Victory in Europe Day

What the day marks

Victory in Europe Day remembers the moment the Allied powers formally accepted Nazi Germany's surrender of its armed forces. The document took effect on 8 May 1945, a Tuesday, and from then German military operations stopped. The day is often shortened to VE Day in Britain. Different countries give it different names: Victory Day, Liberation Day, or Victory Over Fascism Day. What they share is a single purpose, to mark the close of the war in Europe. Fighting against Japan continued, and both Winston Churchill and Harry Truman told their publics in broadcasts that only half the victory had been won.

How the surrender came

Adolf Hitler killed himself on 30 April 1945, during the fighting for Berlin. Karl Dönitz, who succeeded him as Reichspräsident, allowed the surrender, and his short-lived administration is known as the Flensburg Government. A first act of military surrender was signed at the headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Reims, on the morning of 7 May. A revised and definitive document was signed at Karlshorst, in Berlin, on the evening of 8 May. Orders then went out to all German land, sea and air forces to stop fighting at 23:01 Central European time on 8 May.

The first celebrations

London saw the largest crowds. Over a million people filled the streets of Britain, gathering in Trafalgar Square and pressing towards Buckingham Palace. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth came out on the balcony with their daughters and the prime minister, Winston Churchill, who then went to Whitehall and spoke to another crowd. Ernest Bevin, asked to share the applause, said that the day belonged to Churchill and led the singing. Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were allowed to walk unknown among the crowds. In the United States the date was also President Truman's sixty-first birthday, and celebrations filled Times Square in New York.

Dates and countries

Most places keep 8 May. It is a public holiday in France, where it is called 8 mai 1945, and in Poland, where the official name is National Victory Day. Poland recognised 9 May from 1945 until a change made in 2015. Germany holds events in Berlin on 8 May, and the eastern German state kept it as Liberation Day from 1950 until the end of communist rule. Austria's Festival of Joy has been held each year since 2013 on Heldenplatz in Vienna. In Britain the day is not an annual public holiday, though the early May bank holiday was moved to 8 May in 1995 and again in 2020.

Why 9 May

The surrender came into force at 23:01 Central European Summer Time on 8 May. In Moscow that same moment fell at 00:01 on 9 May, so Russia and several other former Soviet states, among them most of the republics that were then part of the Soviet Union, keep Victory Day a day later. The three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, mark 8 May instead, because for them 9 May recalls the Soviet occupation that began in 1944, though Russian communities there still celebrate informally.

How Victory in Europe Day is kept

In France and Poland the date is a public holiday, with official ceremonies and wreaths. In Berlin, events on 8 May honour those in the German Resistance who fought Nazism and died. Vienna holds the Festival of Joy on Heldenplatz, organised by the Austrian Mauthausen Committee with the city and the national government. Britain marks the day with national events, though not with an annual holiday. Belgium folds its commemoration into Armistice Day on 11 November, when a truce ceremony is held in the king's presence at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Brussels. In the Baltic states 8 May is officially observed, while local Russian communities still hold 9 May gatherings.

When and where

The date is 8 May, the day the surrender took effect in 1945. Russia and several former Soviet states keep 9 May instead, because the same moment fell after midnight in Moscow time. In Britain the day is not a yearly holiday, but the early May bank holiday was shifted to 8 May for the 50th and 75th anniversaries.

It is kept above all in Europe. France, Poland and other European states treat 8 May as a public holiday, and the European Union observes 9 May as Europe Day. Commemoration is strongest in Britain, where the first crowds gathered, and in Berlin. Russia and several former Soviet states keep 9 May, while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania mark 8 May. Austria has its own annual Festival of Joy.

What Victory in Europe Day means

For the countries that keep it, the day stands for the end of a war that had lasted six years in Europe. In France, Orléans marks it alongside the lifting of the siege of 1429, when forces led by Joan of Arc raised the siege, and she is the patron saint of France. For Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania the same spring carries a second meaning, the start of Soviet rule. In Algeria, 8 May 1945 is remembered as the beginning of the Sétif and Guelma massacre, and it remains a matter of dispute between Algeria and France.

Days Victory in Europe Day is marked

Questions people ask about Victory in Europe Day

See also

Beating RetreatA military ceremony of music and drill held at sunset to mark the end of a day or a festival.Olympic torch relayThe ceremonial journey of the flame from Olympia to each host city of the Olympic GamesMarch of the LivingAn annual two-week journey to Poland ending in a silent walk from Auschwitz to BirkenauLord Mayor's ShowAn annual civic parade in London marking the inauguration of the Lord Mayor with a procession and pageantry.

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• VE Day: Berlin marks end of WW2 in Europe with unprecedented holidayBBC, Article
• May 8, 1945: Total defeat or day of liberation?Deutsche Welle, Article
• VE Day: Berlin marks end of WW2 in Europe with unprecedented holidayBBC, Article
• May 8, 1945: Total defeat or day of liberation?Deutsche Welle, Article

• Victory in Europe Day on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.