On This Day in History: V-E Day
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| Newport Navalog, Vol. 45, No. 19, p.1 Naval Historical Collection Newspaper Collection 9, Box 10 |
Today marks the seventieth anniversary of Germany’s
surrender to the Allies during World War II. Like most places in the United
States, the celebration at Newport Naval Training Station was muted. The Newport Navalog described the moment when the news broke as one of
“qualified happiness,” tempered by the understanding that the war with Japan
was still far from over. The commanding officer of the Training Station,
Commodore Clinton E. Braine, encouraged base personnel to attend worship
services, but in all other respects, normal work routines continued. Chief of
Naval Operations Admiral Ernest J. King emphasized that now was not the time to
pause and celebrate, but rather to redouble the nation’s efforts to defeat
Japan and end the war for good. King had already stated that the Navy would not
demobilize following Germany’s surrender, and that personnel stationed in
Europe would be transferred to the Pacific after V-E Day (Victory in Europe).
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| Newport Navalog, Vol. 45, No. 19, p.8 Naval Historical Collection Newspaper Collection 9, Box 10 |
Looking back on this time from the safe distance of 70 years,
it can be hard to fully understand the sense of dread that many sailors felt at
the prospect of transferring to the Pacific theater. The war would actually end
in just three more months, but of course nobody knew that in May 1945. High
level planners assumed that the Allies would have to invade the Japanese
mainland in order to force a surrender. The Joint Chiefs of Staff estimated
that American forces would suffer 1.2 million casualties conducting such an
operation. The expectation that the most difficult fighting of the war still
lay ahead made for very muted celebrations indeed when newspapers announced
that Germany had been defeated.
Newport Navalog articles courtesy of the Naval Historical Collection
Rob Doane
Curator, Naval War College Museum
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