VE Day - 75th anniversary - 08/05

[s1chris]

Although not as originally planned, who and how will you be celebrating and marking this special day?

There are still a few things taking place in the U.K. Main items (I'll have missed a few I'm sure) -

11:00 - 2 minutes silence
15:00 - National Toast
21:00 - Queens speech / message

Personally the house will be decorated, flags flying out of the windows, me and the kids are planning a day eating only WW2 food available on rations and cooked how they were from Ministry of Food recipes.

Although I think I'm going to remove any limitations on alcohol.

 

[swampyankee]

Of all the US states, only one still celebrates the end of WW2: Rhode Island. Other than the general US tendency to forget its history (or, worse, actively falsify it), I wonder if this is a remnant of the blacklists and general paranoia about communism and the USSR during the 1950s.

 

[s1chris]

Of all the US states, only one still celebrates the end of WW2: Rhode Island. Other than the general US tendency to forget its history (or, worse, actively falsify it), I wonder if this is a remnant of the blacklists and general paranoia about communism and the USSR during the 1950s.

I think we're all guilty of twisting our history a little bit.
To be fair i guess VJ or the true end date is more relevant globally. But it would be nice given the testing times that we all face if most nations got together and celebrated something positive.

 

[swampyankee]

I think we're all guilty of twisting our history a little bit.

History has been politicized since people started writing it and probably before (would those bards have sung that the new king had come to power by murdering everybody in the ruling family except the king's 12-year old daughter, who he "married" without her consent?)

To be fair i guess VJ or the true end date is more relevant globally. But it would be nice given the testing times that we all face if most nations got together and celebrated something positive.

Agreed. I think there are far too many people who forget that the Axis was run by truly terrible people, something which can be seen by looking at the number of civilian casualties: killing civilians was Axis policy, which is why there were more civilian dead in Poland than in all the axis countries combined.

 

[nuuumannn]

On this day 75 years ago, the Instrument of Surrender was signed at Rheims by representatives of the German government. It was to be ratified the next day (its actually the 8th already here).

I'm going to repost these from my Europe thread owing to the importance of these couple of days, since we are all in lockdown and not able to go to anywhere significantly connected to this important anniversary.

Berlin: 8 May 1945: In the leafy suburb of Karlshorst in the city's south east, in this incongrouous building at the end of Zwieselerstrasse, World War Two in Europe officially came to an end. In this building, the Soviet Army signed away control of East Germany with the ratification of the DDR in the former RLM building in October 1949. Now, thanks to the Soviets, it is a museum, one of the best in the city, that tells the story of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany, the capture of the city by the Soviet Army and the impact of all that on its hapless citizens.

Europe 321

In this room, representatives of the Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe - the OKW des Heeres HQ'd at the Bendlerblock, now a memorial to plots against the Nazi regime on Stauffenburgstrasse, signed the document that ended the war. It was a ratification of the existing agreement made the day before in Rheims, which is the official reason behind the scurrying of officials from France, to Flugplatz Tempelhof and through the devastated ruins of the city centre to this largely untouched corner of the Reich, but unofficially, the reason for the reconvening at Karlshorst was Stalin. After the signing of the official surrender document at Rheims on 7 May 1945, insisted on by General Eisenhower, who stated that if the Germans did not surrender unconditionally, then bombing of Germany would resume, Stalin was furious. How could the Allies force the Germans to sign a document of surrender with little Soviet participation, after what the Soviet people had been through? That night, everyone was packed into aircraft and flown to Berlin. The room is almost exactly as it was on 8th May 1945, save for the carpet allegedly pilfered from the ruins of the Reichskanzlei on Vossstrasse. Much of the furniture is not original however.

Europe 322

Here is where the representatives of the Allied countries sat, indicated by their national flags. From left, representing General Eisenhower, the British delegate was Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, The Soviet delegate was Marshal Georgy Zhukov, formal representative of the Red Army Supreme High Command, the United States delegate was General Carl Spaatz, Commander of the United States Strategic Air Forces as a witness, and the French delegate was General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, Commander of the First French Army, as a witness.

Europe 323

Here is where the Germans sat. From Marshal Zhukov's diary, "The first to enter, slowly and feigning composure, was Generalfeldmarschall [Wilhelm] Keitel, Hitler's closest associate. Keitel was followed by Generaloberst [Hans-Jurgen] Stumpff. he was a short man whose eyes were full of impotent rage. With him entered Generaladmiral [Hans-Georg] von Friedeburg who looked prematurely old. The Germans were asked to take their seats at a separate table close to the door through which they had entered. The Generalfeldmarschall slowly sat down and pinned his eyes on us, sitting at the Presaedium table. Stumpff and von Friedeburg sat down beside Keitel. The officers accompanying them stood behind their chairs."

Europe 324

The German Instrument of Surrender Document as signed by those present, in a display case in the room.

Europe 325

Georgi Zhukov's overcoat in the museum.

Europe 326

 

[Gnomey]

 

[Fishboy]

The local Commemorative Air Force Performed a flyover in the Phoenix area in celebration of the 75th anniversary of VE Day. C-47, B-17G (Sentimental Journey) and a B-25J (Maid in the Shade). I was very lucky in that they flew right over my house.

 

[Airframes]

I was very pleased to see a house, just around the corner from me, decked out all over its frontage with home made banners and plaques, in red, white and blue, and the 'Union Jack' and 'Stars and Stripes' flags ( Couldn't see if there was a Russian or other flags, due to passing traffic), with 'Thank You' banners of various sizes, together with 'Thank You' posters for the NHS (the UK's National Health Service). All the more gratifying, as the people who live there are relatively young ( I think perhaps early 30s, although I've only seen them once, and don't know them).
I was also very pleased, and highly amused, when someone beat me to it to silence that bl**dy annoying, yapping dog, during the period of silence, with a voice that almost matched my "parade ground" bark - the dog very quickly went quiet, and I think the owner hid for a while !!
There were also some spontaneous fireworks earlier this evening - all in all, very pleasing for a town with perhaps more than it's fair share of dimbledicks !

 

[s1chris]

The local Commemorative Air Force Performed a flyover in the Phoenix area in celebration of the 75th anniversary of VE Day. C-47, B-17G (Sentimental Journey) and a B-25J (Maid in the Shade). I was very lucky in that they flew right over my house. View attachment 580689View attachment 580690

That's brilliant, lucky you as well seeing them from home.

 

[nuuumannn]

I was very lucky in that they flew right over my house.

Lovely pictures, mate; they look like they were pretty low.

 

[s1chris]

I was very pleased to see a house, just around the corner from me, decked out all over its frontage with home made banners and plaques, in red, white and blue, and the 'Union Jack' and 'Stars and Stripes' flags ( Couldn't see if there was a Russian or other flags, due to passing traffic), with 'Thank You' banners of various sizes, together with 'Thank You' posters for the NHS (the UK's National Health Service). All the more gratifying, as the people who live there are relatively young ( I think perhaps early 30s, although I've only seen them once, and don't know them).
I was also very pleased, and highly amused, when someone beat me to it to silence that bl**dy annoying, yapping dog, during the period of silence, with a voice that almost matched my "parade ground" bark - the dog very quickly went quiet, and I think the owner hid for a while !!
There were also some spontaneous fireworks earlier this evening - all in all, very pleasing for a town with perhaps more than it's fair share of dimbledicks !

I share that sense of pride shown in our local area as well Terry. I'm only mid 30's myself but clearly recognise the need to mark this special day. More importantly, in the case of my kids, to ensure that future generations carry on those traditions in honour of the, sacrifice, freedom and relative peace that we have in current society.

Sounds like the yapping dog had a lucky escape there

 

[RagTag]

The Best Day - 75 years ago - Picture of the street crowd in London on VE Day, May 8, taken by my father after flying his last B-26 Pathfinder mission from Venlo, Holland on May 1, 1945. If anyone recognizes the street corner let me know!

 

[Андрей]

Pleasantly surprised that in the USA and Europe of people interests Victory Day. By my troth, pleasantly surprised.
The Victory day we celebrate on May, 9. For us it one of the most important holidays!
Today my city celebrates 77 years of liberation from the nazi occupation. 08 september 1943.