Existing comment:
The Nazis Quit:
The fighting that rages during the final months of combat in Europe was among the bloodiest of the entire war. The death and destruction during those months was staggering. From the fall of 1944 to the unconditional surrender of Germany in May 1945, millions of soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded. In the east, the desperate battle for Berlin destroyed much of the city and claimed hundreds of thousands of German and Soviet lives. Other German cities were also in ruins, leveled by American and British bombers. As the Allied armies pressed forward, the horrors of the Holocaust were fully exposed to the world.
On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered. May 8 was proclaimed "Victory in Europe," or "V-E" Day. The joys of V-E Day were mixed with the sorrow and loss of years of warfare. The Allies also understood that their war was not yet over. The soldiers who had triumphed in Europe now prepared to be sent to the Pacific. |