Figure 1.--The big VE Day celebrations in Londion were downtown on the Mall in front of Buckinghanm Palace, Trafalgar Sqaure, and Picadelly. Children were more likely to be involvd in the countless neugborhood celebrations.

Europe and America rejoiced with end if the war that had devestated Europe. Celebrations erupted in national capitals as well as small towns in villages. Important clebrations occurred from Moscow to Los Angeles. Perhaps the most heart-felt celebration occurred in London, a city which only a few weeks earlier was still being pounded by V-2 atacks. More than one million people poured out into the streets to mark the NAZI surrender and the end of the War. Londoners massed in Trafalgar Square and up the Mall to Buckingham Palace. Here King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the palace before the cheering crowds. The victory was that of the British people, but most understood what a critical role that Churchill played. Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret were not there. They wanted to take part in the celebrations so they were allowed to disappear incognito into the crowd. President Truman's in America dedicated the victory to the memory of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage less than a month earlier. It is sad that the President was not able to travel to Britain to celebrate the grat victory with Prineminister Churchill. Flags in America remained at half-mast. President Truman in his remarks said that he wished "Franklin D. Roosevelt had lived to witness this day." Massive celebrations also took place in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and especially in New York's Times Square, but there were smaller celebrtions throughout the country. Celebrations in Paris did not rival the tumault of liberation a year earlier. VE Day unlike the liberation of Paris came as no great surprise. Allied and Soviet armies had met, Berlin had fallen, and Hitler was dead. It was obvious that it was just a matter of days before NAZI Germany surrendered. Celebrations did not take place throughout Europe. In Eastern Europe occupied by the soviet Red Army, there was a felling that they had simply exchange in totalitarian oppresor for another.

America

President Truman's in America dedicated the victory to the memory of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage less than a month earlier. It is sad that the President was not able to travel to Britain to celebrate the grat victory with Prineminister Churchill. Flags in America remained at half-mast. President Truman in his remarks said that he wished "Franklin D. Roosevelt had lived to witness this day." Massive celebrations also took place in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and especially in New York's Times Square, but there were smaller celebrtions throughout the country.

Britain

Britain was one of the four countries (including, Germany, Poland, and France) that was involved in the War from the very beginning. iou could add the Soviet Union because as a NAZI ally, they also invaded Poland and committed terrible atrocities (September 1939). The British people had done everything possible to avoid war, including appeasement Hitler to the point of near national destruction. For a time it looked to many around the world that Britain was lost. It took a great national effort, essentially drafting the whole nation for the military or war work, tearing children away from thrir familis, converting nearly the entire economy for war work, rationing on an unpecedented level, and acquiring a vast nation debt. Virtully everything people wanted was rationed--even the amount of water in the bath rub. Thus V-E Day was perhaps the greatest celebration in British hitory. Perhaps the most heart-felt celebration occurred in London, a city which only a few weeks earlier was still being pounded by V-2 atacks and in which large areas of rubble, devestated homes and other buildings, could still be found. More than one million people poured out into the streets to mark the NAZI surrender and the end of the War. The celebrations began even before the official day of celebration on May 8. Londoners massed in Trafalgar Square and up the Mall to Buckingham Palace. Here King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prime-Minister Winston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the palace before the cheering crowds. In fact they appeared eight times to make sure that everyone in the flowing crowd could see them. Churchill later gave an impromptu speech on the balcony of the Ministry of Health, telling the crowds, 'This is your victory!' There were celebrations large and small, includiung neigborhood celbrations as well as family celebrtions. All over the country people held fancy dress parades for children, got drunk, made a din, sang and danced in the streets, and went to church to give thanks to God for victory. The victory was that of the British people, but most understood what a critical role that Churchill has played. he King and Queen along with Churchill appeared on Buckingham Palace. Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret were not there. They wanted to take part in the celebrations so they were allowed to disappear incognito into the crowd. One of the tragedies of the War is that President Roosevelt did not survive the War and could not make an appearance aftrwards on that balcony with Churchill and the King and Queen.

France

The largest French celebration of VE-Day of course was in Paris. oyous celebrations occurred in Paris with a parade up the Champs-Elysées. Celebrations in Paris did not rival the tumault of liberation a year earlier. It was hard to repeate the unbriled joy in driving the Germns out of Paris, but it was close. VE Day unlike the liberation of Paris came as no great surprise. Thst wa basically known with the liberation of Paris. It was known for some tome thst the Germbns were defeated. It was just a matter of when they woulkd surrenddr,. Allied and Soviet armies had met, Berlin had fallen, and Hitler was dead. It was obvious that it was just a matter of days before NAZI Germany surrendered. Here we se the celebrtion in one French town. Interestunhgly, France celebrated VE Day simultaneously on the anniversary of the Siege of Orléans being lifted by French forces led by Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War. In that case the eneny was the English.

(The) Netherlnds

Formany countries, liberation came before VE-Day. For some it cane after. The Netherlands was divided at the time of VE-Day. The Allies had liberated the country south of the Rhine (September-October 1944). With the dailure of Operation Market Garden, however, the Dutch north of the Rhine was left in he NAZI grip. And Hitler decided to starve them for siding with the allies, leading to the yerrible Hunger Winter. Thus VE Day was different in these two areas. For the starving Dutch in the north it meant food and litterally life. A Dutch reader, a boy at the time writes, "What I remember about VE Day is especially the German troups marching towards their Heimat (Homeland), from where they came 5 years before as conquerers to occupy the Netherlands. Their mood was totally different now. This time they heard insults and they were here and there physically shoved or urged to hurry up by Dutch civilians. But, amazingly, some of them also received handshakes from the on-lookers, who of course were very happy that the nightmare was over. I also witnessed the chaotic departure of the Dutch Nazis to Germany --'Dolle Dinsdag' (Crazy Tuesday). And I recall the Allied (mostly Canadian) troups one year later." [Stueck]

Soviet Union

VE-Day or Viciory Day as it was known in the Soviet Union and Russia today is celebrated on May 9, dayb later than in the West. This is because Stalin was not at allmpleased that the Germans had surrendered in the West. There was a Soviet General who participared in the Reims surrender, but he did not clear it with Stalin and got into a lot of trouble. Stalin wanted the surrender in Berlin to Zukov and other imoprtnt Sovier commanders. Thus the second signing of the German Instrument of Surrender occurred in the evening on 8 May 1945 (9 May Moscow Time). We aor not sure what occured in Moscow or other Soviet cities on May 8 or 9. The Soviets awere not big on spontsneous demonstrations. In gavt you could possibly go to the Gulag for spntneouly demonstrating. Rather the Soviets staged a massive victory parade in Moscow (June 24). Stalin was to lead the parade on a white horse. The horse, however, proved rather 'spirited' and Stalin at the last minute decided not to ride it when he actually saw the horse. Thus it was Marshal Zukov wah actually rode the horse in the victory parade. Stalin approved this, but in fact was deeply resentful of this. The incident and Stalin's furthur resentment of Zukov's popularity affected the famed Marshal's career after the War. Zukov was to popular for even Stalin to arrest, but he was eventually sent to Mongolia. The parade proved to be the longest and largest military parade ever held on Red Square. It involved 40,000 Red Army soldiers. The onkly foreign soldiers wasc a Polish color guard. The soldiers prticipting were choseen to represent all the fronts (army groups), a People's Commissariat of National Defense combined regiment, the Soviet Navy, military academies and schools, and troops of the Moscow Garrison and Military District.There were 1,850 military vehicles and other military hardware. This involved enormous planning and logistics which ius why it was held over a month after VE-Day. There was a practice before the actual parade. The parade itsself lasted over two hours on a rainy (June 24, 1945). The Soviet people had paid a terrible price for the victory over the NAZIs. The celebration of that victory continues to be an almost religious event in modern Russia. The 2023 cekebration was, hiwever, muted because of the ongoing nightmare in Ukraine. Not because of the brutal Russian agression or loss of life, but because of the poor performance of the Russian military. .

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Sources

Stueck, Rudi. E-mail (November 18, 2015).

Created: 2:26 AM 11/18/2015
Last updated: 12:55 AM 6/6/2023