38 Photos Capturing the Day World War II Ended

On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allied Forces, ending World War II in the West. The next day, parades marched, kisses flew, beer flowed, and the globe erupted in celebration. Though the Pacific theater continued to rage until August, the Third Reich's collapse was enough of a reason to take a deep breath and dance in the streets. Here, a glimpse into this pivotal 20th century moment, photos snapped on the first "Victory in Europe Day."

While stationed in London, England an American solider sits down to read the day's paper headlined, "Germany Surrenders."

No flag went unwaved on V-E Day in London's Piccadilly.

Servicemen and citizens rejoice by way of riding a truck through the streets of London.

Thousands gather in London's Trafalgar Square to celebrate the end of Britain's involvement in World War II.

Crowds filled with both servicemen and civilians celebrate the defeat by marching down the Champs Élysées waving banners and flags.

Mrs. Pat Burgess of Palmers Green, North London striking a legendary "we won!" pose.

Winston Churchill making his V-E Day broadcast. "God bless you all," he sad. "This is your victory! It is the victory of the cause of freedom in every land. In all our long history we have never seen a greater day than this. Everyone, man or woman, has done their best. Everyone has tried. Neither the long years, nor the dangers, nor the fierce attacks of the enemy, have in any way weakened the independent resolve of the British nation. God bless you all."

A van passing through Piccadilly Circus. The statue of Eros, protected during the war by billboard advertisements, can be seen in the background. See, not all ads are bad.

A group of policeman struggle to keep the boisterous crowds back, as a mass of people ascend on Parliament Square in London.

A group of women dress in outfits representing the allied countries—the United States, France, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union—for a V-E Day celebration.

Members of the Women's Royal Army Corps wave the Union Jack flag as they drive their service jeep through the streets of London.

Residents in South London get creative with the table arrangement for their V-E Day celebration.

A group of overjoyed Londoners hold up peace signs while celebrating in the streets.

A victory street party takes place near Clapham Common, London.

The flags of Russia, France, China, Great Britain, and the United States are hoisted inside Paris' famous Arc de Triomphe following the surrender announcement.

British soldiers celebrate their victory—and the fact that they'll be returning home soon—by waving a British flag in the streets of Paris.

Thousands gather on the Champs-Élysées avenue, in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

Patients at Horley Military Hospital, all severely wounded in France and Italy, celebrate V-E Day with nursing staff.

Princess Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill, King George VI, and Princess Margaret wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

A Home Guard soldier waits outside Buckingham Palace for a medals presentation.

The day after V-E Day, Princess Elizabeth, who worked as a mechanic during the war, greets crowds as she tours London's West End.

Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of Defense for Germany, signs the surrender terms for the German Army in Berlin. Keitel was tried in the Allied court at Nuremberg, sentenced to death, and hanged as a war criminal. His reported last words: "I call on God Almighty to have mercy on the German people. More than two million German soldiers went to their death for the fatherland before me. I follow now my sons—all for Germany."

The sound of the bugle announced the cease-fire by the general surrender of German troops and their European allies on the western front. Taken at the border between Germany and Czechoslovakia.

Officers of the 83rd Infantry Division of the US Army welcoming Russia's Red Army in Hohenlepte, Germany. Soldier Tony Vaccaro snapped this photo, along with 7,000 others, during his time in the 83rd infantry.

In Washington D.C., President Harry Truman reads the Victory Proclamation to the press corps, officially announcing the end of the war in Europe. "The Allied armies, through sacrifice and devotion and with God's help, have wrung from Germany a final and unconditional surrender," he said. "The Western world has been freed of the evil forces which for five years and longer have imprisoned the bodies and broken the lives of millions upon millions of free-born men. They have violated their churches, destroyed their homes, corrupted their children, and murdered their loved ones. Our Armies of Liberation have restored freedom to these suffering peoples, whose spirit and will the oppressors could never enslave."

A publication at a newsstand in America announces the German surrender.

A couple kisses in Times Square as they partake in V-E Day celebrations.

Children celebrate the victory of World War II in Baltimore, Maryland on May 8, 1945.

A family gathers around the wireless to listen to the celebration from afar.

Officers aboard the Tank Landing Ship HMS LST 538 cheer and celebrate as signal flags are hoisted upon word from Delhi announcing the end of hostilities in Europe, off Ramree Island, Burma.

English soldiers and citizens, young and old, celebrate Germany's unconditional surrender in Piccadilly Circus, London.

In the streets of London, a crowd of joyous Brits wave flags around a bonfire built of material from bomb-wrecked homes.

St Paul's Cathedral illuminated on the night of V-E Day.

A soldier and his companion steer away from V-E Day hoopla to gaze upon the Statue of Liberty. V-E Day marked the first time the Green Goddess was illuminated, except for a brief period on D-Day, since the Pearl Harbor attack.

A sailor dances with a laughing women in Times Square as a brass band strikes up a tune on the hood of a car.

V-E Day was loud, if that wasn't apparent.

Soldiers, so exhausted from the V-E Day celebrations, collapsed across a London park.

A sanitation worker sweeps up a confetti-covered Times Square.