Editing German Instrument of Surrender (section)

== Surrender ceremony ==
=== Preliminary surrender document in Reims ===
[[File:Kapitulation-reims.gif|thumb|[[Generaloberst|General]] [[Alfred Jodl]] signing the capitulation papers of [[unconditional surrender]] in [[Reims]], France]]
Dönitz's representative, Admiral [[Hans-Georg von Friedeburg]], informed him on 6 May that Eisenhower was now insisting on "immediate, simultaneous and unconditional surrender on all fronts."<ref name="Kershaw 2012 370"/> General [[Alfred Jodl]] was sent to Reims to attempt to persuade Eisenhower otherwise, but Eisenhower short-circuited any discussion by announcing at 9:00 pm on the 6th that, in the absence of a complete capitulation, he would close British and American lines to surrendering German forces at midnight on 8 May and resume the bombing offensive against remaining German-held positions and towns.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Michael|title=After Hitler: The Last Days of the Second World War in Europe|year=2015|publisher=John Murray|pages=211}}</ref> Jodl telegraphed this message to Dönitz, who responded, authorizing him to sign the instrument of unconditional surrender, but subject to negotiating a 48-hour delay, ostensibly to enable the surrender order to be communicated to outlying German military units.<ref name="Kershaw 2012 371"/>

Consequently, the first Instrument of Surrender was signed in Reims at 02:41 [[Central European Time|Central European Time (CET)]] on 7 May 1945. The signing took place in a red brick schoolhouse, the {{Illm|Collège Moderne et Technique de Reims|fr|Musée de la Reddition}}, that served as the SHAEF headquarters. It is now the {{ill|Surrender Museum|fr|Musée de la Reddition}}.<ref name=westcott>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4497947.stm "I remember the German surrender"], Kathryn Westcott, [[BBC News]], 4 May 2005.</ref> It was to take effect at 23:01 CET (one minute after 11:00 pm, [[British Summer Time|British Double Summer Time]]) on 8 May, the 48-hour grace period having been back-dated to the start of final negotiations.<ref>[http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/gsmenu.asp "Act of Military Surrender Signed at Rheims at 0241 on the 7th day of May 1945"] at [[The Avalon Project]] ([[Yale Law School]] – [[The Lillian Goldman Law Library in Memory of Sol Goldman]]).</ref>

The unconditional surrender of the German armed forces was signed by Jodl, on behalf of the OKW. General [[Walter Bedell Smith]] signed on behalf of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force and General [[Ivan Susloparov]] on behalf of the Soviet High Command.<ref>{{cite video
 | year =1945
 | title =Video: Beaten Nazis Sign Historic Surrender, 1945/05/14 (1945)
 | url =https://archive.org/details/1945-05-14_Beaten_Nazis_Sign_Historic_Surrender
 | publisher =[[Universal Newsreel]]
 | access-date =20 February 2012
}}</ref> French Major-General [[François Sevez]] signed as the official witness.

Eisenhower had proceeded throughout in consultation with General [[Aleksei Antonov]] of the Soviet High Command; and at his request, General Susloparov had been seconded to the SHAEF Headquarters to represent the Soviet High Command in the surrender negotiations. The text of the act of surrender had been telegraphed to General Antonov in the early hours of 7 May, but no confirmation of Soviet approval had been received by the time of the surrender ceremony, nor was there confirmation that General Susloparov was empowered to sign as representing the Soviet High Command. Accordingly, Eisenhower agreed with Susloparov that a separate text should be signed by the German emissaries; undertaking that fully empowered representatives of each of the German armed services would attend a formal ratification of the act of surrender at a time and place designated by the Allied High Commands.

==== Text of the preliminary instrument of surrender ====
{{blockquote|UNDERTAKING GIVEN BY CERTAIN GERMAN EMISSARIES TO THE ALLIED HIGH COMMANDS

It is agreed by the German emissaries undersigned that the following German officers will arrive at a place and time designated by the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force, and the Soviet High Command prepared, with plenary powers, to execute a formal ratification on behalf of the German High Command of this act of Unconditional Surrender of the German armed forces.

Chief of the High Command;
Commander-in-Chief of the Army;
Commander-in-Chief of the Navy;
Commander-in-Chief of the Air Forces.

SIGNED

JODL

Representing the German High Command. DATED 0241 7 May 1945 Rheims, France|source=https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/surrender-of-germany#transcript}}

=== Definitive surrender document in Berlin ===
[[File:Zhukov reads capitulation act.jpg|thumb|[[Marshal of the Soviet Union|Marshal]] [[Georgy Zhukov]] reading the German capitulation in Berlin. Seated on his right is [[Air Chief Marshal]] [[Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder|Sir Arthur Tedder]].]]
[[File:Kapitulationserklaerung der Deutschen Wehrmacht, 8 Mai 1945.jpg|thumb|German Instrument of Surrender, 8 May 1945 (displayed at the [[Museum Berlin-Karlshorst]])]]

Some six hours after the Reims signing, a response was received from the Soviet High Command stating that the Act of Surrender was unacceptable, both because the text differed from that agreed by the EAC, and because Susloparov had not been empowered to sign.<ref name="Ziemke 1990 258">{{cite book|last= Ziemke| first = Earl Frederick| title = The US Army and the Occupation of Germany 1944–1946| publisher = Center of Military History, United States Army| date = 1990| page = 258}}</ref> These objections were, however, pretexts; the substantive Soviet objection was that the act of surrender ought to be a unique, singular, historical event fully reflecting the leading contribution of the Soviet people to the final victory. They maintained that it should not be held on liberated territory that had been victimized by German aggression, but at the seat of government from where that German aggression sprang: Berlin.<ref name="Kershaw 2012 371"/> Furthermore, the Soviets pointed out that, although the terms of the surrender signed in Reims required German forces to cease all military activities and remain in their current positions; they were not explicitly required to lay down their arms and give themselves up, "what has to happen here is the surrender of German troops, giving themselves up as prisoners".<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Michael|title=After Hitler: The Last Days of the Second World War in Europe|year=2015|publisher=John Murray|pages=217}}</ref> Eisenhower immediately agreed, acknowledging that the act of surrender signed in Reims should be considered "a brief instrument of unconditional military surrender",<ref name="chaney">Chaney p. 328</ref> and undertook to attend with correctly accredited representatives of the German High Command for a "more formal signing" of a suitably amended text presided over by [[Marshal of the Soviet Union|Marshal]] [[Georgy Zhukov]] in [[Berlin]] (capital of Nazi Germany) on 8 May.<ref name="chaney"/> Furthermore, he issued a clarificatory statement that any German forces continuing to fight against the Soviets after the stated deadline would "no longer have the status of soldiers";<ref name="Jones 2015 259">{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Michael|title=After Hitler: The Last Days of the Second World War in Europe|year=2015|publisher=John Murray|pages=259}}</ref> and hence, if they were to surrender to the Americans or British, would then be handed back into Soviet captivity.

The effect of the Reims signing was limited to a consolidation of the effective ceasefire between German forces and the Western Allies. Fighting continued unabated in the east however, especially as German forces now intensified their air and ground assault against the Prague uprising,<ref name="Kershaw 2012 370"/> while the seaborne evacuation of German troops across the Baltic continued. Dönitz issued new commands that resistance to Soviet forces should be maintained, taking advantage of the 48-hour grace period to order redoubled efforts to save German military units from Soviet captivity; and it soon became clear that he had authorized the signing of a general surrender at Reims in bad faith, and that consequently neither the Soviet Command nor the German forces would accept the Reims surrender as effecting an end to hostilities between them. General [[Ferdinand Schörner]] commanding Army Group Centre, broadcast a message to his troops on 8 May 1945 denouncing "false rumors" that the OKW had surrendered to the Soviet Command as well as the Western Allies; "The struggle in the west however is over. But there can be no question of surrender to the Bolsheviks."<ref name="Jones 2015 259"/>

[[File:Акт о капитуляции Германии 1945.jpg|thumb|German Instrument of Surrender in Soviet newspaper ''[[Pravda]]'', 9 May 1945]]

Consequently, Eisenhower arranged for the commanders in chief of each of the three German armed services to be flown from Flensburg to Berlin early on 8 May; where they were kept waiting through the day until 10:00 pm when the Allied delegation arrived, at which point the amended surrender text was provided to them.<ref name="Kershaw 2012 372">{{cite book|last=Kershaw|first=Ian|title= The End; Germany 1944–45|publisher= Penguin| date=2012|pages = 372}}</ref> The definitive Act of Military Surrender was dated as being signed before midnight on 8 May<ref>Earl F. Ziemke [[#References|References]] [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/other/us-army_germany_1944-46_ch15.htm#b3 Chapter XV: The Victory Sealed], p. 258 second last paragraph</ref> at the seat of the Soviet Military Administration in Berlin-[[Karlshorst]], now the location of the [[Museum Berlin-Karlshorst]]. Since Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander for Western Europe technically outranked Zhukov, the act of signing on behalf of the Western Allies passed to his deputy, Air Chief Marshal [[Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder|Arthur Tedder]]. The proposed Soviet amendments to the Reims surrender text were accepted without difficulty by the Western Allies; but the identification and designation of the Allied signatories proved more problematic. French forces operated under SHAEF command, but General [[Charles de Gaulle|de Gaulle]] was demanding that General [[Jean de Lattre de Tassigny|de Tassigny]] sign separately for the French High Command; but in that case it would be politically unacceptable for there to be no American signature on the definitive surrender document, while the Soviets would not agree to there being more than three Allied signatories in total – one of whom would have to be Zhukov. After repeated redrafts, all of which needed translating and retyping, it was finally agreed that both French and American signatures would be as witnesses. But the consequence was that the final versions were not ready for signing until after midnight. Consequently, the physical signing was delayed until nearly 01:00 am on 9 May, Central European Time; and then back-dated to 8 May to be consistent with the Reims agreement and the public announcements of the surrender already made by Western leaders.<ref name="Kershaw 2012 372"/> However, the official Soviet declaration stated that the signing took place at 22:43 CET on 8 May, meaning that the signing still took place before the German surrender took effect.

The definitive Act of Military Surrender differed from the Reims signing principally in respect of requiring three German signatories, who could fully represent all three armed services together with the German High Command. Otherwise the amended text set out an expanded article 2, now requiring German forces to disarm and hand over their weapons to local allied commanders. This clause had the effect of ensuring that German military forces would not only cease military operations against regular allied forces; but would also disarm themselves, disband, and be taken into captivity. Field Marshal Keitel initially balked at the amended text, proposing that an additional grace period of 12 hours be granted to surrendering German forces, before they might be exposed to punitive action for non-compliance under article 5. In the event, he had to be satisfied with a verbal assurance from Zhukov.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Michael|title=After Hitler: The Last Days of the Second World War in Europe|year=2015|publisher=John Murray|pages=265}}</ref>

[[Hans-Georg von Friedeburg|Admiral Friedeburg]] was the only representative of the German forces to be present at the signing of the German instruments of surrender at Luneburg Heath on 4 May 1945, in Reims on 7 May and in Berlin on 8 May 1945.

==== Text of the definitive instrument of surrender ====
{{blockquote|ACT OF MILITARY SURRENDER

# We the undersigned, acting by authority of the German High Command, hereby surrender unconditionally to the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force and simultaneously to the Supreme High Command of the Red Army all forces on land, at sea, and in the air who are at this date under German control.
# The German High Command will at once issue orders to all German military, naval and air authorities and to all forces under German control to cease active operations at 23:01 hours Central European time on 8 May 1945, to remain in all positions occupied at that time and to disarm completely, handing over their weapons and equipment to the local allied commanders or officers designated by Representatives of the Allied Supreme Commands. No ship, vessel, or aircraft is to be scuttled, or any damage done to their hull, machinery or equipment, and also to machines of all kinds, armament, apparatus, and all the technical means of prosecution of war in general.
# The German High Command will at once issue to the appropriate commanders, and ensure the carrying out of any further orders issued by the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force and by the Supreme Command of the Red Army.
# This act of military surrender is without prejudice to, and will be superseded by any general instrument of surrender imposed by, or on behalf of the United Nations and applicable to GERMANY and the German armed forces as a whole.
# In the event of the German High Command or any of the forces under their control failing to act in accordance with this Act of Surrender, the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force and the Supreme High Command of the Red Army will take such punitive or other action as they deem appropriate.
# This Act is drawn up in the English, Russian and German languages. The English and Russian are the only authentic texts.

Representatives:
* Soviet Union: [[Georgy Zhukov|Marshal Georgy Zhukov]]: on behalf of the Supreme High Command of the [[Red Army]]
* United Kingdom: [[Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder|Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur William Tedder]], as Deputy Supreme Commander of the [[Allied Expeditionary Force]]
* United States: [[Carl Spaatz|General Carl Spaatz]], Commanding [[United States Strategic Air Forces]], as witness
* France: [[Jean de Lattre de Tassigny|General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny]], Commanding [[First Army (France)|First French Army]], as witness
* Germany:
** Field Marshal [[Wilhelm Keitel]] as the Chief of the General Staff of the German Armed Forces (Wehrmacht) and as representative of the [[German Army (1935-1945)|German Army]]
** General-Admiral [[Hans-Georg von Friedeburg]] as Commander-in-Chief of the [[Kriegsmarine|German Navy]]
** Colonel-General [[Hans-Jürgen Stumpff]] as the representative of the [[Luftwaffe|German Air Force]]
}}

=== Effects of the surrender ===
[[File:Norway freed.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=0:46|left|Newsreel about the Allied liberation of mostly Norway from Nazi German forces after 8 May 1945]]
For the most part, the Berlin signing did the job required of it; with German forces in Courland and the Atlantic outposts all surrendering on 9 May within the informal 12-hour grace period. German surrender to the Soviets in Bohemia and Moravia took rather longer to achieve, with some German forces in Bohemia continuing to attempt to fight their way towards the American lines. 

Nevertheless, the principle of a common surrender broadly held; and units seeking to defy it were denied passage west, perforce having to surrender to the Soviets. The exception was Army Group E in Croatia, which fought on for several days attempting to force an escape from the partisan forces of Marshal [[Josip Broz Tito|Tito]], such that many soldiers from these units did succeed in surrendering to General [[Harold Alexander|Alexander]] in Italy. These included considerable numbers of [[Ustase]] collaboration troops, who were subsequently returned to Yugoslavia; and who were all promptly executed without trial.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Michael|title=After Hitler: The Last Days of the Second World War in Europe|year=2015|publisher=John Murray|pages=313}}</ref>

=== Timeline of the surrender ===
{| class="wikitable" border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse;" cellpadding="5"
|-
| Events || GMT-4 <br> Eastern U.S. Time <br> ([[History of time in the United States#War Time 1918 and 1942|Eastern War Time]])
|GMT <br> Universal time
|GMT+1 <br> Time in Ireland <br> (Summer Time) <br> [[Central European Time|CET]]
|GMT+2 <br> Time observed in Western Europe <br> (Germany, France, Great Britain) <br>[[British_Summer_Time#Periods_of_deviation|BDST]] during the war <br> [[Central European Time|CEST]] (Summer Time)
|GMT+3 <br> Time in Eastern Europe <br> (Ukraine, Russia)
|-
|Signing of <br> the capitulation <br> in Reims || 8:41 pm <br> Sunday 6 May || 00:41 <br> Monday 7 May ||  || 02:41 <br> Monday 7 May || 03:41 <br> Monday 7 May
|-
|End of the war <br> announced by <br> Truman, Churchill, de Gaulle || 9:15am <br> Tuesday 8 May || 13:15 <br> Tuesday 8 May || || 15:15 <br> Tuesday 8 May
|-
|New signing of <br> the capitulation <br> in Berlin || 5:43pm <br> Tuesday 8 May || 21:43 <br> Tuesday 8 May || 22:43 <br> Tuesday 8 May || 23:43 <br> Tuesday 8 May || 00:43 <br> Wednesday 9 May
|-
|Moment of the ceasefire <br> as agreed in Reims || 6:01pm <br> Tuesday 8 May || 22:01 <br> Tuesday 8 May || 23:01 <br> Tuesday 8 May || 00:01 <br> Wednesday 9 May || 01:01 <br> Wednesday 9 May
|}