World War II: The final German Instrument of Surrender is signed at the Soviet headquarters in Berlin-Karlshorst.
The German Instrument of Surrender (German: Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht; Russian: Акт о капитуляции Германии) was the legal document that effected the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and ended World War II in Europe. The decision to surrender was made public on 7 May 1945. The definitive text was signed in Karlshorst, Berlin, on the night of 8 May 1945 by representatives of the three armed services of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) and the Allied Expeditionary Force together with the Supreme High Command of the Soviet Red Army, with further French and US representatives signing as witnesses. The signing took place 9 May 1945 at 21:20 local time.
An earlier version of the text had been signed in a ceremony in Reims in the early hours of 7 May 1945. In most of Europe, 8 May is celebrated as Victory in Europe Day; 9 May is celebrated as Victory Day in Russia, Belarus, Serbia and Israel.
There were three language versions of the surrender document – Russian, English and German – with the Russian and English versions proclaimed, in the text itself, as the only authoritative ones.