ON THIS DAY IN 1945: The Germans surrendered to General Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander!

FR ^ | May 7, 1945 | RF

[RandFan]

On May 7, 1945, German Col. Gen. Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional surrender of Germany at the Allied headquarters in Reims, France, effectively ending World War II in Europe. General Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, played a crucial role in the surrender process.

While the signing took place on May 7, the news wasn't officially announced until the next day, May 8, leading to widespread celebrations known as VE Day.

The National Archives states that General Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander, made it clear that any surrender would have to be a full capitulation to all Allied forces.

While he wasn't present for the signing, he received the German delegation and dispatched a message that the mission of the Allied Force was fulfilled at 0241 local time.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat; History
KEYWORDS: nationalsocialists; victoryovernazis

[RandFan]

Hurray! Victory!

[Uncle Miltie]

hamass take note!

This is how you stop the destruction and killing in the war you started.

Plus, release the hostages, your War Crime.

[Savage Beast]

I remember it well. The entire city erupted in joy! Car horns honking everywhere. People in the streets hugging one another! Celebrating! Shouting: “The war’s over! The war’s over!”

[Jim W N]

America won both WWI and WWII - WWI against the German Second Reich and WWII against the German Third Reich.

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of America who still has a purpose in these last days.

[Robert DeLong]

V-E Day. 🙂👍

[Sicon]

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

An important day, without question or reservations!

One reads:

This instrument of surrender was signed on May 7, 1945, at Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims by Gen. Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Army.

The unconditional surrender of the German Third Reich was signed in the early morning hours of Monday, May 7, 1945, at Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) at Reims in northeastern France.

General Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Army, signed three other surrender documents at the same time, one each for Great Britain, Russia, and France.

Present were representatives of the four Allied Powers – France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States – and the three German officers delegated by German President Karl Doenitz. These were: Gen. Alfred Jodl, who alone had been authorized to sign the surrender document; Maj. Wilhelm Oxenius, an aide to Jodl; and Adm. Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, one of the German chief negotiators.

more....

Source: Surrender of Germany (1945) The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

And later that year "....hanged at Nuremberg Prison on 16 October 1946...."

[ckilmer]

My maternal grandmother was raised in the same small town as the Eisenhowers in the late 19th and early 20th century.

A very different world than today.

But the USA goes in for a complete makeover about ever decade or two.

I was at the pharmacy two days ago. An old guy gave his birthdate to the pharmacist. He was born in 1940. I struck up a conversation with him. Said I was born in 1953.

I hazarded as how the America of 1953 was very different from the America of 1940. He agreed. He went on to say that the USA of the 1950’s was different from the USA of the 60’s. And it has changed just about every decade since.

We took the measure of each other.

In corporate speak, there is a game called the Infinite Game. It describes a mindset where businesses focus on long-term purpose, adaptability, and continuous improvement rather than short-term wins or beating competitors in a fixed “game.”

Maybe that describes us. Or perhaps we were a couple of crabs at the bottom of an ocean.

[Vermont Lt]

“ one of the German chief negotiators”
———————

Talk about an easy gig.

“I am here to negotiate.”
“No negotiations.”
“Okaaaayy. Looks like we are done here. It’s all yours, Jodl.”

[pierrem15]

Jodl was executed, Oxenius died in 1979 and von Friedeburg committed suicide when the rump Flensburg government was dissolved.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I have an old newspaper, Roswell NM Daily Record. “GERMANY QUITS WAR!”
I have an old Sad Sack cartoon of when Germany surrendered and Sad Sack dreamed of going home, getting married and having children. Last cartoon shows Sad Sack getting orders for the PACIFIC!
That happened to my dad. When the A-bombs dropped on Japan everyone retraining for the pacific gave a sigh of relief as they knew the war was almost over.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "Jodl was executed, Oxenius died in 1979 and von Friedeburg committed suicide when the rump Flensburg government was dissolved."

To the shame of another era, Pol pot lived to old age and apparently died of it in his sleep. Should have been strung up. Another story for another day....

[cymbeline]

Here’s an interview of Eisenhower in which he talks about D-Day, which he was in charge of. Long but it held my attention. Skip to about 4:00 to get close to D-Day specifics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNaxTXfjfXk

[mass55th]

On May 10th, 1945...Ukraine’s SS Galician Units surrendered to the Allies. I wonder if Zelensky is going to celebrate it?

[fso301]

To the shame of another era, Pol pot lived to old age and apparently died of it in his sleep

Yes but he was an international socialist and one has to break a few eggs to make an omelette.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "To the shame of another era, Pol pot lived to old age and apparently died of it in his sleep Yes but he was an international socialist and one has to break a few eggs to make an omelette."

Pol Pot got his university training in France, and it was there he joined the French Communist Party in 1951.

When one says "international socialist," the phrase so often echoes of Europe as well as those "international" Soviets and Sino-Soviets, and of course our very own "internationalist" Democrat Party.