80th Anniversary of V-E Day: End of WWII in Europe

On Display 5/8/2025 – Present

Victory in Europe

World War II, the deadliest military conflict in history, erupted in Europe on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. For nearly six years it raged in the European Theater resulting in millions of military and civilian deaths and destroying cities, homes, and families. Finally, in the spring of 1945, Allied forces exhausted the will and fighting capacity of the German war machine. Slowly, but completely, the Nazi-led Third Reich collapsed in a series of piecemeal surrenders culminating in VE (Victory in Europe) Day on May 8, 1945. 

Celebrations of Nazi Germany’s defeat in Europe were tempered, however, by the ongoing war with Japan in the Pacific. Allied victory over Japan followed just four months after VE Day, bringing World War II to an end. 

Germany surrenders and is disarmed

Following a series of military capitulations, Germany signed an unconditional surrender of its forces on May 7, 1945 at Reims, France. At the insistence of the Soviet Union, a second formal instrument of surrender was signed the following day at Berlin to ensure that the war in Europe ended on all fronts. The formal surrender documents signed on May 8, or VE Day, were written in English, Russian and German. Besides the addition that Germany “disarm completely,” the formal surrender documents differ little from those signed at Reims.

Act of Military Surrender, May 8, 1945. National Archives, Records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff View in National Archives Catalog
Kapitulationserklaerung, May 8, 1945. National Archives, Records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff View in National Archives Catalog

Related Online Resources:

Find more resources related to World War II records at Archives.gov.

Read about â€śCelebrating Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, 1945” in The Text Message blog. 

See “VE Day in Color” in the Unwritten Record blog.

Past Featured Records

80th Anniversary of V-E Day: End of WWII in Europe
World War II, the deadliest military conflict in history, erupted in Europe on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland.
The War Beneath the Waves: Mary Sears and the Navy’s Oceanographic Unit
During World War II, navigating the Pacific Ocean's perilous tides and currents posed a constant challenge to the U.S. Navy. To update their maps and intelligence, the Navy established an Oceanographic Unit in 1943. The team of scientists was led by Mary Sears, a marine biologist commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade in the women’s division of the Naval Reserve, the WAVES.
Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records
After the Civil War, the federal government established a War Department agency to help Americans transition from slavery to freedom. The Freedmen’s Bureau (1865–72) issued rations, operated hospitals and helped establish schools and unite families. It worked to resolve labor disputes and negotiate labor contracts. It also presided over and documented marriages between freed couples.
20th Amendment: A New Inauguration Day
From George Washington’s second term through Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first, inauguration day was generally held on March 4. Without cars or computers, the four months between the election and inauguration served a purpose in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It allowed the President-elect time to settle their affairs and journey to the nation’s capital.
Mr. Santa Claus: Romance of the Postal Service
This holiday featured film is one of a series of silent movies produced by the Post Office Department in 1921. The mini melodrama shows how the postal service helps make a happy Christmas for a boy and his sister when their “Dere Sandy Claws” letter is answered by a young married couple.