On 8 May there will be celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. On 8 May 1945 the Allies formally accepted Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces and the surrender of all German military operations. Adolf Hitler, the Nazi leader, had committed suicide on 30 April so his successor Karl Dönitz authorised the surrender. Upon receiving news of the defeat of Germany joyful celebrations erupted throughout the Western world, especially in Britain, North America and the USSR. The war was over.
More than a million people celebrated in streets throughout Britain. In London, crowds massed in Trafalgar Square and up the Mall to Buckingham Palace, where King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by their daughters and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the palace before the cheering crowds. Churchill went from the palace to Whitehall, where he spoke to another large crowd, “God bless you all. This is your victory. In our long history, we have never seen a greater day than this. Everyone, man or woman, has done their best.”
War is a great evil. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in an estimated 70 to 85 million deaths, including both military personnel and civilians. The Soviet Union and China experienced the highest casualties. The Soviet Union suffered an estimated 22-27 million deaths and China around 20 million in the Sino-Japanese War. There were 21-25 million military deaths; 50-55 million civilians died; 19-28 million people died from war-related diseases and famine and 5 million prisoners of war died while in captivity.
Peace is a great blessing. That’s why it is in every way right for us to remember VE Day and to give thanks for the past 80 years of peace and the cost paid by so many people who made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat evil. It is also good for us to give thanks to God for his gracious intervention in answer to prayer. During the 6 years of World War II the King and Parliament called 7 special Days of Prayer because they knew the situation was so desperate. The King broadcast to the Nation urging his people to turn back to God in a spirit of repentance and to ask for His help. God heard the prayers of the millions of people who responded to the King’s call and graciously answered their prayers. Today our nation and the whole world are in a perilous state. It would seem right for us to turn back to God in a spirit of repentance and to ask for His help.