The German Instrument of Surrender, 1945 refers to the legal instrument of World War II in which the High Command of Nazi Germany surrendered simultaneously to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force and to the Soviet High command. The Instrument of Surrender was signed at Rheims, France, at 2:41 hours on 7 May 1945. Legal instrument is a legal term of art that is used for any written legal document such as a certificate, a deed, a will, an Act of Parliament or a law passed by a competent legislative body in municipal (domestic) or international law. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Insignia of a United States Navy Commander Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. ... When spelt with a capital A, Allies usually denotes the countries supporting the Triple Entente who fought together against the Central Powers in World War I and against the Axis Powers in World War II. For more information, see the related articles: Allies of World War I and Allies of... Soviet redirects here. ... Reims (English traditionally Rheims) is a city of north-eastern France, 98 miles east-northeast of Paris. ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

The unconditional surrender was signed by Generaloberst Alfred Jodl, on behalf of the High Command and as the representative for Karl Dönitz. Unconditional surrender refers to a surrender without conditions, except for those provided by international law. ... Generaloberst Alfred Jodl Alfred Jodl (May 10, 1890 - October 16, 1946) was a Wehrmacht leader. ... (help· info) (pronounced ) (September 16, 1891 – December 24, 1980) was a naval leader in Germany during World War II. Dönitz was born near Berlin. ...

This Instrument of Surrender covered surrender of all military forces on land, at sea, and in the air who were at that point of time under the control of the-then German High Command. Pursuant to this Instrument of Surrender, the German High Command issued orders to all forces under its command to cease active operations at exactly 23:01 hours Central European Time of 8th May 1945. Thus, this Instrument of Surrender legalized unconditional surrender of all armed forces under German control, officially ending combat in Europe. Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of UTC+1 time zone, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Combat, or fighting, is purposeful conflict between one or more persons or organizations, ***YOU DO WANT TO FIGHT KENNY TRUONG!!!***often involving violence and intended to establish dominance over the opposition. ...

The next day, at 22:43 hours (CET) on 8 May, German officials in Berlin signed a Instrument of Surrender, explicitly surrendering to Soviet forces, in the presence of General Georgi Zhukov and Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Force Arthur William Tedder. Russian historians claim that the act of 7 May was only preliminary. May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgi Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (Russian: Гео́ргий Константи́нович Жу́ков) (December 1, 1896 - June 18, 1974), Soviet military commander and politician, considered by many as one of the most successful field commanders of World War II. Prewar career Born into a peasant family in Strelkovka, Kaluga... Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder (July 11, 1890–June 3, 1967) was a significant British Marshal of the Royal Air Force. ...

See also

• Japanese Instrument of Surrender
• End of World War II in Europe
• Nuremburg Trials

Representatives of Japan stand aboard the USS Missouri prior to signing of the Instrument of Surrender. ... This article chronicles the end of the European Theatre of World War II in late April and early May 1945. ... The Nuremberg Trials is the general name for two sets of trials of Nazis involved in World War II and the Holocaust. ...

External links

• Full texts at German Instrument of Surrender on Wikisource.