May 8, 1945, is commonly known as V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, marking Germany’s surrender in Europe.
The surrender ended Nazi Germany’s organized military operations in the European theater of World War II. Germany’s first surrender document was signed at Reims, France, on May 7, but a definitive version was signed in Berlin on May 8. The agreement took effect late that evening, after the Allies had accepted Germany’s unconditional capitulation.
V-E Day followed the collapse of Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30 during the Battle of Berlin, and his successor, Karl Dönitz, authorized the surrender. Huge crowds gathered in London, New York, and other Allied cities, although the war against Japan continued in the Pacific.
The date can appear as May 9 in Russia and some former Soviet states because the surrender took effect after midnight Moscow time. V-E Day is therefore distinct from V-J Day, which commemorates Japan’s surrender. D-Day refers to the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, and Armistice Day is associated with the 1918 end of World War I.