ZHUKOV E KEITEL FRENTE A FRENTE EM BERLIM - Viagem na História

THE MANY GERMAN SURRENDERS IN WORLD WAR II On May 7, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies in Reims, France, ending World War II and the Third Reich. Or did it happen on May 9 in Berlin? This is a major controversy even today in World War II and military history. Both are true. Due to conflicting ideologies, disputes between the Soviet Union and its allies, and the legacy of World War I, Germany actually surrendered twice. All of this is surrounded by unknown facts for many, even in the military world. History books (from the West) mark May 8, 1945, as the day of Germany's surrender, ending World War II. However, behind this fact lies another story: the dispute between the Allies – on one side the U.S., France, and the United Kingdom, and on the other the Soviet Union – over who would obtain the official surrender of Germany. In the French city of Reims, German General Alfred Jodl signed the ceasefire that would take effect at 11:01 PM on May 8. The document that formalized the surrender was replicated in four languages: German, English, French, and Russian, and sent for approval to the Allies' war rooms in London, Paris, and Moscow. Stalin was furious. He wanted a larger share of the credit for ending the war. After all, it was the Russians who entered Berlin first. Only the Soviet Union had defeated 92 German divisions, while the other allies had only defeated 6. According to him, only the USSR had fought decisive battles. The Soviet leader claimed that Alfred Jodl did not have the authority to sign the surrender and that the location of the signing should be Berlin, the capital of the Third Reich. He prohibited the surrender from Reims from being reported by the Soviet press. He demanded a new surrender, which took place on May 9 in Berlin, with the signing by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, supreme commander of all German forces. To this day, Russians celebrate May 9 as Victory Day. However, in the rest of the world, Victory Day in Europe is celebrated on May 8. On our tour of Germany in our historical tourism, Viagem na História had the opportunity to visit Karlshorst, an old dining hall of a pioneer school that ended up under Soviet control in April 1945. This site served as the headquarters of the Soviet Military Administration until 1949 and was where the Final Surrender of Germany was signed by German Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel in May 1945. Watch in this video the entire history of the German surrender and our visit to the site today.