German Instrument of Surrender

The German Instrument of Surrender ended World War II in Europe. The definitive text was signed in Karlshorst, Berlin on the night of 8 May 1945 by representatives of the three armed services of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) and the Allied Expeditionary Force together with the Supreme High Command of the Red Army, with further French and US representatives signing as witnesses. An earlier version of the text had been signed in a ceremony in Reims in the early hours of 7 May 1945. In the West, 8 May is known as Victory in Europe Day, whereas in post-Soviet states the Victory Day is celebrated on 9 May, since the definitive signing occurred after midnight Moscow time.

There were three language versions of the surrender document. The Russian and English versions were the only authoritative ones.

Preparations of the text of the instrument of surrender began by representatives of the then three Allied Powers; the USA, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, at the European Advisory Commission (EAC) throughout 1944. By 3 January 1944, the Working Security Committee in the EAC proposed

that the capitulation of Germany should be recorded in a single document of unconditional surrender.

The committee further suggested that the instrument of surrender be signed by representatives of the German High Command. The considerations behind this recommendation were to prevent the repetition of the stab-in-the-back legend, created in Germany following defeat in the First World War; since the act of surrender in November 1918 had been signed only by representatives of the civilian German government; militarist circles would subsequently claim that the High Command of the Army carried no responsibility for the instrument of defeat.

Not everyone agreed with the Working Security Committee's predictions regarding the war's ending. Ambassador William Strang, British representative at the EAC, claimed as follows:

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