Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailor Steve
And now it's time for me to ask the same question I ask every year, and see if anybody remembers:
VJ day marked the end of the fighting, but when did the war officially end?
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Most people believe and accept that World War 2 was officially ended in late April/Early May 1945 in Europe with the success of the Allies and fall of Rome and Berlin in Europe and in September of the same year in the Far East, but there is also a theory that states that it did not actually "officially" end until far later - almost 45 years later, in fact!
The reason behind this theory is that, after the cessation of hostilities, Germany was divided into the two separate sovereign states of East and West Germany. Therefore the country which originally declared war on Britain, starting World War II (just "Germany") did not then exist.
The state of war between the ORIGINAL PROTAGONISTS of World War II - those being "Germany" and "Britain" could not therefore technically be "officially" declared as over until "Germany" itself (and not just East Germany or West Germany) existed properly and independently in it's own right, which did not happen until the east and west countries were re-unified into one sovereign state once again on October 3rd 1990.
Whichever theory is correct, what is true is that Germany and Japan (the 'Axis' forces) conceded defeat in the war and surrendered to the Allied forces in 1945, with the Japanese doing so later in the year - on September 2nd, so it is reasonable to assume that date as the end to World War II.
