After false starts and long stretches of silence, word finally came down that Germany had capitulated and the war in Europe was indeed over and VE Day was a reality.
The end of European warfare, greatest, bloodiest and costliest war in human history– had claimed at least 40,000,000 casualties on both sides in killed, wounded, and captured – came after five years, eight months, and six days of strife that overspread the globe. Hitler’s arrogant armies invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, beginning the agony that convulsed the world for 2,076 days. Unconditional surrender of the beaten remnants of his legions first was announced by the Germans. The historic news began breaking with a Danish broadcast that Norway had been surrendered unconditionally by its conquerors. Then the new German Foreign Minister, Ludwig Schwerin von Crosigk, announced to the German people, shortly after 2 P.M. (8 A. M. Eastern War Time), that “after almost six years of struggle we have succumbed.”
The world waited tensely. Then at 9:35 A. M., EWT, came the -Associated Press flash from Reims, France, telling of the signing at Gen. Eisenhower’s headquarters of the unconditional surrender at 2:41 A. M. French time [8:41 P. M. Sunday, EWT]. Germany had given up to the Western Allies And to Russia. London went wild at the news. Crowds jammed Piccadilly Circus. Smiling throngs poured out of subways and lined the streets. Cheers went up in New York, and papers showered down. Although not official, VE Day had begun.
A sour note came from the German-controlled radio at Prague. A broadcast monitored the Czechoslovak government offices in London said the German commander in Czechoslovakia did not recognize the surrender of Admiral Doenitz and would fight on until his forces “have secured passage for German troops out of the country.” But Prague radio earlier announced the capitulation of Breslau, long besieged by Russian forces. The BBC said telephone conversations were going on between London, Washington and Moscow in order to fix the exact hour of the V-E Day announcement by President Truman, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Stalin.
Late in the day, Prime Minister Churchill, emerging from his residence at No. 10 Downing St., drove to Buckingham Palace.
It previously had been announced that King George VI would broadcast at 9 P. M. [3 P. M., Eastern War Time] on the day the surrender was announced. Czech patriots were struggling in the streets of Prague in an effort to wrest their capital city from the Nazis.
General Patton threw at least 10 U. S. Third Army infantry and armored divisions into the battle for Czechoslovakia, capturing Pilsen, 50 miles southwest of Prague. Russian troops in Czechoslovak.a smashed into the outskirts of the war production center of 01- muetz [Olomouc]. 128 miles southeast of Prague.
Here is an hour 10:00 am – 11:00 am (EWT) via WOR in New York for VE Day: May 7, 1945 – exactly as it happened.
