The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-05-08
BY BOYD D. LEWIS

Representatives of four Allied pow CTS and vanquished Germany scrawled their names on a sheet of foolscap in a map-lined 30 by 30 loot room at 2:41 a. m. European time today and ended World War II in Europe.
 l witnessed this historic scene.
 In ceremony exactly 20 min utes long, Col. Gen. Gustav Jodl, chief of staff of Admiral Doenitz' government and longtime close friend of Adolf Hitler, surrendered all German armed forces on land, sea and in the air.
 The surrender is effective one minute after midnight Wednesday, British double summer time (6:0l p. m., C. W. t)
 A high officer said almost all firing had ceased on the remain ing fronts.
 The actual signing took five min- utes. There are four copies of the surrender document, and in addi- tion the naval disarmament order which was signed by Admiral Sir Harold Burroughs, Allied naval chief.
 Immediately after signing the last document with a bold "Jodl, the Nazi arose, bowed and in a broken voice pleaded for generosity for the German people, the Ger man armed forces" who he said both have achieved and suffered more perhaps than any other peo- pie in the world"
 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, smil- ing. confident and restrained, sat with his deputy, Britain's air chief marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, beside him and in three-minute state ment later for newsreels hailed the German surrender as the conclu- sion of the plan reached by Pres ident Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill at Casablanca in l942- unconditional surrender.
 We have defeated Germany on land, sea and in the air. Eisen- hover said. He added that the peace was fittingly signed in France a country which suffered so much at the hands of Germany and whose liberation started on D-Day, just eleven months ago yesterday Sunday.
 Eisenhower did not attend the actual signing That was carried out by generals of America, Russia, England and France on his behalf.
 After signing the last sheet Jodl arose and Gen. Admiral Hans Georg FrGdeburg and Jodls aide, Mai. Wilhelm Oxinius, jumped up with him.
 It. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith who signed for Anglo American forces as SHEAF Chief of Staff, asked Jodl to meet him at 10 a. m. Mon day morning to arrange for German liaison officers to carry out the surrender and disarmament orders
 Jodl stood with eyes half shut, leaning slightly forward, and said in English, I want to say few words" Then he spoke radidly in German in . voice which seemed on the point of cracking once or twice:
 General, with this signature the German people and the German armed forces are for the better or worse delivered into the victors' hands
 Tn this war which has lasted more than five years both have achieved more and suffered more perhaps than any other people in the world.
 T express hope the victor will treat them with generosity"
 Ten minutes later he was pre- sented before the Supreme Com mander. Eisenhower stood very grim at his desk in his cubbyhole office and asked if Jodl understood the terms he would carry out.
 Jodl muttered ''yes" to Maj. Gen. K. w. D. Strong, SHAEF intelli- gence officer who was the interpre- tor.
 The Germans heels clicked and they strode out, Jodl tripping on floodlight cable.
 The war was ended at black topped table 20 by six feet, bathed in floodlights which heated the tiny war room" almost insufferably
 Some 60 spectators, including 16 correspondents representing world news agencies, radio net works, newsreels and still pictures, and sound and recording technicians of the signal corps offices, charged with recording the scene on film and to record it for posterity, gathered shortly before 2 a. m.
 The representatives strolled in and seated themselves at place-marked seats at 2:29. The presiding general, Smith, entered the room at 2:29.
 Then there was short wait. Everyone smiled a little nervously and looked around the map-lined walls showing the progress of the war to May and casualties up to April 30.
 At 2:39 the three Germans en- tered, Jodl in the lead, followed by Friedeburg and then Oxinius. Jodl wore dress green with a darker green collar, wide red stripes on flared brooches over black leather boots. Friedburg wore a dark blue naval uniform.