The+End+of+World+War+2

The Holocaust
 When Allied troops marched into German territory in 1945, they came upon the Nazi death camps and saw the horrors of the Holocaust first-hand. Rene Levesque was a Canadian news correspondent during World War II. He later became the premier of Quebec. Levesque accompanied the American army when they liberated a concentration camp minutes after the Nazi guards had fled. He raised questions about responsibility for the Holocaust that are still debated today.

 Deloused and covered from head to foot in DDT, we retraced our steps to our billet [room] in the harmonious-sounding village of Rosenheim. On the way, passing through the quiet suburb with its kindly old people, we asked each other with our eyes, "Did they know? How could they not have? What was behind those good, old, pious-looking faces?" But what was the use of questioning? We were beginning to wish we hadn't seen anything ourselves.  Rene Lévesque, Memoirs (Montreal: Amerique, 1986)

 The holocaust did not become known at home until the very last days of WW2. People were shocked, but it didn't immediately change all of the attitudes towards Jewish people.

What Happened to Hitler?
As the Soviets raced towards Berlin from the East, and the other allies from the west, Hitler knew that the Nazi regime was finished. The rule that was supposed to last 1000 years lasted less than 2 decades. Rather than face a trial and certain death, Hitler and his new bride, Eva Braun, took their own lives in their bunker beneath Berlin. Their bodies were burned. There is considerable evidence that Hitler was losing his sanity in the last months and even years of the war, but we'll never know for certain.

 VE Day-Victory in Europe Day, May 8th, 1945. Soon after Hitler committed suicide, the Nazis surrendered.
===VJ Day-Victory over Japan Day, August 15th, 1945. The US first dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6th, instantly killing over 70,000 people instantly. The bomb detonated directly over a hospital. The next Atomic bomb was dropped on August 9th with similar results. Japan surrendered soon after on the 15th. These events remain controversial to this day. Some say the civilian casualties were necessary to save allied soldier's lives, others say it made us little better than what we were fighting against. ===

 The Celebrations at Home
These momentous two days brought enormous celebrations. The streets were filled, people hugged, they kissed, they hugged and kissed. People felt the relief of the end of a six-year all-out war effort. The war was fought in Europe, but the effects were felt all over the world. People were free and felt that exciting things were going to happen. Optimism returned.