When is ve day and vj day

Grab your bunting and read on to find out…. On that day, at 3pm, the Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced on the radio that the war had come to an end. This led to a breakout of celebrations across the country and the Queen — who was then Princess Elizabeth — along with her sister Princess Margaret, joined celebrants in London.

After Germany surrendered in Europe, the war still raged on in the Pacific where Japan, a key German ally, was fighting off a quickly advancing US Army. Refusing this, the US deployed two atomic bombs, one on Hiroshima on August 6 and later in Nagasaki on August 9, leading to devastation unlike anything seen before. Currently lockdown restrictions do allow people to meet outside in groups of six , so people can celebrate in some capacity. MORE : Full list of bank holidays in , plus the bonus extra date.

The battles for Iwo Jima and Okinawa during the first half of were marked by spectacular carnage, and Americans were chastened by the knowledge that Japan had never surrendered to a foreign power and that no Japanese military unit had surrendered during World War II. After Okinawa fell to US forces on June 22, , an invasion of the Japanese home islands was set to begin.

But before the invasion was to take place, the most destructive war in history came to a shattering and rapid end. On August 6, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima, ultimately killing as many as , people.

Two days later, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan. Then, on August 9, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb over Nagasaki, ultimately killing approximately 70, Finally recognizing that victory was impossible, the Japanese government accepted Allied surrender terms without qualifications on August 14, That same day, President Harry S. Truman announced from the White House that the Japanese acceptance met the terms laid down at the Potsdam Conference for unconditional surrender.

In thousands of small towns like North Platte, Nebraska, similar scenes included fireworks, confetti, and impromptu parades down Main Street. The Japanese city of Hiroshima was bombed on 6 August and the city of Nagasaki was targeted three days later, on 9 August. Around , people were killed in the blasts and Japan was forced to admit defeat. Japan's emperor Hirohito described the atomic bombs as, "a new and most cruel bomb".

Millions of people from the allied countries took part in parades and street parties. In London, soldiers climbed traffic lights and waved newspapers in the air, while office workers threw lots of paper out of windows, like confetti. This is why some people also celebrated this day as VJ Day and it is still remembered as a significant moment in the aftermath of World War Two.

People were very happy that the war had finally come to an end, but there was also a lot of sadness. Millions of people had been killed during the war, so many people were facing the hardship of losing loved ones. Our hearts are full to overflowing, as are your own. Yet there is not one of us who has experienced this terrible war who does not realise that we shall feel its inevitable consequences long after we have all forgotten our rejoicings today.

The government had to spend a lot of money on the war so clothes and food continued to be rationed to save money. World War Two had ended, but it wasn't long before a new conflict came about called the Cold War , which lasted until VE Day: What is it, when is it and why do we remember?