The guns fell silent seventy years ago today. May 8 1945 officially marked Victory Day in Europe.
A decisive Allied victory saw Germany left in ruins. Bombed out cities and a crippled industry would mean a long way to recovery for the nation that fired the first shots in the war.
Admiral Karl Doenitz signed Germany’s surrender at Reims, in north-east France, on May 7. He did likewise in Berlin the following day.
Fighting would continue for another four months in the Pacific theater of war, until Japan officially surrendered on September 2.
It is estimated that about 60 million people died during the six year war.