VE Day
A rare group of original historic documents relating to Victory in Europe Day, the 70th Anniversary of which was celebrated recently, in May 2015.
Eisenhower's total cease fire order ending World War II in Europe.
WORLD WAR II: An extremely rare and historically important document issued by Dwight D Eisenhower (1890-1969) American General of World War II, later American President 1953-61, to all of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) General and Special Staff Divisions, being Eisenhower's Total Cease Fire Order of May 1945. The telex document, three pages, 4to, SHAEF headquarters, 7th May 1945, printed in purple ink on official telex sheets with the red printed headings Confidential Confidential/ SHAEF Forward/ Staff Message Control/ Outgoing Message, is a Book Message marked Copy No. 2, prepared by SHAEF's Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Major General John Whiteley, and comprising three paragraphs. The historic document states, in full, 1. A representative of the German High Command signed the unconditional surrender of all German land, sea, and air forces in EUROPE to the Allied Expeditionary Force and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command at 0141 hours Central European Time, 7th May under which all forces will cease active operations at 0001B hours 9th May. 2. Effective immediately all offensive operations by Allied Expeditionary Force will cease and troops will remain in present positions. Moves involved in occupational duties will continue. Due to difficulties of communication there may be some delay in similar orders reaching enemy troops so full defensive precautions will be taken. 3. All informed down to an including Divisions, Tactical Air Commands and Groups, Base Sections, and equivalent. No release will be made to the press pending an announcement by the heads of the three governments'. The remaining pages of the telex comprise the complete distribution list, again headed Confidential and Urgent. With several official G-3 Division stamps and pencil annotations. A truly significant document marking one of the 20th centuries most momentous events. Some light overall foxing and minor age wear, about VG
COPY NO. 2 OF ONE OF EISENHOWER'S FOUR IMPORTANT PERSONALLY AUTHORISED MESSAGES RELATING TO THE GERMAN SURRENDER
Following the German capitulation at Rheims in the early hours of the morning on 7th May 1945 General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, personally authorised four important messages relating to the German surrender and its implementation.
The first message (FWD20798 - SCAF355 Top Secret) was transmitted at 0325 to 'AGWAR for Combined Chiefs of Staff, AMSSO for British Chiefs of Staff' (All General and Special Staff Divisions) and was prepared by Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Moore. Eisenhower's succinct message simply read 'The mission of this Allied Force was fulfilled at 0241, local time, May 7th 1945'.
Eisenhower, now feeling that he needed to expand upon his previous cipher then sent a further cable urging the need for a tri-government announcement as soon as coordination between all three countries could be achieved. This second message (FWD20799 - SCAF356 Top Secret) was transmitted at 0320 (although it was intended to have been sent simultaneously with SCAF355). Distribution was also to 'AGWAR for Combined Chiefs of Staff, AMSSO for British Chiefs of Staff'.
Although a Russian General had participated in the signing of the surrender agreement, the Soviets began pressing for a further ceremony to take place in Berlin on 9th May. At this point Eisenhower formally notified the British and American Chiefs of Staff of the German surrender and that General Susloparoff had signed on behalf of the Russians. Eisenhower also sent the message to the Allied Military Mission to Moscow asking them to notify the Soviet High Command that all active operations would cease at 2301 hours CET on the 8th May (effectively 0001 on the 9th May GMT).
This third message (FWD20800 - SCAF357 Confidential) was transmitted at 0410. Distribution was to 'AGWAR for Combined Chiefs of Staff, AMSSO for British Chiefs of Staff, Military Mission Moscow' (AFHQ, SHAEF Main, SHAEF Rear). It was prepared by SHAEF's Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Major General John Whiteley.
However, it was now after 0400 am and the surrender had been in effect for nearly one and a half hours but, most importantly, the three million men and women of the Allied Expeditionary Force were still totally unaware that World War II was over. Realising this Eisenhower issued his fourth message, represented by the present document, but this final message was of even greater significance as it was the first to be directed to the troops under his command.
This was Eisenhower's personal 'Cease Fire Order' and the fourth message (FWD20801 - Confidential) was transmitted simultaneously with the third message at 0410. Distribution was to every major battle formation serving under SHAEF and required a two page listing, as shown in the present document. It again was prepared by SHAEF's Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Major John Whiteley.
The first three messages were all directed to the American and British Chiefs of Staff, but the present document, Eisenhower's fourth message, was the first which the Supreme Commander personally addressed to the men and women under his command and the only one directing them to cease offensive operations.
SHAEF messages were despatched by cable with recipients located outside SHAEF Forward distributing them internally by teleprinter. The number of documents printed on SHAEF Forward stationery, as the present example is, for internal distribution was restricted in accordance with the designated circulation, however 'Book Messages' were usually limited to no more than several hundred copies. Indeed, the G-3 Division itself was limited to just eight copies for its 61 staff.
As such, the present document is of extreme rarity. We can find no records of a SHAEF Forward copy of the present document as having ever been offered for sale at auction. An example of Eisenhower's first message was sold at Bonhams, New York, on 29th April 2015 (Lot 158, $18,750/£11,838).
Provenance: The present document was presented to General Eisenhower's Chief of Intelligence, Major General Kenneth Strong (1900-1982) by the cable originator, SHAEF's Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Major General John Whiteley (1896-1970), as a souvenir of the historic event.
Strong and Whiteley were two of three key British staff officers Eisenhower brought in to assist him at SHAEF, and Strong played a leading part in the negotiations for the unconditional surrender of Germany in 1945.
The present lot is accompanied by a photocopy of the main page of the document signed twice in blue ink by Strong ('Kenneth Strong, Major General') and a copy of a photograph showing Strong escorting Alfred Jodl, Chief of the Operations Staff of the German Armed Forces High Command, in to the 'War Room' at Rheims in order to sign the surrender terms on behalf of the Nazi state.
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