| Victory in Europe Day | |
|---|---|
 Winston Churchill waving to the crowds inWhitehall on 8 May celebrating the end of the war, showing theV of Victory | |
| Also called |
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| Observed by |
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| Type | International |
| Significance | End of World War II in Europe |
| Date | 8 May |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | 8 May 1945; 79 years ago (8 May 1945) |
| Related to | Victory over Japan Day,Victory Day (9 May) andEurope Day |
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by theAllies of World War II ofGermany's unconditional surrender ofits armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations. On May 25, 1945 the Battle of Odžak ended in a Yugoslav Partisan victory marking theend of World War II in Europe. On theEastern Front, the last known shots were fired on 11 May.
Russia and some formerSoviet countriescelebrate on 9 May, as Germany's unconditional surrender entered into force at 23:01 on 8 MayCentral European Summer Time; this corresponded with 00:01 on 9 May inMoscow Time.
Several countries observepublic holidays on the day each year, also called Victory Over Fascism Day, Liberation Day, or Victory Day. In the UK it is often abbreviated toVE Day, a term which existed as early as September 1944,[1] in anticipation of victory.
Adolf Hitler, theNazi leader, hadcommitted suicide on 30 April during theBattle of Berlin, and Germany's surrender was authorised by his successor,ReichspräsidentKarl Dönitz. The administration headed by Dönitz was known as theFlensburg Government. The act of military surrender was first signed at 02:41 on 7 May inSHAEF HQ atReims,[2] and a slightly modified document, considered the definitiveGerman Instrument of Surrender, was signed on 8 May 1945 inKarlshorst, Berlin at 22:43 local time.
The German High Command will at once issue orders to all German military, naval and air authorities and to all forces under German control to cease active operations at 23.01 hours Central European time on 8 May 1945...
— German Instrument of Surrender, Article 2,[citation needed]
Upon the defeat of Germany, celebrations erupted throughout theWestern world, especially in the United Kingdom, in North America and in USSR. More than one million people celebrated in the streets throughout the UK to mark the end of the European part of the war. In London, crowds massed inTrafalgar Square and upthe Mall toBuckingham Palace, where KingGeorge VI and QueenElizabeth, accompanied by their daughters andPrime MinisterWinston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the palace before the cheering crowds. Churchill went from the palace toWhitehall, where he addressed another large crowd:[3]
God bless you all. This is your victory. In our long history, we have never seen a greater day than this. Everyone, man or woman, has done their best.
Churchill askedErnest Bevin to come forward and share the applause. Bevin said, "No, Winston, this is your day", and proceeded to conduct the people in the singing of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow".[3] Later, PrincessElizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) and her sister PrincessMargaret were allowed to wander incognito among the crowds and take part in the celebrations.[4] The 2015 filmA Royal Night Out was inspired by Elizabeth and Margaret mingling with the public that night.[citation needed]
In the United States, the event coincided with PresidentHarry S. Truman's 61st birthday.[5] He dedicated the victory to the memory of his predecessor,Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died of a cerebral hemorrhage less than a month earlier, on 12 April.[6] Flags remained athalf-staff for the remainder of the 30-day mourning period.[7][8] Truman said of dedicating the victory to Roosevelt's memory and keeping the flags at half-staff that his only wish was "that Franklin D. Roosevelt had lived to witness this day".[6] Later that day, Truman said that the victory made it his most enjoyable birthday.[5] Great celebrations took place in many American cities, especially inNew York'sTimes Square.[9]
Tempering the jubilation somewhat, both Churchill and Truman pointed out that the war against Japan had not yet been won. In his radio broadcast at 15:00 on 8 May, Churchill told theBritish people, "We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing (as Japan) remains unsubdued".[10][11] In America, Truman broadcast at 09:00 and said it was "a victory only half won".[12]
On the same day in 1945,Muslims inFrench Algeria celebrating the end of the war (of which some were also peacefully protesting forindependence) became the targets ofviolence and massacres bycolonial authorities andpied-noir settler militias, which would last until 26 June 1945.[13][14][15] While details of the killings were largely overlooked inmetropolitan France, the impact on the Algerian Muslim population was traumatic, especially on the large numbers of Muslim soldiers in theFrench Army who were then returning from the war in Europe.[16] Nine years later, theAlgerian War began, leading to independence from France inMarch 1962.[17] In February 2005, Hubert Colin de Verdière,France's ambassador to Algeria, formally apologized for the massacre, calling it an "inexcusable tragedy".[18][19]
VE Day is celebrated across European nations as public holidays and national observances.
The Festival of Joy is an Austrian event held in honor of VE Day. TheAustrian Mauthausen Committee (MKÖ) has organised the Festival of Joy since 2013, in cooperation with theAustrian Government and theCity of Vienna. The festival is held annually onHeldenplatz.[20]
On the eve of the diamond jubilee in 2020,Russian PresidentVladimir Putin, at the request of ChancellorSebastian Kurz, gave a live address broadcast on Austrian TV channelORF.[21]
France celebrates VE Day on 8 May, being a national andpublic holiday.Orléans simultaneously celebrates both VE Day and the anniversary of theSiege of Orléans being lifted on this date by French forces led byJoan of Arc during theHundred Years War.[22]
Events inBerlin occur on 8 May to commemorate those who fought against Nazism in theGerman Resistance and died in World War II. In 2020, a regional holiday in Berlin occurred on 8 May to mark the 75th anniversary of surrender.[23]East Germany celebrated 8 May as itsTag der Befreiung (Liberation Day), first celebrated underWalter Ulbricht's government in 1950 and repeated annually until thefall of communism.[24] Between 1975 and 1990, it wasTag des Sieges (Victory Day).[citation needed]
8th May is known in Poland as "Narodowy Dzień Zwycięstwa" (National Victory Day).Poland officially recognised 9 May from 1945 until 2014, and on 24 April 2015, Poland officially recognised National Victory Day.[25] On 8 May 1945, a meeting of the Council of Ministers was held, debating whether to establish the holiday on 8 May (proposed byMarshalMichał Rola-Żymierski) or 10 May (proposed by the government).[26] Finally, in Poland, the National Day of Victory and Freedom was established on 9 May by decree.
From 1946 to 1989, it was celebrated with Russian traditions, as Poland was asocialist state at the time. The main celebrations were carried out at Plac Zwycięstwa orPlac Defilad inWarsaw (most notably in1985).
After 1990 and thefall of the Soviet Union, no official ceremonies were organized; however, many cities and military units together with local governments organized their own festivities. TheRussian minority in Poland continues to celebrate 9 May traditions to this date. At the end of March 2015, due to the upcoming 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, the President of the Institute of National Remembrance Łukasz Kamiński sent a letter to theMarshal of the Sejm requesting a change from 9 to 8 May.[27] On 24 April, theSejm adopted the Act on National Victory Day to be celebrated on 8 May, at the same time abolishing the National Day of Victory and Freedom celebrated on 9 May.[28]
In the United Kingdom, VE Day is not an annual public holiday. In 1995 and 2020, the bank holiday was moved from the preceding Monday to 8 May to commemorate the 50th and 75th anniversaries of VE Day, respectively.[29][30]
Belgium: In Belgium, the commemoration of the termination ofWorld War II since 1974 has been part of theArmistice of 11 November 1918 (Dutch: Wapenstilstandsdag), an annual national holiday. Every year on this day, a truce-ceremony is held in the presence of the king at theTomb of the Unknown Soldier near theCongress Column inBrussels. It was first intended to commemorate the victims of theFirst World War and subsequently those ofWorld War II and all other wars worldwide.[citation needed]
Czech Republic: Since theDissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, theCzech Republic has officially recognized 8 May as Victory Day (Den vítězství) Liberation Day (Den osvobození).[31][32] In recent years the liberation ofPlzeň by American forces has been commemorated on 5 May.[33][34][35] From 1948 to 1993, theCzechoslovak Republic celebrated 9 May, which was marked with a military parade of theCzechoslovak People's Army (ČSLA) onLetná every five years.[36][37]
European Union: 9 May isEurope Day which celebrates "peace and unity in Europe", on the anniversary of the 1950Schuman Declaration.[38]
Baltic states:Estonia,Latvia andLithuania officially commemorate 8 May, but do not commemorate 9 May since it marked theSoviet occupation in 1944 for these states.[39] Despite this, the localRussian communities still informally celebrate 9 May. Russian diplomats, other representatives from theCommonwealth of Independent States, and local politicians of Russian origin usually take part.[40][41]| Country | Holiday name | Date | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Armenia | Victory and Peace Day | 9 May | National public | [42] |
| Shushi Liberation Day | 8 May | National public | It is celebrated jointly with VE Day | |
 Azerbaijan | Victory Day | 9 May | National public | [42] |
 Bailiwick of Guernsey | Liberation Day, Guernsey | 9 May | Regional public | BritishChannel Islands have threeLiberation Days: 9 May inJersey andGuernsey;[43] 10 May inSark;[44] and 16 May inAlderney |
| Liberation Day, Sark | 10 May | Regional public | [44] | |
| Liberation Day, Alderney | 16 May | Regional public | [43] | |
 Belarus | Victory Day | 9 May | National public | [45] |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Victory Day | 9 May | Regional public | Public holiday only inRepublika Srpska but celebrated across the nation[46] |
| Czech Republic | Victory Day | 8 May | National public | as "Den vítězství" |
| Estonia | Remembrance Day | 8 May | National commemorative | Not a public holiday; commemorative services are held during the day.[47] |
 Georgia | Victory over Fascism Day | 9 May | National public | As "ფაშიზმზე გამარჯვების დღე" (Victory over Fascism Day)[48][49] |
 Israel | VE Day | 9 May | National commemorative | Considered a national day of remembrance.[50] |
 Italy | Liberation Day | 25 April | National public | Public holiday.[51] |
 Jersey | Liberation Day | 9 May | Regional public | [52] |
 Kazakhstan | Victory Day | 9 May | National public | [53] |
 Kyrgyzstan | Victory Day | 9 May | National public | [42] |
| Latvia | Remembrance Day | 8 May | National commemorative | AsNacisma sagrāves un Otrā pasaules kara upuru piemiņas diena (The Crushing of Nazism and Commemoration Day of Victims of World War II). Not a public holiday; commemorative services are held during the day.[54] |
| Lithuania | Remembrance Day | 8 May | National commemorative | AsAntrojo pasaulinio karo aukų atminimo diena (Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the World War II).[55] Not a public holiday; commemorative services are held by the President and other officials. |
 Moldova | Victory Day | 9 May | National public | [42][56] |
 Netherlands | Liberation Day | 5 May | National commemorative | as "Bevrijdingsdag" (Liberation Day), a public holiday held once every year on 5 May.[57] |
 Denmark | Liberation Day | 5 May | National commemorative | as "Befrielsesdag" (Liberation Day), an officialflag flying day, not a public holiday.[58] |
 Norway | Liberation Day | 8 May | National commemorative | as "Frigjøringsdagen" (Liberation Day) andThe National Veterans Day, an officialflag flying day, not a public holiday.[59] |
 Russia | Victory Day | 9 May | National public | as "День Победы" (Victory Day)[60][61] |
 Serbia | Victory Day | 9 May | National public | as "Дан победе" / "Dan pobede" (Victory Day), a public working holiday.[62][63] |
 Slovakia | Victory over Fascism Day | 8 May | National public | as "Deň víťazstva nad fašizmom"[64] |
 Tajikistan | Victory Day | 9 May | National public | [42] |
 Turkmenistan | Day of Remembrance of National Heroes of Turkmenistan in the 1941–1945 World War | 9 May | National public | [65] |
 Ukraine | Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II 1939 – 1945 | 8 May | National public | [66] |
 Uzbekistan | Day of Remembrance and Honour | 9 May | National public | [67] Known as "День Памяти и Почестей"; before 1999, it was known as "Галаба куни" or "День победы" (Victory Day).[citation needed] |
The instrument of surrender signed 7 May 1945 stipulated that all hostilities must cease at 23:01 (CET), 8 May 1945. Since that point in time would be on 9 May in local time in theSoviet Union, most Soviet states including Russia celebratedVictory Day on 9 May.[68][69]
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Media related toVE Day at Wikimedia Commons
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