Why was the act of surrender of Germany signed twice. Signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany

In 1945, on May 8 in Karshorst (a suburb of Berlin) at 22.43 Central European time, the final Act of unconditional surrender was signed. Nazi Germany and its armed forces. It is no coincidence that this act is called final, since it was not the first.

From the moment the Soviet troops closed the ring around Berlin, the German military leadership faced historical question about the preservation of Germany as such. For obvious reasons German generals wanted to capitulate to the Anglo-American troops, continuing the war with the USSR.

To sign the surrender to the Allies, the German command sent a special group and on the night of May 7 in the city of Reims (France) a preliminary act of Germany's surrender was signed. This document stipulated the possibility of continuing the war against Soviet army.

However, the absolute condition of the Soviet Union remained the demand for the unconditional surrender of Germany as a fundamental condition for the complete cessation of hostilities. Soviet leadership considered the signing of the act in Reims only an intermediate document, and was also convinced that the act of surrender of Germany should be signed in the capital of the aggressor country.

At the insistence of the Soviet leadership, the generals and personally Stalin, the representatives of the allies gathered again in Berlin and on May 8, 1945 signed another act of surrender of Germany together with the main winner - the USSR. That is why the German Unconditional Surrender Act is called final.

The solemn signing ceremony of the act was organized in the building of the Berlin military engineering school and was chaired by Marshal Zhukov. Under the final Act of unconditional surrender of Germany and its armed forces are the signatures of Field Marshal W. Keitel, Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy Admiral von Friedeburg, Colonel General of Aviation G. Stumpf. On the part of the Allies, the Act was signed by G.K. Zhukov and British Marshal A. Tedder.

After the signing of the Act German government was disbanded, and the defeated German troops completely laid down. Between May 9 and 17, Soviet troops captured about 1.5 million people. German soldiers and officers, as well as 101 generals. Great Patriotic War ended with the complete victory of the Soviet army and its people.

In the USSR, the signing of the final Act of Germany's unconditional surrender was announced when it was already May 9, 1945 in Moscow. Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR in commemoration of the victorious end of the Great Patriotic War Soviet people against Nazi German invaders May 9 was declared Victory Day.

May 8, 1945 in Karlshorst (a suburb of Berlin) was signed the Act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces.

The document signed in Reims at the level of the chiefs of staff was initially of a preliminary nature. The Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, General Eisenhower, did not put his signature. Moreover, he agreed to go on May 8 for a "more official" ceremony in Berlin. However, political pressure was put on Eisenhower, both from Winston Churchill and from US political circles, and he was forced to cancel his trip to Berlin.

The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces © Pravda newspaper, May 9, 1945

By order from Moscow, the commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, was appointed representative of the Supreme High Command of the Soviet troops to sign the Act. On the morning of May 8, Andrei Vyshinsky arrived from Moscow as a political adviser. Zhukov chose the headquarters of the 5th shock army. It was located in the building of the former military engineering school in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst. The hall of the officer's canteen was prepared for the ceremony, the furniture was brought from the building of the Reich Chancellery.

In a short time, Soviet engineering units prepared the road from Tempelhof Airport to Karlshorst, the remains of enemy fortifications and barricades were blown up, and the rubble was cleared. On the morning of May 8, journalists, correspondents from all the major newspapers and magazines in the world, photojournalists began to arrive in Berlin to capture historical moment legal registration defeat of the Third Reich.

At 14.00, representatives of the High Command arrived at the Tempelhof airfield allied forces. They were met by Deputy General of the Army Sokolovsky, the first commandant of Berlin, Colonel General Berzarin (commander of the 5th Shock Army), and a member of the Military Council of the Army, Lieutenant General Bokov.

The Allied Expeditionary Forces High Command was represented by Eisenhower's Deputy Air Chief Marshal Tedder; air force General Spaats, French Armed Forces - Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General de Lattre de Tassigny. Field Marshal Keitel, Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine, Admiral von Friedeburg, and Colonel-General of Aviation Stumpf, who had the authority to sign the Act of Unconditional Surrender from the government of K. Doenitz, were taken from Flensburg, under the protection of British officers, to Berlin. The last to arrive was the French delegation.

Exactly at midnight Moscow time, as agreed in advance, the ceremony participants entered the hall. Georgy Zhukov opened the meeting with the words: “We, the representatives Supreme High Command of the Soviet Armed Forces and the High Command of the Allied Forces are authorized by the governments of the countries anti-Hitler coalition accept the unconditional surrender of Germany from the German military command."

Then Zhukov invited representatives to the hall German command. They were asked to sit at a separate table.

The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces © Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, May 9, 1945

After confirming that the representatives of the German side had authority from the government, Denitz, Zhukov and Tedder asked if they had the Act of Surrender in their hands, if they got acquainted with it and whether they agreed to sign it. Keitel agreed and prepared to sign the documents at his desk. However, Vyshinsky, as an expert on diplomatic protocol, whispered a few words to Zhukov, and the marshal said loudly: “Not there, but here. I suggest that the representatives of the German High Command come here and sign the Act of Unconditional Surrender here. Keitel was forced to go to a special table set next to the table where the allies were sitting.

Keitel put his signature on all copies of the Act (there were nine of them). Following him, Admiral Friedeburg and Colonel-General Stumpf did it.

After that, Zhukov and Tedder signed, followed by General Spaats and General de Lattre de Tassigny as witnesses. At 0 hours 43 minutes on May 9, 1945, the signing of the Act of unconditional surrender of Germany was completed. Zhukov invited the German delegation to leave the hall.

The act consisted of six points: “1. We, the undersigned, acting on behalf of the German High Command, agree to the unconditional surrender of all our armed forces on land, sea and air, as well as all forces currently under German command, to the High Command of the Red Army and at the same time to the High Command Allied Expeditionary Force.

2. The German High Command will immediately issue orders to all German commanders of the land, sea and air forces and all forces under German command to cease hostilities at 23.01 hours CET on May 8, 1945, to remain in their places where they are at that time, and disarm completely, handing over all their weapons and military equipment to local Allied commanders or officers assigned by representatives of the Allied High Command, not to destroy or cause any damage to steamships, ships and aircraft, their engines, hulls and equipment, and machines , weapons, apparatuses and all military-technical means of warfare in general.

3. The German High Command will immediately assign appropriate commanders and ensure that all further orders issued by the Supreme High Command of the Red Army and the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces are carried out.

The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces © Izvestia newspaper, May 9, 1945

4. This act shall not prevent its replacement by another general instrument of surrender, concluded by or on behalf of the United Nations, applicable to Germany and the German armed forces as a whole.

5. In the event that the German High Command or any armed forces under its command fail to act in accordance with this act of surrender, the High Command of the Red Army, as well as the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force, will take such punitive measures, or other actions they deem necessary.

6. This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English texts are authentic."

The differences from the Instrument of Surrender signed at Reims were minor in form but significant in content. So, instead of the Soviet High Command (Soviet High Command), the name Supreme High Command of the Red Army (Supreme High Command of the Red Army) was used. Security Clause military equipment has been expanded and supplemented. The language issue was discussed as a separate item. The item on the possibility of signing another document remained unchanged.

The most terrible war in the history of mankind ended with the victory of the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition. Now the Russian-German Museum of Capitulation operates in Karlshorst.

May 9, 1945 - this date is familiar to every resident modern Russia and the post-Soviet space as a day Great Victory over fascism. Unfortunately, historical facts are not always unambiguous, this is what allows some historians Western Europe 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 Soviet soldiers. The liberation of Karelia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia took place during 1944, the Red Army reached the borders of the aggressor's 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. became a matter of prestige for our country, and the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition also aspired to this. 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 17, 1945, the offensive 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 encircle the city and prevent attempts to break through . 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 in 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 began on westbound. 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 landing of the Norman landing, strategic bombing the main industrial regions of the Third Reich, military operations in Belgium, France and Germany greatly complicate the situation 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. With political point From the point of view, the Allies needed the capture of Berlin just as much as 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, the German troops retreat almost along the entire front without fierce fighting, trying to transfer combat-ready formations 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 to big losses among his soldiers during the assaults on well-fortified Berlin and its suburbs.

Germans

Until the very end, Hitler waited 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 US and Britain, which would make it possible to close the second front. Negotiations derailed due to timely data Soviet intelligence. This fact significantly accelerated the process of the offensive of the Red Army and prevented the possibility of concluding separate peace. The Allies had to strongly insist on the observance of 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; 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.

Yalta 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. understood the importance of an agreed peaceful solution to territorial and political transformations in liberated Europe. Representatives of high level three allied powers in February 1945 gathered in Yalta. 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, in the current 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 this document was agreed 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, 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. Six paragraphs of the document contained specific requirements, certain dates and the course of action 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 an 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 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 naval forces Germany 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 Day of Victory 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 delay time and withdraw as much as possible more troops and civilians behind the line western front, 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. AT Soviet textbooks according to history, it is not reflected 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 under historical document, passed the information to Moscow. The answer came late, but his fourth point implied the possibility of making changes to original version which Stalin took advantage of. He insisted on re-signing the act, the following arguments were given as arguments:

After the signing of the surrender, the Nazis continued to conduct active defensive combat operations on the eastern front.
Stalin attached great importance to the place 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.

Surrender of Germany

The date for 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 Konstantinovich, from the allied forces - by Marshal Arthur Tedder, from Germany - by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht, Colonel-General of the Luftwaffe Stumpf, Admiral of the Navy Friedeburg. The witnesses were General Latre de Tassigny (France), General Spaats (USA).

War activities

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 who died in this terrible war not limited to 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 government 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, cost many millions of lives, and the duty of each modern man- prevent a repetition of such a tragedy. The signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Germany happened twice, but the significance of this document is unambiguous.

The act of unconditional surrender of Germany is a document that ended the Great Patriotic War. This Act stated that the war ended in complete defeat Nazi Germany. The fact that the Act was signed in Berlin, taken by Soviet troops, emphasized decisive role USSR in the defeat of fascism.

In 1944-1945. The Great Patriotic War was transferred to the territory of Nazi Germany. Although in 1945 the prospect of the defeat of fascism became obvious, the question remained unclear which part of Germany would be under the control of the USSR, and which - by the Western Allies. Nazis, believing themselves to be a stronghold Western civilization against communism, they did everything to stop the offensive of the Red Army. The German military and officials rightly believed that their fate would be somewhat easier if they were in the hands of the Western allies than Stalin. The Soviet leadership feared that, under the auspices of the United States and Great Britain, German nationalism might revive and again threaten the USSR.

Despite the fact that the Soviet troops had not yet completed the capture of the large fortress of Koenigsberg on the flank of their offensive, it was decided to advance on Berlin.

The Soviet troops were opposed by the Vistula Army Group under the command of Colonel General G. Heinrici and the Center Army Group under the command of Field Marshal F. Scherner - total strength about 1 million men, 10,400 guns and mortars, 1,500 tanks and assault guns, and 3,300 combat aircraft. Another 8 divisions were in the reserve of the main command ground forces. The number of the garrison in Berlin itself exceeded 200 thousand people.

With the aim of encircling and capturing Berlin Soviet command concentrated the troops of the 1st and 2nd Belorussian, 1st Ukrainian fronts and other forces - 162 rifle and cavalry divisions, 21 tank and mechanized corps, 4 air armies with a total strength of 2.5 million people, about 42 thousand guns and mortars , over 6250 tanks and self-propelled guns, 7500 combat aircraft.

The way to Berlin was covered by fortifications on the Seelow Heights. In order to avoid heavy losses, it was necessary to take them suddenly, with one blow. The commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, G. Zhukov, concentrated a strong strike force against the heights, and in order to stun the defenders, powerful aviation searchlights were directed at them before the attack. On April 16, the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts went on the offensive. On April 19, the Seelow Heights were taken. On April 24, troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts surrounded a 300,000-strong enemy grouping southeast of Berlin. Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, the Soviet troops under the command of Zhukov and the commander of the 1st Ukrainian front I. Konev on April 25 surrounded Berlin and advanced towards the Elbe towards the Allies. April 25 near the city of Torgau 5th guards army met with the 1st American army.

The assault on Berlin began. The Germans fought for every house. Berlin was turned into a system of powerful fortifications. It had already been largely reduced to ruins by the Allied bombings, but the ruins made it difficult for the Soviet troops to move forward. Step by step, Soviet troops took possession of the most important objects cities, the most famous of which was the Reichstag. This height dominated the city center, where the Reich Chancellery was located, near which Hitler was hiding in a bunker. When the red banner was hoisted on it, it became clear that Berlin had fallen. On April 30, realizing that Nazism had failed, Hitler committed suicide. Power passed to Goebbels, but on May 1 he chose to follow Hitler. On May 2, the Nazis in Berlin capitulated.

Large German group continued to operate in the Czech Republic. As early as May 5, an uprising took place in Prague. But the Germans defeated the rebels. On May 9, units of the Red Army finished off German troops near Prague. With surrender German troops near Prague, hostilities in Europe actually ended.

The German command delayed the surrender, hoping that as much as possible large quantity troops will be able to leave the remnants of the eastern front and surrender to the western allies.

On May 2, the new Reich President of Germany, Grand Admiral K. Dönitz, held a meeting at which it was decided to stop resisting the Anglo-Americans and pursue a policy of private capitulations at the level of army groups, continuing the resistance of the Red Army. In Reims, where the headquarters of the commander of the Western Allies, D. Eisenhower, was located, Dennit's representatives tried to achieve a separate surrender in the West, but Eisenhower refused this.

On May 7, 1945, in Reims, the Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces in Europe, W. Smith, the representative of the USSR, Gen. I. Susloparov and General A. Jodl, authorized by the government of K. Dönitz, signed a protocol on the surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany on May 8. During the remaining hours, the German leadership hoped to evacuate as many troops and refugees as possible for surrender in the west.
Susloparov took part in the signing of the surrender in Reims, not yet knowing that Stalin was strongly opposed to it being accepted outside of Berlin, taken by the Soviet troops. But he insisted on the inclusion in the agreement of a clause that allowed the surrender in Reims to be replaced by a more general agreement (this clause was then repeated in the final version of the surrender - already in Berlin).

Stalin rejected the proposal of Truman and Churchill to announce the end of the war on May 8th. He believed that the Act should be solemnly signed in Berlin: “The treaty signed in Reims cannot be canceled, but it cannot be recognized. Surrender must be committed as the most important historical act and accepted not on the territory of the winners, but where they came from fascist aggression, - in Berlin, and not unilaterally, but necessarily by the supreme command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The Allies agreed to hold a second signing ceremony in Berlin. Eisenhower indicated to Jodl that the German commanders-in-chief of the branches of the armed forces would be brought to carry out the final official procedure at a time and place to be specified by the Soviet and Allied commands. Eisenhower decided not to go to Berlin, so as not to belittle the significance of the surrender at Reims.

On the night of May 8-9, 1945, on the outskirts of Berlin, Karlshorst, in the building of the former canteen of the military engineering school (it was not easy to find the whole building in the destroyed Berlin), the Act of unconditional surrender was signed by representatives of the German command Field Marshal W. Keitel, Admiral G. Friedeburg and Colonel-General of Aviation G. Stumpf. From the USSR, the surrender was accepted by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Vyshinsky and the representative of the Soviet Supreme High Command, Marshal of the Soviet Union G. Zhukov. The command of the expeditionary forces in Europe was represented by Deputy Commander D. Eisenhower, Air Chief Marshal of Great Britain A. Tedder. The agreement was also signed by the Commander of the US Strategic Armed Forces, General K. Spaats and the Commander-in-Chief French army General J.-M. Delattre de Tassigny.

The text of the surrender signed at Karlshorst repeated the surrender at Reims (in order not to cause new disputes between the allies, it was repeated in full), but it was important that the German command in Berlin itself now surrendered. Representatives of the German High Command agreed to "the unconditional surrender of all our armed forces on land, at sea and in the air, as well as all forces currently under German command, to the High Command of the Red Army and at the same time to the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces" from 23 -01:00 Central European Time on May 8, 1945. The ceremony ended at 0:43 on May 9, 1945. The Great Patriotic War and the Second World War completed in Europe.

ACT OF MILITARY SURRENDER.

1. We, the undersigned, acting on behalf of the German High Command, agree to the unconditional surrender of all our armed forces on land, sea and air, as well as all forces currently under German command, to the Supreme High Command of the Red Army and at the same time High Command Allied Expeditionary Force.

2. The German High Command will immediately issue orders to all German commanders of the land, sea and air forces and to all forces under German command to cease hostilities at 23:01 hours Central European Time on May 8, 1945, to remain in their places where they are at this time, and disarm completely, handing over all their weapons and military equipment to local Allied commanders or officers assigned to representatives of the Allied High Commands, not to destroy or cause any damage to steamships, ships and aircraft, their engines, hulls and equipment, but also machines, armaments, apparatuses and all military-technical means of warfare in general.

6. This act is drawn up in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English texts are authentic.

On behalf of the German High Command:

Keitel, Friedenburg, Stumpf

In the presence:

They were also present at the signing as witnesses.

Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. M., 1999.

Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections. M., 1990.

Konev I.S. Forty-fifth. M., 1970.

Chuikov V.I. End of the Third Reich. M., 1973.

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Vorobyov F.D., Parodkin I.V., Shimansky A.N. Last assault. M., 1975.

Why did the German command offer stronger resistance on the eastern front than on the western?

Who inherited the post of Reich President after Hitler's suicide?

Why was the signing of Germany's final surrender at Reims unacceptable?

Why does paragraph 4 of the Surrender Act signed in Berlin speak of the possibility of a new agreement? Has it been signed?

On May 8, 1945, at 22:43 CET (at 00:43, May 9, Moscow time), in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, in the building of the former canteen of the military engineering school, the Act of Germany's unconditional surrender was signed.

May 7, 1945. Personal and strictly secret message from Mr. Churchill to Marshal Stalin:
"I have just received your message and also read a letter from General Antonov to General Eisenhower proposing that the announcement of Germany's surrender be postponed until May 9, 1945. It will be impossible for me to postpone my application for 24 hours, as you did Moreover, the parliament will demand information about yesterday's signing in Reims and about the official ratification scheduled for today in Berlin ... "

On the morning of May 8, correspondents from all the major newspapers and magazines in the world and photojournalists began to arrive in Berlin to capture the historical moment of the legal registration of the complete defeat of Nazi Germany.

In the middle of the day, representatives of the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces arrived at the Tempelhof airfield. The Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces was represented by Eisenhower's Deputy Air Chief Marshal Arthur William Tedder, the US Armed Forces by the Commander of the Strategic Air Forces, General Carl Spaatz, the French Armed Forces, by the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General Jean-Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny. From the airfield, the Allies arrived in Karlhorst, where it was decided to accept unconditional surrender from the German command.

At the same airfield from the city of Flensburg, under the protection of British officers, the former Chief of Staff of the Wehrmacht Supreme Command, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Commander-in-Chief naval forces Admiral General of the Fleet G. von Friedeburg and Colonel General of Aviation Hans Stumpf.

Here, in Karlshorst, in the eastern part of Berlin, in the two-story building of the former canteen of the German military engineering school, a hall was prepared where the signing ceremony was to take place. Soon all representatives of the command of the allied forces arrived at the deputy Supreme Commander Armed Forces of the USSR to Marshal of the Soviet Union G. Zhukov to agree on procedural issues. Keitel and his companions at that time were in another building.

At exactly 24:00 Zhukov, Tedder, Spaatz, and de Lattre de Tassigny entered the hall decorated with state flags Soviet Union, USA, Great Britain and France. Present in the hall Soviet generals, whose troops participated in the legendary storming of Berlin, as well as Soviet and foreign journalists.

Generals Bogdanov and Berzarin

The signing ceremony was opened by Marshal Zhukov. He greeted the representatives of the allied armies in Berlin occupied by the Red Army at the historic moment of the surrender of the common enemy - Nazi Germany. “We, representatives of the Supreme Command of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces ... are authorized by the governments of the anti-Hitler coalition to accept the unconditional surrender of Germany from the German military command,” he solemnly said.

At the suggestion of the Soviet representative, Keitel handed over to the heads of the Allied delegations a document by which Doenitz authorized the German delegation to sign the act of surrender. The German delegation was then asked whether it had the Act of Unconditional Surrender in hand and whether it had studied it. Question on English language repeated Marshal Tedder. After Keitel's affirmative answer from the German side, the act was signed by Field Marshal General, Chief of the Wehrmacht High Command Wilhelm Keitel, Luftwaffe representative Colonel General Stumpf and Kriegsmarine Admiral von Friedeburg.

Signed by Wilhelm Keitel:

Stumpf's signature:

Unconditional surrender was accepted by Marshal Zhukov (from Soviet side) and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Force Marshal Tedder (Great Britain).

General K. Spaats (USA) and General J. de Latre de Tassigny (France) put their signatures as witnesses.

At 0 hours 43 minutes (Moscow time) on May 9 (at 22 hours 43 minutes Central European time on May 8), 1945, the signing of the Act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces was completed. The German delegation was asked to leave the hall. Keitel, Friedeburg, Stumpf bowed and left the hall.

Having accepted the surrender, the Soviet Union did not sign peace with Germany. The decree on ending the state of war was adopted by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on January 25, 1955.