Victory in Europe Day

• 1. The Surrender Timeline

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  Adolf Hitler committed suicide on the 30th of April during the Battle of Berlin. His successor, Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz, authorized Germany's surrender through the Flensburg Government. The first act of military surrender occurred at 02:41 on the 7th of May at the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Expeditionary Forces in Reims. A slightly modified document became the definitive German Instrument of Surrender when signed in Karlshorst, Berlin at 22:43 local time on the 8th of May 1945. This specific moment marked the official end of all German military operations across Europe. Hostilities were required to cease by 23:01 Central European Summer Time on that same day. That deadline corresponded with 00:01 on the 9th of May in Moscow Time due to the time zone difference. Most former Soviet countries and some others celebrate their victory on the 9th of May because of this shift.

• 2. Western Celebrations And Leaders

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  More than one million people celebrated in the streets throughout the United Kingdom to mark the end of the war. Crowds massed in Trafalgar Square and up the Mall to Buckingham Palace. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth appeared on the palace balcony alongside Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret wandered incognito among the cheering crowds later that evening. Churchill moved from the palace to Whitehall to address another large crowd there. He asked Ernest Bevin to share the applause during the celebration. Bevin replied that it was Churchill's day before conducting the people in singing For He's a Jolly Good Fellow. In the United States, President Harry S. Truman dedicated the victory to his predecessor Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt had died of a cerebral hemorrhage less than a month earlier on the 12th of April. Flags remained at half-staff for the remainder of the 30-day mourning period. Truman stated his only wish was that Roosevelt had lived to witness this day. Great celebrations took place in many American cities, especially in New York's Times Square.

• 3. Eastern European Observances

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  The instrument of surrender signed the 7th of May 1945 stipulated that all hostilities must cease at 23:01 Central European Summer Time on the 8th of May 1945. Since that point in time would be on the 9th of May in local time in the Soviet Union, most Soviet states including Russia celebrated Victory Day on the 9th of May. This time zone difference created a distinct observance date compared to Western nations. The Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania officially commemorate the 8th of May instead. They do not commemorate the 9th of May since it marked the Soviet occupation in 1944 for these specific countries. Despite official positions, local Russian communities still informally celebrate the 9th of May traditions to this date. Russian diplomats and other representatives from the Commonwealth of Independent States usually take part in those events. Poland officially recognized the 9th of May as its National Day of Victory and Freedom from 1945 until 2014. A decision on the 24th of April 2015 changed the officially recognised date back to the 8th of May. From 1946 to 1989, Poland celebrated with Russian traditions while it remained a socialist state.

• 4. Postwar Political Shifts

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  East Germany celebrated the 8th of May as its Tag der Befreiung first under Walter Ulbricht's government in 1950. That celebration repeated annually until the fall of communism. Between 1975 and 1990, the holiday became known as Tag des Sieges. After 1990 and the fall of the Soviet Union, no official ceremonies were organized by the Polish government. Many cities and military units together with local governments organized their own festivities independently. The Czech Republic has officially recognized the 8th of May as Victory Day since the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993. From 1948 to 1993, the Czechoslovak Republic celebrated the 9th of May instead. That period featured a military parade of the Czechoslovak People's Army on Letná every five years. In Austria, the Festival of Joy is an event held in honor of VE Day since 2013. The Austrian Mauthausen Committee organizes this festival in cooperation with the Austrian government and the City of Vienna. On the eve of the 75th anniversary in 2020, Russian president Vladimir Putin gave a live address broadcast on Austrian TV channel ORF.

• 5. Modern Commemorative Traditions

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  In the United Kingdom, VE Day is not an annual public holiday despite being a major national event. The early May bank holiday moved from the preceding Monday to the 8th of May in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary. It moved again in 2020 for the 75th anniversary. In France, 8 mai 1945 remains a national and public holiday today. At least 523 street names Rue du 8-Mai-1945 are recorded across the 18 regions as of September 2018. Orléans simultaneously celebrates both VE Day and the anniversary of the Siege of Orléans lifted by Joan of Arc in 1429. Victory Day is not a federal holiday in the United States either. President Donald Trump issued a proclamation designating the 8th of May 2025 as Victory Day for World War II. Belgium holds a truce-ceremony every year at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Congress Column in Brussels since 1974. This ceremony commemorates victims of all wars worldwide rather than just World War II alone.