FROM THE PUBLISHER

The lights come on, church bells ring, couples embrace, the bereaved mourn their loved ones. It's May 8, 1945, the last day of a war that has lasted five years and eight months. German forces have already capitulated, and at 30 minutes before midnight, the German High Command signs the final instrument of surrender. The world rejoices and asks, "What now?"

Here are the stories of that wonderful, long-awaited day, a half century ago: the stories of the front-line troops and civilians; of the statesmen and the war criminals, the victors and the vanquished. It is VE Day, and although Japan fights on, May 8, 1945 marks the start of a new era for all nations.