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7 May 1945
  • German submarine U-2336 sank Canadian transport ship Avondale Port and Norwegian transport ship Sneland off the Firth of Forth, Scotland, United Kingdom; around the same time, an RAF Catalina flying boat sank German submarine U-320 off Bergen, Norway. These battles came shortly after Admiral Dönitz's order for all submarines to cease offensive activities. Many German crews began scuttling their own submarines to prevent capture. ww2dbase [AC]
  • British Eighth Army entered Austria. ww2dbase [TH]
  • General Jodl signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces to the Allies, to take effect on the following day, at Eisenhower's headquarters near Rheims, France; the Soviets witnessed the surrender at Rheims, but did not recognise the surrender until another document was signed in the Soviet-conquered territory. On the same day, German occupation forces in Norway surrendered. ww2dbase [Germany's Surrender | TH]
  • Anton Mussert was arrested. ww2dbase [Anton Mussert | CPC]
  • Nürnberg was decommissioned from service. ww2dbase [Nürnberg | CPC]
  • German President Karl Dönitz decreed that "[a]ll nominations for the bestowal of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and their higher grades which have been received by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht - staff of the Wehrmacht high command - until the capitulation becomes effective are approved, under the premise that all nominations are formally and correctly approved by the nominating authorities of the Wehrmacht, Heer including the Waffen-SS, Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe all the way to the level of the army and Heeres group leadership." ww2dbase [Karl Dönitz | CPC]
  • Oliver Leese told William Slim his intention to transfer Slim to the British 12th Army for the occupation of Burma. Deprived the command to lead the invasion into Malaya, Slim told Leese that he would rather retire. ww2dbase [William Slim | CPC]
  • USS Ray rescued 10 airmen of a downed B-29 bomber south of Kyushu, Japan. ww2dbase [Ray | CPC]
Caroline Islands
  • Submarine I-369 arrived at Woleai, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [I-369 | Woleai | CPC]
Czechoslovakia
  • German SS troops attacked Czechoslovakian resistance fighters outside of Prague, Czechoslovakia; the resistance fighters were saved by the unexpected assistance from 1st Division of Russian Liberation Army, which has previously fought on the side of the Germans. Meanwhile, in the city, German Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner ordered his troops to begin evacuating the city, while he would soon depart by plane to southern Germany himself; the plane would crash en route, but he would survive the ordeal. ww2dbase [Prague Strategic Offensive | Prague | CPC]
Hawaii Singapore
  • Kamoi took on a cargo of food at Singapore. ww2dbase [Kamoi | Singapore | CPC]
Spain United Kingdom United States Photo(s) dated 7 May 1945
A jubilant American airman hugging an English woman at Piccadilly Circus, London, England, United Kingdom, celebrating GermanyEisenhower and Tedder addressed the world over radio and motion picture shortly after the signing of the German surrender documents, Rheims, France, 7 May 1945German instrument of surrender, page 1 of 2German instrument of surrender, page 2 of 2; note signatures of Jodl, Smith, Sousloparov, and Sevez
See all photos dated 7 May 1945

7 May 1945 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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Famous WW2 Quote
"With Germany arming at breakneck speed, England lost in a pacifist dream, France corrupt and torn by dissension, America remote and indifferent... do you not tremble for your children?"

Winston Churchill, 1935


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