The act of surrender of Germany. Act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany

Who unconditional surrender Germany - the document that ended the Great Patriotic War. This Act stated that the war ended with the complete defeat of Nazi Germany. The fact that the Act was signed in Berlin, taken by 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 defeating fascism became obvious, the question remained unclear which part of Germany would be under the control of the USSR and which part would be under the control of the Western Allies. The Nazis, considering themselves a bulwark of Western civilization against communism, did everything to stop the advance of the Red Army. The German military and officials rightly believed that their fate would be somewhat easier if they ended up in the hands of the Western allies rather than Stalin. The Soviet leadership feared that under the auspices of the USA and Great Britain, German nationalism could revive and again threaten the USSR.

Despite the fact that 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 - with a total number of about 1 million people, 10,400 guns and mortars, 1,500 tanks and assault guns and 3,300 combat aircraft. Another 8 divisions were in the reserve of the main command ground forces. The number of garrisons in Berlin itself exceeded 200 thousand people.

In order to encircle and capture Berlin, the Soviet command concentrated 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 number of 2.5 million people, about 42 thousand guns and mortars, over 6,250 tanks and self-propelled guns, 7,500 combat aircraft.

The path to Berlin was covered by fortifications on the Seelow Heights. To avoid big losses it was necessary to take them suddenly, in one blow. The commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, G. Zhukov, concentrated a strong strike group against the heights, and in order to stun the defenders, the light of powerful aviation searchlights was 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 group southeast of Berlin. Despite fierce enemy resistance, Soviet troops under the command of Zhukov and the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front I. Konev surrounded Berlin on April 25 and advanced to the Elbe to meet the allies. April 25, Torgau district 5th guards army met with the US 1st 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 Allied bombing, but the ruins also made it difficult for Soviet troops to advance forward. Step by step, Soviet troops captured the most important objects of the city, 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 flag 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 group continued to operate in the Czech Republic. On May 5, an uprising occurred 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 effectively ended.

The German command delayed surrender, hoping that as soon as possible large quantity troops will 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 resistance to the Anglo-Americans and pursue a policy of private surrenders at the level of army groups, continuing resistance to the Red Army. In Reims, where the headquarters of the commander of the Western Allied forces, D. Eisenhower, was located, representatives of Dennitz tried to achieve a separate surrender in the West, but Eisenhower refused this.

On May 7, 1945, in Reims, Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces in Europe W. Smith, USSR representative Gen. I. Susloparov and the representative of the government of K. Dönitz, General A. Jodl, signed a protocol on the surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany on May 8. In the remaining hours, the German leadership hoped to evacuate as many troops and refugees as possible for 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, which was taken by Soviet troops. But he insisted on including a clause in the agreement that made it possible to replace the capitulation in Reims with a more general agreement (this clause was then repeated in the final version of the capitulation - already in Berlin).

Stalin rejected Truman and Churchill's proposal to announce the end of the war on May 8. He believed that the Act should be solemnly signed in Berlin: “The treaty signed in Reims cannot be canceled, 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 victors, but where the fascist aggression came from - in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the high command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition." The Allies agreed to hold a secondary signing ceremony in Berlin. Eisenhower indicated to Jodl that the German commanders-in-chief of the armed forces would be brought in for the final official procedure at a time and place determined by the Soviet and Allied commands. Eisenhower decided not to go to Berlin so as not to diminish the significance of the surrender in Reims.

On the night of May 8-9, 1945, in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, in the building of the former canteen of the military engineering school (it was not easy to find an entire building in 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 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Vyshinsky and the representative of the Soviet Supreme High Command Marshal Soviet Union G. Zhukov. The command of the expeditionary forces in Europe was represented by Deputy Commander D. Eisenhower, British Air Chief Marshal A. Tedder. The agreement was also signed by the Commander of the US Strategic Armed Forces, General K. Spaats, and the Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, General J.-M. Delattre de Tassigny.

The text of the surrender signed in Karlshorst repeated the surrender in 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 had now surrendered. Representatives of the German High Command agreed 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 Command of the Red Army and at the same time to the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces" on 23 -01 hours Central European Time on May 8, 1945. The ceremony ended at 0 hours 43 minutes on May 9, 1945. The Great Patriotic War and World War II in Europe ended.

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 Command of the Red Army and at the same time Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.

2. The German High Command will immediately issue orders to all German commanders of land, sea and air forces and all forces under German command to cease hostilities at 2301 hours Central European Time on May 8, 1945, to remain in their places where they are at this time, and completely disarm, 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 ships, ships and aircraft, their engines, hulls and equipment, and also machines, weapons, apparatus and all military-technical means of warfare in general.

3. The German High Command will immediately assign the appropriate commanders and ensure that all further orders issued by the Supreme Command of the Red Army and the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces are carried out.

4. This act shall not be an obstacle to 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 instrument of surrender, the High Command of the Red Army, as well as the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, will take such punitive measures as or other actions they deem necessary.

6. This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English lyrics are authentic.

On behalf of the German High Command:

Keitel, Friedenburg, Stumpf

In the presence:

We 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. The end of the Third Reich. M., 1973.

Shtemenko S.M. General base during the war years. M., 1985.

Vorobyov F.D., Parodkin I.V., Shimansky A.N. The final assault. M., 1975.

Why did the German command resist more strongly on the eastern front than on the western front?

Who inherited the post of Reich President after Hitler's suicide?

Why was the signing of the final German surrender in Reims unacceptable?

Why does paragraph 4 of the Act of Surrender, signed in Berlin, speak of the possibility of a new agreement? Was it signed?

May 9, 1945 - this date is familiar to every resident modern Russia And post-Soviet space as the day of the Great Victory over fascism. Unfortunately, historical facts are not always unambiguous, this is what allows some historians Western Europe distort events. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany happened somewhat differently than we all know from history books, but this should not change the idea of the course and results of that bloody war.

Offensive

Since the winter of 43-44, the Red Army drove the Germans to the border on all fronts. Fierce battles exhausted enemy forces, but also created difficulties for Soviet soldiers. The liberation of Karelia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia occurred during 1944, the Red Army reached the borders of the aggressor country. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany is still ahead; the troops, exhausted by many kilometers of marches, need to be regrouped for decisive battle. became a matter of prestige for our country, and the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition also strived for this. January 1945 became the moment of no return for the Nazis; the war was completely lost, but their resistance became even more fierce on the approaches to Berlin. The creation of many fortified areas, the reorganization of army units, the concentration of divisions on the eastern front - Hitler takes these actions in order to stop the Soviet troops. He partially succeeds in delaying the attack on Berlin; it is postponed from February to April 1945. The operation is carefully planned and prepared; all possible reserves and weapons are deployed to the advancing fronts. From April 16 to 17, 1945, the offensive begins with the forces of two fronts - the first Belorussian (Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov) and the first Ukrainian (chief commander Ivan Stepanovich Konev), the second Belorussian Front (Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky) must encircle the city and prevent breakthrough attempts . As if these terrible four years of war had not happened, the wounded got into formation and marched on Berlin, despite the fierce resistance of the fascists, swept away the fortifications, everyone knew that this was the path to victory. Only by noon in 1945, the capital of the Third Reich fell into complete silence, the remnants of the garrison surrendered and Soviet banners replaced the swastika on the remains of destroyed buildings.

Allies

In the summer of 1944, a massive offensive of allied troops began in the western direction. It is due, first of all, to the too rapid onslaught of the Red Army along the entire length of the eastern front line. The Norman landings, strategic bombings of the main industrial areas of the Third Reich, military operations in Belgium, France and Germany significantly complicate the situation of Nazi Germany. The seizure of the territory of the Ruhr region and southern Austria makes it possible to advance deep into the territory of the aggressor’s country. The legendary meeting of Soviet and allied troops on the Elbe River in April 1945 is actually the last step in the war. The capitulation of Nazi Germany is becoming a matter of time, especially since it has already been partially begun by some Wehrmacht armies. From a political point of view, the capture of Berlin was necessary for the Allies as well as for the USSR; Eisenhower repeatedly mentions this. For the united units of the British, Americans and Canadians, carrying out this offensive operation was theoretically possible. After the unsuccessful Ardennes counteroffensive, German troops retreated along almost the entire front without fierce fighting, trying to transfer combat-ready formations to the east. Hitler actually turned his back on the allies of the USSR, directing all efforts to stop the Red Army. The second front advanced very slowly; the command of the coalition formations did not want large losses among their soldiers during the assault on well-fortified Berlin and its outskirts.

Germans

Hitler waited until the very end for a split in the coalition and changes on the front line. He was sure that the meeting of the allies would turn into a new war against the USSR. When his expectations were not met, he decided to make peace with the United States and Great Britain, which would make it possible to close the second front. Negotiations were disrupted due to timely information received Soviet intelligence. This fact significantly accelerated the process of the Red Army's offensive and prevented the possibility of concluding a separate peace. The Allies had to resolutely insist on compliance with all the Yalta agreements, which implied the signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany. Hitler was ready to “surrender” Berlin to the Anglo-American troops, but he was unable to do this thanks to the Soviet command. The offensive and assault on the capital of the Third Reich became a matter of honor for our troops. The Nazis defended themselves fanatically, there was nowhere to retreat, the approaches to the city became powerful fortified areas.

Yalta Conference

Massive offensive actions on the eastern and western front made it clear to the Nazis that the complete surrender of Germany was already close. The year 1945 (its beginning) left Hitler no chance of victory and no opportunity to wage a protracted war on both sides. understood the importance of a coordinated peaceful solution to territorial and political transformations in liberated Europe. Representatives of the highest level of the three allied powers gathered in Yalta in February 1945. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill determined the future not only of Germany, Poland, Italy, France, they created a new bipolar system for Europe, which was respected for the next 40 years. Of course, under the prevailing conditions, none of the countries could dictate their terms, so the results of this historic conference partially satisfied the demands of the leaders. But the main issue was the destruction of fascism and nationalism; the danger of the emergence of such ruling regimes was recognized by all participants.

Document preparation

The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany took place in 1945, but back in 1943 the draft of this document was agreed upon by all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The initiator of its creation was Roosevelt; the document itself was drawn up with the participation of an advisory commission consisting of European experts. The text of the draft was quite extensive and was rather advisory in nature, so in fact the surrender of Germany was signed after drawing up a completely different document. American officers approached its drafting from a military, purely pragmatic side. Six points of the document contained specific requirements, specific dates and procedures in case of violation of any article, which were historical.

Partial surrender

Several large military units of the Wehrmacht surrendered to the Allied forces before the agreement on the complete surrender of the Nazis was signed. German groups and entire armies sought to break through to the west so as not to fight the Russians. Their command realized that the war was over, and they could only get refuge by surrendering to the Americans and the British. Especially groups of SS troops, famous for their atrocities on the territory of the USSR, fled from the rapidly advancing Russians. The first case of surrender was recorded on April 29, 1945 in Italy. May 2nd Soviet troops the garrison of Berlin surrendered, on May 4, the German naval forces in Denmark and Holland laid down their arms before the British, on May 5, Army Group G capitulated, having reached the Americans from Austria.

First document

May 8, 1945 - this particular date in Europe is considered Victory Day over fascism. It was not chosen by chance; in fact, representatives of the new German government signed the surrender on May 7, and the document was supposed to come into force the next day. Admiral Friedeburg, as part of the German delegation, arrived in the Rhine, where Eisenhower's headquarters was based, with a proposal to surrender on May 5, 1945. The Nazis began to bargain with the allies on the terms of the document, trying to delay time and withdraw as many troops and civilians as possible beyond the western front line, while continuing attempts to contain Soviet army on east direction. Eisenhower completely rejected all German arguments, insisting on the complete and unconditional surrender of Germany and the signing of the document by all parties to the conflict. On May 6, representatives of all allied forces were summoned to the Rhine. Soviet history textbooks do not reflect who signed the act of surrender of Germany in the first version, but the names of these people have been preserved: from the USSR - General Susloparov, from the combined forces of the Allies - General Smith, from Germany - General Jodl, Admiral Friedeburg.

Stalin

Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov was a member of the Soviet mission at the Allied headquarters, therefore, before putting his signature on historical document, transmitted information to Moscow. The answer came late, but its fourth point implied the possibility of making changes to the original version, which Stalin took advantage of. He insisted on re-signing the act; the following arguments were given as arguments:

After signing the surrender, the Nazis continued to conduct active defensive military operations on the eastern front.
Stalin also attached great importance to where the surrender of Germany was signed. For this, in his opinion, only the capital of the defeated state is suitable.
Susloparov did not have the authority to sign this document.

The allies agreed with his opinion, especially since in fact it was a repetition of the procedure, which did not change its essence.

Surrender of Germany

Ratification date previous agreement was scheduled for May 8, 1945. At 22:43 European time, the procedure for signing the surrender was completed; it was already the next day in Moscow. That is why on the morning of May 9, the end of the war and the complete defeat of Nazi Germany was announced on the territory of the USSR. In fact, the document was signed without significant changes, from the Soviet command it was signed by Marshal Konstantinovich, from the allied forces - by Marshal Arthur Tedder, from Germany - by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht, Colonel General of the Luftwaffe Stumpf, Admiral of the Navy Friedeburg. General Latre de Tassigny (France) and General Spaats (USA) acted as witnesses.

Hostilities

Many fascist groups did not recognize the surrender and continued to resist Soviet troops (in Austria and Czechoslovakia), hoping to break through to the west and surrender to the Allies. Such attempts were stopped by the destruction of enemy groups, so actual military operations were carried out on the eastern front until May 19, 1945. About 1,500 thousand German soldiers and 100 generals surrendered to Soviet troops after May 8. The number of individual clashes was significant, scattered enemy groups often resisted our soldiers, so the list of those killed in this terrible war is not limited to the date May 9. The conclusion of peace between the main parties to the conflict did not occur at the time the act of “surrender of Germany” was signed. The date that will put an end to the military confrontation will come only in June 1945. At this time, a document will be drawn up and signed, which will be based on the principle of post-war governance of the country.

Victory

Levitan announced the end of the Great Patriotic War May 9, 1945. This day is a holiday of the Victory of the Soviet multinational people over Nazi Germany. Both then and now, it doesn’t matter what date the surrender was signed, 7 or 8, the main thing is the fact of signing the document. Many peoples suffered in this war, but the Russians will always be proud that they were not broken and liberated their homeland and part of Europe. The victory was difficult, cost many millions of lives, and everyone's duty modern man- to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany happened twice, but the meaning of this document is clear.

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USSR USSR,
Great Britain Great Britain,
USA USA,
France France

Act of unconditional surrender of the Germans armed forces (English) German Instrument of Surrender, fr. Actes de capitulation de l'Allemagne nazie, German Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht) - legal document, which established a truce on the fronts of the Second World War directed against Germany, obliging German military personnel to cease resistance, surrender personnel and transfer the material part of the armed forces to the enemy, which actually meant Germany’s exit from the war.

The act was signed by representatives of the Wehrmacht High Command, the High Command of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union on May 7 at 02:41 p.m. in Reims (France). The surrender of Nazi Germany took effect on May 8 at 23:01 Central European Time.

The dates of the official announcement by the heads of state of the signing of capitulation - May 8 in European countries and May 9 in the USSR - began to be celebrated in the respective countries as Victory Day.

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Yuri Levitan "Act of Surrender of Germany"

Act of Surrender, 1945

05/07/1945 Levitan speaks. Act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces

Signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany / German Instrument of Surrender

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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. The draft text of the document on surrender has been developed by the European Advisory Commission since January 1944; the text (called “Terms of German Surrender”) was agreed upon at the end of July and approved by the heads of the Allied governments. This extensive document was sent in particular to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (S.H.A.E.F), where, however, it was perceived not as mandatory instructions, but as recommendations. Therefore, when on May 4-5, 1945, the question of Germany’s surrender practically arose, the Allied headquarters did not use the existing document (perhaps fearing that disputes over the political articles contained in it would complicate negotiations with the Germans), but developed their own short, purely military document, which was ultimately signed. The text was developed by a group of American officers from the entourage of Allied Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower; the primary author of the text was Colonel Philimore of 3rd (Operations) Section SHAEF. In order for it not to contradict the draft of the European Commission, at the suggestion of the English diplomat Ambassador Weinand, Article 4 was introduced into the text of the document, which provided for the possibility of replacing this act with “another general instrument of surrender concluded by the United Nations or on their behalf” (some Russian sources, however, the idea of this article is attributed to the Soviet representative at the Allied command Susloparov).

Partial surrenders

On the same day, the new head of the German government, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, had a meeting. Assessing the military situation as hopeless, the meeting participants decided to concentrate their main efforts on saving as many Germans as possible from the Red Army, avoiding military action in the West and continuing actions against the Anglo-Americans only to the extent that they would hinder the attempts of German troops to evade from the Red Army. Since, in view of the agreements between the USSR and the Western allies, it is difficult to achieve capitulation only in the West, a policy of private capitulations should be pursued at the level of army groups and below.

On May 4, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, Fleet Admiral Hans-Georg Friedeburg, signed the act of surrender of all German armed forces in Holland, Denmark, Schleswig-Holstein and North-West Germany to the 21st Army Group of Field Marshal B. Montgomery.

On May 5, Infantry General F. Schultz, who commanded Army Group G operating in Bavaria and Western Austria, capitulated to the American General D. Devers. However, in the south the Reich still had a large group of army groups “Center” and “Austria” (formerly “South”) under the command of Field Marshal Albert Kesselring.

First act

Having signed the act of surrender of German troops in the north in Lüneburg on May 4, Admiral Friedeburg went to Eisenhower's headquarters, located in Reims, in order, on the instructions of Dönitz, to raise before him the question of the surrender of German troops on the Western Front. Since, due to bad weather, he was forced to travel from Brussels to Reims by car, the German delegation arrived in Reims only at 17:00 on May 5. Meanwhile, Eisenhower told his chief of staff, Walter Bedell Smith, that there would be no bargaining with the Germans and he did not intend to see the Germans until they signed the terms of surrender. The negotiations were entrusted to Generals W. B. Smith and Carl Strong (the latter participated in the negotiations for the surrender of Italy in 1943).

The negotiations took place in the premises of the operations department of the Allied headquarters (this headquarters was located in a building that was called the “red school building”, actually in the building of a technical college). In order to demonstrate to Friedeburg the futility of the Germans' position, Smith ordered the walls to be hung with maps indicating the situation on the fronts, as well as maps indicating attacks supposedly being prepared by the Allies. These maps made a great impression on Friedeburg. Friedeburg offered Smith the surrender of the remaining German troops on the Western Front; Smith replied that Eisenhower refused to continue negotiations unless the offer of surrender also applied to the Eastern Front: only a general surrender was possible, and the troops in the West and East must remain in their places. To this Friedeburg replied that he did not have the authority to sign a general surrender. Having studied the text of the act of surrender presented to him, Friedeburg telegraphed Dönitz, asking permission to sign a general surrender or to send Keitel and the commanders of the air and naval forces to do so.

Dönitz considered the terms of surrender unacceptable and sent Jodl, who was known as a categorical opponent of surrender in the East, to Reims. Jodl had to explain to Eisenhower why general surrender was impossible. He arrived in Reims on the evening of 6 May. After an hour-long discussion with him, Smith and Strong came to the conclusion that the Germans were simply playing for time in order to have time to transport as many troops and refugees to the West as possible, which they reported to Eisenhower. The latter told Smith to tell the Germans that “If they do not stop making excuses and stalling for time, I will immediately close the entire Allied front and forcefully stop the flow of refugees through the disposition of our troops. I will not tolerate any further delay.". Having received this answer, Jodl realized that his situation was hopeless and asked Dönitz for authority for a general surrender. Dönitz called Eisenhower’s behavior “real blackmail,” however, also realizing the hopelessness of the situation, shortly after midnight on May 7, he instructed Keitel to answer: "Grand Admiral Dönitz grants full authority to sign in accordance with the proposed terms". The signing ceremony was scheduled for 2:30 am. The act of surrender was supposed to come into force at 23:01 on May 8, that is, almost two days after signing - Dönitz hoped to use this time to move as many troops and refugees to the West as possible.

May 6 at SHAEF Representatives of the allied commands were summoned: members of the Soviet mission, General Susloparov and Colonel Zenkovich, as well as the deputy chief of the Supreme National Defense Staff of France, General Sevez (the chief of staff, General Juin, was in San Francisco at the founding conference of the UN). Eisenhower tried in every possible way to calm the suspicion of Soviet representatives, who believed that the Anglo-American allies were ready to come to terms with the Germans behind their backs. As for the role of Sevez, who signed the act as a witness, it turned out to be insignificant: the general, being a pure military man, did not try to defend the prestigious interests of France and, in particular, did not protest against the absence of the French flag in the room where the surrender was signed. Eisenhower himself refused to participate in the signing ceremony for protocol reasons, since the German side was represented by the chief of staff and not the commander in chief - the ceremony was thus held at the level of the chiefs of staff.

The act was signed on May 7 at 02:41 (Central European time) by the chief of the operational headquarters of the German Army High Command, Colonel General Alfred Jodl. The surrender was accepted: from the Anglo-American side, Lieutenant General of the US Army, Chief of the General Staff of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Walter Bedell Smith, from the USSR - the representative of the Supreme High Command of the Allied Command, Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov. The act was also signed by the Deputy Chief of the French National Defense Staff, Brigadier General François Sevez, as a witness. The English text of this act is authentic.

Although a group of 17 journalists attended the signing ceremony, the United States and Britain agreed to delay the public announcement of the surrender so that the Soviet Union could prepare a second surrender ceremony in Berlin. The reporters took an oath that they would report the surrender only 36 hours later - at exactly 3 o'clock in the afternoon on May 8, 1945.

Without waiting for a message about the ceremony, Dönitz gave (at 1 hour 35 minutes) the following order to Field Marshal Kesselring and General Winter, which was also transmitted for information to the commander of Army Group Center F. Scherner, the commander of the troops in Austria L. von Rendulic and the commander of the South -East A. Leroux: “The task is to withdraw to the west as many troops as possible operating on the Eastern Front, while, if necessary, fighting through the disposition of Soviet troops. Immediately stop any fighting against the Anglo-American troops and give the order to the troops to surrender to them. The general surrender will be signed today at Eisenhower Headquarters. Eisenhower promised Colonel General Jodl that hostilities would cease on May 9, 1945 at 0:00 a.m. German summer time...” .

On May 7 at 14:41, German radio (from Flensburg) officially announced the signing of the surrender. The Foreign Minister of the Dönitz government, Count Schwerin von Krosigg, made the following speech:

Germans and German women!
The Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht, on the orders of Grand Admiral Dönitz, announced the unconditional surrender of the German troops. As the leading minister of the Imperial Government, formed by the Grand Admiral to complete all military tasks, I address this tragic moment our history to the German people...
No one should be mistaken about the severity of the conditions that our opponents will impose on us. It is necessary, without any loud phrases, to look them in the face clearly and soberly. No one can doubt that the coming times will be harsh for each of us and will require sacrifices from us in all areas of life. We are obliged to bring them and be loyal to all the obligations that we undertake. But we do not dare to despair and indulge in dull resignation to fate. We must find a way to get out of this darkness onto the path of our future. Let unity, law and freedom serve as our three guiding stars, which have always been the guarantee of a truly German essence...
We must base our folk life right. Justice must become the highest law and the main guiding thread for our people. We must recognize law both from our inner conviction and as the basis of our relations with other peoples. Respect for the treaties concluded must be as sacred to us as the feeling of belonging to the European family of nations, as a member of which we want to bring all our human, moral and material forces to flourish in order to heal the terrible wounds inflicted by the war.
Then we can hope that the atmosphere of hatred that now surrounds Germany throughout the world will give way to that reconciliation of peoples, without which the healing of the world is unthinkable, and that freedom will again give us its signal, without which no people can live decently and with dignity.
We want to see the future of our people in the awareness of the deepest and best forces every living person to whom the world has given lasting creations and values. With pride in the heroic struggle of our people, we will combine the desire, as a link in Western Christian culture, to contribute to honest, peaceful work in the spirit of the best traditions of our people. May God not leave us in our trouble, may He sanctify our difficult work!

Another hour later, the German surrender was reported by the Associated Press, whose reporter, Edward Kennedy, after the German report, considered himself free from the promise to keep the event secret. However, Kennedy was fired from the agency, and silence about the surrender continued in the West for another day - only on the afternoon of May 8 was it officially announced. In the Soviet Union, information about the surrender of May 7 was also initially banned, but then, after the signing of the final act in Karlshorst, the Reims preliminary protocol of surrender was mentioned by I.V. Stalin in his address to to the Soviet people, broadcast on the radio at 21:00 on May 9.

According to most sources, on May 8 at 22:43 Central European time (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 unconditional surrender of Germany was signed. Not included in the text of the act exact date its signing is indicated on May 8, 1945. Some sources indicate the date of signing the act after midnight Central European time, that is, May 9 - at approximately 00:15 or 00:43 (Keitel signed at 00:16).

Thus, at the time of signing final act It was 23.15 in Western European time, 00.15 in Central European time, and 02.15 in Moscow time.

The text of the act basically repeats word for word the text of May 7, including even Article 4, which has now lost its real meaning. The Karlshorst Act also confirmed the time of the ceasefire - May 8 at 23:01 Central European time (May 9 at 01:01 Moscow time). The changes in the text of the act were as follows:

in the English text, the expression Soviet High Command (Soviet Supreme Command) was 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, has been expanded and detailed;
The indication of the act on May 7 was withdrawn: "Only this text on English language is authoritative" and Article 6 was inserted, which read: “This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English texts are authentic".

On behalf of the German side, the act was signed by: Field Marshal General, Chief of the Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht Wilhelm Keitel, Luftwaffe representative Colonel General Stumpf and Kriegsmarine Admiral von Friedeburg. The unconditional surrender was accepted by Marshal Zhukov (from the Soviet side) and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, Marshal Tedder (English: Arthur William Tedder) (Great Britain). The general signed their signatures as witnesses.

On the German side, the proposal to sign the act was officially made on May 6, 1945, when General Alfred Jodl, who was chief of staff at the final stage of the war, arrived at General Eisenhower's headquarters. operational management High Command of the Wehrmacht. According to him, he was sent to negotiate by Admiral Dönitz, who formally led Germany after Hitler's suicide.

On behalf of Dönitz, Jodl invited the Allies to accept the surrender and organize the signing of the corresponding act on May 10. According to him, a delay of four days was required to clarify the location of formations and units of the German army and to convey to them information about the surrender. Eisenhower refused to even discuss such a long delay and gave Jodl half an hour to decide on the immediate signing of the act, threatening that otherwise the Allies would continue to launch massive attacks on 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 Forces in Europe, the act was to be witnessed by General Bedell Smith. Eisenhower proposed that, on the Soviet side, the act be witnessed by Major General I. A. Susloparov, a former representative of the Supreme Command Headquarters at the Allied command.
Photo: ru.wikipedia.org

As soon as I learned about the preparation of the act for signing, I 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 (preliminarily scheduled for 2 hours 30 minutes), no response was received from them. The situation was such that the act might not have had the signature of the Soviet representative at all, so Susloparov ensured that a note was included 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 this did he agree to put his signature on the act, although he understood that he was extremely at risk.

Photo: ru.wikipedia.org

The act of surrender of Germany was signed on May 7 at 2 hours 40 minutes Central European time. The act stipulated that unconditional surrender would take effect from 11 p.m. on May 8. After this, 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 the marshal to organize a new signing of the act. Fortunately for Susloparov, a note that was included at his request in the signed document allowed this to be done. Sometimes the second signing of an act is called the ratification of what was signed the day before. For this there is legal grounds, since on May 7 G.K. Zhukov received official instructions 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 a more high level, Stalin joined in, turning to Churchill and Truman:

“The agreement signed in Reims cannot be canceled, 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 victors, but where the fascist aggression came from - in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the high command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition."

As a result, the United States and England agreed to re-sign 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 requested, citing that they were still fighting on the Soviet-German front. heavy fighting, and we must wait until the capitulation comes 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 this personally, addressing the people on the radio. In the USSR the text of their appeals was available, but for obvious reasons only on May 10.

It is curious that, knowing that the end of the war would be announced in the USSR after the signing of a new act, he 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 overall victory."

The new signing of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany took place on May 8 in Karlshorst, a suburb where a hall was specially prepared in the building of the military engineering school. The flags of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition hung in the hall. Official representatives The allied powers were seated at a large table, generals and officers of the allied armies, and journalists were present.

Photo: ru.wikipedia.org

Opening the ceremony, Marshal Zhukov addressed the audience, declaring:

“We, representatives of the Supreme High Command of the Soviet Armed Forces and the High 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 this, representatives of the German command entered the hall, presenting a document of authority signed by Dönitz.

On the German side, the Act of Unconditional Surrender, drawn up in 9 copies, was signed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel (Chief of Staff of the Supreme High Command of the German Armed Forces), Colonel General of the Air Force Hans-Jürgen Stumpf (on this day he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe) and Admiral of the Fleet Hans-Georg von Friedeburg (Commander-in-Chief of the Navy).

The act was witnessed by their signatures: from the side of the Soviet command - Marshal of the Soviet Union, from the command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe - British Air Chief Marshal A. Tedder (Eisenhower's deputy).
The act was signed as witnesses: from the US armed forces - General K. Spaats, from the French armed forces - General J. de Lattre de Tassigny.

After the fall of Berlin and the suicide of the Fuhrer, Germany admitted 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 Anti-Hitler coalition, in Reims, where Eisenhower’s headquarters was located, a preliminary protocol on the surrender of the Wehrmacht was signed. 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 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 victors, but where the fascist aggression came from - in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the high command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition."

Photo. Celebrating 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 of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany took place.

The signing ceremony of the act took place in the building of the military engineering school, where a special hall was prepared, decorated state flags USSR, USA, England and France. At the main table were representatives of the Allied powers. Present in the hall were Soviet generals whose troops took Berlin, as well as Soviet and foreign journalists.

Photo. Conference hall 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 English Air Marshal Arthur W. Tedder, the commander of the US Strategic Air Forces, General Spaats, and the Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, General Delattre de Tassigny. On the German side, Field Marshal Keitel, Fleet Admiral Baron von Friedeburg and Air Force Colonel General Stumpf were authorized to sign the act of unconditional surrender.

Photo. Keitel follows to sign 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 the heads of the Allied delegations with a document on his powers, signed in Doenitz’s own hand. The German delegation was then asked whether it had the Act of Unconditional Surrender in its hands and whether it had studied it. After Keitel’s affirmative answer, 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 served as witnesses. The procedure for signing the surrender ended at 0 hours 43 minutes on May 9, 1945. The German delegation, by order of Zhukov, left the hall.

Photo.Keitel signs the Act.

The act consisted of 6 points as follows:

"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 Command of the Red Army and at the same time to the Supreme Command Allied Expeditionary Forces.

2. The German High Command will immediately issue orders to all German commanders of land, sea and air forces and 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 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 ships, ships and aircraft, their engines, hulls and equipment , as well as machines, weapons, apparatus and all military-technical means of warfare in general.

5. In the event that the German High Command or any armed forces under its command do not act in accordance with this instrument of surrender, the High Command of the Red Army as well as the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces will take such punitive measures or other actions which 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 a.m. the meeting was adjourned. After this, a reception took place, which was a great success. Much has been 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, too, could not resist and, remembering my youth, danced the Russian dance.”

Photo. Allied delegation in Karlshorst.

Land, sea and air force The Wehrmacht on the Soviet-German front began to lay down their arms. By the end of the day on May 8, the resistance, pressed against Baltic Sea Army Group "Courland". About 190 thousand soldiers and officers, including 42 generals, surrendered.

Photo. 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 there - 12 thousand soldiers.

Photo. The Allies are busy counting captured equipment.

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 get to the west, had to be destroyed by Soviet troops until May 19...