#german surrender

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Finally, it was official: the war in Europe was over, May 8, 1945.

Photo: NY Daily News

[lonestarbattleship]

"USS ARKANSAS (BB-33) seen from HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH while the British ship's band plays, probably around the time of the High Seas Fleet internment on November 21, 1918. ARKANSAS was the last dreadnought to join BatDiv9, operating as the 6th Battle Squadron within the Grand Fleet. She replaced USS DELAWARE (BB-28) beginning at the end of July 1918; DELAWARE was one of the original four dreadnoughts sent overseas to serve with the Grand Fleet, and had arrived in British waters in December 1917. As the oldest ship of the division, DELAWARE was ultimately outmoded by the ballistics of her guns. The British practice of concentration firing, or pairing ships up to overwhelm a single enemy target, created a discrepancy in the 6th BS after USS TEXAS (BB-35) joined the division in February 1918. Though Texas brought the total squadron strength up to the requisite five ships, it left USS WYOMING (BB-32) as the third most powerful ship behind TEXAS and the flagship, USS NEW YORK (BB-34), but without a gunnery partner since the remaining ships, DELAWARE and USS FLORIDA (BB-30), both carried the same older 12"/45. ARKANSAS was requested to rectify this scenario, and thus DELAWARE was no longer needed.

FLORIDA, though not much newer than DELAWARE, was essentially the spare ship intended to keep the squadron at four-ship strength while allowing one ship at a time to undergo refit."

Caption is exclusive to Haze Grey History Facebook page (link) and was shared with the permission of Evan Dwyer. Click this link to read more of his works. Photo is from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Agence Rol 52450. 

[national-spain]

1247x910 Gran concentración de prisioneros de guerra alemanes, 1918, coloreada. Por la época de la capitulación alemana el 11 de noviembre de aquel año.

[whattolearntoday]

A bit of May 7th history...

1664 - Louis XIV inaugurates the Palace of Versailles (pictured)

1867 - Alfred Nobel patents dynomite

1912 - Plans for awarding Pulitzer Prize approved

1915 - RMS Lusitania sunk by German sub, 1198 killed

1945 - Unconditional German surrender to the Allies

1952 - The concept of the integrated circuit, which is the basis for all modern computers, is 1st published

1982 - IBM releases PC DOS version 1.1

1984 - $180 million out-of-court settlement reached in Agent Orange suit

2012 - Paleoclimatological research claims that dinosaur flatulence may have warmed the earth 

[newyorkthegoldenage]

When news of the German surrender began to trickle in, New Yorkers lost no time to celebrate, May 7, 1945. V-E Day, as it was called, didn't come till the following day. These women are tossing real ticker tape out the window in the Wall Street area.

Photo: Frances McLaughlin-Gill via Conde Nast/Getty Images/milled.com

[newyorkthegoldenage]

The end came quickly. On April 30, with Russian troops on his doorstep, Hitler killed himself in his bunker in Berlin. On May 4, German forces in Holland, Denmark, and northwest Germany surrendered to British Field Marshal Montgomery. On May 7, Germany signed an unconditional surrender with the Allies in Reims, France. Here, looking north from 44th Street, Times Square is packed with crowds celebrating the news, May 8, 1945.

Photo: Tom Fitzsimmons for the AP via the Detroit News

[newyorkthegoldenage]

When Germany surrendered, New Yorkers celebrated into the night. Times Square, May 8, 1945.

Photo: Arthur Leipzig via Phillips Auctions

[newyorkthegoldenage]

On May 7, 1945, the word went around: Germany had surrendered. The war was over! New Yorkers lost no time in celebrating, although V-E Day wasn't until May 8.

Photo: Weegee via the Jewish Museum