Act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. Why did it happen

Group photo Soviet delegation during the signing of the Act on unconditional surrender everyone armed forces Germany.

Legend No. 1: The Wehrmacht capitulated to Western forces in Reims (France), at the headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces on May 7, and to the Soviet forces on May 8 in Karlshorst (a district in eastern Berlin).

In fact: Both surrenders took place with the participation of representatives of all countries anti-Hitler coalition- USSR, England and USA (the French representative was present as a witness). The surrender on May 7, 1945 was signed by the Chief of Staff of the Expeditionary Forces, American General Walter Beddel Smith, and the liaison officer at the headquarters of the Western Allies in Reims, Major General Ivan Susloparov, who, however, made a written reservation about the possibility of a new surrender signing ceremony if required. one of the allied countries. General Eisenhower accepted the clause. On the German side, the Act of Surrender was signed by Colonel General Alfred Jodl. And as a witness - French Major General Francois Sevez.

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).

Legend No. 2(was in circulation in the former socialist camp): In Reims, it was not the Act of Surrender that was signed, but only a preliminary protocol. The real surrender followed on May 8/9 in Berlin.

In fact: In Reims, on May 7, the Act of Surrender, which has legal force, was signed. The text of the document is unambiguous and does not imply any discrepancies. It was also considered by the Soviet Union, which used leaflets to inform German soldiers on the Eastern Front about it. However, after the start cold war the fact of capitulation in Reims was carefully hushed up in Soviet historiography.

Legend No. 3(circulated mainly in the West): After the surrender of the Wehrmacht on May 7 became a fait accompli, Stalin did not want to recognize just such a modest Act of Signing. Because of his objections, the Western allies agreed to a second ceremony - “for the public”, that is, to the Karlshorst Act of Surrender, which was called “ratification”. Major General Susloparov, who signed the surrender in Reims, was, according to some sources, sent to Siberian camps, according to others - shot. “He looks so dashing (I have a color photograph of that event), with large facial features, a powerful physique. He smiles from ear to ear. There is no doubt that he did not know what awaited him in the very near future, namely: execution. ...

“I fully agree with Stalin that the capitulation should have taken place in Berlin - the symbolism of the event demanded it. I can understand his dissatisfaction with Susloparov, who should not have gotten in front of his father. But to be shot for this?.. By shooting his general, put an end to the protocol on victory?"

(Vladimir Pozner. “Everything for a person.” “Friendship of Peoples” No. 6, 1998)

In fact: 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.



Yes, Stalin was always afraid that Western countries could deceive him. He treated with the greatest distrust any negotiations between the Allies and the Wehrmacht, especially at the end of the war. After all, even before May 7, German troops had already capitulated in Northern Italy, northwestern Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Yes, the German delegation in Reims indeed initially made a proposal to capitulate only to the Western allies and to move the situation on the Eastern Front beyond the issues under discussion. And not only, as they claimed, to transport as many soldiers and refugees as possible to the western regions, but rather to pit the allies against each other, cause a split and continue the fight in the East. But General Eisenhower immediately rejected this proposal and demanded general surrender on all fronts. General Susloparov received authority from Moscow to sign the surrender and did not end up in any camp, not to mention execution.

After signing the surrender. In the first row are Susloparov, Smith, Eisenhower, and Royal Air Force Marshal Arthur Tedder (Eisenhower's deputy). Legend No. 4:

In fact: Undoubtedly, another demonstrative ratification procedure was a gesture towards an extremely distrustful leader. But that wasn't the main thing. More precisely, not the most important thing. In Reims, the capitulation was signed by the chief of the German General Staff, that is, an officer without real command powers. To the British, for example, this signature seemed insufficient. After all, they still remembered the truce of 1918, when, at the insistence of Hindenburg, a ceasefire act was signed by a civilian and a little-known general, which later made it possible for the same Hindenburg to declare: Germany was not defeated on the battlefield, but was stabbed in the back by the revolutionary authorities. In order to avoid a repetition of such a situation, the British needed Field Marshal Keitel, who had real military power. Therefore, the second signing ceremony suited the British quite well.

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.

Legend No. 5: The act of surrender was signed not during the day, but on the night of May 8-9, because the allies could not agree on the exact text. There are different dates in the Act because in Western Europe It was still May 8th, and in Moscow it was already the 9th. And Moscow time had already been introduced in Berlin.

In fact: The postponement of the signing of the Act from afternoon to night was not due to any political motives. The basis is purely technical reasons. In Reims, only the English text of the surrender was signed. The Russian translation of the document was transferred to Berlin incompletely. It took several hours to get the full version. The instrument of ratification was signed at approximately 00.15 Central European Time. By that time, the basic terms of surrender had been in effect for more than an hour. Moscow time was introduced in Berlin by order of the city commandant, General Berzarin, only on May 20 and was in effect for only a few weeks.

Thus, at the time of signing the final act, it was 23.15 in Western European time, 00.15 in Central European time, and 02.15 in Moscow time. The fact that for the USSR the date of surrender is considered May 9 is not related to the time of its signing, but to the time of its announcement to the Soviet people.

Alexey Slavin, “New Time” No. 15/2010

Zhukov reads out the act of surrender in Karlshorst. Next to Zhukov - Arthur Tedder

Signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany.

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 ground forces, Admiral General von Friedeburg (to the right behind Keitel) for the Navy and Colonel General Stumpf (to Keitel's left) for the Air Force.

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Act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces

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The act of surrender of Germany. "Pravda", May 9, 1945

Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR dated May 8, 1945 “On declaring May 9 a Victory Day”

Signing of the surrender in Reims:

Signing of the surrender in Karlshorst:

We firmly associate May 9 with Victory Day. This date is associated with the signing of the act of surrender of Nazi Germany. This is also written about in school textbooks. But other countries of the anti-Hitler coalition always celebrated Victory Day on May 8. Where does this discrepancy come from and how did the Nazi leadership actually surrender?

In mid-April 1945 Soviet troops launched a major offensive operation in the direction of Berlin and took the city in a matter of days. At that time, complete chaos reigned in the German army; in anticipation of the impending defeat, many Nazis committed suicide. Goebbels' propagandists clearly overdid it by telling myths about the “terrible Red Army soldiers.” Hitler, who was in the bunker of the Reich Chancellery, “capitulated”

April 30, committing suicide. And the very next day a red flag fluttered over the Reichstag.

However, the suicide of the Fuhrer and the fall of Berlin did not yet mean the surrender of Germany, which still had more than a million soldiers in the ranks. The new government of the country, led by Grand Admiral Karl Dennitz, was inclined to continue hostilities on the Eastern Front. In the western direction, the Germans pursued a policy of so-called private surrenders. Beginning on May 4, the German armies, one after another, laid down their arms before the Americans in Holland, Bavaria, Denmark, and Austria.

On May 7, 1945, at 2.41 in Reims, the United States and England arbitrarily accepted the surrender of Germany. From the USSR, Major General Ivan Susloparov was at the Allied headquarters as a permanent representative. He was clearly not prepared for such an unexpected turn of events. Fearing that the act in Reims could infringe on the interests of the USSR, the general, before the signing ceremony, sent the text of the act of surrender to Moscow, requesting additional instructions. However, the answer never arrived by the appointed time. The head of the Soviet military mission found himself in a very delicate position. It is difficult to even imagine how this decision was given to him, but he agreed to sign the document virtually at his own peril and risk, including a clause in it about the possible repetition of the ceremony at the request of any of the allied states.

Susloparov’s foresight came in handy. Stalin was extremely annoyed by the signing of the surrender in Reims and categorically refused to recognize this document as final. It turned out really unfair and dishonest. Fighting on the Soviet-German front were still ongoing, but in the West the war was considered already over. The Allies delayed the opening of the second front for almost three years under various pretexts, but they were a whole day ahead of the USSR in declaring Victory, thereby hoping to push back its contribution to the defeat of fascism.

This is what Marshal Zhukov recalled about this: “On May 7, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief called me in Berlin and said: “Today in Reims the Germans signed an act of unconditional surrender. The Soviet people bore the brunt of the war on their shoulders, not the allies. Therefore, the surrender must be signed before the Supreme Command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, and not just before the command of the allied forces.” Stalin demanded a new signing of the act of surrender in Berlin taken by the Red Army. The ceremony was scheduled for May 9 at 24.00 Moscow time.

From their table to the table of the presidium, where the Act of Unconditional Surrender was signed, the members of the German delegation had to walk exactly eight steps. This had a special meaning. This is how far the German delegation walked to Marshal Foch's trailer in 1918, when the Act of Surrender of Germany in the First World War was signed

In the middle of the day on May 8, representatives of the Allied High Command arrived at Tempelhof airfield in Berlin: Eisenhower's deputy, British Air Marshal Arthur Tedder, US Air Force Commander General Karl Spaats and French General Jean-Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny. From the airfield, the Allies headed to the Berlin suburb of Karlhorst. They were also taken there under the protection of the former chief of staff of the Wehrmacht Supreme Command, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Admiral General of the Fleet von Friedeburg and Colonel General of the Air Force Hans Stumpf.

Marshal Zhukov accepted the surrender from the Soviet side. They decided to hold the ceremony in the canteen of the military engineering school. Our fellow countryman from Borisov, Mikhail Filonov (unfortunately, he is no longer alive. - Author's note) was an eyewitness to this historical event. And this is what he told me:

— The school housed the headquarters

5th Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front. I served as a sapper at headquarters. And on the night of May 9, I was appointed duty officer in the hall. Most of the officers came to the conference directly from the front line. So they entered the hall - without ceremonial uniforms, awards, with order bars hastily fastened on. In a small smoking room nearby I saw Keitel nervously choking on cigarette smoke. The winners defiantly went out to smoke in the adjacent room.

After listening to the translator, Keitel suddenly stood up, approached with undisguised anger and sat down at the table. At that moment his monocle fell out. He corrected it and with a trembling hand began to quickly sign the Act. At these moments, something incredible was happening around. Photographers and cameramen, pushing each other, rushed to take historical footage. Someone even jumped on the table at which the generals were sitting. The hall was filled with smoke from the flashes of many cameras. The officers on duty had a hard time restoring order. After Keitel, the document was signed in turn by Zhukov and representatives of the USA, Great Britain and France. Then the German delegation was asked to leave the hall. It was 0 hours 43 minutes Moscow time.

Tatyana Koroleva, who worked as a waitress that day, recalls: “There was literally an explosion of emotions. Everyone started hugging, kissing, shouting and crying. They took autographs: some on money, some on photo cards or a notebook.” When everyone had calmed down, tables were brought in and food and drinks began to be set out. Snacks were brought specially from Moscow. Yes, what kind! Sturgeon, salmon, caviar... All this was washed down with vodka and cognac. The toasts sounded non-stop. They drank to the marshals, then to the infantry, pilots, tank crews, sailors, orderlies, army cooks. Suddenly someone remembered about the German delegation. Like, they probably need to be fed too. Everyone looked at Zhukov. After a moment’s pause, he ordered: “Bring them the vodka. Let them drink to our Victory!” Thus the end was put in the history of the most terrible war.

From the text of the Act of Military Surrender of the German Armed Forces:

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... 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 to completely disarm, having handed over all their weapons and military equipment to local Allied commanders or officers allocated by representatives of the Allied High Command, not to destroy or cause any damage to steamships, ships and aircraft, their engines, hulls and equipment, as well as vehicles, weapons, apparatus and all military equipment in general -technical means of warfare.

3. 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 they deem necessary.

The act of unconditional surrender of the German Armed Forces was signed on May 7 at 02:41 in Reims by the Chief of the Operational Staff of the German Army High Command, Colonel General Alfred Jodl. The document obliged 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 withdrawal from the war. The Soviet leadership did not arrange such a signing, therefore, at the request of the USSR government and personally Comrade Stalin on May 8 ( May 9, USSR time) the Act of Surrender of Germany was signed for the second time, but in Berlin, and the day of the official announcement of its signing ( May 8 in Europe and America, May 9 in the USSR) began to be celebrated as Victory Day.

Act of unconditional surrender of the German Armed Forces, signed on May 7, 1945

The idea of ​​Germany's unconditional surrender was first announced by President Roosevelt on January 13, 1943 at a conference in Casablanca and has since become the official position of the United Nations.

Representatives of the German command approach the table to sign the surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945

The general capitulation of Germany was preceded by a series of partial capitulations of the largest formations remaining with the Third Reich:

• On April 29, 1945, the act of surrender of Army Group C (in Italy) was signed in Caserta by its commander, Colonel General G. Fitingof-Scheel.

On May 2, 1945, the Berlin garrison under the command of Helmut Weidling capitulated to the Red Army.

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.

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 Stalin's suggestion, the allies agreed to consider the procedure in Reims a preliminary surrender. Although a group of 17 journalists attended the surrender signing ceremony, the US and Britain agreed to delay the public announcement of the surrender so that the Soviet Union could prepare a second surrender ceremony in Berlin, which took place on 8 May.

Signing of the surrender in Reims

The Soviet representative, General Susloparov, signed the act in Reims at his own peril and risk, since instructions from the Kremlin had not yet arrived at the time appointed for signing. He decided to put his signature with a reservation (Article 4) that this act should not exclude the possibility of signing another act at the request of one of the allied countries. Soon after signing the act, Susloparov received a telegram from Stalin with a categorical ban on signing the surrender.

After the signing of the surrender in the first row: Susloparov, Smith, Eisenhower, Air Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur Tedder

For his part, Stalin said: “ 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 fascist aggression came from - in Berlin, and not in unilaterally, and necessarily the high command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition».

The Soviet delegation before signing the Act of Unconditional Surrender of all German Armed Forces. Berlin. 05/08/1945 Standing on the right is Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov, standing in the center with his hand raised is Army General V.D. Sokolovsky.

The building of the German military engineering school in the suburbs of Berlin - Karlshorst, in which the signing ceremony of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany was held.

British Air Chief Marshal Sir Tedder A. and Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov review documents on the terms of Germany's surrender.

Zhukov reads out the act of surrender in Karlshorst. Next to Zhukov is Arthur Tedder.

On May 8 at 22:43 Central European time (at 00:43, May 9 Moscow) in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, in the building of the former canteen of the military engineering school, the final Act of the unconditional surrender of Germany was signed.

Keitel signs the surrender in Karlshorst

The changes in the text of the act were as follows:

In the English text, the expression Soviet High Command was replaced by a more accurate translation of the Soviet term: 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 of 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 languages. Only Russian and English texts are authentic.”

Representatives after signing the Act of Unconditional Surrender in Berlin-Karlshorst on May 8, 1945

By agreement between the governments of the USSR, USA and Great Britain, an agreement was reached to consider the procedure in Reims preliminary. This is exactly how it was interpreted in the USSR, where the significance of the act of May 7 was belittled in every possible way, and the act itself was hushed up, while in the West it is regarded as the actual signing of capitulation, and the act in Karlshorst as its ratification.

Lunch in honor of the Victory after the signing of 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 the US Strategic Air Forces General Spaats K. Berlin.

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

Having accepted the surrender, the Soviet Union did not sign peace with Germany, that is, formally remained in a state of war. The decree to end the state of war was adopted by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR only on January 25, 1955.

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 indicated Germany’s exit from the war. It was signed by representatives of the Wehrmacht High Command, the Western Allied High Command and the Soviet Union.

The idea of ​​unconditional surrender and the preparation of the text of the act

The idea of ​​unconditional German surrender was first announced by President Roosevelt on January 13, 1943 at the Casablanca Conference and has since become the official position of the United Nations. The draft text of the surrender was developed by the European Advisory Commission from 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 attempts German troops evade 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. .

First act

The school building in Reims where the surrender was signed.

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).

Signing of the surrender in Reims. Back: Hans Friedeburg, Alfred Jodl, Wilhelm Oxenius. Face: Sir F.E. Morgan, Francois Sevez, Harold Burrow, Harry S. Batchell, W.B. Smith, Conrad Strong, Ivan Chernyaev, Ivan Susloparov, Carl Spaats, John Robb, Ivan Zenkovich (side)

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 general surrender is 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 Doenitz, 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 Doenitz 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, i.e. almost two days after signing - Dönitz hoped to use this time to move as many troops and refugees to the West as possible.

On May 6, representatives of the allied commands were summoned to SHAEF: members of the Soviet mission, General Susloparov and Colonel Zenkovich, as well as the deputy chief of the Higher Staff of National Defense 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.

At 02:41 on May 7, in the premises of the SHAEF operations department, General Jodl signed the Instrument of Surrender.

Although a group of 17 journalists attended the surrender 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. However, German radio (from Flensburg) reported the signing of the surrender on May 7, at 14:41. Another hour later, this 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 the 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, an absolute ban was imposed on information about the May 7 surrender.

Second act

The Soviet representative, General Susloparov, signed the act in Reims at his own peril and risk, since instructions from the Kremlin had not yet arrived at the time appointed for signing. He decided to sign with the caveat that this act should not exclude the possibility of signing another act at the request of one of the allied countries. Soon after signing the act, Susloparov received a telegram from Stalin with a categorical ban on signing the surrender.

Stalin was outraged by the signing of the surrender at Reims, in which the Western allies played the leading role. He refused to recognize this act, demanding a new signing in Berlin, which had been taken by the Red Army, and asking the Allies not to make official announcements of victory until the surrender took effect (that is, until May 9).

This last demand was refused by both Churchill (who noted that Parliament would require information from him about the signing of the surrender) and Truman (who stated that Stalin’s request came to him too late and it was no longer possible to cancel the declaration of victory). For his part, Stalin said: “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." In response, the Allies agreed to hold a secondary signing ceremony in Berlin. Eisenhower informed Jodl that the German commanders-in-chief of the armed forces were to report for final official proceedings at a time and place determined by the Soviet and Allied commands.

Zhukov reads out the act of surrender in Karlshorst. Next to Zhukov is Arthur Tedder.

Keitel signs the surrender in Karlshorst

The Soviet people learned about this from a message from the Sovinformburo on May 9, 1945, only at 10 pm Moscow time, from the lips of the legendary announcer Yuri Levitan.

Then, by agreement between the governments of the USSR, 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 usually associated with the procedure in Reims, and the signing of the act of surrender in Berlin is called its “ratification”.

Having accepted the surrender, the Soviet Union did not sign peace with Germany, that is, formally remained in a state of war. The decree ending the state of war was adopted by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on January 25, 1955. However, the Great Patriotic War itself refers only to military actions against Germany before May 9, 1945.

Decree “On ending the state of war between Soviet Union and Germany” the USSR signed 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. For a long time they could not resolve the territorial question - 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.