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On 4 May 1945 at Lüneburg Heath, east of Hamburg, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery accepted the unconditional surrender of the German forces in the Netherlands, in northwest Germany including all islands, and in Denmark and all naval ships in those areas. The surrender preceded the end of World War II in Europe and was signed in a carpeted tent at Montgomery’s headquarters on the Timeloberg hill at Wendisch Evern. == The surrender negotiations and signing ceremony== Lüneburg had been captured by the British forces on 18 April 1945 with Montgomery establishing his headquarters at a villa in the village of Häcklingen. A German delegation arrived at his tactical headquarters on the Timeloberg hill by car on 3 May, having been sent by ''Groß Admiral'' Karl Dönitz who had been nominated President and Supreme Commander of the German armed forces by Adolf Hitler in his last will and testament on 29 April. Dönitz was aware of the allied occupation zones intended for Germany from a plan that had fallen into German hands. He therefore hoped that protracted partial and local surrender negotiations might buy time for troops and refugees in the east to seek refuge from the Red Army, whilst holding open a pocket to provide sanctuary on the west bank of the River Elbe.〔'The Surrender' by John Keegan at Purnell's History of the Second World War (1975)〕 Dönitz did not think it appropriate to negotiate personally with a Field Marshal as he had become the head of state following the death of Adolf Hitler. He therefore sent the delegation headed by the new Commander-in-Chief of the German navy Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg. Montgomery refused an initial offer to surrender Army Group Vistula which was being cut off to the east by the Red Army and demanded the unconditional surrender of all forces on his northern and western flanks. The Germans stated that they did not have the authority to accept Montgomery’s terms. However they agreed to return to their headquarters to obtain permission from Dönitz. The German officers returned the next day at 18:00 with an additional delegate, (Colonel Fritz Poleck) representing the ''Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'', (the German armed forces high command).〔(Surrender delegation at specialcamp11 ). Retrieved 12 December 2012〕 Von Friedeburg was ushered into Montgomery’s command caravan for confirmation that they were ready to sign. For the surrender ceremony Montgomery sat at the head of a table with an army blanket draped over it and two BBC microphones in front of him; he called on each delegate in turn to sign the instrument of surrender document at 18.30.〔(1945 capitulation at geschichtsspuren.de (German language) ). Retrieved 6 December 2012〕 The surrender ceremony was filmed by the British Pathé News and recorded for broadcast on radio by the BBC with a commentary by the Australian war correspondent Chester Wilmot.〔(Australian Dictionary of National Biography ). Retrieved 13 December 2012〕 The American CBS correspondent Bill Downs was awarded the National Headliner's Club Award for his broadcast coverage of the surrender after months of following Montgomery's campaign. Bill Downs described the surrender thus:, "When Monty entered the tent, the Germans snapped to attention like puppets. He put on his spectacles, took up the papers and said: 'I will now read out the terms of the surrender.' The Germans sat like statues, not a flicker of any kind of motion on their faces. Solemnly, but with a note of triumph in his voice, Monty read the terms of surrender. And then, one by one, the Germans signed." 〔2015 reproduction of Daily Mail article from Saturday May 5th 1945 written by special correspondent Bill Downs〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「German surrender at Lüneburg Heath」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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