VE Day
War's end, Europe
VE Day—Victory in Europe Day—marks the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, celebrated on May 8, 1945.
The date commemorates Germany's unconditional surrender, ending the war in Europe.
VE Day remains an annual observance in many countries: The streets filled with crowds on VE Day.
WWII's victorious coalition
- AxisWartime fascist alliance
- ChurchillManitoba's northern port
- RooseveltFamous presidential surname
- StalinSoviet autocrat, mid-century
Truman · de Gaulle · Hitler · Mussolini · Third Reich · Normandy · Battle of Britain · Luftwaffe
Outdoor communal neighborhood celebrations
- dancingRhythmic bodily motion
- jubilationIntense, expressive happiness
- fireworksExplosive light displays
- buntingFestive decorative fabric
parades · flags · crowds · rejoicing · festivities · public holiday · concerts · speeches
Resounding, celebrated victory
- Allied victorySuccessful end for partners
- surrenderCease resistance, yield
- capitulationComplete yielding to demands
- V signTwo-finger salute
German surrender · Reims · Berlin · proclamation · newsreels · headlines · church services · thanksgiving
Termination of armed conflict
- reliefEasing of distress
- hopeDesire for good outcomes
- rebuildingConstructing anew after destruction
- postwarAfter hostilities end
reconstruction · return home · demobilization · new beginning · survivors · reunion · homecoming · war brides
Act of holding something in mind
- memorialThing preserving remembrance
- tributeOffering of respect
- veteransFormer armed forces members
- wreath-layingPlacing memorial garland
two-minute silence · ceremony · anniversary · war dead · sacrifice · heroes · monument · valor
Allies
WWII's victorious coalition
Stalin · Truman · de Gaulle · Hitler · Mussolini · Third Reich · Normandy · Battle of Britain · Luftwaffe · Holocaust
street parties
Outdoor communal neighborhood celebrations
- dancingRhythmic bodily motion
- jubilationIntense, expressive happiness
- fireworksExplosive light displays
bunting · parades · flags · crowds · rejoicing · festivities · public holiday · concerts · speeches · toast
triumph
Resounding, celebrated victory
- Allied victorySuccessful end for partners
- surrenderCease resistance, yield
- capitulationComplete yielding to demands
V sign · German surrender · Reims · Berlin · proclamation · newsreels · headlines · church services · thanksgiving · war's end
war's end
Termination of armed conflict
- reliefEasing of distress
- hopeDesire for good outcomes
- rebuildingConstructing anew after destruction
postwar · reconstruction · return home · demobilization · new beginning · survivors · reunion · homecoming · war brides · displaced persons
remembrance
Act of holding something in mind
wreath-laying · two-minute silence · ceremony · anniversary · war dead · sacrifice · heroes · monument · valor · gratitude
- holidaysChristmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, New Year
- 1940sWWII, Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Hitler
- 20th Century HistoryWorld War I, WWI, Great Depression, Russian Revolution, Bolshevik Revolution
- WWIIPearl Harbor, Normandy, Hiroshima, Holocaust, atomic bomb
- British occasionsGood Friday, Easter Monday, Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes Night, Shrove Tuesday
- observancesholidays, holy days, commemorations, anniversaries, national holidays
VE DayVJ Day
Pacific conflict's conclusion date
V-J Day · Japanese surrender · 1945 · Hiroshima · Nagasaki
VE Dayinvasion of Poland
1939 military incursion eastward
1939 · declaration of war · D-Day · Pearl Harbor · 1941