Act of Military Surrender
5/8/1945
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The document seen here is the unconditional surrender of all German Forces to the Allied Expeditionary Force and the Supreme Allied Command of the Red Army, in which all German military operations would cease on May 8, 1945 at 2301 hours.
On May 7, 1945, General Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Army, signed the unconditional surrender of the German Third Reich at General Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims, in northeastern France.
After the signing of the Reims accord, Soviet chief of staff Gen. Alexei Antonov expressed concern that the continued fighting in the east between Germany and the Soviet Union made the Reims surrender look like a separate peace. The Soviet command wanted the Act of Military Surrender, with certain additions and alternations, to be signed at Berlin.
To the Soviets, this document signed at Berlin on May 8, 1945, represented the official, legal surrender of the Third Reich. The Berlin document had few significant changes from the one signed a day earlier at Reims.
It is signed by Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel, Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, and Generaloberst Hans-Jurgen Stumpff on behalf of the German High Command, Marshal Georgy Zhukov on behalf of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army, and Air Chief Marshal Arthur William Tedder on behalf of the Allied Expeditionary Force at Berlin, Germany.
World War II, the deadliest military conflict in history, erupted in Europe on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. For nearly six years it raged in the European Theater resulting in millions of military and civilian deaths and destroying cities, homes, and families. Finally, in the spring of 1945, Allied forces exhausted the will and fighting capacity of the German war machine. Slowly, but completely, the Nazi-led Third Reich collapsed in a series of piecemeal surrenders culminating in VE (Victory in Europe) Day on May 8, 1945.
Celebrations of Nazi Germany’s defeat in Europe were tempered, however, by the ongoing war with Japan in the Pacific. Allied victory over Japan followed just four months after VE Day, bringing World War II to an end.
On May 7, 1945, General Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Army, signed the unconditional surrender of the German Third Reich at General Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims, in northeastern France.
After the signing of the Reims accord, Soviet chief of staff Gen. Alexei Antonov expressed concern that the continued fighting in the east between Germany and the Soviet Union made the Reims surrender look like a separate peace. The Soviet command wanted the Act of Military Surrender, with certain additions and alternations, to be signed at Berlin.
To the Soviets, this document signed at Berlin on May 8, 1945, represented the official, legal surrender of the Third Reich. The Berlin document had few significant changes from the one signed a day earlier at Reims.
It is signed by Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel, Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, and Generaloberst Hans-Jurgen Stumpff on behalf of the German High Command, Marshal Georgy Zhukov on behalf of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army, and Air Chief Marshal Arthur William Tedder on behalf of the Allied Expeditionary Force at Berlin, Germany.
World War II, the deadliest military conflict in history, erupted in Europe on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. For nearly six years it raged in the European Theater resulting in millions of military and civilian deaths and destroying cities, homes, and families. Finally, in the spring of 1945, Allied forces exhausted the will and fighting capacity of the German war machine. Slowly, but completely, the Nazi-led Third Reich collapsed in a series of piecemeal surrenders culminating in VE (Victory in Europe) Day on May 8, 1945.
Celebrations of Nazi Germany’s defeat in Europe were tempered, however, by the ongoing war with Japan in the Pacific. Allied victory over Japan followed just four months after VE Day, bringing World War II to an end.
Transcript
ACT OF MILITARY SURRENDER
1. We the undersigned, acting by authority of the German High Command, hereby surrender unconditionally to the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force and simultaneously to the Supreme High Command of the Red Army all forces on land, at sea, and in the air who are at this date under German control.2. The German High Command will at once issue orders to all German military, naval and air authorities and to all forces under German control to cease active operations at 2301 hours Central European time on 8th May 1945, to remain in the positions occupied at that time and to disarm completely, handing over their weapons and equipment to the local allied commanders or officers designated by Representatives of the Allied Supreme Commands. No ship, vessel, or aircraft is to be scuttled, or any damage done to their hull, machinery or equipment, and also to machines of all kinds, armament, apparatus, and all the technical means of prosecution of war in general.
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3. The German High Command will at once issue to the appropriate commanders, and ensure the carrying out of any further orders issued by the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force and by the Supreme High Command of the Red Army.
4. This act of military surrender is without prejudice to, and will be superseded by any general instrument of surrender imposed by, or on behalf of the United Nations and applicable to GERMANY and the German armed forces as a whole.
5. In the event of the German High Command or any of the forces under their control failing to act in accordance with this Act of Surrender, the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force and the Supreme High Command of the Red Army will take such punitive or other action as they deem appropriate.
On behalf of the German High Command
IN THE PRESENCE OF:
4. This act of military surrender is without prejudice to, and will be superseded by any general instrument of surrender imposed by, or on behalf of the United Nations and applicable to GERMANY and the German armed forces as a whole.
5. In the event of the German High Command or any of the forces under their control failing to act in accordance with this Act of Surrender, the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force and the Supreme High Command of the Red Army will take such punitive or other action as they deem appropriate.
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6. This Act is drawn up in the English, Russian and German languages. The English and Russian are the only authentic texts.
Signed at Berlin on the 8. day of May, 1945
v Friedeburg
Keitel
Stumpff
Signed at Berlin on the 8. day of May, 1945
v Friedeburg
Keitel
Stumpff
On behalf of the German High Command
IN THE PRESENCE OF:
A W Tedder
On behalf of the
On behalf of the
Supreme Commander
Allied Expeditionary Force
Allied Expeditionary Force
On behalf of the
Supreme High Command of the
Red Army
At the signing also were present as witnesses:
J.de Lattre de Tassigny
General Commanding in Chief
First French Army
Carl Spaatz
General, Commanding
General Commanding in Chief
First French Army
Carl Spaatz
General, Commanding
United States Strategic Air Forces
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
National Archives Identifier: 6943512
Full Citation: Act of Military Surrender; 5/8/1945; Instruments of German Surrender, 5/4/1945 - 5/10/1945; Records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Record Group 218; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/act-of-military-surrender, June 17, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
