Victory '45

The End of the War in Eight Surrenders

By: James Holland, Al Murray

Narrated by: Al Murray

On the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, two acclaimed historians chronicle the remarkable stories behind the surrenders that ended the world’s most catastrophic global conflict.

In May 1945 and then again in August and early September, the seemingly endless World War II finally came to a close in eight dramatic surrender ceremonies, six in Europe and the last two in Japan. On the 80th anniversary of those historic moments, celebrated historians James Holland and Al Murray chronicle these momentous events in turn, focusing especially on the human dramas behind each surrender and relating stories and perspectives on the end of the war that have not previously been told.

Germany’s armies submitted to the Allies in six ceremonies between May 2 and June 7, the latter after considerable delays by the Germans and threats from General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander. Japan then finally conceded only after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, initially on August 15th and then in a formal ceremony aboard the USS Missouri on September 2. Holland and Murray focus on specific characters participating in each of these world-changing events—from ordinary servicemen and women and civilians to generals and political leaders. The saga of the first German surrender, in Italy, revolves around senior SS general Karl Wolff’s personal battle to save his own neck and involves VIP prisoners locked up in a resort in South Tyrol, art theft, money laundering, and the resistance of other German commanders to give up. The German surrender to the Americans on May 5 follows the fortunes of private Alan Moskin from New Jersey, whose 6th Infantry Regiment found themselves liberating Gunskirchen, one of Mauthausen’s sub-concentration camps, the terrible reality of which affected the rest of his life.

The stories surrounding the war’s end are in their own way as dramatic as the strategy and battles themselves. As Holland and Murray make clear, they add greatly to our understanding and appreciation of World War II and its legacy.

a uniquely helpful take

the book offers a unique way to look at the surrender of the belligerence in world war II. I found it engrossing and helpful. the narration was spectacular. highly recommended for any world war II buff.

Very interesting

I have read a great deal about World War II as it is the war of my father's generation and I have always been interesting in the background and people involved. I thought I knew about the various surrenders on both the European and Pacific theaters of the war but this book showed me that there was a lot I did not know, some of it extraordinarily interesting. The background of the Nazi military and political leaders trying to find some way to arrange surrenders in order to say their own skins was fascinating.

The narration was very good and I feel that this was more than just a worthwhile addition to my knowledge of the war. I would recommend this to anyone who is knowledgeable about the war because the information may be of less interest to those unfamiliar with both the people and events described.

A Good Overview

The details of the different surrenders of WWII were interesting, not something you read much about. It was good to hear the nuances of the events.