VE DAY AT 75: Luke Rix-Standing talks to historian James Holland about the mixed emotions that followed the end of the war
AT 3PM on May 8, 1945, Winston Churchill sat in front of a microphone in 10 Downing Street, and declared in typically gruff tones that the war against Nazi Germany had been won.
Cheering crowds packed Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly and Pall Mall in London, dancing spontaneously in the roads and frolicking in the fountains. Among the revellers were Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth, allowed to wander incognito amid the throng despite the protestations of the Queen.
In the US, President Truman gave a similar address from the Oval Office, as party-goers flooded Times Square. “This is a solemn but glorious hour,” he intoned. “The flags of freedom fly all over Europe.”
The public narrative was simple: Germany had surrendered, and May 8 would be Victory in Europe Day forever more. But behind closed doors, the announcement was the result of political jockeying between three of the world’s premier powers.
A group of German generals had actually delivered the official surrender at the allied headquarters in Reims, Northern France, during the early hours of May 7.
The difficulty was when and how to disclose it.
“The Russians wanted their own surrender,” said historian and author James Holland, “and in the interests of post-war fraternity, Truman felt their wishes should be honoured.
“Churchill thought this was ridiculous and they should announce the news immediately, and the to and fro went back and forth all day.”
Neither premier got their wish. The Germans leaked the story to an American journalist in Berlin, who promptly spilled the beans.
Back on the streets, the conga lines continued unabat-ed, and it was just as well that London’s pubs had run out of ale by early evening. American, British and Soviet flags were sold and waved, but for many the celebrations caused mixed emotions.
“I remember talking to a friend,” recalls Holland, “whose fiance had been shot down over the Balkans, and she wept for the entire day. I spoke to another lady from Bologna whose whole community had been massacred, so I asked whether she was relieved when the war ended. She said: ‘No, I spent the day in floods of tears. If it could end, why did it have to start?’”
In some places, it hadn’t ended. Truman and Churchill emphasised that the job was only half-done, and it took three more months and, devastatingly, two atomic bombs before Japan surrendered.
l Normandy ‘44 by James Holland, published by Bantam Press, £9.99, is available now. His upcoming book, Sicily ‘43, priced £25 (hardback) is due to be published on September 3, available to pre-order now.