Day 7 - May 3rd 1945
Part 14 - Day 7 – May 3rd, 1945:
Soon after dawn, Doenitz told the German delegation to accept the unconditional surrender terms and the treaty of surrender was signed at 10am with a Swedish liaison officer present and broadcast live to the United Kingdom.
The surrender, to both the western allies and Sweden, covered all German land, sea and air forces in north-western Germany, Holland, Denmark and Norway
Communicating the surrender through the almost destroyed German military communications network was the next challenge.
The German delegation returned to Murvik – the British had occupied both Rendsburg and Schleswig by this time but had not reached Flensburg though some spearheads had crossed the Danish frontier further west.
Doenitz and his fledgling Government were determined to continue resisting the Russians but the situation in northern and north-western Europe had deteriorated to such an extent most resistance had ended.
In Holland, Blaskowitz still commanded a sizeable force behind the flooded Grebbe defence line outside Amsterdam – the airborne drops of food to the civilian population, which had started the previous week, were continuing – but neither side relished the prospect of a protracted urban battle in difficult conditions. Once it was clear Doenitz intended to surrender the whole front facing the western allies, Blaskowitz was keen to include his command and would surrender separately to Charles Ffoulkes and the Canadians at Wageningen later that day.
In Denmark, the day dawned with continued skirmishes between Danish Resistance and SS fighters in some of the major towns and cities. Wehrmacht forces had, in Copenhagen and Odense, joined with the Resistance while in Jutland, British advance spearheads had crossed the border near Tonder and had reached Esbjerg where a detachment of the Kriegsmarine had capitulated unconditionally. Most other towns and cities were effectively under Resistance control with crowds openly defying curfew and waving the Danish flag.
Lindemann wanted the surrender to proceed swiftly, and the British had initially asked the Swedes to send a force into Copenhagen, but Stockholm was reluctant for historical and diplomatic reasons to send Swedish forces so instead a force made up of Danish soldiers, sailors, and airmen, who, like the Norwegians, had escaped from German occupation, was assigned the mission. The Danish military delegation arrived by boat at noon and were conveyed direct to Lindemann’s headquarters.
In scenes which would be the stuff of legend and not some little embellishment, the Danish Resistance also demanded to be part of the surrender process. In a moment of inspiration, it was proposed Lindemann surrender, not to the British, but to King Christian X. After some frantic preparation, at 3pm, Lindemann and his staff arrived at the Amalienborg Palace and in the State room signed the capitulation in front of the Danish King and a group from the Danish Resistance as well as liaison officers representing the exiled Danish forces.
The occasion was of course filmed and would be made into a highly successful movie in the 1960s. The absence of Swedish forces ironically did much for Danish-Swedish relations while for the Danes themselves, the humiliations of 1864 and 1940 were erased in an instant.
The outpouring of national joy was profound, and the Danes emerged from the occupation and liberation with a new sense of national pride.
While all this was going on, events were moving fast in Norway – Swedish forces had advanced with no resistance during the morning but had held positions since news of the capitulation.
Just after 5pm, General Franz Boehme and his staff met a Swedish delegation in Bergen and formally surrendered his command to the Swedes and the western allies. There were concerns Germans in the far north would continue fighting the Russians, but the Norwegians and Swedes had strong forces in Troms and Nordeland and the German and Russian forces were far apart.
The full ceasefire in Norway came into effect at 7pm – Swedish and Milorg forces moved quickly to disarm the remaining German troops. One thoughtful Swedish commander recommended sending a force to Lofoten and to Svalbard to take the surrender of German forces operating observation and weather stations and by May 7th these islands were securely in allied hands.
Soon after dawn, Doenitz told the German delegation to accept the unconditional surrender terms and the treaty of surrender was signed at 10am with a Swedish liaison officer present and broadcast live to the United Kingdom.
The surrender, to both the western allies and Sweden, covered all German land, sea and air forces in north-western Germany, Holland, Denmark and Norway
Communicating the surrender through the almost destroyed German military communications network was the next challenge.
The German delegation returned to Murvik – the British had occupied both Rendsburg and Schleswig by this time but had not reached Flensburg though some spearheads had crossed the Danish frontier further west.
Doenitz and his fledgling Government were determined to continue resisting the Russians but the situation in northern and north-western Europe had deteriorated to such an extent most resistance had ended.
In Holland, Blaskowitz still commanded a sizeable force behind the flooded Grebbe defence line outside Amsterdam – the airborne drops of food to the civilian population, which had started the previous week, were continuing – but neither side relished the prospect of a protracted urban battle in difficult conditions. Once it was clear Doenitz intended to surrender the whole front facing the western allies, Blaskowitz was keen to include his command and would surrender separately to Charles Ffoulkes and the Canadians at Wageningen later that day.
In Denmark, the day dawned with continued skirmishes between Danish Resistance and SS fighters in some of the major towns and cities. Wehrmacht forces had, in Copenhagen and Odense, joined with the Resistance while in Jutland, British advance spearheads had crossed the border near Tonder and had reached Esbjerg where a detachment of the Kriegsmarine had capitulated unconditionally. Most other towns and cities were effectively under Resistance control with crowds openly defying curfew and waving the Danish flag.
Lindemann wanted the surrender to proceed swiftly, and the British had initially asked the Swedes to send a force into Copenhagen, but Stockholm was reluctant for historical and diplomatic reasons to send Swedish forces so instead a force made up of Danish soldiers, sailors, and airmen, who, like the Norwegians, had escaped from German occupation, was assigned the mission. The Danish military delegation arrived by boat at noon and were conveyed direct to Lindemann’s headquarters.
In scenes which would be the stuff of legend and not some little embellishment, the Danish Resistance also demanded to be part of the surrender process. In a moment of inspiration, it was proposed Lindemann surrender, not to the British, but to King Christian X. After some frantic preparation, at 3pm, Lindemann and his staff arrived at the Amalienborg Palace and in the State room signed the capitulation in front of the Danish King and a group from the Danish Resistance as well as liaison officers representing the exiled Danish forces.
The occasion was of course filmed and would be made into a highly successful movie in the 1960s. The absence of Swedish forces ironically did much for Danish-Swedish relations while for the Danes themselves, the humiliations of 1864 and 1940 were erased in an instant.
The outpouring of national joy was profound, and the Danes emerged from the occupation and liberation with a new sense of national pride.
While all this was going on, events were moving fast in Norway – Swedish forces had advanced with no resistance during the morning but had held positions since news of the capitulation.
Just after 5pm, General Franz Boehme and his staff met a Swedish delegation in Bergen and formally surrendered his command to the Swedes and the western allies. There were concerns Germans in the far north would continue fighting the Russians, but the Norwegians and Swedes had strong forces in Troms and Nordeland and the German and Russian forces were far apart.
The full ceasefire in Norway came into effect at 7pm – Swedish and Milorg forces moved quickly to disarm the remaining German troops. One thoughtful Swedish commander recommended sending a force to Lofoten and to Svalbard to take the surrender of German forces operating observation and weather stations and by May 7th these islands were securely in allied hands.
