| Original caption: “(Top) – German officers sign unconditional surrender in Reims, France. (Bottom) – Allied force leaders at the signing.” In the top photo, left to right: Nazi German Heer Staff Officer at the Operations Directorate of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), Major Wilhelm Oxenius (September 9, 1912 – August 13, 1979) served as translator for Generaloberst Jodl; he was a Prisoner of War from May 10, 1945, to January 3, 1948. Nazi German Heer Generaloberst Alfred Jodl (May 10, 1890 – October 16, 1946) was arrested on May 23, 1945, and tried at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. Found guilty on the charges of conspiracy to commit crimes against peace; planning, initiating, and waging wars of aggression; war crimes; and crimes against humanity, Jodl was hanged at Nuremberg Prison. Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg (July 15, 1895 – May 23, 1945), Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine, was the only person present at all 3 Nazi German surrender ceremonies – Luneburg Heath on May 4, 1945, in Rheims on May 7, and in Berlin on May 8. When Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk’s Flensburg Government was dissolved, von Friedeburg committed suicide. In the bottom photo, left to right: Soviet Red Army Ivan A. Susloparov (October 19, 1897 – December 16, 1974) signed with the understanding that any Allied power could request another surrender ceremony; he later received orders not to sign, but it was too late. He signed using the French transliteration of his name. United Kingdom Lieutenant General Sir Frederick E. Morgan (February 5, 1894 – March 19, 1967), Deputy Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). Morgan had been involved in planning for the invasion of Europe since March 1943, as Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander Designate (COSSAC), and chose to stay with SHAEF. United States Army General Walter B. “Beetle” Smith (October 5, 1895 – August 9, 1961), Chief of Staff, SHAEF, negotiated the signing of the Instrument of Surrender and signed on behalf of Eisenhower. While he was known for his gruff exterior – he was Eisenhower’s “hatchet man” – he was a skilled diplomat and negotiator. United States Navy Captain Harry C. Butcher (November 1, 1901 – April 20, 1985), aide to Eisenhower. Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, United States Army General Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) made the “V of Victory” with the 2 pens that were used to sign the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. United Kingdom Royal Air Force Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder (July 11, 1890 – June 3, 1967), Deputy Supreme Commander at SHAEF, was present at Rheims and then flew to Berlin the next day to sign the Nazi German Instrument of Surrender at the Soviet ceremony in Berlin. United Kingdom Royal Navy Vice Admiral Sir Harold M. Burrough (July 4, 1889 – October 22, 1977), Naval Commander-in-Chief, Allied Expeditionary Force (ANXF), directed landing operations across the Rhine in April 1945. Captain Kay Summersby (November 23, 1908 – January 20, 1975) appears obscured behind General Smith in other photos taken simultaneously. See wwii0897.jpg. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0872.jpg |
| Image Size | 688.69 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2344 x 2910 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Franklin D. Roosevelt Library |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 7, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | France |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NLR-PHOCO-A-837(103) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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