An earlier version of the text had been signed in a ceremony in Reims in the early hours of 7 May 1945. It stated that the Allied representatives "will take such steps, including the complete disarmament, demilitarisation and dismemberment of Germany as they deem requisite for future peace and security. Nevertheless, as the surrender instrument of 8 May 1945 had been signed only by German military representatives, the full civil provisions for the unconditional surrender of Germany remained without explicit formal basis. On May 7, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies in Reims, France, ending World War II and the Third Reich. [22] French Major-General François Sevez signed as the official witness. 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. 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. "[6] The Provisional Government of the French Republic, however, was not party to the Yalta agreement and refused to recognise it, which created a diplomatic problem as formal inclusion of the additional clause in the EAC text would inevitably create a French demand for equal representation in any dismemberment decisions. The German Instrument of Surrender was the legal document that effected the extinction of Nazi Germany and ended World War II in Europe. That means time of both signing and capitulation was on 9 May according to Moscow Time. The bloodshed was finally ended when, on May 7, 1944, Donitz authorised the unconditional and total surrender of the German state. Memorandum by Lord Strang, 15th January 1944, Instrument of German surrender, World War II, Provisional Government of the French Republic, Declaration Regarding the Defeat of Germany, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur William Tedder, Declaration regarding the defeat of Germany, Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, The Lillian Goldman Law Library in Memory of Sol Goldman, "AP apologizes for firing reporter over WWII scoop", The U.S. Army in the occupation of Germany 1944–1946, Details of the Surrender Negotiations: This Is How Germany Gave Up, German Instrument of Surrender (7 May 1945), Definitive German Instrument of Surrender (8 May 1945), Rape during the Soviet occupation of Poland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_Instrument_of_Surrender&oldid=990812243, Articles needing additional references from May 2017, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The second part, articles 1–5, related to the military surrender by the German High Command of all forces on land, at sea and in the air, to the surrender of their weapons, to their evacuation from any territory outside German boundaries as they stood on 31 December 1937, and to their liability to captivity as prisoners of war. The effect of the Reims signing was limited to a consolidation of the effective ceasefire between German forces and the Western Allies. 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. The English and Russian are the only authentic texts. As 1945 commenced, the desperation felt by the Wehrmacht in the face of endless fighting to the East and West of Germany, reached high levels and resulted in some anguished decision making by the commanders responsible for running Germany’s war machine. With the war in France lost, German officials redeployed 20,000 members of the Luftwaffe into front-line infantry roles, to sure up their numbers against the allies. Commander-in-Chief of the Air Forces. 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. The Militia back-filled the main fighting forces on the German fronts and was even made up of women and children. [7] The reasons for the change are disputed but may have reflected awareness of the reservations being expressed as to the capability of the German signatories to agree the provisions of the full text or the continued uncertainty over communicating the "dismemberment clause" to the French.[6][8]. 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