The 2nd of September marks the date on which World War 2 was officially ended, following the signing of ‘surrender documents’ by the Japanese whilst aboard the USS Missouri on even date, 1945. Although several conflicts ended at differing times around the world, such as Nazi Germany’s “Total and Unconditional Surrender” on the 7th of May, the events that took place on the 2nd of September served as the final, official, and complete end to the Second World War, a conflict which the world had fought on a global scale.

General Yoshijiro Umezu signs the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on board USS Missouri

The end of World War 2 was considered bittersweet. Of course, the end of a conflict which had raged across the globe for years was something to celebrate, and the realisation that the allies had successfully stopped the spread of Hitler’s National Socialism across Europe was a positive outcome. Celebrations were held in allied nations across the globe, a great sigh of relief was felt as the news reached the populace. Despite this, it was difficult to consider the outcome as a full ‘victory’ when so much had been lost in the process, a cruel reality that existed for both the defeated and the victors. With the amount of people that had died in the events leading up to, and during the course of the Second World War reaching between 70 to 85 million, and considering the damage and destruction that had been caused in the process, it was hard for many to celebrate...

Although the occurrence of the Second World War is a sorrowful event in our history, it is important to note that the end of any conflict, especially one which raged on such a global scale as this, is a genuinely ‘good’ thing. It should serve as a lesson to all, that peace and prosperity can come to an end at the blink of an eye, and hence, we as a global community should strive to maintain it.

The War Thunder Team