It was finally over.

The battles that left a trail of blood across Europe, the innocent villages and towns left in ruins, the horrors of Hitler’s concentration camps — it was all finally over in Europe.

“This is a solemn but glorious hour. General Eisenhower informs me that the forces of Germany have surrendered to the United Nations. The flags of freedom fly all over Europe.”

President Harry Truman

On April 30, 1945 Hitler died by suicide in the underground bunker beneath his home in Berlin. After his death, Admiral Karl Dönitz became his successor. Nazi Germany was at the end of its rope however. The Allied Forces were closing in on Berlin and there was no way the battered German army could hold them off.

On May 7, 1945, Germany officially surrendered in Reims, France. In the streets of Europe, civilians and soldiers alike poured out to celebrate together the end of his reign of terror. After six years of horrors, never seen before, the war in Europe was finally over.

Here are a few facts you may not know about V-E Day.

1. Fighting Continued After The Treaty Was Signed

It is to be expected, due to the vast scope of WWII, that the bullets didn’t stop flying the exact moment the surrender was signed. In fact it took weeks for all of the German forces to lay down their arms.

This was partly because Stalin claimed that the Soviet representative who signed the peace treaty on May 7th was not authorized to do so. He then demanded that another meeting be held in Moscow to complete it.

This caused mass confusion for his soldiers. Were they still fighting or not? And the Germans, being German, figured if they were still technically at war with Russia they were going to kill as many of them as they possibly could while it was still “legal”.

Even after the second peace treaty was signed, small pockets of fighting continued. A war that had gained as much momentum as WWII had was not easily brought to a halt.

2. V-E Day: A Time of Prayer

In America, churches were overflowing with people thanking God that the brutal war in Europe was over. It meant that their husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers were that much closer to being home safe again. But it was not all celebration. For some it was an acute reminder that their own service member would never be coming home. And still the dark cloud of war hung over the South Pacific.

It was noted that many cities across the country remained stoic and somber on V-E Day. Ending the war in Europe was only the beginning. Japan was showing no signs of the demise Nazi Germany succumbed to. It was reasonable for the victory of Europe to be dampened by the knowledge that our servicemen were still being slaughtered in the Pacific.

Many prayers for total peace were raised that day.

3. American Flags Flew At Half-Staff

Ordinarily a day such as V-E Day would have been a day when the American flag could be seen just about everywhere. However this particular day the flag was seen sorrowfully flying at half mast.

Only a few weeks prior, President Franklin Roosevelt died. Per US flag code, the flag flies at half staff for thirty days after the death of a US President. This meant that while the rest of the free world was going over the top celebrating the end of fighting in Europe, America remained in mourning.

Perhaps it was fitting for the flag to fly half staff that day, in honor of the thousands of Americans who died in order to end Hitler’s reign of terror.

---

Many people will have no idea the historical significance of this day. We live in a world that is too caught up with themselves to give any thought to the past or the future.

Some will ask why the past matters. Why not simply live in the present? But they give no thought to the fact that the past affects the present, and the present affects the future.

Let us create a hypothetical world that fails to remember an occasion such as V-E Day. If they have forgotten the significance of such a day, does it not stand to reason that they would also have forgotten the war itself? And if they have forgotten the war itself and all its horrors, isn’t it reasonable to say that they have forgotten the cause of the war? If they have forgotten the cause of the war, is the world not destined to repeat it?

In President Truman’s own V-E Day words,

“I call upon every American to stick to his post until the last battle is won. Until that day, let no man abandon his post or slacken his efforts.”

President Harry Truman

Carry the torch of history into the future. Take some time today to share a piece of history. If you have young children, take a minute to tell them the historic significance of today; type up a short text or social media post sharing what today is; or simply share this post with someone you would like to tell about V-E Day.

Let’s bring the past to life for those living in the present.

A. M. Watson

Hebrews 13:8