Victory in Europe Day
A crowd gathers in Times Square to celebrate V-E Day
08 May, 75 years ago today marks the first V-E Day, celebrated in the United States and Great Briton.
On May 8, 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine during World War II.
The eighth of May spelled the day when German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms: In Prague, Germans surrendered to their Soviet antagonists, after the latter had lost more than 8,000 soldiers, and the Germans considerably more; in Copenhagen and Oslo; at Karlshorst, near Berlin; in northern Latvia; on the Channel Island of Sark—the German surrender was realized in a final cease-fire. More surrender documents were signed in Berlin and in eastern Germany.
Fighting continued between Soviet and German forces until the 9th, when Victory Day day is celebrated in Russia. Read the rest of the article here: History.com
Skippy sends us this commentary.
Why Victory in Europe Day still matters 75 years later
William Butler
STUTTGART, Germany – It was 75 years ago this May that the guns fell silent across Europe. The continent had been embroiled in a conflict unlike any before. The toll on all sides was extreme, and the five and a half years of devastation in both human and physical terms were horrific. Echoes of the war’s scope are memorialized in our shared lexicon in terms like “blitzkrieg,” “D-Day,” “Holocaust” and finally “liberation.” Battlefields like Dunkirk, Stalingrad, Anzio, Normandy, and Bastogne resonate with profound meaning, yet only hint at war’s totality. As the generation that lived through and fought in the war passes on, there is no question that World War II forged the world we live in today and still provides us lessons to learn from.
When the conflict in Europe came to an end on May 8, 1945, millions of people around the globe rejoiced in the Allied victory, and the arduous transition to recovery began. Although the war in the Pacific raged on, Victory in Europe (V-E) Day was an occasion for celebration. Church bells rang out, evening lights flooded the night sky once again, and crowds gathered together in both sorrow and joy. Even for the great many who were not celebrating, there was relief that the ordeal would finally be over.
So why should V-E Day still matter for us today? Why should we pause to reflect on events that seem ever further in the past? For one, as our greatest generation passes into history, this 75th anniversary is a last chance to look back together and thank them. As we live through the challenges of our time, reflecting on the deeds of those who fought for liberty and freedom 75 years ago provides a model for courage and endurance.
Victory in World War II also demonstrated how dedicated allies with a common purpose and shared values can prevail. I think General Eisenhower said it best, “The first and most enduring lesson of the Mediterranean and European campaigns was the proof that war can be waged effectively by a coalition of nations.” That coalition was truly global in its composition as nations from every continent sent troops to support the Allied cause. Units both large and small from such far-flung places as Algeria, Brazil, New Zealand, and Mexico stood shoulder to shoulder on the battlefields of Europe with Great Britain, Russia, France, Poland, Canada and the United States.
Our dedication to a common purpose and shared values still guides our mission at USEUCOM. The bonds forged in wartime gave birth to modern-day partnerships and Alliances such as
NATO. Today, the strength of our transatlantic ties are demonstrated in our collective response to COVID-19 and will be indispensable in recovery.
Finally, we can all draw pride and inspiration from the Allies’ May 1945 victory against a systematic evil. Much of what we presently expect of our world and governments was shaped by those events and aftermath. That our former enemies are among our closest friends and Allies today is a testament to how far we have come from those dark days. Let us not forget.
The entire article and pics may be viewed here: Military Times
Thanks, Skippy.
Category: Guest Link
How many others had a celebration in grade school during the 50s and early 60s to commemorate VE Day? May have been, for us, because of the principle of our school, and most of the teachers had either husbands, sons, or brothers that served. And most of us kids had fathers, uncles, and in many cases, older brothers that served. Now-a-days I would venture to say that it gets a barely passable notice. Papa made mention that in the last days leading up to May, the numbers of German troops flowing west in order to surrender to American Troops v Soviets. One of the few things I remember him talking about in re his war time.
What was it 16 millions in uniform and just about the entire country mobilized the industrial might, to defend the freedom of the world? Too bad half the world ended up under the heel of the Communist/Socialist Despot in spite of what we did.
I did. We had a calendar of Historic Events and these were on them. They were also in our history books.
Gob bless and keep this great nation He conceived.
The stories and images of the German troops surrendering en masse to the Western Allies as they tried to escape the Red Army are amazing. After what they did to the Russians, I don’t blame them for trying to get as far from the Stalin’s giant fist of vengeance as possible.
This linky is part of the story of Papa’s unit Charlie Battery 741st FA. The gentlemen interview was in the unit with him and they served together thru the entire campaign. The #2 picture of the 8″ towed gun probably has Pop among the gunners. Somewhere is a copy of the History of Charlie Battery giving in depth info on what the boys went thru.
https://www.greensboro.com/life/local-vet-manned-big-guns-that-won-world-war-ii/article_3bf9c148-d262-11e4-9e66-1f769cc8ed48.html
Many of those in the German ranks were conscripted from Eastern European Countries overrun by the Nazis and were “encouraged” to join the German ranks with extermination of their families being the penalty for saying “No”. That said, yes it’s true, the vast majority of the German Military wanting to surrender were hell-bent on doing so to US Units because the Russians were hell-bent-for-leather on vengeance on anything and anyone German that they encountered.
I believe the same was true of the western front. Germans didn’t want to surrender to the French, even if given the opportunity. Even the British were not particularly friendly to the Germans. The only people the Germans didn’t really really piss off were the Americans, and that was probably before all those camps were discovered.
It has long been debated as to who killed more Soviet “citizens,” Hitler or Stalin. Since the opening of the Soviet archives thirty years ago, most of the votes go to Stalin for that dubious distinction. Nevertheless, the war-time propaganda dies hard. “Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority…” (Thomas Bacon)
My neighbor was an intel sergeant and was driving a newly minted intel butterbar around when they drove around a corner and an entire German battalian was waiting for them, weapons stacked, crisp ranks. As the German senior steps forward t formally surrender, the Lt. bails out of the jeep, raises his hands, and yells ‘Nein scheissen’. The German ranks dissolved and he had to explain to the lt that “don’t shoot” (nicht schiessen) is not spoken as “don’t shit”.
happy “one third done defeating Socialism” day!
The second third is celebrated commemorating 26 December 1991.
This is the beginning of the end of the last third.