Bygone: The 1945 'Victory in Europe' celebrations

Bygone: The 1945 'Victory in Europe' celebrations

It all began with a programme for children, mainly consisting of a fancy dress parade, a Victory tea, sports events and other attractions.

Victory in Europe plus 80 years

From General Eisenhower: “The mission of this Allied Force was fulfilled at 0241 local time, May 7, 1945.” “The crusade on which we embarked in the early summer of 1944 has reached its glorious conclusion. On the road to victory

The historical context After almost six years of devastating war in Europe, the German army was in total collapse in the spring of 1945. The Western Allied troops enter deep into the German territory of the west, while the Soviet Red Army arrived in the centre of Berlin. Adolf Hitler was killed on 30 April 1945, and his successor, Admiral Karl Dönitz, [...]