The German Surrender
May 8, 1945
C056077
Only this text in English is
authoritative
ACT OF MILITARY SURRENDER
1. We the undersigned, acting by authority of the
German High Command, hereby surrender unconditionally to the Supreme Commander,
Allied Expeditionary Force and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command all
forces on land, sea, and in the air who are at this date under German
control.
2. The German High Command will at once issue
orders to all German military, naval and air authorities and to all forces under
German control to cease active operations at 2301 hours Central European time on
8 May and to remain in the positions occupied at that time. No ship, vessel, or
aircraft is to be scuttled, or any damage done to their hull, machinery or
equipment.
3. The German High Command will at once issue to
the appropriate commanders, and ensure the carrying out of any further orders
issued by the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force and by the Soviet
High Command.
4. This act of military surrender is without
prejudice to, and will be superseded by any general instrument of surrender
imposed by, or on behalf of the United Nations and applicable to GERMANY
and the German armed forces as a whole.
C056078
5. In the event of the German High Command or any
of the forces under their control failing to act in accordance with this Act of
Surrender, the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force and the Soviet High
Command will take such punitive or other action as they deem
appropriate.
Signed at Rheims at 0241 on the 7th day of May,
1945. France
On behalf of the German High Command.
Jodl
IN THE PRESENCE OF
On behalf of the Supreme Commander.
Allied Expeditionary Force.
W. B. Smith
F Sevez
Major General, French Army
(Witness)
On behalf of the Soviet High Command.
Sousloparov.
The Japanese Surrender
September 2, 1945
INSTRUMENT OF SURRENDER
WE, acting by command of and in behalf of the
Emperor of Japan, the Japanese Government and the Japanese Imperial General
Headquarters, hereby accept the provisions set forth in the declaration issued
by the heads of the Governments of the United States, China and Great Britain on
26 July 1945, at Potsdam, and subsequently adhered to by the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, which four powers are hereafter referred to as the Allied
Powers.
We hereby proclaim the unconditional surrender to
the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and of all
Japanese armed forces and all armed forces under Japanese control wherever
situated.
We hereby command all Japanese forces wherever
situated and the Japanese people to cease hostilities forthwith, to preserve and
save from damage all ships, aircraft, and military and civil property and to
comply with all requirements which may be imposed by the Supreme Commander for
the Allied Powers or by agencies of the Japanese Government at his
direction.
We hereby command the Japanese Imperial General
Headquarters to issue at once orders to the Commanders of all Japanese forces
and all forces under Japanese control wherever situated to surrender
unconditionally themselves and all forces under their control.
We hereby command all civil, military and naval
officials to obey and enforce all proclamations, orders and directives deemed by
the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers to be proper to effectuate this
surrender and issued by him or under his authority and we direct all such
officials to remain at their posts and to continue to perform their noncombatant
duties unless specifically relieved by him or under his authority.
We hereby undertake for the Emperor, the Japanese
Government and their successors to carry out the provisions of the Potsdam
Declaration in good faith, and to issue whatever orders and take whatever action
may be required by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers or by any other
designated representative of the Allied Powers for the purpose of giving effect
to that Declaration.
We hereby command the Japanese Imperial Government
and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters at once to liberate all allied
prisoners of war and civilian internees now under Japanese control and to
provide for their protection, care, maintenance and immediate transportation to
places as directed.
The authority of the Emperor and the Japanese
Government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander for the
Allied Powers who will take such steps as he deems proper to effectuate these
terms of surrender.
Signed at TOKYO BAY, JAPAN at 0904, on the
SECOND day of SEPTEMBER, 1945.
Mamoru Shigemitsu
By Command and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan
and the Japanese Government.
Yoshijiro Umezu
By Command and in behalf of the
Japanese
Imperial General Headquarters.
Accepted at TOKYO BAY, JAPAN, at 0908 I on the
SECOND day of SEPTEMBER, 1945, for the United States, Republic of China, United
Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and in the interests of the
other United Nations at war with Japan.
Douglas MacArthur
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.
C. W. Nimitz
United States Representative
Hsu Yang-Chiang
Republic of China Representative
Bruce Fraser
United Kingdom Representative
Kazma Direvyanko
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Representative
T A Blarney
Commonwealth of Australia
Representative
L. Moore Cosgrave
Dominion of Canada Representative
Le Clerc
Provisional Government of the French Republic Representative
C. F. L. Helfrich
Kingdom of the Netherlands Representative
Leooard M Isitt
Dominion of New Zealand Representative