The Task's not over till the paperwork's done

[Zoe Brain]

http://www.globalresearch.ca/may-194...8-or-9/5334299

As far as the Soviets and the majority of Eastern Europeans were concerned, the Second World War in Europe ended with the ceremony in Berlin on May 8, 1945, which resulted in the arms being laid down the next day, on May 9. For the Americans, and for most Western Europeans, “the real thing” was and remains the surrender in Reims, signed on May 7 and effective on May 8. While the former always commemorate the end of the war on May 9, the latter invariably do so on May 8. (But the Dutch celebrate on May 5.)

The First World War had ended de facto with the armistice of November 11, 1918, and de jure with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919. The Second World War came to an end with an entire string of surrenders, but it never did come to a peace treaty à la versaillaise, at least not with respect to Germany. (Peace treaties were in due course concluded with Japan, Italy, and so on.)

And so a peace treaty with Germany, that is, a final settlement of all issues that remained unresolved after the war, such as the question of Germany’s eastern border, became feasible only when the reunification of the two Germanies became a realistic proposition, namely, after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

That made the “Two-plus-Four” negotiations of the summer and fall of 1990 possible, negotiations whereby on the one hand the two German states found ways to reunify Germany, and whereby on the other hand the four great victors of the Second World War – the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union – imposed their conditions on the German reunification and cleared up the status of the newly reunited country, taking into account not only their own interests but also the interests of other concerned European states such as Poland. The result of these negotiations was a convention that was signed in Moscow on September 12, 1990, and which, faute de mieux, can be viewed as the peace treaty that put an official end to the Second World War, at least with respect to Germany.

[matt56]

Very interesting stuff, Zoe! As a member of the "occupying forces" in West Berlin in the 70s, Germany's status has always been of interest to me - thanks for the reminder about two-plus-four.

All the best,
Matt Materne

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Very enlightening Zoe.
Thanks for that.
Rob.

[Nightbomber]

A very interesting concept we have here, Zoe. Really intersting. Thanks for sharing it.

[csadn]

...and here I thought she was posting from the loo.... >;)

[Flying Officer Kyte]

...and here I thought she was posting from the loo.... >

I was going to and then thought I'd better not encourage you Chris. Then I thought you would do it without encouragement anyway, so............
Rob.

[Dowters]

I like this a lot. As a mainly WW2 player thats a lot more planes I can use! Phantoms, harriers,lightnings, Migs?

[Jager]

So you have to reconstruct a dismembered enemy, to make them sign a treaty that verifies what's been in place for 45 years so that NOW we can say the war is over.
Well, I guess it beats Korea, where we are still at war, though not currently fighting it
Karl