Bidspirit auction | The Victory Issue of The

The Victory Issue of The Baltimore News-Post Announcing the Surrender of Nazi Germany – May 7, 1945 - “NAZI WAR ENDS!” – Victory issue of The Baltimore News-Post announcing the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany – May 7, 1945. A historic newspaper issue from the very final moments of World War II in Europe, combining the dramatic announcement of the surrender with an initial, real-time attempt to present American readers with the essence of six years of war – from Hitler’s invasion of Poland to the collapse of Nazi Germany. “Extra – 7-Star Home Final” edition. A historic issue published on the day the instrument of Germany’s unconditional military surrender was signed at Reims. The enormous headline stretching across the front page reads: “NAZI WAR ENDS! – Unconditional Surrender, ” against the background of a large letter V covering the entire front page, topped by the American eagle against the United States flag. The lead report, filed directly from Reims, France, announces the signing of the surrender at 2:41 a.m. and identifies the signatories representing Germany and the Allies. At the center of the page is a photograph of three senior American commanders in the European theater – Mark Clark, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Walter Bedell Smith. Alongside the main report appears the headline “Cease Fighting, Doenitz Orders, ” reporting Karl Dönitz’s order to German forces to cease fighting. This is, in effect, an issue printed during the very hours in which the news of the collapse of the Third Reich passed from an unfolding military event into an official fact. Of particular importance are the interior pages, prepared as an immediate visual summary of World War II in Europe. A double-page spread under the heading “Victory 1945 – World War II Time Table” presents the course of the war from its outbreak to victory through photographs and a map: Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939, Dunkirk in 1940, Stalingrad in 1942, the Normandy invasion and the liberation of Paris in 1944, and finally Germany’s surrender in 1945. Arrows bearing swastikas mark Nazi Germany’s conquests during the early years of the war, while opposing arrows bearing the flags of the United States and Britain trace the Allied advance back toward the heart of Germany. Another page features a detailed chronology under the heading “Outstanding Events of World War II, ” alongside a large photograph of General Eisenhower. The chronology follows the principal events from 1939 through May 1945, including the German invasions across Europe, Pearl Harbor, the campaigns in North Africa and Italy, Stalingrad, D-Day, the liberation of Paris, the crossing of the Rhine, Hitler’s death, and finally Germany’s surrender. Particularly impressive is the large color map on the back page, “How Hitler Won an Empire – Then Lost Even Germany!” The map depicts Europe and North Africa, marked with dozens of dated milestones tracing the Axis conquests and the Allied counteroffensives. 17 pages. Complete issue. 57 cm. Fold marks. Good condition.