The German Instrument of Surrender (German: Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht) was the legal instrument that established the armistice ending World War II in Europe. It was signed by representatives of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) and the Allied Expeditionary Force together with the Soviet High Command, French representative signing as witness on 7 May, and signed again by representatives of the three armed services of the OKW and the Allied Expeditionary Force together with the Supreme High Command of the Red Army, French and US representatives signing as witnesses (see: Allies of World War II) on 8 May 1945.The date is known in the West as Victory in Europe Day, whereas in post-Soviet states the Victory Day is celebrated on 9 May, since it was signed after midnight Moscow time. In Germany, it is known as the Day of Capitulation (Tag der Kapitulation).
There were three language versions of the surrender document. The English and Russian versions were the only authoritative ones.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "German Instrument of Surrender"
