How WWII ended: the final chapter

Hinzugefügt: 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]In 1945, the most devastating war in human history ended, not once, but twice. And the second ending changed the world forever. In Europe, it was Hitler's downfall that sealed the continent's fate.

[00:00:15]By April 1945, Soviet forces had encircled Berlin.

[00:00:21]With the Red Army at his doorstep, Hitler took his own life on April 30th, 1945 in his underground bunker. One week later, Germany surrendered unconditionally. May 8th, 1945, VE Day.

[00:00:36]Crowds flooded the streets of London, Paris, and New York in celebration. The war in Europe was over, but the war in the Pacific was far from over. Japan fought on with ferocious determination.

[00:00:50]Allied planners estimated a land invasion could cost over a million lives. Then came a decision that would alter the course of history. On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

[00:01:05]Three days later, a second bomb fell on Nagasaki.

[00:01:09]The destruction was unlike anything the world [music] had ever seen. Over 100,000 lives lost in an instant. On September 2nd, 1945, Japanese officials signed the surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

[00:01:26]World War II was officially over.

[00:01:29]>> [music] >> After six years, six continents, and over 70 million lives lost, the world would never be the same again.