VJ Day

[JSLTIGER]

Incorrect. President Harry S. Truman declared an official end to hostilities on December 31, 1946. That is why some vets earned a WWII victory medal without actually being WWII vets (all vets who served during the war or started before this date were eligible).

[Subnuts]

If I were to consider the fact that my brother in law never shuts up about the Nazis, keeps telling horrible jokes about France, and acts like Germany is still some sort of evil fascist nation...

I'd say World War II never actually ended.

[Yahoshua]

Just because a husband declares he's "Finally Divorced" 2 years after he signed the papers, doesn't mean that the divorce actually took place right then and there when he said it.

Legally, the divorce was final when the papers were signed.

The war ended both legally and officially on Sept. 2nd 1945. What Truman may have been referring to is the cease of guerilla tactics used by die-hard SS troopers in Europe, and Imperial Japanese Soldiers in the Far-East.

If viewed in that sense, then the war did end in 1946 as you say. But I'd like to see the text of Trumans' declaration in order to clarify the issue.

Otherwise the war ended in '45. :p

Originally Posted by Yahoshua

Just because a husband declares he's "Finally Divorced" 2 years after he signed the papers, doesn't mean that the divorce actually took place right then and there when he said it.

Legally, the divorce was final when the papers were signed.

The war ended both legally and officially on Sept. 2nd 1945. What Truman may have been referring to is the cease of guerilla tactics used by die-hard SS troopers in Europe, and Imperial Japanese Soldiers in the Far-East.

If viewed in that sense, then the war did end in 1946 as you say. But I'd like to see the text of Trumans' declaration in order to clarify the issue.

Otherwise the war ended in '45. :p

Yes, the war ended with the surrender. BUT, like a declaration, a surrender is not a treaty.

[Oberon]

Well, IIRC Russia and Japan never signed a formal peace treaty after WW2 or anything like that, due to the desputed 'Northern territories' (Kurile Islands) so for them, I guess WW2 has never ended, it's just not so active at the moment.

[Yahoshua]

So technically it is the longest running cold-war to date?

Okay, time to let you off the hook.

The Second World War officially ended on April 28, 1952. That's when the Treaty Of San Francisco went into effect. The treaty was actually signed on September 8, 1951, so that could be claimed as the official date.

And Oberon, you recall correctly: the Soviet Union was represented, but refused to sign, along with Czechoslovakia and Poland (who of course were controlled by the Soviets at that time).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_San_Francisco
See the bottom of the page for the treaty text and speeches by major players.

Here is another copy of the text, and the 1945 surrender document:
http://www.isop.ucla.edu/eas/documents/peace1951.htm

Originally Posted by JSLTIGER

Incorrect. President Harry S. Truman declared an official end to hostilities on December 31, 1946. That is why some vets earned a WWII victory medal without actually being WWII vets (all vets who served during the war or started before this date were eligible).

Nope. A declaration is not a treaty.