The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany. History of World War II

May 9, 1945 - this date is familiar to every resident of modern Russia and the post-Soviet space as a day of the Great Victory over fascism. Unfortunately, historical facts are not always unambiguous, this is what allows some historians of Western Europe to distort events. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany took place somewhat 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 drove the Germans to the border on all fronts from the winter of 43-44. Fierce fighting exhausted the enemy's forces, but also created difficulties for Soviet soldiers. The liberation of Karelia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia occurred during 1944, the Red Army reached the borders of the country of the aggressor. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany is yet to come, the troops exhausted by many kilometers march need regrouping for a decisive battle. The capture of Berlin became a matter of prestige of our country, and allies in the anti-Hitler coalition aspired to do this. January 1945 was for the fascists a moment of no return, the war was finally lost, but the more fierce it became their resistance on the outskirts of Berlin. The creation of many fortified areas, the reorganization of army units, the division of divisions into the eastern front - these actions Hitler is taking in order to stop the Soviet troops. In part, he manages to stop the offensive on Berlin, it is postponed from February to April 1945. The operation is carefully planned and prepared, all possible reserves and weapons are pulled to the advancing fronts. From 16 to 17 April 1945, the offensive on the German capital begins with the forces of two fronts - the first Belorussian (Marshal Zhukov Georgiy Konstantinovich) and the first Ukrainian (Commander Ivan Konev), the second Byelorussian Front (Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich) must surround the city and prevent Attempts to break through. As if there were not these terrible four years of war, the wounded were getting on track and went to Berlin, despite the fierce resistance of the fascists, swept away the fortifications, everyone knew that this was the way to victory. Only towards noon on May 2, 45 the capital of the Third Reich was sunk in complete silence, the remains of the garrison surrendered and Soviet banners replaced swastikas on the remains of destroyed buildings.

Allies

In the summer of 1944, the Allied offensive began massing westward. First of all, it is due to the too rapid onslaught of the Red Army along the entire length of the eastern front line. The landing of the Norman landing force, the strategic bombing of the main industrial areas of the Third Reich, military operations in Belgium, France and Germany greatly complicate the position of Hitler's Germany. The seizure of the territory of the Ruhr region, the south of Austria, makes it possible for an aggressor to penetrate deep into the territory of the country. The legendary meeting of the Soviet and allied forces on the Elbe River in April of 1945 is in fact the last step in the war. The surrender of fascist Germany becomes a matter of time, especially since it has in part been started by some armies of the Wehrmacht. From the political point of view, the capture of Berlin was necessary for the allies as well as the USSR, Eisenhower repeatedly mentions this. For connected parts of the British, Americans and Canadians, this offensive operation was theoretically possible. After the unsuccessful Ardennes counter-offensive, German troops retreat practically along the entire front without fierce battles, seeking to transfer combat-ready units to the eastern direction. Hitler actually turned his back on the allies of the USSR, making every effort to stop the Red Army. The second front was moving very slowly, the command of the coalition forces did not want large losses among its soldiers during the assaults of well-fortified Berlin and its suburbs.

Germans

Hitler until the very end was waiting 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 did not materialize, he decided to make peace with the United States and Great Britain, which would make it possible to close the second front. Negotiations were thwarted due to the timely information received by Soviet intelligence. This fact greatly accelerated the process of the offensive of the Red Army and prevented the possibility of concluding a separate peace. The allies had to resolutely insist on observing all the Yalta agreements, which implied the signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany. "To surrender" Berlin Hitler was ready for the Anglo-American troops, he could not do it thanks to the Soviet command. The offensive and assault of the capital of the Third Reich became a matter of honor for our troops. The fascists defended themselves fanatically, there was nowhere to retreat, the approaches to the city became powerful fortified areas.

Yalta Conference

Massive offensive operations on the eastern and western front made it clear to the fascists that the complete surrender of Germany was already near. 1945 (its beginning) did not leave Hitler with chances for victory and the possibility of waging a protracted war in both directions. The anti-Hitler coalition understood the importance of an agreed peaceful solution of 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 structure of Europe, which was observed for the next 40 years. Of course, under the current circumstances, none of the countries could dictate their terms, so the results of this historic conference partially met 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 the participants.

Preparation of the document

The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany occurred in 1945, but as early as 1943 the draft of this document was agreed upon by all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The initiator of his creation was Roosevelt, the document itself was drafted with the participation of an advisory commission consisting of European experts. The text of the draft was quite extensive and was more of an advisory nature, therefore, in fact, Germany's surrender was signed after drawing up a completely different document. American officers approached it from the military, purely pragmatic side. Six paragraphs of the document contained specific requirements, certain dates and procedures for actions in case of violation of any article that was historical.

Partial surrender

Several large military units of the Wehrmacht surrendered to Allied troops before an agreement was signed on the complete surrender of the fascists. German groups and entire armies sought to break through to the west, so as not to fight the Russians. Their commanders realized that the war was over, and they could get shelter only by surrendering to the Americans and the British. Especially SS groups, famous for their atrocities in 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 the Soviet troops, on May 4 the German naval forces in Denmark and Holland laid down their arms before the British, on May 5 Army Group G capitulated to the Americans from Austria.

First document

May 8, 1945 - it is this date in Europe is considered the Victory Day over fascism. It was not chosen by chance, in fact representatives of the new government of Germany signed the capitulation on May 7, and the document was due to come into force the next day. Admiral Friedeburg as a member of the German delegation arrived in the Rhine, where the headquarters of Eisenhower was based with the proposal of surrender on May 5, 1945. The fascists began to bargain with the Allies on the terms of the document, trying to delay the time and withdraw as many troops and civilians as possible for the Western Front line, while continuing to try to contain the Soviet army in the eastern direction. Eisenhower completely rejected all the arguments of the Germans, insisting on the full and unconditional surrender of Germany and the signing of the document by all parties to the conflict. On May 6, representatives of allied forces were summoned to the Rhine. Soviet history textbooks do not reflect who signed the surrender of Germany in the first version, but the names of these people survived: from the USSR - General Susloparov, from the allied forces - 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 placing his signature under the historical document, he transferred information to Moscow. The answer came late, but his fourth point implied the possibility of making changes to the original version, which Stalin used. He insisted on the re-signing of the act, the arguments were as follows:

1. Fascists, after signing the capitulation, continued to conduct active defensive operations on the eastern front.
2. Stalin attached great importance to the one where Germany's surrender 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.

The surrender of Germany

The date of ratification of the previous treaty was fixed for May 8, 1945. At 22 hours 43 minutes European time the procedure for signing the capitulation was completed, in Moscow was the next day. That is why the morning of May 9 in the territory of the USSR was announced the end of the war and the complete defeat of Nazi Germany. In fact, the document was signed without significant changes, from the Soviet command it was signed by Marshal Zhukov Georgiy Konstantinovich, from the allied forces - Marshal Arthur Tedder, from Germany - Supreme Commander Wilhelm Keitel, Colonel-General Luftwaffe Stumpf, Navy Admiral Friedeburg. The witnesses were Gen. Latre de Tassigny (France), General Spaats (USA).

Hostilities

Many fascist groups did not recognize 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 suppressed by the destruction of enemy groups, so actual military operations were conducted on the eastern front until May 19, 1945. About 1500 thousand German soldiers and 100 generals surrendered to the 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 happen at the time of the signing of the "surrender of Germany" act. 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, based on the principle of postwar administration 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 fascist Germany. And then, and now it is not important what exactly the number was signed capitulation, 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 it is the duty of every modern man not to allow the repetition of such a tragedy. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany occurred twice, but the significance of this document is unequivocal.