From the archives: It's V-E Day for the world

This story was originally published in Newsday on May 8, 1945

The war that began in Europe with Adolf Hitler’s unprovoked invasion of Poland almost six years ago will come to its official end at 5 P.M. EWT, this afternoon.

With official proclamation of V-E Day coming from President Truman, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Marshal Joseph Stalin, German Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz announced in a broadcast that all guns would be silenced in Europe effective 11 P.M., British double summer time tonight.

It was Admiral Doenitz’s assumption that German troops still in action anywhere in Europe would abide by his orders.

His broadcast sad: “In conformity with the promise to spare the lives of German men and women, I ordered the High Command of the Wehrmacht on the night of the (May) 6th  to arrange unconditional surrender of all German fighting troops in all theatres of war.

“From 11 P.M. on May 8 guns will be silent.”

The last flames of war died down in advance of Doenitz’s proclamation with the Czech-controlled Prague radio reporting that German troops in Prague and the whole of Bohemia were laying down their arms after accepting unconditional surrender.

The last bitter battles, according to the German transmitter at the Flensburg naval base, were fought against the Russians.

“Germans in Prague and the whole of Bohemia have accepted terms of unconditional surrender,” the Prague radio said early today.

“At 1: 30 A.M, the German Command issued orders through all communications to German units to cease fighting.”

A German military plenipotentiary was said to be negotiating with the Czech National Council on the details of unconditional surrender.

The report of German surrender in the last major pocket of resistance came after an appeal at 12:45 by the Czechs to patriot forces to unleash a final attack to smash German positions.

Signing of the final surrender terms, according to the London Daily Herald, will take place today. Col. Gen. Heinz Guderian and Reichsfuehrer Admiral Karl Doenitz will sign the terms on behalf of Germany and General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower will sign on behalf of Britain and the United States while Marshal Gregory Zhukov signs for Russia, it was said.