The act of surrender of Germany was signed in Berlin. Signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany

The Act of unconditional surrender fascist Germany, legal document, which established a truce on the fronts of World War II directed against Germany, obliging the German armed forces to cease resistance, surrender personnel and transfer materiel to the enemy, and actually meant Germany’s exit from the war.

The document marked the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and the end of World War II in Europe.

The act of surrender was signed twice.

The signing ceremony of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany took place in the suburbs of Berlin on the night of May 9, 1945. See in archival footage how the procedure that put an end to the Great Patriotic War took place.

IN recent months During the existence of the fascist regime in Germany, Hitler's elite intensified numerous attempts to save Nazism by concluding a separate peace with the Western powers. German generals wanted to capitulate to the Anglo-American troops, continuing the war with the USSR. To sign the surrender in Reims (France), where the headquarters of the commander of the Western Allies, US Army General Dwight Eisenhower, was located, the German command sent a special group that tried to achieve a separate surrender on the Western Front, but the Allied governments did not consider it possible to enter into such negotiations. Under these conditions, the German envoy Alfred Jodl agreed to the final signing of the act of surrender, having previously received permission from the German leadership, but the authority given to Jodl retained the wording to conclude an “armistice agreement with General Eisenhower’s headquarters.”

On May 7, 1945, the act of unconditional surrender of Germany was signed for the first time in Reims. On behalf of the German High Command, it was signed by the Chief of Operations Staff of the Supreme Command of the German Armed Forces, Colonel General Alfred Jodl, on behalf of the Anglo-American side, Lieutenant General of the US Army, Chief of the General Staff of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Walter Bedell Smith, on behalf of the USSR - a representative of the Supreme High Command Headquarters at Allied command, Major General Ivan Susloparov. The Act was also signed by the Deputy Chief of the French National Defense Staff, Brigadier General Francois Sevez, as a witness. The surrender of Nazi Germany came into force on May 8 at 23.01 Central European Time (May 9 at 01.01 Moscow Time). The document was drawn up on English, and only the English text was recognized as official.

The Soviet representative, General Susloparov, who by this time had not received instructions from the Supreme High Command, signed the act with the caveat that this document should not exclude the possibility of signing another act at the request of one of the allied countries.

The text of the act of surrender signed in Reims differed from the document long ago developed and agreed upon between the allies. The document, entitled "Unconditional Surrender of Germany", was approved by the US government on August 9, 1944, by the USSR government on August 21, 1944, and by the British government on September 21, 1944, and was an extensive text of fourteen clearly worded articles in which, in addition to the military terms of surrender, it was also said that the USSR, USA and England “will have supreme power in relation to Germany” and will present additional political, administrative, economic, financial, military and other demands. In contrast, the text signed at Reims was brief, containing only five articles and dealing exclusively with the issue of surrender. German armies on the battlefield.

After this, the West considered the war to be over. On this basis, the United States and Great Britain proposed that on May 8 the leaders of the three powers officially declare victory over Germany. The Soviet government did not agree and demanded the signing of an official act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, since fighting on the Soviet-German front was still ongoing. The German side, forced to sign the Reims Act, immediately violated it. German Chancellor Admiral Karl Doenitz ordered German troops on the Eastern Front to retreat to the west as quickly as possible, and, if necessary, fight their way there.

Stalin said that the Act must be solemnly signed in Berlin: “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 fascist aggression came from , - in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the high command of all countries anti-Hitler coalition"After this statement, the Allies agreed to hold a ceremony for the second signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany and its armed forces in Berlin.

Since it was not easy to find a whole building in the destroyed Berlin, they decided to carry out the procedure for signing the act in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst in the building where the club of the fortification school of sappers of the German Wehrmacht used to be located. There was a hall prepared for this purpose.

The acceptance of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany from the Soviet side was entrusted to the Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov. Under the protection of British officers, a German delegation was brought to Karlshorst, which had the authority to sign an act of unconditional surrender.

On May 8, at exactly 22:00 Central European time (24:00 Moscow time), representatives of the Soviet Supreme High Command, as well as the Allied High Command, entered the hall, decorated state flags Soviet Union, USA, England and France. Present in the hall were Soviet generals, whose troops took part in the legendary storming of Berlin, as well as Soviet and foreign journalists. The ceremony of signing the act was opened by Marshal Zhukov, who welcomed representatives of the allied armies to the busy Soviet Army Berlin.

After this, on his orders, the German delegation was brought into the hall. At the suggestion of the Soviet representative, the head of the German delegation presented a document on his powers, signed by Doenitz. The German delegation was then asked whether it had the Act of Unconditional Surrender in its hands and whether it had studied it. After an affirmative answer, representatives of the German armed forces, at the sign of Marshal Zhukov, signed an act drawn up in nine copies (three copies each in Russian, English and German languages). Then representatives of the allied forces put their signatures. On behalf of the German side, the act was signed by: the head of the Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, the representative of the Luftwaffe (Air Force) Colonel General Hans Stumpf and the representative of the Kriegsmarine (Naval Forces) Admiral Hans von Friedeburg. The unconditional surrender was accepted by Marshal Georgy Zhukov (from the Soviet side) and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, Marshal Arthur Tedder (Great Britain). General Karl Spaats (USA) and General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (France) put their signatures as witnesses. The document stipulated that only English and Russian texts were authentic. One copy of the act was immediately handed to Keitel. Another original copy of the act on the morning of May 9 was delivered by plane to the Headquarters of the Supreme Command of the Red Army.

The procedure for signing the surrender ended on May 8 at 22.43 Central European time (May 9 at 0.43 Moscow time). Finally, in the same building, a large reception was held for representatives of the Allies and guests, which lasted until the morning.

After the signing of the act, the German government was dissolved, and the defeated German troops completely laid down their arms.

The date of the official announcement of the signing of surrender (May 8 in Europe and America, May 9 in the USSR) began to be celebrated as Victory Day in Europe and the USSR, respectively.

A complete copy (i.e. in three languages) of the Act of Military Surrender of Germany, as well as the original document signed by Doenitz, certifying the powers of Keitel, Friedeburg and Stumpf, are stored in the fund of international treaty acts of the Archive foreign policy Russian Federation. Another original copy of the act is located in Washington in the US National Archives.

The document signed in Berlin is, with the exception of unimportant details, a repetition of the text signed in Reims, but it was important that the German command surrendered in Berlin itself.

The act also contained an article that provided for the replacement of the signed text with “another general document of surrender.” Such a document, called the “Declaration of the Defeat of Germany and the Assumption of supreme power governments of the four allied powers", was signed on June 5, 1945 in Berlin by the four allied commanders-in-chief. It almost entirely reproduced the text of the document on unconditional surrender, worked out in London by the European Advisory Commission and approved by the governments of the USSR, USA and Great Britain in 1944.

Now, where the signing of the act took place, the German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst is located.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

05/08/1945. - The act of surrender of Germany was signed in Berlin

The cost of the storming of Berlin and the chronicle of Germany's unconditional surrender

In the spring of 1945, Germany's defeat was already quite obvious. In April, Soviet troops approached the outskirts of Berlin. But the Germans continued desperate resistance, not so much hoping for the promised “miracle weapon” that would change everything at the last moment, but rather out of a sense of disciplinary duty (perhaps also out of fear of the revenge of the victors, whose behavior in East Prussia was used by German propaganda).

On the approaches to Berlin and in the city itself, a group of German troops numbering about a million people was concentrated, which included 62 divisions (including 48 infantry, 4 tank and 10 motorized), 37 separate infantry regiments and about 100 separate infantry battalions, and also a significant number of artillery units and subunits. It was armed with 1,500 tanks, 10,400 guns and mortars, and 3,300 combat aircraft. Three defensive rings were created around the city; more than 400 reinforced concrete long-term firing points with garrisons of up to a thousand people were built inside the city. Berlin was internally prepared for street fighting with the distribution of anti-tank cartridges to the frightened population.

In the art of war, it is customary to subject such powerful fortified areas to a prolonged siege and fire attack, only finally moving on to an assault on the weakened garrison. It was possible to capture Berlin with a frontal attack only at the cost of huge losses. Nevertheless, the Soviet command considered it politically important to take Berlin as quickly as possible, regardless of losses. I wanted to give the people a gift for the holiday, and I also wanted to have a better territorial position for negotiations with the allies.

From the Soviet side in Berlin operation over 2.5 million military personnel, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled guns, 7,500 aircraft. The losses during the assault turned out to be enormous: 352 thousand people, including 78 thousand people killed - and this was at the very end of the war over an already virtually defeated Germany...

Every street in the city was taken at the cost of thousands of lives. Soviet soldiers. During the operation, tanks were widely used, which in the city became a convenient, clumsy target for anti-tank weapons: in two weeks of fighting, the Red Army lost a third of the tanks and self-propelled guns participating in the Berlin operation, which amounted to 1,997 units. 917 combat aircraft were also lost.

The chronology of Germany's surrender was as follows.

On April 29, fighting began for the Reichstag (Imperial Parliament), which was defended by about a thousand people. After two days of attacks, the building was occupied by May 1st. At the end, Lieutenant Berest and Sergeants Egorov and Kantaria hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag. (However, it is reliably known that before them, other military personnel planted red flags on the roof of the Reichstag, however, in official Soviet historiography, only the banner erected by Berest, Egorov and Kantaria is considered the Victory Banner, apparently due to their nationalities.)

On April 30, Hitler committed suicide with his wife Eva Braun at the Reich Chancellery. Their corpses were doused with gasoline and burned. According to Hitler's will, the Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, who was stationed in Flensburg in the north of the country, was appointed President of Germany.
(On May 5, the bodies of Hitler and E. Braun were found by SMERSH and identified, in particular, with the help of Hitler’s dentist, who identified the Fuhrer’s dentures. In February 1946, Hitler’s body, along with the bodies of E. Braun and the Goebbels family, including 6 children , was buried at one of the NKVD bases in Magdeburg. In 1970, when the territory of this base was to be transferred to the GDR, the remains were dug up, cremated to ashes and then thrown into the Elbe. Only dentures and part of Hitler’s skull with an entrance bullet were preserved. hole. They are stored in Russian archives. However, some biographers of the Fuhrer express doubts that the discovered corpse and part of the skull really belonged to Hitler: his death was confirmed only by his loyal adjutants, who could have lied; the rulers of the Third Reich often used doubles; DNA testing of a piece of Hitler's jaw. Writer Abel Basti cites declassified documents and photographs from the archives of the secret services, claiming that Hitler died in 1964 in Argentina, but this is difficult to believe.)

May 1 at 3:50 on command post The Chief of the General Staff was delivered to the 8th Guards Army ground forces Wehrmacht General of Infantry Krebs, who declared that he was authorized to negotiate an armistice. However, Stalin ordered no negotiations other than unconditional surrender. The German command was given an ultimatum: if consent to unconditional surrender is not given by 10 o'clock, a crushing blow will be dealt by Soviet troops. Having received no response, Soviet troops at 10:40 opened heavy fire on the remnants of the defense in the center of Berlin. Nevertheless, by 18 o’clock the demands for surrender by the Germans were rejected.

After that it started final assault the central part of the city, where the Imperial Chancellery was located. Hitler was no longer alive, but the desperate resistance of the Germans continued - after all, there was no order to lay down their arms. Only on May 2, all the premises were occupied by Soviet soldiers.

On the night of May 2 at 1:50 the following message was received on the radio: “We are sending our envoys to the Bismarck Strasse bridge. We cease hostilities." Later, Deputy Minister of Propaganda Dr. Fritsche turned to the Soviet command with a request for permission to speak on the radio with an appeal to the German troops of the Berlin garrison to end the resistance. By 3 p.m., the remnants of the Berlin garrison (more than 134 thousand people) surrendered. But in many other places, including France, German troops did not lay down their arms.

On May 7 at 2:41 a.m. in Reims, France, the first protocol of German surrender was signed. On behalf of the German High Command, the document was signed by Colonel General Jodl (Chief of Operations of the Supreme High Command of the Armed Forces) in the presence of General Walter Bedell Smith (on behalf of the Allied Expeditionary Forces), General Ivan Susloparov (on behalf of the Soviet command) and General of the French Army Francois Sevez as witness.

On May 8 in Berlin at 22:43 Central European time (May 9 at 0:43 Moscow time - therefore the difference in the days of celebration) was the Chief of Staff of the Supreme High Command of the German Armed Forces, Field Marshal General Wilhelm Keitel, as well as representatives of the German Navy who had the appropriate authority from Dönitz, signed the second and main Act of the unconditional surrender of Germany.

In East Prussia, German troops on Tuesday held the mouth of the Vistula until the last opportunity and western part braids Frische Nehrung... For exemplary actions, the division commander, General von Saucken, was awarded oak leaves with swords and diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
The main forces of our Army Group in Courland, for many months under the command of Infantry General Hilpert, offered strong resistance to superior Soviet tank and infantry formations and courageously withstood six major battles, covered themselves with immortal glory. This army group rejected any premature surrender...
So, starting from midnight, the weapons on all fronts fell silent. By order of the Grand Admiral, the Wehrmacht stopped the fight that had become meaningless. Thus, almost six years of heroic martial arts ended. It brought us great victories, but also difficult defeats. The German Wehrmacht in the end gave in with honor to the enormous superiority of the enemy in strength. The German soldier, faithful to his oath, devoting himself to the end to his people, accomplished something that will not be forgotten for centuries. The rear supported him with all its might until the last moment, while bearing the heaviest sacrifices. The unique achievements of the front and rear will find their final assessment in the subsequent fair verdict of history.
Even the enemy will not be able to refuse to respect the glorious deeds and sacrifices of German soldiers on land, on water and in the air. Therefore, every soldier can honestly and proudly let go of his weapon and, in these difficult hours of our history, bravely and confidently turn to work for the sake of eternal life our people.
At this hour, the Wehrmacht honors the memory of its fallen soldiers. The dead oblige us to unconditional loyalty, obedience and discipline in relation to the Motherland bleeding from numerous wounds.

Of course, there were “unique achievements” of Hitler’s Wehrmacht, which started this war, especially in Russia... By the time of the capitulation, the Germans held a number of strongholds on Atlantic coast France, the northern part of Germany, territory in Central Europe (part of Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia), bridgeheads east of Danzig on the Putziger-Nerung spit (the mouth of the Vistula) and in Courland (Latvia). German troops in Central Europe, facing the Soviet front, did not obey the order to surrender and began to retreat to the west, trying to go over to the Anglo-Americans. On May 10, Soviet troops occupied a bridgehead on the Putziger-Nerung spit, and on May 11 Courland was taken under control. By May 14, the pursuit of German troops retreating to the west in Central Europe ended. From May 9 to May 14, on all fronts, Soviet troops captured more than 1 million 230 thousand German soldiers and officers and 101 generals.

By agreement between the governments of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, an agreement was reached to consider the procedure in Reims preliminary. However, in Western historiography, the signing of the surrender of the German armed forces is often associated with the procedure in Reims, and the signing of the act of surrender in Berlin is called its “ratification”.

Having accepted the surrender, Soviet Union did not sign peace with Germany, that is, he remained at war with Germany. The war with Germany was officially ended after the death of Stalin, under Khrushchev, on January 21, 1955, by the adoption of a corresponding decision by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The German prisoners who survived the concentration camps were able to return home. Many had to sit there longer. Only on September 17, 1955, was the decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces "On the amnesty of Soviet citizens who collaborated with the occupiers during the Great Patriotic War" adopted Patriotic War 1941-1945." After this, many “traitors to the Motherland” remained in the camps.

Discussion: 21 comments

The Victory Banner is considered to be installed by Egorov and Kantaria, because the previous ones did not stay there, because the Germans continued to resist. and this banner remained until the end.
Regarding the losses during the storming of Berlin: everyone knows well that Americans teach in all schools and impose on other countries that they won the war (logical, if you consider who holds power in the USA). Imagine what would have happened if they had also taken Berlin! after all, the allies advanced with great speed, because met virtually no resistance. The capital, as the heart of the country, had to be taken.

Remember M.N. : “A bad citizen of the earthly fatherland is not worthy of the heavenly fatherland.”

Hitler shouted about a second Stalingrad, and this really could have happened if Headquarters had not managed to organize a battle ON THE APPROACHES to Berlin, where the bulk of its defenders died. By that time, ours already knew how to fight and were not in a particular hurry because there was a firm agreement that we would take Berlin. And this article strongly smacks of a desire to steal victory, downplaying its significance and accusing Headquarters of inability to fight... Very simple, but as they say, what are they rich in...

Victory was won in 1945 with Russian blood, and now this people is dying out under democratic hooting.

Whenever I read articles on this site, I get the feeling that I am part of the news from Washington. Russia is dying out, losing its achievements in technology, science and education, people are simply running wild. And the authors of this site, without sparing their belly, lead heavy fighting with the dead - with Bolshevism.
Moreover, the angle of the struggle was apparently determined by the great Reagan. He argued that a country that does not recognize God is an evil empire. And he even announced to the country of the Soviets crusade. Apparently the struggle continues, because, as was correctly pointed out by previous speakers, this article is simply an obvious American order. As if from perestroika Ogonyok.
According to Russian history of the twentieth century, to the glory of dear Reagan and his Reaganomics - come on!

Always, when I read such responses, I get the feeling that, unfortunately, many of our “patriots” do not want to know the truth about our history. This, in their opinion, is always an “American order”. They clearly demonstrate that dead Bolshevism left a lot of garbage in the minds of the Russian people. And until we realize the truth and overcome the lie, Russia will continue to die out. Thank God that there is this site that cleans out garbage, asserts the truth and thereby fights for the revival of Russia.

Daria: “According to Russian history of the twentieth century, to the glory of dear Reagan and his Reaganomics - come on!”
Jew: “Remember M.N.: “a bad citizen of the earthly fatherland is not worthy of the heavenly fatherland”...

This unanimity between the Red patriots and the Jews is touching. You love Jewish-Bolshevik Russia, which serves Jewish plans, and only its admirers are “good citizens” for you. I feel sorry for you and sad to see this union of deceivers and deceived... We love historical Russia, pleasing to God and following His Plan for Russia. This is the only way to be worthy of the Fatherland, both earthly and heavenly.

By the way, this year, on May 9, Israel celebrated the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Jewish state. A Soviet veterans wars (Jews) have long been equated with other Israeli Zionist veterans and received the same benefits and allowances. Those. This war is recognized as having contributed to the creation of the Heb. State of Israel.

Eh, guys, we could have taken Berlin much earlier, in 1917, but only because of all sorts of scum, not unknown to us, our triumph was delayed by 28 years!

Mr. Nazarov persistently denounces the Russian Victory. He himself, of course, continues, apparently, to earn money from his CIA masters. In his tales that during his work at NTS he allegedly “did not know” that this structure was financed by the CIA, normal people They don’t believe it.
To understand the essence of Nazarov’s activities, it is enough to simply analyze WHO benefits from his publications and actions (or rather, imitation of them), to whose mill they are grist.
And what about Nazarov’s words about his Russianness, then... one must evaluate a person by his deeds, BY DEEDS!

Here is the answer, like an answer, without red and zoological nonsense. Briefly, clearly.
“Eh, guys, we could have taken Berlin much earlier, in 1917, but only because of all sorts of scum, not unknown to us, our triumph was delayed by 28 years!”

Mikhail Viktorovich, if you are familiar with the research of the historian I. Pykhalov, then isn’t it worth making an adjustment to this too free-sounding phrase? - "Many Soviet servicemen who had the misfortune of ending up in German captivity and to be repatriated to their homeland in the same concentration camps, they had to sit there longer." If we talk about this, then with the obligatory proviso that they were traitors to the Motherland, accomplices, etc.
(Information from the book "The Great Slandered War").

I don’t know about anyone, but I have a persistent cognitive dissonance between the ever-increasing cult of victory almost seventy years ago and today’s victims of the moloch of perestroika and democracy. After the 90s, it would be necessary to moderate this already unhealthy ardor of universal victory and turn our attention to today.

In this article, they either forgot or did not specifically write about the “Allies” plan “The Unthinkable”, according to the scenario of which in June 1945, Anglo-American-German troops were supposed to attack Soviet troops. Because of this, such haste the capture of Berlin. There is no need to make bloodthirsty tyrants out of Stalin and Zhukov.....

You write that there were about a million Germans (well fortified for defense), against two and a half Russians, while we lost 352 thousand people, including 78 thousand people killed. The Germans lost 700 thousand near Moscow. man in that including 200 thousand killed.

Read "War" by V. Medinsky to separate the wheat from the chaff.
On the post-Soviet battlefield,
Where did the liberals take the front?
Soros led them on a mission:
Pervert everything so that people know!

Destroy the fortresses of heroes,
Let the number of victories be diminished,
Portraying rogue soldiers
By multiplying Russian troubles with lies!

But, thank God, we woke up:
Raised the Medinsky Russian shield:
Myths debunked? Woke up!
Truth of Victory will win!

I do not recommend that sites or anyone in general use materials from Wikipedia, because the information is NOT checked there and everyone who is not too lazy writes on this site, both specialists and non-specialists who consider themselves specialists. As a result, many of the articles in this trash heap are an explosive mixture of lies and truth. However, for some reason the Russian government turns a blind eye to this. Many teachers from the USSR are against this site.

I completely agree with you about Wikipedia. However, you can use its information base with an appropriate correction factor in comparison with other sources, which is what I do. The Soviet interpretation of the war, which continues to this day in the Russian Federation, is much less reliable.

Why was it removed from history that the banner on the Reichstag was also planted with them by the Kazakh KOSHKARBAEV

The German command orders the German troops to lay down their arms, but about the German troops there is only a mention that this could happen, so that the German command had German and German troops under the command, there is already something to think about.

Exactly 70 years ago, on May 8, 1945, in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst at 22:43 Central European time (May 9 at 00:43 Moscow time), the final Act of 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. Seated in the photo from left to right: Colonel General Stumpf from the Air Force, Field Marshal Keitel from the Army and Admiral General von Friedeburg from navy. 05/08/1945

3. American General Dwight Eisenhower and British Air Marshal Arthur Tedder at a press conference after signing the German surrender in Reims (France) on May 7, 1945.

4. Representatives of the Allied command after the signing of the German surrender in Reims (France) 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 the British Navy Staff Admiral Sir Harold Burrough.

5. Colonel General Alfred Jodl (center) signs the German surrender at the Allied headquarters in Reims at 02.41 local time on May 7, 1945. Seated 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 the German surrender in Reims, which was not agreed upon 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 his allies agreed to consider the procedure in Reims a preliminary surrender. The Allies also agreed that the matter should not be postponed, and scheduled the signing of the Act of Surrender of Germany in its entirety in Berlin for May 8, 1945.

6. Signing of the German surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945. In the photo, back from right to left: A. Jodl's adjutant Major Wilhelm Oxenius, Colonel General Alfred Jodl and Grand Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg; facing from left to right: Chief of Staff of Allied Forces in Europe British Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, French General Francois Sevet, 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, Head 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 German surrender at the headquarters of the Allied forces in Reims at 02.41 local time on May 7, 1945.

8. Representatives of the German command approach the table to sign the surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945. In the photo from left to right: A. Jodl's adjutant 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 German surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945. To the left of I.A. Susloparov is his adjutant, senior lieutenant Ivan Chernyaev.

10. The Allied Chief of Staff in Europe, 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 the chief of staff of the British fleet, Admiral Sir Harold Burro, on the right is the head of the USSR military mission in France, Major General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov (1897-1974).

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 is his adjutant, senior lieutenant Ivan Chernyaev.

12. Wehrmacht artillery general Helmut Weidling emerges from a bunker during the surrender of the Berlin garrison. 05/02/1945

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 Act of Surrender on the part of the USSR. In the background is a Soviet cameraman filming the signing ceremony. Berlin. 09/08/1945

17. Representatives after signing the Act of Unconditional Surrender in Berlin-Karlshorst on May 8, 1945. The act from Germany was signed by Field Marshal Keitel (in front on the right, with a marshal's baton) from the ground forces, Admiral General von Friedeburg (on 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 on the German side, is presented with 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, Infantry General Krebs (left), who arrived at the location on May 1 Soviet troops in order to involve the High Command in the negotiation process. On the same day, the general shot himself. Berlin. 05/01/1945

20. The Soviet delegation before signing the Act of Unconditional Surrender of All armed forces Germany. Berlin. 05/08/1945 Standing on the right is the representative of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army, 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, Army General V.D. Sokolovsky.

21. Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, signing the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany on the German side, is presented with the text of the Act. On the left at the table sits G.K. 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 Unconditional Surrender of Germany. May 8, Berlin, Karlhorst.

23. Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, Infantry Lieutenant General Hans Krebs, at the headquarters of the Soviet troops in Berlin. On May 1, Krebs arrived at the location of Soviet troops with the aim of involving the High Command in the negotiation process. On the same day, the general shot himself.

24. German surrender on the Frisch-Nerung spit, East Prussia. German and Soviet officers discuss the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrendering German troops. 05/09/1945

25. German surrender on the Frisch-Nerung spit, East Prussia. German and soviet officers discuss the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrendering German troops. 05/09/1945

26. German surrender on the Frisch-Nerung spit, East Prussia. German officers accept from the Soviet officer the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrender. 05/09/1945

27. German surrender on the Frisch-Nerung spit, East Prussia. German officers accept the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrender from the Soviet officer. 05/09/1945

28. German surrender on the Frisch-Nerung spit, East Prussia. German and Soviet officers discuss the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrendering German troops. 05/09/1945

29. German surrender on the Frisch-Nerung Spit, East Prussia.

30. Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signs the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany. Berlin, May 8, 1945, 22:43 Central European time (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 signing ceremony of the Act of Surrender of Germany by the Air Chief MarshalGreat Britain Tedder A.V. Among those greeting: Army General V.D. Sokolovsky. and Commandant of BerlinColonel General Berzarin N.E. 05/08/1945

33. Arrival in Berlin of Field Marshal W. Keitel, Fleet Admiral H. Friedeburg and Air Force Colonel General G. Stumpf to sign the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany. Among the accompanying persons is Army General V.D. Sokolovsky. and Colonel General Berzarin N.E. 05/08/1945

34. First Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR Vyshinsky A.Ya. AndMarshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K. heading to the signing ceremonyAct of unconditional surrender of Germany. Karlshorst. 05/08/1945

35. Chief Air Marshal of Great Britain Sir Tedder A. and Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K. looking through documents on the conditions of Germany's surrender.

36. Signing by Field Marshal V. Keitel of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of all German Armed Forces. Berlin. Karlshorst. 05/08/1945

37. Commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov.signs the Act of unconditional surrender of all German armed forces.

38. Lunch in honor of the Victory after signing the terms of Germany’s unconditional surrender. From left to right: British Air Chief Marshal Sir Tedder A., ​​Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov, commander of strategic air force USA General Spaats K. Berlin. 08-09.05.1945

_________________________________

The photo selection is based on the following materials:

Russian State Archive of Film and Photo Documents.

All photos are clickable.

Photo albums "The Great Patriotic War"

The USSR signed the decree “On ending the state of war between the Soviet Union and Germany” only 10 years after the surrender of Nazi Germany, on January 25, 1955. This date is not widely known, it is ignored in history books, and no one celebrates the day the Decree was signed. Doctor of Historical Sciences Yuri Zhukov calls this case a “diplomatic and historical incident.” But the “incident” is not accidental, and it had its own reasons.

Even during the war, at the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam conferences, the three great powers reached an agreement regarding Germany after the end of the war. We couldn't decide for a long time territorial issue– Will Germany exist as one state or will it be fragmented? Stalin insisted that Germany was united, neutral and demilitarized. Why did Stalin insist on such a decision? He simply remembered the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles, when the French occupied the Rhineland and later captured the Ruhr. The Poles took Mountain Silesia. This is what led to the desire to take revenge, to restore what was lost, and as a result, fascism appeared. Stalin took this fact into account, Churchill and Roosevelt did not. The USSR wanted to sign a peace treaty with Germany, which was not divided into 2 parts, but in the end it turned out differently.

,
USSR USSR,
United Kingdom United Kingdom,
USA USA,
France France

Act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces(English) German Instrument of Surrender, fr. Actes de capitulation de l'Allemagne nazie, German Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht) - a legal document that 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 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.

Encyclopedic YouTube

1 / 4

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

Subtitles

Preparing document text

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 interfere with 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 large group 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 had participated in the negotiations for the Italian surrender 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 Main Staff of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Walter Bedell Smith, from the USSR - representative of the Supreme High Command under 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 troops 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 military operations 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 make law the basis of our people's life. 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 to the flowering all our human, moral and material forces 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 in English is authoritative” and Article 6 was inserted, which read: “This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English lyrics 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.