Mixed emotions as war came to an end

Luke Rix-Standing talks to historian James Holland about the mixed emotions that followed the end of World War Two.

At 3pm on May 8, 1945, Winston Churchill sat in front of a microphone in No. 10 Downing Street, and declared in typically gruff tones that the war against Nazi Germany had been won.

A week after Hitler had taken his own life in a bunker beneath Berlin, the remnants of the regime under Grand Admiral Donitz had surrendered, and the Third Reich was officially no more.

Cheering crowds packed Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly and Pall Mall in London, dancing spontaneously in the roads and frolicking in the fountains. Among the revellers were Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth, allowed to wander incognito amid the throng despite the protestations of the Queen.

In the United States, President Truman gave a similar address from the Oval Office, as party-goers flooded Times Square. “This is a solemn but glorious hour,” he intoned. “The flags of freedom fly all over Europe.” He paid tribute to his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died in office not a month before.

The public narrative was simple: Germany had surrendered, and May 8 would be Victory in Europe Day forever more. But behind closed doors, the announcement was the result of political jockeying between three of the world’s premier powers.

A group of German generals had actually delivered the official surrender at the allied headquarters in Reims, Northern France, during the early hours of May 7. The difficulty was when and how to disclose it.

“The Russians wanted their own surrender,” says historian and author James Holland, “and in the interests of post-war fraternity, Truman felt their wishes should be honoured. Churchill thought this was ridiculous and they should announce the news immediately, and the to and fro went back and forth all day.”

Neither premier got their wish. The Germans leaked the story to an American journalist in Berlin, who promptly spilled the beans. This proved too much for Churchill, who announced on the evening of May 7 that the following day would be Victory in Europe Day, thoroughly irking Truman, and putting Britain on celebration standby. The Russians eventually held their surrender shortly after midnight, Moscow time, on May 9.

“There’s effectively three surrenders, and three VE Days,” summarises Holland. “One on the 7th, when the surrender was actually signed, one on the 8th, when it is celebrated in the West, and one on the 9th, when it is commemorated in the Soviet Union, now Russia.”