Who signed the surrender? Act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany

Firsov A.

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

Germany's surrender was a foregone conclusion.

On May 4, 1945, a document was signed between the Fuhrer's successor, the new Reich President, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz and General Montgomery, on the military surrender of northwestern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands to the Allies and the associated truce.

But this document cannot be called an unconditional surrender of all of Germany. This was the surrender of only certain territories.

The first complete and unconditional surrender of Germany was signed on Allied territory at their headquarters on the night of May 6-7 at 2:41 a.m. in the city of Reims. This act is about unconditional surrender Germany and a complete ceasefire within 24 hours was received by the commander of the Allied forces in the west, General Eisenhower. It was signed by representatives of all allied forces.

Here is how Viktor Kostin writes about this capitulation:

“On May 6, 1945, German General Jodl arrived at the American command headquarters in Reims, representing the government of Admiral Doenitz, who became the head of Germany after Hitler’s suicide.

Jodl, on behalf of Doenitz, proposed that Germany's surrender be signed on May 10 by the commanders of the armed forces, that is, the army, air force and navy.

The delay of several days was caused by the fact that, according to him, time was required to find out the location of the units of the German armed forces and bring to their attention the fact of surrender.

In fact, during these few days, the Germans intended to withdraw a large group of their troops from Czechoslovakia, where they were located at that time, and transfer them to the West in order to surrender not to the Soviet army, but to the Americans.

The commander of the Allied forces in the West, General Eisenhower, understood this proposal and rejected it, giving Jodl half an hour to think about it. He said that if they refused, the full might of American and British forces would be unleashed on the German troops.

Jodl was forced to make concessions, and on May 7, at 2:40 a.m. Central European time, Jodl, General Beddel Smith from the allied side and General Susloparov, the Soviet representative to the allied command, accepted the surrender of Germany, which came into force at 23:01 May 8. This date is celebrated in Western countries.

By the time President Truman and British Prime Minister Churchill reported Germany’s surrender to Stalin, he had already scolded Susloparov for being too hasty in signing the act.”

The act of unconditional surrender of Germany on the German side, together with Colonel General Alfred Jodl, was signed by Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg.

The document signed on May 7, 1945 was called: “Act of unconditional surrender of all land, sea and air armed forces located in at this moment under German control."

All that remained until the complete cessation of hostilities and the Second World War was the day allotted to the capitulating side to bring the Act of Unconditional Surrender to every soldier.

Stalin was not satisfied with the fact that:

The signing of unconditional surrender took place on territory occupied by the Allies,

The act was signed primarily by the leadership of the Allies, which to some extent belittled the role of the USSR and Stalin himself in the victory over Nazi Germany,

The act of unconditional surrender was signed not by Stalin or Zhukov, but only by Major General from Artillery Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov.

Referring to the fact that the shooting in certain places had not yet stopped, Stalin gave the command to Zhukov to arrange a re-signing of the unconditional surrender, immediately after the complete ceasefire on May 8, preferably in Berlin and with the participation of Zhukov.

Since there was no suitable (not destroyed) building in Berlin, the signing was held in the Berlin suburb of Karlhorst immediately after the ceasefire by German troops. Eisenhower refused the invitation to participate in the re-signing of the surrender, but informed Jodl that the German commanders-in-chief of the armed forces should appear for the repeat procedure at the time and place indicated by the Soviet command for the signing of a new act with the Soviet command.

Georgy Zhukov came from the Russian troops to sign the second surrender, and Eisenhower sent his deputy, Air Chief Marshal A. Tedder, from the British troops. From the United States, the commander of the strategic air force, General K. Spaats, was present and signed the surrender as a witness; from the French armed forces, the army commander-in-chief, General J. de Lattre de Tassigny, signed the surrender as a witness.

Jodl did not go to re-sign the act, but sent his deputies - the former chief of staff of the Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht (OKW) Field Marshal W. Keitel, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet G. Friedeburg, and Colonel General of Aviation G. Stumpf.

The re-signing of the capitulation brought a smile to all the signers, with the exception of representatives of the Russian side.

Seeing that representatives of France were also participating in the re-signing of the capitulation, Keitel grinned: “What! Have we also lost the war to France?” “Yes, Mr. Field Marshal, and France too,” they answered him from the Russian side.

The repeated surrender, now from three branches of the armed forces, was signed on the German side by three representatives of three branches of the armed forces sent by Jodl - Keitel, Friedeburg and Stumpf.

The second unconditional surrender of Germany was signed on May 8, 1945. The date for signing the surrender is May 8th.

But the celebration of Victory Day on May 8th also did not suit Stalin. This was the day the surrender of May 7th came into effect. And it was clear that this surrender was only a continuation and duplication of an earlier one, which declared May 8th the day of a complete ceasefire.

In order to completely move away from the first unconditional surrender and to emphasize the second unconditional surrender as much as possible, Stalin decided to declare May 9th as Victory Day. The following arguments were used:

A) The actual signing of the act by Keitel, Friedeburg and Stumpf took place on May 8 at 22:43 German (Western European) time, but in Moscow it was already 0:43 on May 9.

B) The entire procedure for signing the act of unconditional surrender ended on May 8 at 22:50 German time. But in Moscow it was already 0 hours 50 minutes on May 9th.

D) The announcement of victory in Russia and the festive fireworks in honor of the victory over Germany took place in Russia on May 9, 1945.

Since Stalin's times in Russia, the date of signing the act of unconditional surrender is usually considered to be May 9, 1945; Berlin is usually named as the place where the act of unconditional surrender was signed, and only Wilhelm Keitel as the signatory on the German side.

As a result of such Stalinist actions, Russians still celebrate May 9th as Victory Day and are surprised when Europeans celebrate the same Victory Day on May 8th or 7th.

The name of General Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov was erased from Soviet history textbooks, and the fact that he signed the act of unconditional surrender of Germany is still being kept silent in Russia.

Third unconditional surrender of Germany

On June 5, 1945, the four victorious countries announced the unconditional state and political surrender of Germany. It was formalized as a declaration by the European Advisory Commission.

The document is entitled: "Declaration of the Defeat of Germany and the Assumption of Supreme Power over Germany by the Governments of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Provisional Government of the French Republic."

The document says:

"The German armed forces on land, on water and in the air are completely defeated and have unconditionally surrendered, and Germany, which bears responsibility for the war, is no longer able to resist the will of the victorious powers. As a consequence, the unconditional surrender of Germany has been achieved, and Germany submits to all demands that will be made to it now or in the future.".

In accordance with the document, the four victorious powers undertake to implement " supreme power in Germany, including all the powers of the German government, the Wehrmacht High Command and the governments, administrations or authorities of states, cities and magistrates. The exercise of power and the listed powers does not entail annexation of Germany".

This unconditional surrender was signed by representatives of four countries without the participation of representatives of Germany.

Stalin introduced similar confusion into Russian textbooks with the dates of the beginning and end of the Second World War. If the whole world considers the date of the beginning of the Second World War to be September 1, 1939, then Russia, since the time of Stalin, continues to “modestly” count the beginning of the war from July 22, 1941, “forgetting” about the successful capture of Poland and the Baltic states and parts of Ukraine in 1939 and about the failure of a similar attempt to capture Finland (1939-1940).

Similar confusion exists with the day the Second World War ended. If Russia celebrates May 9 as the day of the victory of the Allied forces over the German coalition and, in fact, as the day of the end of World War II, then the whole world celebrates the end of World War II on September 2.

On this day in 1945, the “Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan” was signed aboard the American flagship battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

On the Japanese side, the act was signed by Japanese Foreign Minister M. Shigemitsu and Chief of the General Staff General Y. Umezu. On the Allied side, the act was signed by US Army General D. MacArthur, Soviet Lieutenant General K. Derevianko, and Admiral of the British Fleet B. Fraser.

The vast majority of our fellow citizens know that on May 9 the country celebrates Victory Day. A slightly smaller number know that the date was not chosen by chance, and it is connected with the signing of the act of surrender of Nazi Germany.

But the question of why, in fact, the USSR and Europe celebrate Victory Day on different days baffles many.

So how did you really give up? fascist Germany?

German disaster

By the beginning of 1945, Germany's position in the war had become simply catastrophic. The rapid advance of Soviet troops from the East and Allied armies from the West led to the fact that the outcome of the war became clear to almost everyone.

From January to May 1945, the death throes of the Third Reich actually took place. More and more units rushed to the front not so much with the goal of turning the tide, but with the goal of delaying the final catastrophe.

Under these conditions, atypical chaos reigned in the German army. Suffice it to say that there is simply no complete information about the losses that the Wehrmacht suffered in 1945 - the Nazis no longer had time to bury their dead and draw up reports.

On April 16, 1945, Soviet troops launched an offensive operation in the direction of Berlin, the goal of which was to capture the capital of Nazi Germany.

Despite the large forces concentrated by the enemy and his deeply echeloned defensive fortifications, in a matter of days, Soviet units broke through to the outskirts of Berlin.

Without allowing the enemy to be drawn into protracted street battles, on April 25, Soviet assault groups began advancing toward the city center.

On the same day, on the Elbe River, Soviet troops linked up with American units, as a result of which the Wehrmacht armies that continued to fight were divided into groups isolated from each other.

In Berlin itself, units of the 1st Belorussian Front advanced towards government offices of the Third Reich.

Units of the 3rd Shock Army broke through to the Reichstag area on the evening of April 28. At dawn on April 30, the building of the Ministry of the Interior was taken, after which the way to the Reichstag was opened.

Surrender of Hitler and Berlin

Located at that time in the bunker of the Reich Chancellery Adolf Hitler"capitulated" in the middle of the day on April 30, committing suicide. According to the testimony of the Fuhrer's comrades, in recent days he was most afraid that the Russians would fire shells with sleeping gas into the bunker, after which he would be put in a cage in Moscow for the amusement of the crowd.

At about 21:30 on April 30, units of the 150th Infantry Division captured the main part of the Reichstag, and on the morning of May 1, a red flag was raised over it, which became the Banner of Victory.

Germany, Reichstag. Photo: www.russianlook.com

The fierce battle in the Reichstag, however, did not stop, and the units defending it stopped resisting only on the night of May 1-2.

On the night of May 1, 1945, he arrived at the location of Soviet troops. Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, General Krebs, who reported Hitler's suicide and requested a truce while the new German government took office. The Soviet side demanded unconditional surrender, which was refused at about 18:00 on May 1.

By this time, only the Tiergarten and the government quarter remained under German control in Berlin. The refusal of the Nazis gave the Soviet troops the right to begin the assault again, which did not last long: at the beginning of the first night of May 2, the Germans radioed for a ceasefire and declared their readiness to surrender.

At 6 o'clock in the morning on May 2, 1945 commander of the defense of Berlin, artillery general Weidling Accompanied by three generals, he crossed the front line and surrendered. An hour later, while at the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army, he wrote a surrender order, which was duplicated and, with the help of loudspeaker installations and radio, delivered to enemy units defending in the center of Berlin. By the end of the day on May 2, resistance in Berlin ceased, and individual groups of Germans who continued fighting, were destroyed.

However, Hitler's suicide and the final fall of Berlin did not yet mean the surrender of Germany, which still had more than a million soldiers in the ranks.

Eisenhower's Soldier's Integrity

The new government of Germany, headed by Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, decided to “save the Germans from the Red Army” by continuing fighting on the Eastern Front, simultaneously with the flight of civilian forces and troops to the West. The main idea was capitulation in the West in the absence of capitulation in the East. 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.

May 4 in front of the British army Marshal Montgomery The German group capitulated in Holland, Denmark, Schleswig-Holstein and North-West Germany. On May 5, Army Group G in Bavaria and Western Austria capitulated to the Americans.

After this, negotiations began between the Germans and the Western Allies for complete surrender in the West. However, the American General Eisenhower disappointed the German military - surrender must occur in both the West and the East, and the German armies must stop where they are. This meant that not everyone would be able to escape from the Red Army to the West.

German prisoners of war in Moscow. Photo: www.russianlook.com

The Germans tried to protest, but Eisenhower warned that if the Germans continued to drag their feet, his troops would forcefully stop everyone fleeing to the West, whether soldiers or refugees. In this situation, the German command agreed to sign unconditional surrender.

Improvisation by General Susloparov

The signing of the act was to take place at General Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims. Members of the Soviet military mission were summoned there on May 6 General Susloparov and Colonel Zenkovich, who were informed of the upcoming signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany.

No one would have envied Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov at that moment. The fact is that he did not have the authority to sign the surrender. Having sent a request to Moscow, he did not receive a response by the beginning of the procedure.

In Moscow, they rightly feared that the Nazis would achieve their goal and sign a capitulation to the Western allies on terms favorable to them. Not to mention the fact that the very registration of surrender at the American headquarters in Reims categorically did not suit the Soviet Union.

The easiest way General Susloparov at that moment there was no need to sign any documents at all. However, according to his recollections, an extremely unpleasant conflict could have developed: the Germans surrendered to the allies by signing an act, and remained at war with the USSR. It is unclear where this situation will lead.

General Susloparov acted at his own peril and risk. He added the following note to the text of the document: this protocol on military surrender does not preclude the future signing of another, more advanced act of surrender of Germany, if any allied government declares it.

In this form, the act of surrender of Germany was signed by the German side Chief of Operations Staff of the OKW, Colonel General Alfred Jodl, from the Anglo-American side Lieutenant General of the US Army, Chief of Staff of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Walter Smith, from the USSR - representative of the Supreme High Command Headquarters at the Allied Command Major General Ivan Susloparov. As a witness, the act was signed by the French brigade General Francois Sevez. The signing of the act took place at 2:41 on May 7, 1945. It was supposed to come into force on May 8 at 23:01 Central European Time.

It is interesting that General Eisenhower avoided participating in the signing, citing the low status of the German representative.

Temporary effect

After the signing, a response was received from Moscow - General Susloparov was forbidden to sign any documents.

The Soviet command believed that the German forces would use the 45 hours before the document came into force to flee to the West. This, in fact, was not denied by the Germans themselves.

As a result, at the insistence of the Soviet side, it was decided to hold another ceremony for signing the unconditional surrender of Germany, which was organized on the evening of May 8, 1945 in the German suburb of Karlshorst. The text, with minor exceptions, repeated the text of the document signed in Reims.

On behalf of the German side, the act was signed by: Field Marshal General, Chief of the Supreme High Command Wilhelm Keitel, Air Force spokesman - Colonel General Stupmph and the Navy - Admiral von Friedeburg. Unconditional surrender accepted Marshal Zhukov(from the Soviet side) and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces British Marshal Tedder. They put their signatures as witnesses US Army General Spaatz and French General de Tassigny.

It is curious that General Eisenhower was going to arrive to sign this act, but was stopped by the objection of the British Winston Churchill's premiere: if the allied commander had signed the act in Karlshorst without signing it in Reims, the significance of the Reims act would have seemed insignificant.

The signing of the act in Karlshorst took place on May 8, 1945 at 22:43 Central European time, and it came into force, as agreed back in Reims, at 23:01 on May 8. However, Moscow time, these events occurred at 0:43 and 1:01 on May 9.

It was this discrepancy in time that was the reason why Victory Day in Europe became May 8, and in the Soviet Union - May 9.

To each his own

After the act of unconditional surrender came into force, organized resistance to Germany finally ceased. This, however, did not prevent individual groups solving local problems (usually a breakthrough to the West) from entering into battles after May 9. However, such battles were short-term and ended with the destruction of the Nazis who did not fulfill the conditions of surrender.

As for General Susloparov, personally Stalin assessed his actions in the current situation as correct and balanced. After the war, Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov worked at the Military Diplomatic Academy in Moscow, died in 1974 at the age of 77, and was buried with military honors at the Vvedenskoye Cemetery in Moscow.

The fate of the German commanders Alfred Jodl and Wilhelm Keitel, who signed the unconditional surrender in Reims and Karlshorst, was less enviable. International Tribunal in Nuremberg recognized them as war criminals and sentenced them to death penalty. On the night of October 16, 1946, Jodl and Keitel were hanged in the gym of Nuremberg prison.

May 9, 1945 - this date is familiar to every resident modern Russia and the post-Soviet space as the day of the Great Victory over fascism. Unfortunately, historical facts are not always unambiguous, which is what allows some historians of Western Europe to distort events. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany happened somewhat differently than we all know from history books, but this should not change the idea of ​​the course and results of that bloody war.

Offensive

Since the winter of 43-44, the Red Army drove the Germans to the border on all fronts. Fierce battles exhausted enemy forces, but also created difficulties for Soviet soldiers. The liberation of Karelia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia occurred during 1944, the Red Army reached the borders of the aggressor country. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany is still ahead; the troops, exhausted by many kilometers of marches, need to be regrouped for the decisive battle. became a matter of prestige for our country, and the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition also strived for this. January 1945 became the moment of no return for the Nazis; the war was completely lost, but their resistance became even more fierce on the approaches to Berlin. The creation of many fortified areas, the reorganization of army units, the concentration of divisions on the eastern front - Hitler takes these actions in order to stop the Soviet troops. He partially succeeds in delaying the attack on Berlin; it is postponed from February to April 1945. The operation is carefully planned and prepared; all possible reserves and weapons are deployed to the advancing fronts. From April 16 to 17, 1945, the offensive begins with the forces of two fronts - the first Belorussian (Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov) and the first Ukrainian (chief commander Ivan Stepanovich Konev), the second Belorussian Front (Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky) must encircle the city and prevent breakthrough attempts . As if these terrible four years of war had not happened, the wounded got into formation and marched on Berlin, despite the fierce resistance of the fascists, swept away the fortifications, everyone knew that this was the path to victory. Only by noon in 1945, the capital of the Third Reich fell into complete silence, the remnants of the garrison surrendered and Soviet banners replaced the swastika on the remains of destroyed buildings.

Allies

In the summer of 1944, a massive offensive of allied troops began in the western direction. It is due, first of all, to the too rapid onslaught of the Red Army along the entire length of the eastern front line. The Norman landings, strategic bombings of the main industrial areas of the Third Reich, military operations in Belgium, France and Germany significantly complicate the situation of Nazi Germany. The seizure of the territory of the Ruhr region and southern Austria makes it possible to advance deep into the territory of the aggressor’s country. The legendary meeting of Soviet and allied troops on the Elbe River in April 1945 is actually the last step in the war. The capitulation of Nazi Germany is becoming a matter of time, especially since it has already been partially begun by some Wehrmacht armies. From a political point of view, the capture of Berlin was necessary for the Allies as well as for the USSR; Eisenhower repeatedly mentions this. For the united units of the British, Americans and Canadians, carrying out this offensive operation was theoretically possible. After the unsuccessful Ardennes counteroffensive, German troops retreated along almost the entire front without fierce fighting, trying to transfer combat-ready formations to the east. Hitler actually turned his back on the allies of the USSR, directing all efforts to stop the Red Army. The second front advanced very slowly; the command of the coalition formations did not want large losses among their soldiers during the assault on well-fortified Berlin and its outskirts.

Germans

Hitler waited until the very end for a split in the coalition and changes on the front line. He was sure that the meeting of the allies would turn into a new war against the USSR. When his expectations were not met, he decided to make peace with the United States and Great Britain, which would make it possible to close the second front. The negotiations were disrupted thanks to timely received Soviet intelligence data. This fact significantly accelerated the process of the Red Army's offensive and prevented the possibility of concluding a separate peace. The Allies had to resolutely insist on compliance with all the Yalta agreements, which implied the signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany. Hitler was ready to “surrender” Berlin to the Anglo-American troops, but he was unable to do this thanks to the Soviet command. The offensive and assault on the capital of the Third Reich became a matter of honor for our troops. The Nazis defended themselves fanatically, there was nowhere to retreat, the approaches to the city became powerful fortified areas.

Yalta Conference

Massive offensive actions on the eastern and western front made it clear to the Nazis that the complete surrender of Germany was already close. The year 1945 (its beginning) left Hitler no chance of victory and no opportunity to wage a protracted war on both sides. understood the importance of a coordinated peaceful solution to territorial and political transformations in liberated Europe. Representatives of the highest level of the three allied powers gathered in Yalta in February 1945. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill determined the future not only of Germany, Poland, Italy, France, they created a new bipolar system for Europe, which was respected for the next 40 years. Of course, under the prevailing conditions, none of the countries could dictate their terms, so the results of this historic conference partially satisfied the demands of the leaders. But the main issue was the destruction of fascism and nationalism; the danger of the emergence of such ruling regimes was recognized by all participants.

Document preparation

The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany took place in 1945, but back in 1943 the draft of this document was agreed upon by all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The initiator of its creation was Roosevelt; the document itself was drawn up with the participation of an advisory commission consisting of European experts. The text of the draft was quite extensive and was rather advisory in nature, so in fact the surrender of Germany was signed after drawing up a completely different document. American officers approached its drafting from a military, purely pragmatic side. Six points of the document contained specific requirements, specific dates and procedures in case of violation of any article, which were historical.

Partial surrender

Several large military units of the Wehrmacht surrendered to the Allied forces before the agreement on the complete surrender of the Nazis was signed. German groups and entire armies sought to break through to the west so as not to fight the Russians. Their command realized that the war was over, and they could only get refuge by surrendering to the Americans and the British. Especially groups of SS troops, famous for atrocities on the territory of the USSR, fled from the rapidly advancing Russians. The first case of surrender was recorded on April 29, 1945 in Italy. On May 2, the garrison of Berlin surrendered to Soviet troops, on May 4, the naval forces of Germany in Denmark and Holland laid down their arms before the British, and on May 5, Army Group G capitulated, having reached the Americans from Austria.

First document

May 8, 1945 - this particular date in Europe is considered Victory Day over fascism. It was not chosen by chance; in fact, representatives of the new German government signed the surrender on May 7, and the document was supposed to come into force the next day. Admiral Friedeburg, as part of the German delegation, arrived in the Rhine, where Eisenhower's headquarters was based, with a proposal to surrender on May 5, 1945. The Nazis began to bargain with the allies on the terms of the document, trying to delay time and withdraw as many troops and civilians as possible beyond the western front line, while continuing attempts to contain Soviet army in an easterly direction. Eisenhower completely rejected all German arguments, insisting on the complete and unconditional surrender of Germany and the signing of the document by all parties to the conflict. On May 6, representatives of all allied forces were summoned to the Rhine. Soviet history textbooks do not reflect who signed the act of surrender of Germany in the first version, but the names of these people have been preserved: from the USSR - General Susloparov, from the combined forces of the Allies - General Smith, from Germany - General Jodl, Admiral Friedeburg.

Stalin

Ivan Alekseevich Susloparov was a member of the Soviet mission at the Allied headquarters, therefore, before putting his signature on the historical document, he transmitted information to Moscow. The answer came late, but its fourth point implied the possibility of making changes to the original version, which Stalin took advantage of. He insisted on re-signing the act, the following arguments were given as arguments:

1. After signing the surrender, the Nazis continued to conduct active defensive military operations on the eastern front.
2. Stalin also attached great importance to where the surrender of Germany was signed. For this, in his opinion, only the capital of the defeated state is suitable.
3. Susloparov did not have the authority to sign this document.

The allies agreed with his opinion, especially since in fact it was a repetition of the procedure, which did not change its essence.

Surrender of Germany

The ratification date of the previous treaty was set for May 8, 1945. At 22:43 European time, the procedure for signing the surrender was completed; it was already the next day in Moscow. That is why on the morning of May 9, the end of the war and the complete defeat of Nazi Germany was announced on the territory of the USSR. In fact, the document was signed without significant changes, from the Soviet command it was signed by Marshal Konstantinovich, from the allied forces - by Marshal Arthur Tedder, from Germany - by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe Colonel General Stumpf, Admiral of the Navy Friedeburg. General Latre de Tassigny (France) and General Spaats (USA) acted as witnesses.

Hostilities

Many fascist groups did not recognize the surrender and continued to resist Soviet troops (in Austria and Czechoslovakia), hoping to break through to the west and surrender to the Allies. Such attempts were stopped by the destruction of enemy groups, so actual military operations were carried out on the eastern front until May 19, 1945. About 1500 thousand German soldiers and 100 generals surrendered to Soviet troops after May 8. The number of individual clashes was significant, scattered enemy groups often resisted our soldiers, so the list of those killed in this terrible war is not limited to the date of May 9. The conclusion of peace between the main parties to the conflict did not occur at the time the act of “surrender of Germany” was signed. The date that will put an end to the military confrontation will come only in June 1945. At this time, a document will be drawn up and signed, which will be based on the principle of post-war governance of the country.

Victory

Levitan announced the end of the Great Patriotic War May 9, 1945. This day is the holiday of the Soviet Victory multinational people over Nazi Germany. Both then and now, it doesn’t matter what date the surrender was signed, 7 or 8, the main thing is the fact of signing the document. Many peoples suffered in this war, but the Russians will always be proud that they were not broken and liberated their homeland and part of Europe. The victory was difficult, cost many millions of lives, and everyone's duty modern man- to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany happened twice, but the meaning of this document is clear.

Any war, as we know, ends with the unconditional surrender of the losing side of the military conflict. The Great Patriotic War was no exception, however, there are still many amazing versions and rumors regarding the surrender of Germany. We decided to look into the most famous of them.

Version 1: Which surrender is real?

The most amazing thing is that Germany surrendered twice. Public opinion in Russia and the West differs about which of them is real. The first signing of a historical document took place on May 7 in the French city of Reims at the headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. The German Surrender Act was signed again a day later on the night of May 8-9, 1945 in Karlhorst, a district of East Berlin. In addition, the surrender of individual parts of the Wehrmacht occurred in Northern Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark and North-West Germany much earlier than the signing of the official Act of Surrender of the entire country. It is not surprising that the West recognizes the “French” capitulation on May 7, while in Russia the capitulation signed in Berlin on May 8–9 enjoys great authority. Oddly enough, but in this case with legal side both documents have equal legal force, but completely different political weight.

Following the letter of the law, both on May 7 and May 8-9, 1945, Germany capitulated to representatives of all three allied countries of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain. At the signing of the document in Reims, the representative of the Supreme High Command Headquarters under the Allied Command, Major General I.A., put his signature. Susloparov, on behalf of the Anglo-American side, the document was signed by US Army Lieutenant General Water Bedell Smith. The German side was represented by the Chief of Operations Staff of the High Command of the German Army, Colonel General Alfred Jodl. In addition, the surrender was endorsed by the Deputy Chief of the French National Defense Staff, Brigadier General Francois Sevez. However, despite the appearance of the long-awaited document on the end of the war, Moscow was extremely dissatisfied with the very procedure of its signing. Moreover, I.V. Stalin sent I.A. A telegram to Susloparov prohibiting the signing of this document, but he was late. When the telegram was delivered to the addressee, the surrender had already been signed by all parties. True, the insightful Ivan Aleksandrovich Susloparov made a small addition to the document, stating that if one of the parties wants to re-sign the document, this should be done. On the same day, this proposal was received from the Soviet side by order of I.V. Stalin. For the second time, the Act of Surrender of Germany was signed in Berlin. This time the list of signatories turned out to be more representative.

Marshal G.K. accepted the surrender from the USSR. Zhukov, from the Anglo-American forces, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, Marshal Arthur Tedder. On the German side, the Act of Surrender was signed by Field Marshal General, Chief of the Wehrmacht High Command Wilhelm Keitl, Luftwaffe representative Colonel General Stumpf and Kriegsmarine representative Admiral von Friedeburg. At the same time, London and Washington were extremely dissatisfied with the re-signing of the document. To express his attitude to this procedure, instead of Dwight Eisenhower, who was personally going to sign the second surrender, his deputy was sent to Berlin. However, from the point of view international law both German surrenders have equal force.

Version 2: Shooting for surrender?

No less widespread, the legend regarding the surrender of Germany has become further fate I.A. Susloparova, contrary to the order of I.V. Stalin, who signed the surrender in Reims. In Western media for a long time deliberately unreliable information was spread that Ivan Alexandrovich was shot after the war. The more humane European tabloids “sent” him to camps for decades. Of course, there was not a penny of truth in these publications. The fact is that the agreement on surrender in Reims by all interested parties took two days from May 5 to May 7. Moreover, the final text of the surrender was sent by telegram to Moscow on May 6 with a request for permission to sign it. The fact is that the response telegram from I.V. Stalin acted too late, I.A.’s fault. Susloparov is not there. Moreover, he, having shown insight, managed to arrange everything in such a way that no problems arose with re-signing the document.

At the same time, it is unknown how the situation would have unfolded if Ivan Alexandrovich had refused to sign the historical document. It is well known that the Germans delayed signing the surrender with all their might, trying to transport as many civilians as possible to the West, material assets, technical documentation and remaining combat-ready troops. With this step, the leaders of the throbbing Third Reich hoped to leave the opportunity to subsequently come to an agreement with the Anglo-American allies, so that they could then jointly continue the war against the USSR. In this delicate situation, the signing of the surrender had to be carried out as soon as possible. After the end of the war, the fate of I.A. Susloparova's situation turned out extremely favorably. He was transferred to work at the Military Diplomatic Academy in Moscow, where Ivan Alexandrovich worked until his death on December 16, 1974.

Version 3: Why was the press silent?

A rather unusual fact, which military historians on both sides of the ocean paid attention to after the war, was the silence of the press on the day the first act of surrender was signed on May 7, 1945. One could assume that the press was simply not invited to cover this historical moment. But, no. 17 journalists were present at the procedure for signing the Act of German Surrender in Reims. It turned out that the whole point was an unusual request from the leaders of the winning countries addressed to media representatives. Official historiography claims that when the USA and Great Britain learned that the USSR categorically insisted on the second signing of the Act of Surrender, journalists were made to swear an oath for 36 hours to keep this information in secret. Representatives of the press behaved with dignity, sending the corresponding messages to their publications only at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on May 8, 1945. Only Edward Kennedy, a reporter for the Associated Press, acted undignifiedly. Having become an apostate, he divulged information about the surrender on May 7 at 15:41. For his ugly act, he immediately lost his job, although he remained in history. In contrast, the names of other journalists present at the signing of the document in Reims are not known today.

Version 4: Signature or Ratification?

It is not surprising that after the end of the war, both in the West and in the USSR, they tried to downplay the role of the Act of Surrender, which was not beneficial to one side or another, while in fact both documents were equivalent. It should be noted that the first to violate the behind-the-scenes agreements of the leaders of the winning countries was Winston Churchill. The fact is that the heads of the USSR, USA and Great Britain, before making Germany's surrender public, honestly agreed to consider the Act of Surrender in Reims preliminary, and in Berlin as the main one. However, in violation of the gentlemen's agreements, in his radio address to the nation on May 8, 1945, Churchill stated that the previous morning Germany had signed an act of unconditional surrender, while from May 8 to 9 it would be ratified in Karlshos by signing a new Act.

Thus, Winston Churchill not only broke his word, but also gave rise to a historical intrigue, the purpose of which was to downplay the significance of the Act of Surrender of Germany, signed in Karlshos by a more representative delegation of the parties from May 8 to 9, 1945. Subsequently, some well-known Western publicists did not even mention the surrender signed in Berlin in their books. In the USSR, the population learned about the capitulation of fascist Germany from a message from the Sovinformburo, sounded at 2:10 on May 9, 1945. At the same time, today in Russia it is practically unknown that, having signed two surrenders at once, the USSR remained in the war with Germany until January 25, 1955. Only 10 years after the end of hostilities, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a Decree to end the state of war with Germany.

Version 5: Why was it necessary to re-sign the Act of Surrender?

A completely natural question arises, why I.V. Stalin needed a second capitulation of Germany when the first one in Reims was carried out with the participation of a Soviet representative with all the necessary formalities. Moreover, the text of the document signed a day later in Karlshorse in Berlin was almost completely consistent with its predecessor. It turned out that there was quite a significant logic in this requirement. In particular, I.V. Stalin said that the Act signed in Reims “cannot be either canceled or recognized.” The capitulation of the fascist regime, in his firm opinion, should have taken place not on the territory of the victors, but in Berlin, where fascist aggression began.

Today, quite often you can also hear the opinion that I.V. Stlin was motivated by justifiable indignation that the first Act of Surrender was signed on the territory of the Anglo-American troops, and not the Soviet ones, although the main burden of the war and the credit for the victory lay with the Red Army. This is true, but it is also necessary to remember that the Germans initially considered the possibility of surrender only to Western countries. Moreover, after the First World War, attempts were made repeatedly to challenge a similar document, due to the fact that on the German side it was signed by a military commander who could not speak on behalf of the entire army. Including to prevent this from happening again, I.V. Stalin demanded that Alfred Jodl's signature be replaced with Wilhelm Keitl's visa.

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, in which 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 ground forces 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 headquarters of the Allied forces 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 surrender of Germany 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 Chief 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 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


14. General Jodl signs the German surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945.


15. General Jodl signs the German surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945.


16. General Jodl signs the German surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945.


17. Representatives after signing the Act of Unconditional Surrender in Berlin-Karlshorst on May 8, 1945. The act on the part of 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 air force strength


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 on May 1 at the location of 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 the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrendering from the Soviet officer. 05/09/1945


27. German surrender on the Frisch-Nerung spit, East Prussia. German officers accept the terms of surrender and the procedure for surrendering 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 British Air Chief Marshal Tedder A.V. Among those greeting: Army General V.D. Sokolovsky. and the commandant of Berlin, Colonel 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. and Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov. heading to the signing ceremony of the Act 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 the US Strategic Air Forces General Spaats K. Berlin. 08-09.05.1945