Germany

Happy 2nd Lt. William Robertson and Lt. Alexander Sylvashko, Red Army.

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Pictures of World War II, image #121

Quick Facts

Location:

World War Memorial

As you approach the final engraved battle, Germany, you are reminded that the war in Europe officially ended on May 8, 1945—a day celebrated as V-E Day, or Victory in Europe. 

By early March 1945, German resistance had begun to falter, particularly after American forces captured the Remagen Bridge across the Rhine. As the Allies pushed deeper into Germany, the intensity of the fighting diminished, and German troops surrendered in growing numbers—some out of fear, others recognizing the war’s inevitable end. 

Following Hitler’s suicide on April 30, 1945, the Battle of Berlin entered its final days. Just two days earlier, American and Soviet forces had linked up at the Elbe River, an event depicted in the bas-relief on the memorial’s Atlantic side. On May 8, 1945, Germany formally surrendered, marking the conclusion of the war in Europe.