarters of the High Command German army, Colonel General Alfred Jodl. The document obliged the German military to stop resistance, surrender personnel and transfer the materiel of the armed forces to the enemy, which in fact meant Germany's exit from the war. The Soviet leadership was not satisfied with such a signing, therefore, at the request of the government of the USSR and Comrade Stalin personally, on May 8 ( May 9, USSR time) the German Surrender Act was signed for the second time, but already in Berlin, and the day of the official announcement of its signing ( May 8 in Europe and America, May 9 in the USSR) began to be celebrated as Victory Day.
The act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces, signed on May 7, 1945
The idea of Germany's unconditional surrender was first announced by President Roosevelt on January 13, 1943 at a conference in Casablanca and has since become the official position of the United Nations.
Representatives of the German command approach the table to sign the surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945
The general surrender of Germany was preceded by a series of partial surrenders of the largest formations remaining in the Third Reich:
On May 2, 1945, the Berlin garrison under the command of Helmut Weidling capitulated to the Red Army.
On May 4, Admiral of the Fleet Hans-Georg Friedeburg, newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, signed the act of surrender of all German armed forces in Holland, Denmark, Schleswig-Holstein and North-West Germany to Field Marshal B. Montgomery's 21st Army Group.
On May 5, Infantry General F. Schultz, who commanded Army Group G, operating in Bavaria and Western Austria, surrendered to the American General D. Devers.
Colonel-General Alfred Jodl (center) signs the German surrender at the Allied Headquarters in Reims at 02.41 local time on 7 May 1945. Sitting next to Jodl are Grand Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg (right) and Jodl's adjutant Major Wilhelm Oxenius.
The leadership of the USSR was dissatisfied with the signing of Germany's surrender in Reims, which was not agreed with the USSR and relegated the country that made the greatest contribution to the Victory to the background. At Stalin's suggestion, the Allies agreed to regard the Reims procedure as a preliminary capitulation. Although a group of 17 journalists attended the surrender signing ceremony, the US and Britain agreed to delay the public announcement of the surrender so that the Soviet Union could prepare a second surrender ceremony in Berlin, which took place on 8 May.
The signing of the surrender in Reims
The Soviet representative, General Susloparov, signed the act in Reims at his own peril and risk, since by the time scheduled for signing, instructions from the Kremlin had not yet arrived. He decided to put his signature with the proviso (Article 4) that this act should not exclude the possibility of signing another act at the request of one of the allied countries. Shortly after signing the act, Susloparov received a telegram from Stalin with a categorical prohibition to sign the surrender.
After signing the surrender in the front row: Susloparov, Smith, Eisenhower, Air Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur Tedder
For his part, Stalin declared: The Treaty signed at Reims cannot be revoked, but it cannot be recognized either. 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».
The Soviet delegation before the signing of the Act of unconditional surrender of all German armed forces. Berlin. 05/08/1945 Standing on the right - Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov, standing in the center with a raised hand - General of the Army V.D. Sokolovsky.
The building of the German military engineering school in the suburbs of Berlin - Karlshorst, in which the signing ceremony of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany was held.
Air Chief Marshal of Great Britain Sir Tedder A. and Marshal of the Soviet Union GK Zhukov are looking through documents on the terms of Germany's surrender.
Zhukov read out the act of surrender in Karlshorst. Next to Zhukov is Arthur Tedder.
On May 8, 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 final Act of Germany's unconditional surrender was signed.
Keitel signing the surrender at Karlshorst
The changes in the text of the act were as follows:
In the English text, the expression Soviet High Command (Soviet High Command) has been replaced by a more accurate translation of the Soviet term: Supreme High Command of the Red Army (Supreme High Command of the Red Army)
The part of Article 2, which deals with the obligation of the Germans to hand over military equipment intact and safe, has been expanded and detailed.
An indication of the act of May 7 was withdrawn: “Only this text on English language is authoritative” and inserted Article 6, which read: “This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only the Russian and English texts are authentic."
Representatives after the signing of the Act of Unconditional Surrender in Berlin-Karlshorst on May 8, 1945
By agreement between the governments of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, an agreement was reached to consider the procedure in Reims preliminary. This is how it was interpreted in the USSR, where the significance of the act of May 7 was downplayed in every possible way, and the act itself was hushed up, while in the West it is regarded as the actual signing of the capitulation, and the act in Karlshorst as its ratification.
Dinner in honor of the Victory after the signing of the terms of the unconditional surrender of Germany. From left to right: Chief Air Marshal of Great Britain Sir Tedder A., Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K. Commander of the US Strategic Air Force General Spaatz K. Berlin.
The surrender of the Germans on the spit Frisch-Nerung, East Prussia. German officers accept from the Soviet officer the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrender. 05/09/1945
Having accepted the surrender, the Soviet Union did not sign peace with Germany, that is, formally remained in a state of war. The decree on ending the state of war was adopted by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR only on January 25, 1955.
On May 7, fascist Germany made a last attempt to save itself from complete defeat by concluding a separate peace with the allies of the USSR, but they failed.
Allied army commanders insisted on complete and unconditional surrender with the participation of the USSR
From May 2 to May 4, a meeting of the top military leadership of the Third Reich was held at Doenitz's headquarters.
It was attended by Admiral Doenitz, Field Marshal Keitel, Colonel General Jodl, Field Marshals Scherner, Ritter von Greim and other senior ranks of the German army. There was a question of capitulation to the allied Anglo-American troops and the further resistance of the Red Army.
The issue of concluding an anti-Bolshevik alliance with the Americans and the British was especially sharply discussed. The death of Hitler, as it seemed to the new German leaders, destroyed the last obstacle to this.
German leaders felt that with the death of the Fuhrer, the West would view Germany and its army as a bulwark against Bolshevism in Europe.
That is why Admiral Karl Dönitz, who succeeded Hitler, tried to split East and West and save what was left of Germany by partial surrender only to Western allies. However, upon receiving offers from the German government of Doenitz to conclude an alliance, US President Harry Truman replied that the only acceptable one was unconditional surrender to the entire Big Three states - the USA, Great Britain and the USSR.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill supported him. General Eisenhower, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Europe, also fully agreed with Truman's policy.
Meanwhile, the German leadership tried to shake the unanimous opinion of the allies with proposals for a separate peace and the continuation of hostilities. German soldiers on the Eastern Front, rightly fearing capture and revenge by the Red Army, fought desperately.
On the Western Front, they surrendered as soon as they saw the allies. The civilian population fled to the West to end up in the Anglo-American zone after the end of the war. On May 1, Admiral Doenitz, in his radio address to the German nation, said that the Wehrmacht would "fight against Bolshevism as long as German troops and hundreds of thousands of families remain in the eastern part of Germany."
But on May 5, he realized that Eisenhower would not accept surrender only to the Western Allies, so he tried to achieve his goal by surrendering German divisions and armies in the West and continuing to fight in the East. On May 4, Dönitz sent his representative, Admiral Hans von Friedeburg, to the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces (VSESES) in Reims with the task of negotiating the surrender of the remaining German troops in the West.
Eisenhower continued to insist that total surrender should take place simultaneously on East and Western fronts. Von Friedeburg was interviewed by Chief of Staff General Smith and General Strong, who before the war had served as military attaché in Berlin and spoke excellent German.
Eisenhower refused to meet with German officers until the signing of the document of complete and unconditional surrender. General Smith told von Friedeburg that negotiations were not forthcoming and suggested that he sign a document of complete surrender.
Friedeburg replied that he did not have the authority to do so.
General Smith, in turn, showed Friedeburg some of the operational staff maps, which clearly showed the overwhelming superiority of the Allied forces and the hopelessness of the position of the German troops. Admiral von Friedeburg urgently telegraphed Doenitz, asking him for permission to sign an unconditional surrender.
Alfred Jodl
However, the head of the German government did not give such permission. Instead, he made a final attempt to split the alliance of the three powers by sending to Reims Colonel General Alfred Jodl, chief of the operations department of the German army headquarters. Jodl arrived there on May 6, Sunday evening.
He again negotiated with Generals Smith and Strong, emphasizing that the Germans were ready and willing to capitulate to the West, but not to the Red Army. Jodl frankly declared his intention "to preserve for the German nation big number Germans and save them from Bolshevism."
Moreover, he said that nothing could force the troops of Generals Lehr and Rendulich, Field Marshal Scherner, to execute the order of complete and unconditional surrender, as long as they had the opportunity to withdraw to areas occupied by American and British troops. In other words, Colonel General Jodl refused to surrender the German troops in the East.
In turn, General Smith once again confirmed the previous demands for surrender to all allies. After that, Jodl asked for two days to "so that the necessary instructions reached all German units." In response, Smith pointed out the impossibility of fulfilling such a request. Negotiations dragged on for another hour and ended in vain. General Smith reported the difficulties in the negotiations to Eisenhower.
It was clear to Eisenhower that Yodl was trying to buy time to German soldiers and the civilian population managed to cross the Elbe and escape from the troops of the Red Army.
He asked Smith to tell the German general that if he did not sign a document on complete and unconditional surrender, then the allied command would interrupt all negotiations and put up a reliable force barrier in front of the refugees. But Eisenhower nevertheless decided to give Yodl the 48 hours of respite requested ...
American General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) and British Air Marshal Arthur Tedder (Arthur William Tedder, 1890-1967) at a press conference after the signing of the German surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945.
General Smith relayed Eisenhower's reply to Jodl, who telegraphed Doenitz asking for permission to sign the document. The head of the Reich called Eisenhower's demands "arm twisting."
Nevertheless, he was forced to accept them, consoling himself with the fact that for a 48-hour delay the Germans would be able to save a lot of their troops. Just after midnight on May 7, Doenitz sent the following telegram to Jodl: “You are given the full right to sign a surrender on the terms set forth. Admiral Doenitz.
The head of the Soviet military mission at the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, Major General I.A. Susloparov, says that on the evening of May 6, 1945, Eisenhower's adjutant flew to him.
General Susloparov
He conveyed the invitation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces to urgently arrive at his headquarters in Reims. Eisenhower received Susloparov at his residence. Smiling, he said that the German Colonel General Jodl had arrived with a proposal to capitulate to the Anglo-American troops and begin joint military operations against the Red Army.
—What do you say, Mr. General? Eisenhower asked.
I.A. Susloparov knew that the German Admiral Friedeburg had been sitting at the headquarters of the commander-in-chief for several days, who, however, could not persuade Eisenhower to a separate agreement. Therefore, the Soviet representative replied that there were obligations jointly accepted by the members of the anti-Hitler coalition at the Crimean Conference regarding the unconditional surrender of enemy troops on all fronts, including the Eastern one.
General Eisenhower informed Susloparov that he demanded from Jodl the complete surrender of Germany and would not accept any other. And that the Germans were forced to agree to this.
Then the Commander-in-Chief asked Susloparov to inform Moscow of the text of the surrender, get approval there and sign it on behalf of the Soviet Union. Moreover, the time and place, according to Eisenhower, had already been appointed - 2 hours 30 minutes on May 7, 1945, in the premises of the operational department of the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief.
The draft protocol received by Susloparov spoke of the unconditional surrender of all land, sea and air armed forces located to present moment under German control.
The German command was obliged to give an order to cease hostilities at 00:01 on May 9, 1945, while all troops subordinate to it had to remain in their positions. It was forbidden to disable weapons and other means of warfare. The German command guaranteed the execution of all orders of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces and the Soviet Supreme High Command.
The head of the Soviet military mission, General Susloparov, had very little time left to receive instructions from his government.
He passed urgent telegram to Moscow about the forthcoming act of signing the surrender and the text of the protocol. He also asked for special instructions. By the time Susloparov's telegram reached and was reported to its destination, several hours had passed.
In Reims, it was past midnight, the time had come to sign the surrender, and instructions from Moscow still did not come. The position of the head of the Soviet military mission turned out to be very difficult. Everything now depended on him, his decision. Put your signature on behalf of the Soviet Union or refuse?
General Susloparov understood that the signing of Germany's surrender only to the Western allies could turn out, in the event of any oversight on his part, the greatest misfortune for the Soviet Union and for him personally. At the same time, the horrors of war rose before the eyes of the general, when every minute takes away many human lives. So he decides to sign the document.
At the same time, while providing an opportunity for the Soviet Union to influence the subsequent course of events, if necessary, Susloparov made a note to him.
It stated that this protocol does not exclude the further signing of another, more perfect Act of Surrender of Germany, if any allied government declares so. Commander-in-Chief General Eisenhower and representatives of other powers at his headquarters agreed with the note.
At 2 am on May 7, 1945, Generals Smith, Morgan, Bull, Spaats, Tedder, the head of the Soviet military mission, General Susloparov, and the French representative gathered on the second floor in the recreation room of the Reims Polytechnic School for Men. General Strong served as an interpreter. The rest room was shaped like the letter "G" with a single small window.
There were many military maps around. Pins, arrows and other staff symbols on them testified to the complete defeat of Germany.
Due to relatively small area the Allied officers squeezed one by one to their chairs, which stood around a massive oak table. When everyone took their places, Colonel-General Jodl was brought into the room, accompanied by Admiral Friedeburg and their adjutants.
Tall, straight as a stick, neatly dressed, Jodl with his invariable monocle served as a model of the Prussian general. He bowed dryly to those present. The procedure for signing the protocol on the surrender of Germany began, which took no more than half an hour.
The protocol itself looked like this:
MILITARY SURRENDER OF GERMANY
Only the present text in English is an authentic document
Act of military surrender
On behalf of the German High Command.
Jodl
IN THE PRESENCE
On behalf of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.
V.B. Smith
F. Seve
Major General of the French Army
On behalf of the Soviet High Command.
Susloparov"
While the procedure was going on, General Eisenhower waited in a nearby office, pacing back and forth, smoking cigarette after cigarette. He claimed that he would not speak to the German officers until they had signed the protocol. Finally, the moment of victory over Nazi Germany has come!
Eisenhower wrote later in his book The European Campaign that, logically, he should have felt uplifted, joyful, but, on the contrary, he felt completely broken. Eisenhower did not sleep for almost three days, now it was deep night, and he wanted everything to end quickly.
Representatives of the German command approach the table to sign the surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945
General Jodl signing the German surrender at Reims on May 7, 1945
The Chief of Staff of the Allies in Europe, American Lieutenant General Bedell Smith (Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith, 1895 - 1961) signs the act of surrender of Germany in Reims on May 7, 1945.
In the photo on the left is the Chief of Staff of the British Navy Admiral Sir Harold Burrough (Harold Martin Burrough, 1889-1977), on the right is the head of the USSR military mission in France, Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov
The Commander-in-Chief sat down at his desk. Yodl bowed and stood at attention. Eisenhower asked if he understood the terms of surrender and was ready to fulfill them. Jodl answered yes.
Eisenhower then warned him of personal responsibility for violating them. Yodl bowed again and left. Eisenhower got up and went to the headquarters room. There he gathered all the staff officers and representatives of the allied forces. Photographers were also called in to capture the solemn event for history.
Eisenhower prepared a short press release and recorded his radio speech. He congratulated everyone on the victory. With the journalists gone, it was time to send the message of Germany's surrender to the Big Three heads of state and headquarters. Each of the officers and generals was looking for words and spectacular phrases to express the greatness of the event. Eisenhower silently listened and watched.
Each subsequent version was more pompous than the previous one. The Supreme Commander, finally, thanking those present, rejected all proposals and dictated his own: "The task facing the allied forces was completed at 02.41 local time on May 7, 1945." That was the message of history...
In the photo from left to right:
Chief of the USSR military mission in France, Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov (1897–1974), Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander (COSSAC), British Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan (Frederick Edgeworth Morgan, 1894– 1967), American Lieutenant General Bedell Smith (Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith, 1895 - 1961)
American radio commentator Harry C. Butcher, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), British Air Marshal Arthur Tedder (Arthur William Tedder, 1890-1967) and Chief of Staff of the British Navy Admiral Sir Harold Burro ( Harold Martin Burrough, 1889-1977).
He still managed to smile in front of the cameras, raise his fingers in the form of the letter "V", symbolizing victory, and left.
“As far as I understand,” he said quietly to the adjutant, “the event requires a bottle of champagne.”
They brought champagne, opened it to soft exclamations. Drank to win. Terrible fatigue pressed on everyone, so those present soon dispersed.
The head of the USSR military mission in France, Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov (1897-1974) shakes hands with the commander of the allied forces in Europe, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) at the signing of the act of surrender of Germany in Reims on May 7, 1945 .
To the left of I.A. Susloparov - his adjutant senior lieutenant Ivan Chernyaev.
After Eisenhower congratulated General Susloparov on the signing of the German surrender protocol and victory, the head of the Soviet military mission prepared and sent his report to Moscow.
Meanwhile, a counter message was already coming from the Kremlin, in which the general was ordered not to sign any documents on surrender ....
REACTION OF THE USSR
In the meantime, on the morning of May 7, the notice of Germany's surrender, signed at Reims, was received in Moscow. Colonel General S.M. Shtemenko, who was then the head of the operational department of the General Staff of the Red Army and was often invited to the Kremlin, testifies ...
When the telegram from Reims was received, the Chief of the General Staff A.I. Antonov summoned Shtemenko and ordered that a draft directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command be drawn up regarding the capitulation that had taken place.
He showed him a letter just sent to Antonov by the head of the US military mission, Dean, which contained the following: “... This afternoon I received an urgent message from the president in which he asks Marshal Stalin to give his consent to announce the surrender of Germany today at 19.00 Moscow time.
We received an answer through the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs that this could not be done, because the Soviet government still had not received from its representatives at Eisenhower's headquarters information about the surrender of Germany.
I (i.e. US Head of Mission Dee) informed President Truman of this and received a response that he would not make an official announcement until 9 am Washington time on May 8, or 4 pm Moscow time, unless Marshal Stalin expressed his consent to earlier hour..."
Soon followed by a call to the Kremlin, to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Stalin.
In the office, besides Stalin himself, there were members of the government. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief, as usual, walked slowly along the carpet. His whole appearance expressed extreme displeasure. The surrender of Germany at Reims was discussed.
Stalin summed up the results, thinking aloud.
He noticed that the Allies had arranged a unilateral agreement with the Dönitz government. And such an agreement is more like a conspiracy.
In addition to General I.A. Susloparov, none of government officials The USSR was not present in Reims. It turns out that there was no capitulation to the Soviet Union, and this was when the USSR suffered the most from the Nazi invasion and made the greatest contribution to the cause of victory. Bad consequences can be expected from such a "surrender".
“The treaty signed by the allies in Reims,” Stalin continued, “cannot be canceled, but it cannot be recognized either. Surrender must be carried out as the most important historical fact and adopted not on the territory of the victors, 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.
Let it be signed by one of the leaders of the former fascist state or a whole group of Nazis responsible for all their atrocities against humanity.”
Having finished speaking, Stalin turned to the Chief of the General Staff A.I. Antonov and asked if Zhukov could find a suitable room for the solemn signing of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany in Berlin.
Well, then there was great date ninth of May!
