Surrender of Nazi General Wilhelm Keitel facing Soviet Marshal Zhukov (Berlin-Karlshorst May 8 1945)

Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (1882 – 1946) was German field marshal and the chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, the high command of Nazi Germany's militarys during World War II. ▷00:39 - Officers' Club of the Cadet School in Berlin-Karlshorst ▷01:11 - Georgi Zhukov, Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army and Marshal of the Soviet Union ▷01:19 - Andrei Vyshinsky, Deputy Chairman of the People's Committee ▷01:22 - Chief of the General Staff of the Air Force, General Hans-Jürgen Stumpff ▷01:30 - High Commander of the German Armed Forces, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel ▷01:33 - High Commander of the German Navy, Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg The definitive Act of Military Surrender was dated as being signed before midnight on 8 May at the seat of the Soviet Military Administration in Berlin-Karlshorst. The proposed Soviet amendments to the Reims (France) surrender text were accepted by the Western Allies; but the identification and designation of the Allied signatories was more problematic. General de Gaulle was demanding that General de Tassigny sign separately for the French High Command; but in that case it would be politically unacceptable for there to be no American signature on the definitive surrender document, while the Soviets would not agree to there being more than three Allied signatories in total – one of whom would have to be Zhukov. After repeated redrafts, all of which needed translating and retyping, it was finally agreed that both French and American signatures would be as witnesses. But the consequence was that the final versions were not ready for signing until after midnight. Consequently, the physical signing was delayed until nearly 01:00 am on 9 May, Central European Time; and then back-dated to 8 May to be consistent with the Reims agreement and the public announcements of the surrender already made by Western leaders. However, the official Soviet declaration stated that the signing took place at 22:43 CET on 8 May, meaning that the signing still took place before the German surrender took effect. Keitel initially did not want to accept the amended text, proposing that an additional grace period of 12 hours be granted to surrendering German forces, before they might be exposed to punitive action for non-compliance under article 5. In the event, he had to be satisfied with a verbal assurance from Zhukov. On the day of his execution, Keitel told prison chaplain "You have helped me more than you know. May Christ, my saviour, stand by me all the way. I shall need him so much." He then received Communion and was executed later that day. His last words were: "I call on God Almighty to have mercy on the German people. More than two million German soldiers went to their death for the fatherland before me. I follow now my sons – all for Germany." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_... Music:    • Revolution   © Visual archive footage licensed by Chronos Media