May 9, 1945 - this date is familiar to every inhabitant of 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 Western European historians to distort events. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany took place a little differently than we all know from the history books, but this should not change the idea of the course and results of that bloody war.
Offensive
The Red Army from the winter of 43-44 drove the Germans to the border on all fronts. Fierce battles exhausted the enemy forces, but also created difficulties for the Soviet soldiers. The liberation of Karelia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia took place during 1944, the Red Army reached the borders of the aggressor country. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany is yet to come, the troops, exhausted by many kilometers of marches, need to be regrouped for a decisive battle. The capture of Berlin became a matter of prestige for our country, to thisthe allies in the anti-Hitler coalition also aspired. January 1945 was the moment of no return for the Nazis, the war was lost completely, but their resistance on the outskirts of Berlin became all the more fierce. The creation of many fortified areas, the reorganization of army units, the pulling of divisions to the eastern front - Hitler takes these actions in order to stop the Soviet troops. In part, he manages to delay the attack on Berlin, it is postponed from February to April 1945. The operation is carefully planned and prepared, all possible reserves and armaments are drawn up to the advancing fronts. From April 16 to April 17, 1945, the attack on the capital of Germany begins with the forces of two fronts - the first Belorussian (Marshal Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich) and the first Ukrainian (Chief Commander Ivan Stepanovich Konev), the second Belorussian Front (Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich) should carry out the encirclement of the city and prevent breakthrough attempts. As if those terrible four years of the war had not happened, the wounded stood up and went to Berlin, despite the fierce resistance of the Nazis, swept away the fortifications, everyone knew that this was the path to victory. Only by noon on May 2, 1945, the capital of the Third Reich fell into complete silence, the remnants of the garrison surrendered and the Soviet banners replaced the swastika on the remains of the destroyed buildings.
Allies
In the summer of 1944, the mass offensive of the allied forces in the western direction begins. It is primarily due to too fastthe onslaught of the Red Army along the entire length of the eastern front line. The landing of the Norman troops, the strategic bombing of the main industrial regions of the Third Reich, military operations on the territory of Belgium, France and Germany greatly complicate the position of Nazi Germany. The capture of the territory of the Ruhr region, the south of Austria makes it possible for the aggressor to advance deep into the territory of the country. The legendary meeting of Soviet and allied troops on the Elbe River in April 45 is actually the last step in the war. The capitulation of fascist Germany becomes a matter of time, especially since it has already been partially begun by some armies of the Wehrmacht. 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 parts of the British, Americans and Canadians, this offensive operation was theoretically possible. After the unsuccessful Ardennes counter-offensive, German troops retreat almost along the entire front without fierce fighting, trying to transfer combat-ready units to the eastern direction. Hitler actually turned his back on the allies of the USSR, directing all his 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 assaults on well-fortified Berlin and its suburbs.
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 one.war against the USSR. When his expectations were not met, he decided to make peace with the US and Britain, which would make it possible to close the second front. Negotiations were disrupted due to timely received information from Soviet intelligence. This fact significantly accelerated the process of the offensive of the Red Army and prevented the possibility of concluding a separate peace. The Allies had to strongly insist on the observance of all the Y alta agreements, which implied the signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany. Hitler was ready to “surrender” Berlin to the Anglo-American troops; he failed 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.
Y alta Conference
Massive offensive operations on the eastern and western fronts made it clear to the Nazis that the complete surrender of Germany was already close. 1945 (its beginning) did not leave Hitler a chance to win and the opportunity to wage a protracted war in both directions. The anti-Hitler coalition understood the importance of an agreed peaceful solution to territorial and political transformations in liberated Europe. Representatives of the highest level of the three allied powers in February 1945 gathered in Y alta. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill not only determined the future of Germany, Poland, Italy, France, they created a new bipolar order in Europe, which was observed for the next 40 years. Of course, under the circumstancesone of the countries could not dictate its 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. Roosevelt became the initiator of its creation, 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, therefore, in fact, Germany's capitulation was signed after a completely different document was drawn up. American officers approached its compilation from a military, purely pragmatic side. The six paragraphs of the document contained specific requirements, certain 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 troops of the allies before the agreement was signed on the complete surrender of the Nazis. 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 get asylum only by surrendering to the Americans and the British. Especially groups of SS troops, famous for atrocities onthe 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 Berlin garrison surrendered to the Soviet troops, on May 4, the German naval forces in Denmark, Holland laid down their arms in front of the British, on May 5, Army Group G capitulated, reaching the Americans from Austria.
First document
May 8, 1945 - this date in Europe is considered the 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 a German delegation, arrived in the Rhine, where Eisenhower's headquarters were 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 play for time and withdraw as many troops and civilians as possible beyond the western front line, while not stopping attempts to contain the Soviet army in the eastern direction. Eisenhower completely rejected all the arguments of the Germans, 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 headquarters of the Allies, therefore, before putting his signature on a historical document, he transmitted information to Moscow. The answer came late, but its fourth paragraph 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:
- The Nazis, after the signing of the surrender, continued to conduct active defensive military operations on the eastern front.
- Stalin 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.
- 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.
German capitulation
The date of ratification of the previous treaty was set for May 8, 1945. At 2243 hours European time, the procedure for signing the surrender was completed, and 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 were 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 Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich, from the allied forces - by Marshal Arthur Tedder, from the side of Germany - by the SupremeCommander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht Wilhelm Keitel, Colonel-General of the Luftwaffe Stumpf, Admiral of the Navy Friedeburg. The witnesses were General Latre de Tassigny (France), General Spaats (USA).
Military action
Many fascist groups did not recognize the surrender and continued to resist the Soviet troops (on the territory of Austria and Czechoslovakia), hoping to break through to the west and surrender to the Allies. Such attempts were thwarted by the destruction of enemy groups, so actual military operations were carried out on the eastern front until May 19, 1945. About 1,500,000 German soldiers and 100 generals surrendered to Soviet troops after 8 May. 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 9th. The conclusion of peace between the main parties to the conflict did not occur at the time of the signing of the act of "surrender of Germany". 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 is based on the principle of post-war governance of the country.
Victory
Levitan announced the end of the Great Patriotic War on May 9, 1945. This day is a holiday of the Victory of the Soviet multinational people over Nazi Germany. And then, and now it doesn’t matter what date the capitulation 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, costing many millions of lives, and the duty of every modern person is 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.
