Post by Διαμονδ on May 8, 2018 21:22:21 GMT
May 8, 1945 in Karlshorst (a suburb of Berlin), the Act on the unconditional surrender of fascist Germany and its armed forces was signed.
The document, signed in Reims at the level of the chiefs of staff, was initially of a preliminary nature. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Joint Expeditionary Forces, General Eisenhower, did not sign his signature. Moreover, he agreed to go on May 8 to a "more formal" ceremony in Berlin. However, political pressure was exerted on Eisenhower, both from Winston Churchill and from the political circles of the United States, and he was forced to abandon his trip to Berlin.
On orders from Moscow, the representative of the Supreme Command of the Soviet troops, for signing the Act, was appointed commander of the 1st Byelorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov. On the morning of May 8, Andrei Vyshinsky arrived from Moscow as a political adviser. The place of signing of the Act of unconditional surrender Zhukov was chosen headquarters of the 5th Shock Army. It was located in the building of the former military engineering school in the suburb of Berlin Karlshorst. For the ceremony, the officers' dining room was prepared, the furniture was brought from the building of the Reich Chancellery.
In a short time, the Soviet engineering units prepared a road from Tempelhof airport to Karlshorst, the remains of enemy fortifications and barricades were blown up, blockages were cleared. On the morning of May 8, journalists, correspondents from all major newspapers and magazines of the world, photographers began to arrive in Berlin to capture the historical moment of legal registration of the defeat of the Third Reich.
At 14.00 the representatives of the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces arrived at the Tempelhof airfield. They were met by Deputy Army General Sokolovsky, the first commandant of Berlin, Colonel-General Berzarin (commander of the 5th Shock Army), member of the Military Council of the Army, Lieutenant-General Bokov.
The Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force was represented by the Eisenhower Deputy Chief Marshal of the British Air Force Tedder, the US Armed Forces - the commander of the strategic air forces General Spaats, the French armed forces - the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General de Lattre de Tassigny. From Flensburg, under the protection of British officers, former Chief of Staff of the High Command of the Wehrmacht Field Marshal Keitel, Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine Admiral von Friedeburg and Colonel-General Stumpf, who had the authority to sign the Unconditional Surrender Act from the government of K. Denitz, were delivered to Berlin under the protection of British officers. The last delegation came from France.
Exactly at midnight Moscow time, as it was stipulated in advance, the ceremony participants entered the hall. Georgy Zhukov opened the meeting with the words: "We, the representatives of the Supreme Command of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces, are authorized by the governments of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition to accept unconditional surrender of Germany from the German military command."
Then Zhukov invited representatives of the German command to the hall. They were asked to sit at a separate table.
After confirming the authority of the representatives of the German side from the government, Denits Zhukov and Tedder were asked whether they had the Surrender Act, whether they had met or agreed to sign it. Keitel agreed and agreed to sign the documents at his desk. However, Vyshinsky, as a connoisseur of the diplomatic protocol, whispered a few words to Zhukov, and the marshal loudly said: "Not there, but here." I suggest that the German commander-in-chiefs come here and then sign the Unconditional Surrender Act. " Keitel was forced to go to a special table, attached to the table, behind which sat allies.
Keitel put his signature on all copies of the Act (there were nine). Following him, it was done by Admiral Friedeburg and Colonel-General Stumpf.
After this, Zhukov and Tedder signed, followed by General Spaats and General de Lattre de Tassigny as witnesses. At 0 hours 43 minutes on May 9, 1945 the signing of the Act of unconditional surrender of Germany was completed. Zhukov suggested that the German delegation leave the hall.
The Act consisted of six points: "1. We, the undersigned, acting on behalf of the German High Command, agree to the unconditional surrender of all our armed forces on land, sea and air, as well as all forces currently under the German command, - the Supreme High Command of the Red Army and simultaneously the Supreme Command of the Union Expeditionary Force.
2. The German High Command will immediately issue orders to all the German commanders of the land, sea and air forces and all forces under the German command to cease hostilities at 23.01 clock on Central European time on May 8, 1945, to remain in their places where they are located at this time, and completely disarmed, having transferred all their weapons and military equipment to the local allied commander or officers designated by the representatives of the Allied High Command, not to destroy or cause any resulting damage steamers, vessels and aircraft, their engines, hull and machinery as well as engines, weaponry, equipment and all general military-technical means of the soldiers.
3. The German High Command will immediately allocate the respective commanders and ensure the implementation of all further orders issued by the Supreme Command of the Red Army and the Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force.
4. This act will not constitute an obstacle to the replacement by another general document of surrender concluded by or on behalf of the United Nations applicable to Germany and the German armed forces as a whole.
5. In the event that the German High Command or any armed forces under its command do not act in accordance with this surrender, the Supreme Command of the Red Army, as well as the Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, will take such punitive measures, or Other actions that they deem necessary.
6. This act is written in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English texts are authentic. "
Differences from the Act of surrender, signed in Reims, were insignificant in form, but significant in content. So, instead of the Soviet High Command (Soviet High Command), the Supreme Supreme Command of the Red Army was used. The point on the safety of military equipment was expanded and supplemented. A separate issue was the language issue. The point about the possibility of signing one more document remained unchanged.
Soviet citizens learned of the signing of the surrender in Karlshorst from the message of the Soviet Information Bureau on May 9, 1945 at 2.10 am Moscow time. Announcer Yuri Levitan read out the Act on the military surrender of fascist Germany and the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the announcement of the May 9 day as Victory Day.
The message was transmitted all night, and then the whole day on May 9th. In the evening of May 9, Joseph Stalin addressed the Soviet people, after which Yury Levitan read out the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to complete victory over fascist Germany and the artillery salute today, on May 9, at 22 hours with 30 volleys of 1000 guns!
The document, signed in Reims at the level of the chiefs of staff, was initially of a preliminary nature. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Joint Expeditionary Forces, General Eisenhower, did not sign his signature. Moreover, he agreed to go on May 8 to a "more formal" ceremony in Berlin. However, political pressure was exerted on Eisenhower, both from Winston Churchill and from the political circles of the United States, and he was forced to abandon his trip to Berlin.
On orders from Moscow, the representative of the Supreme Command of the Soviet troops, for signing the Act, was appointed commander of the 1st Byelorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov. On the morning of May 8, Andrei Vyshinsky arrived from Moscow as a political adviser. The place of signing of the Act of unconditional surrender Zhukov was chosen headquarters of the 5th Shock Army. It was located in the building of the former military engineering school in the suburb of Berlin Karlshorst. For the ceremony, the officers' dining room was prepared, the furniture was brought from the building of the Reich Chancellery.
In a short time, the Soviet engineering units prepared a road from Tempelhof airport to Karlshorst, the remains of enemy fortifications and barricades were blown up, blockages were cleared. On the morning of May 8, journalists, correspondents from all major newspapers and magazines of the world, photographers began to arrive in Berlin to capture the historical moment of legal registration of the defeat of the Third Reich.
At 14.00 the representatives of the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces arrived at the Tempelhof airfield. They were met by Deputy Army General Sokolovsky, the first commandant of Berlin, Colonel-General Berzarin (commander of the 5th Shock Army), member of the Military Council of the Army, Lieutenant-General Bokov.
The Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force was represented by the Eisenhower Deputy Chief Marshal of the British Air Force Tedder, the US Armed Forces - the commander of the strategic air forces General Spaats, the French armed forces - the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General de Lattre de Tassigny. From Flensburg, under the protection of British officers, former Chief of Staff of the High Command of the Wehrmacht Field Marshal Keitel, Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine Admiral von Friedeburg and Colonel-General Stumpf, who had the authority to sign the Unconditional Surrender Act from the government of K. Denitz, were delivered to Berlin under the protection of British officers. The last delegation came from France.
Exactly at midnight Moscow time, as it was stipulated in advance, the ceremony participants entered the hall. Georgy Zhukov opened the meeting with the words: "We, the representatives of the Supreme Command of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces, are authorized by the governments of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition to accept unconditional surrender of Germany from the German military command."
Then Zhukov invited representatives of the German command to the hall. They were asked to sit at a separate table.
After confirming the authority of the representatives of the German side from the government, Denits Zhukov and Tedder were asked whether they had the Surrender Act, whether they had met or agreed to sign it. Keitel agreed and agreed to sign the documents at his desk. However, Vyshinsky, as a connoisseur of the diplomatic protocol, whispered a few words to Zhukov, and the marshal loudly said: "Not there, but here." I suggest that the German commander-in-chiefs come here and then sign the Unconditional Surrender Act. " Keitel was forced to go to a special table, attached to the table, behind which sat allies.
Keitel put his signature on all copies of the Act (there were nine). Following him, it was done by Admiral Friedeburg and Colonel-General Stumpf.
After this, Zhukov and Tedder signed, followed by General Spaats and General de Lattre de Tassigny as witnesses. At 0 hours 43 minutes on May 9, 1945 the signing of the Act of unconditional surrender of Germany was completed. Zhukov suggested that the German delegation leave the hall.
The Act consisted of six points: "1. We, the undersigned, acting on behalf of the German High Command, agree to the unconditional surrender of all our armed forces on land, sea and air, as well as all forces currently under the German command, - the Supreme High Command of the Red Army and simultaneously the Supreme Command of the Union Expeditionary Force.
2. The German High Command will immediately issue orders to all the German commanders of the land, sea and air forces and all forces under the German command to cease hostilities at 23.01 clock on Central European time on May 8, 1945, to remain in their places where they are located at this time, and completely disarmed, having transferred all their weapons and military equipment to the local allied commander or officers designated by the representatives of the Allied High Command, not to destroy or cause any resulting damage steamers, vessels and aircraft, their engines, hull and machinery as well as engines, weaponry, equipment and all general military-technical means of the soldiers.
3. The German High Command will immediately allocate the respective commanders and ensure the implementation of all further orders issued by the Supreme Command of the Red Army and the Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force.
4. This act will not constitute an obstacle to the replacement by another general document of surrender concluded by or on behalf of the United Nations applicable to Germany and the German armed forces as a whole.
5. In the event that the German High Command or any armed forces under its command do not act in accordance with this surrender, the Supreme Command of the Red Army, as well as the Supreme Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, will take such punitive measures, or Other actions that they deem necessary.
6. This act is written in Russian, English and German. Only Russian and English texts are authentic. "
Differences from the Act of surrender, signed in Reims, were insignificant in form, but significant in content. So, instead of the Soviet High Command (Soviet High Command), the Supreme Supreme Command of the Red Army was used. The point on the safety of military equipment was expanded and supplemented. A separate issue was the language issue. The point about the possibility of signing one more document remained unchanged.
Soviet citizens learned of the signing of the surrender in Karlshorst from the message of the Soviet Information Bureau on May 9, 1945 at 2.10 am Moscow time. Announcer Yuri Levitan read out the Act on the military surrender of fascist Germany and the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the announcement of the May 9 day as Victory Day.
The message was transmitted all night, and then the whole day on May 9th. In the evening of May 9, Joseph Stalin addressed the Soviet people, after which Yury Levitan read out the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to complete victory over fascist Germany and the artillery salute today, on May 9, at 22 hours with 30 volleys of 1000 guns!