The famous image of a Soviet flag hoisted over the Reichstag

Stunning archive photographs from VE Day show crowds gathering, people celebrating in the streets and Union Jacks victoriously waving as Britain rejoicedVE Day was declared a national holiday of such significance that Winston Churchill himself gained specific assurances from the Ministry of Food that there would be more than enough beer supplies to keep the British public sufficiently merry throughout the day and nightPrime Minister Churchill led celebrations which were welcomed but not exactly unexpected; victoryLondon was at the centre of the raucous revelry, with tStreet parties became synonymous with celebrating the end of the war, with the Board of Trade generously allowing people to buy red, white and blue bunting and other supplies without having to use their ration couponsA heavy night of partying marked Victory in Europe, with the jubilation long overdue after some six years of war rocked every single person's way of lifeFor more insights into just what VE Day was like, you can download our exclusive 150-page digital magazine, VE DAY 75 - Peace at Last, for just £4.99 - VE Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square London 1945 at the end of WW2 in EuropeFriday 8th of May marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the Allied Victory in Europe. Occupying Soviet troops gave out bread and essentials, but Berlin was occupied by the victorious Allied powers after the war. These are external links and will open in a new window The Nazis used old men and children to defend their capital - here Adolf Hitler awards medals to boy soldiers In total about 1.5 million Soviet troops encircled and assaulted the capital of Nazi Germany Explore {{searchView.params.phrase}} by color family {{familyColorButtonText(colorFamily.name)}}


See ve day stock video clips. - World War Two had cost the lives of millions and millions of people and not only destroyed homes and families, but entire cities and communitiesThe wild VE Day celebrations seen across the country at the end of the Second World War were almost an expression of relief more than anything elseHere we see what VE Day pivoted around - the signing of the surrender document - a process overseen had been coming and folk in Britain and on the continent were on standby to celebrate the war's impending endHere's King George VI waving to the crowd from a balcony at Buckingham Palace during the nationwide celebrations, flanked by Princess Elizabeth (latterly The Queen), Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother) and Princess MargaretWhile the end of the Second World War was a momentous occasion, the lives of almost half a million Britons had been lost in the six years during which the war had raged - many a glass was raised to those who had died on May 8th 1945he nation's capital, as you might expect, seeing the biggest congregation of people wanting to celebrate Germany's surrenderThe nation's capital, as you might expect, saw the biggest congregation of people wanting to celebrate Germany's surrender; St. Paul’s Cathedral held ten consecutive services, each of which was attended by thousands of peopleEnormous crowds gathered in and around Buckingham Palace during the VE Day celebrations as Londoners cheered, danced, drunk and saluted goodbye to the looming spectre of Nazi threat

Queen Elizabeth II speaking to the nation to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day at the end of the Second World War Yet while celebrations of 'Victory in Europe Day' (or 'VE Day' for short) are set to be decidedly muted this year for obvious reasons, we can all still come together to remember the acceptance of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender and the Allies' victory.
Let's do so here with some incredible images that really bring to life the special moment that World War Two finally ended in Europe…After some six years of fighting, genocide and horror, Nazi Germany finally surrendered to the allied forces on the 8th of May 1945, signalling an end to the war - at least in Europe, anyway"It's over in Europe!"