German Surrender
German Surrender
With the death of Adolph Hitler on April 30, 1945, Germany had no other recourse but to surrender, which took place on May 7. Four countries assumed administrative control of Germany: United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France. The country was split with the west and West Berlin administered by the United States, United Kingdom, and France. The east and East Berlin was administered by the Soviet Union. Tensions between the divisions were made worse during the Cold War and the Berlin Airlift. In 1949, both powers replaced the military governors with civilian leadership. The military occupations ended in the mid-1950s, though the Berlin Wall did not fall until the October of 1990.
Image: USA-C-2337: Surrender of Germany, May 7, 1945. Senior Allied delegates celebrate at Reims, France. Official U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
