allonlinenovel Chapter 340 Unconditional Surrender
Chapter 340 Unconditional Surrender
On June 6, after two weeks of brutal urban fighting, the Allies and Soviet forces advanced into the heart of Berlin from multiple directions. Negotiations for German surrender, led by Göring, with the Allies, failed to yield the desired results. Pressured by the Allies and the Soviet Union, the Allies insisted on Germany's unconditional surrender, simultaneously to all Allied forces. Göring was subsequently detained by the Allies. Because of the Luftwaffe's bombing of Britain, he was designated a Class I war criminal, and the British Allied high command would not allow him to escape. Jodl, in a personal meeting with Zhukov, was harshly reprimanded and forced to retreat to his bunker in dismay. The hopes of the German high command were dashed, and in despair, their resistance intensified.
To the east, the Nazi army, primarily composed of SS troops, knew they had no chance of survival. Their resistance was unpredictable, and every Soviet advance came at a heavy price until all resistance was annihilated. To the northwest, the Wehrmacht and its fanatical elements also fiercely resisted the British, many fighting for their last bit of military honor. This made progress extremely difficult for the British, and for two weeks, along the Bickenwijk front, it seemed as if they were making no progress at all.
The American and German troops, originally furthest from Berlin, quickly gained the upper hand, reaching the city center from over 100 kilometers away. This was due to the Chinese and American gracious acceptance of the Wehrmacht's dignified surrender. With the SS, SA, and even the pro-Nazi National Guard deployed to the Eastern Front, the Chinese and American forces faced little resistance, and the German troops surrendered en masse, allowing them to advance into the heart of Berlin.
Following Keitel's instructions, Jodl returned to Allied High Command and again offered unconditional surrender. Seeing that the Chinese and American forces were nearing the city center, the British, fearing they would capture Berlin first, also agreed to Jodl's request. At 6:18 PM on June 3, after negotiations, Jodl, on behalf of the Third Reich, signed an unconditional surrender agreement with the Chinese, American, and Soviet Allies.
Zhukov, by then instructed by the Soviet leadership to assume overall command of the Soviet Army in the Battle of Berlin, witnessed the Germans desperately resisting the Soviets while allowing the Chinese and American forces to advance into the city center. He rushed to Allied High Command in Potsdam and strongly protested the Allies' unilateral acceptance of Germany's unconditional surrender, believing it to be inconsistent with the Allied Treaty. Finally, at Zhukov's insistence, Jodl was forced to return to Potsdam and re-sign an agreement of unconditional surrender to all Allied forces, including China, the USSR, and the UK. The Allies ultimately agreed that the previous surrender agreement was merely a dry run and decided to sign a formal surrender agreement. The Allies, as a gentleman, handed the responsibility for the surrender agreement to the Soviets, with Zhukov presiding. Privately, they said, "We have already accepted Germany's surrender; there is no need to accept another surrender just for the sake of formality."
In order to show the solemnity, the Allies chose June 6th. At 20 p.m., representatives of all Allied forces took their seats one after another. They were: Marshal Zhukov and General Vyshinsky of the Soviet Red Army; Marshal Arthur Tedder, commander of the British Royal Air Force; General Carl Spaatz, commander of the Strategic Air Force of the United States; General Peng, first-class general of the Florist Army, and General Tasigny, commander-in-chief of the French Army.
At 2:15 a.m., German representatives—Field Marshal Keitel of the German High Command, Admiral Friedeburg, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, and Admiral Stumpf, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe—slowly entered the conference room. At Zhukov's insistence, Jodl, due to his participation in the signing of the "dry surrender agreement," was barred from the formal surrender agreement. Furthermore, this was the German High Command's unconditional surrender to the Allies, and the surrender agreement should have been signed in person by the commander of the German High Command. Therefore, Keitel had no choice but to attend in person, accepting this humiliating moment.
It was a historic day, and the office was decorated with extraordinary solemnity. Several national flags adorned the walls, adding a touch of formality to the solemn occasion. A long table sat in the center of the room, laid out with documents and pens prepared for the signing ceremony. A row of chairs sat to one side, reserved for reporters and photographers observing the ceremony. Despite the simple decor, every detail betrayed the fact that this was a moment of global interest.
When Field Marshal Keitel entered the room, he held the German Field Marshal's baton, a richly decorated symbol of military honor and power. Its tip, inlaid with an intricate emblem, gleamed in the light. Keitel's uniform was immaculate, his decorations gleaming, but his gesture stood in stark contrast to this outward splendor. He raised the baton high above his head and saluted the Allied representatives. The gesture was both calculated and exaggerated, clearly intentional.
The Allied representatives sat on the other side of the long table, their expressions calm and solemn. As they witnessed Keitel's action, their faces remained expressionless, but the atmosphere froze. In such a ceremonial and significant occasion, Keitel's behavior seemed particularly abrupt, forming a sharp contrast with the solemn atmosphere surrounding him.
Zhukov was very dissatisfied with Keitel's appearance as a defeated party. When Keitel was about to take the document handed to him by his adjutant and sign it according to the ceremonial procedure, Zhukov shouted: "Let the German representative come to the table and sign!"
Keitel had no choice but to stand up slowly and walk forward heavily to the opposite side of Zhukov. His movements seemed a little clumsy. He stretched out his hand, took off a glove, picked up a pen, and signed the surrender document.
As Keitel signed the document, removed his monocle, and began to deliver a formal speech to mark the occasion, Zhukov interrupted him again and announced that all Allied representatives present were free to leave, as the document had officially come into force. Military police then immediately arrested the German troops who had signed the agreement as war criminals.
After Germany surrendered, Eisenhower sent the following message to all Allied forces:
The hundreds of miles of route you've traveled are lined with the graves of former comrades. Each fallen soldier died as a member of your band, united by a shared love of freedom and a refusal to submit to slavery. Our common problems of the near and distant future can best be solved through cooperation and a shared commitment to the cause of human freedom, making this expedition a powerful engine of righteous destruction.
Let us not engage in the fruitless quarrels that others inevitably engage in, about which nation, which service, won the war. Every man and every woman of every nation represented here contributed to the outcome. We will remember that—and in doing so, we will honor every honored grave and offer comfort to the loved ones of those comrades who will not live to see this day.