Europe marks 80th anniversary of World War II’s end
By Raf Casert, The Associated Press and Danica Kirka, The Associated Press
Thursday, May 8, 2025
A veteran holds a white rose during a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on V-E Day in London on Thursday. (Jordan Pettitt/Pool photo via AP)
LONDON — Even if the end of World War II in Europe spawned one of the most joyous days the continent ever lived, Thursday’s 80th anniversary of V-E Day is haunted as much by the specter of current-day conflict as it celebrates the defeat of ultimate evil.
Hitler’s Nazi Germany had finally surrendered after a half-decade of invading other European powers and propagating racial hatred that led to genocide, the Holocaust and the murdering of millions.
That surrender and the explosion of hope for a better life are being celebrated with parades in London and Paris and towns across Europe while even the leaders of erstwhile mortal enemies are bonding again.
Germany itself again expressed gratitude for the change that May 8, 1945, brought to the world and to itself.
https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/military-history/2025/05/08/europe-marks-80th-anniversary-of-world-war-iis-end/
