Seventy-seven years ago today, the U. S. and its Western allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, henceforth known as Victory in Europe Day, or "V-E Day." The first surrender document was signed in Reims, France, on May 7 by the Western allies and Soviet official Ivan Susloparov. However, the Kremlin had not agreed to the final text and insisted that the surrender be in Berlin. After modifications to accommodate Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, the final instrument of surrender was signed in Karlshorst, Berlin, at 9:20 p.m. local time on May 8, or early morning May 9 in the Soviet Union given the time difference. Russia and its client states celebrate on May 9 as a result, and Russian thug and war criminal Putin is planning a belligerent one tomorrow in Red Square.
Coincidentally, President Harry Truman, who had just been President for less than a month following President Franklin D. Roosevelt's death on April 12, celebrated his 61st birthday on May 8, and dedicated the victory to Roosevelt.
(photo: German Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel, center, prepares to sign Germany's capitulation on May 8, 1945. Keystone-France/Getty Images)
