World War II ended on two key dates depending on the theater of war:
- In Europe, the war ended with the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, which took effect on May 8, 1945, known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day. The Soviet Union celebrates Victory Day on May 9 due to the time difference.
- In the Pacific theater, the war ended with Japan's formal surrender. Japan publicly announced its surrender on August 15, 1945 (Victory over Japan or VJ Day), but the official surrender documents were signed on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri, marking the official end of World War II.
So, the globally recognized official end of World War II is considered to be September 2, 1945, when Japan signed the surrender documents, but in Europe, the war ended earlier on May 8, 1945.
