Philatelic document - 80 years of victory May 8, 1945

On April 30, 1945, with Soviet troops only a few hundred meters from his bunker and only a handful of old men and teenagers left to defend Berlin, Hitler shot himself in the head. Admiral Dönitz, whom the dictator had appointed as his successor, first sought to sign a separate peace agreement with the Americans and British, then, when they refused, resigned himself to capitulation. On May 7, 1945, in Reims, in a college that General Eisenhower had transformed into his headquarters, General Jodl signed the act of surrender, which was to take effect on May 8. Among the signatories, France was represented by General François Sevez. Even though a Soviet officer was present in Reims, Stalin was angry. He demanded a second German surrender, in Berlin, before Marshal Zhukov. This took place on May 8, shortly after 11pm. As de Gaulle had imposed General de Lattre de Tassigny, German Marshal Keitel was astonished to find him at the victors' table: "What? The French too!?" In fact, by refusing the defeat of 1940, creating Free France and rallying the Resistance behind him, de Gaulle placed the country on the winning side and restored its honor. Three days earlier, General Leclerc's French army had captured the eagle's nest at Berchtesgaden. At 3 p.m. on May 8th, de Gaulle gave a radio address: "This is the victory of the united nations and the victory of France. Honneur à notre peuple que les épreuves terribles n'ont pu réduire ni fléchir". As the bells of all the country's churches rang out, the crowds took to the streets to express their "immense joy full of tears" (Albert Camus). Nazism is defeated. The war ends in Europe. The world is rebuilt.

Bloc de deux timbres-poste (taille-douce) : création et gravure Christophe Laborde-Balen, timbres et fond de bloc d'après photos : "La foule aux Champs Elysées au soir de la capitulation de l'Allemagne nazie", "Parisiens hommes et femmes assis avec les soldats sur la Jeep de l'armée déjà pleine à Paris, France, le 8 mai 1945" © Keystone France/GAMMA RAPHO Document philatélique : création et mise en page Christophe Laborde-Balen d’après photos : « Le 8 mai 1945, à Paris, une foule de parisiens portant les drapeaux des pays vainqueurs de la guerre descend les Champs-Elysées pour célébrer la victoire. » © Keystone France/GAMMA RAPHO, « L'Allemagne vaincue ! Capitulation sans conditions. Une du journal Le Parisien libéré du 8 mai 1945. » © Grob / Kharbine / LA COLLECTION Logo : Mission du 80e anniversaire des débarquements, de la Libération de la France et de la Victoire Logo : Le Bleuet de France Cachet d’oblitération : création et mise en page Christophe Laborde-Balen d'après logo Le Bleuet de France Texte : Jean-Yves Le Naour