V-E Day

            Germany surrendered unconditionally to Allies on May 7, 1945, six days after Adolph Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, committed suicide in their underground bunker.  President Harry S. Truman proclaimed May 8 as V-E Day to honor the victory in Europe.  The day also happened to be Truman’s birthday.

            In a speech given by Dayton Mayor Frank M. Krebs, he spoke of the end of the war in Europe.

            “The day for which we have all been toiling, sacrificing and praying for has finally arrived with the news that the Nazi armies have laid down their arms, and once again peace reigns supreme on the European continent.

            “It is a day that calls for prayerful meditation, and one, we hope, will go down in history as marking the end of wholesale bloodshed.

            “Let us, in this hour of victory, pray for the speedy completion of our mission in the Pacific theater, and the return of our loved ones to our city.

“It is with pride that I as mayor of Dayton can point to our part in the war effort and from the bottom of my heart I wish to pay tribute to the fighters on the home front as well as to those who have brought honor and fame to Dayton by their achievements on all fighting fronts.”

Sidebar text:

Paper hurled from above mixed with Delco employees below as they celebrated V-E Day.  Dayton’s workers didn’t use the news as an excuse to slow down production. NCR’s Rocket Motor Department celebrated V-E Day by producing the largest day’s output to that date. Many felt that the job was only half done and that the hardest fight was still to come.

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