Victory ’45

James Holland and Al Murray examine the end of the Second World War through eight separate capitulations rather than a single victory date. The sequence begins with German forces in Italy and proceeds through Hitler’s death, the surrender of forces across Europe and the political and military crisis that continued in Asia after Germany had fallen.

The final Japanese surrender is placed alongside the atomic bombings, Soviet entry into the war and an attempted coup by officers determined to continue fighting. Personal accounts from soldiers, civilians, survivors and interpreters show that the end of organised war did not immediately end killing, captivity or uncertainty. Victory emerges as a prolonged negotiated process.