Chapter 23 Chapter 22 The Axis Powers Surrender

By the end of 1941, when the German army was frustrated at Moscow and the United States had joined the war, Finland had lost its enthusiasm for the war. After the Battle of Stalingrad in February 1943, the Finns realized that Germany had lost the war. On February 16, 1944, Finland inquired from the Soviet government through Sweden about the peace conditions for Finland's withdrawal from the war. On February 19, the Soviet government responded to Finland, putting forward six conditions, three of which were the settlement conditions for negotiations: first, Finland must sever relations with Germany and detain all German troops on Finnish territory; second, The Finns must immediately agree to restore the status quo under the 1940 peace treaty and withdraw their troops to the 1940 borders; third, the Allied prisoners of war and civilians must be repatriated immediately.If Finland accepts these terms of settlement, the Soviet Union is ready to host a Finnish delegation in Moscow for peace talks.

On March 8, Finland asked the Soviet Union for an opportunity to present its views before accepting the preconditions. On March 10, the Soviet Union notified Finland that it was dissatisfied with its reply, and emphasized that only by accepting these minimum prerequisites could the peace talks begin, and that a reply was given within a week.After a vote of confidence in a secret meeting of the Diet, the Finnish government informed the Soviet government on March 17 that they could not pre-accept the six conditions without knowing exactly what and what they meant.The tone of their reply was conciliatory.Two or three days later, the Soviet Union informed Finland to send one or more representatives to Moscow to hear the Soviets clarify their conditions.During the talks held from March 27 to 29, the Soviet Union elaborated on the original 6 points, which required the demobilization of 50% of the Finnish army in May, and restored the size of the army to peacetime within two months; demanded compensation for 6 Billion US dollars, paid with goods successively within 5 years; in the two peace treaties of 1920 and 1940, the Petersamo area ceded by the Soviet Union to Finland should be returned to the Soviet Union; the Soviet Union offered to give up the lease right of Hanko.

On April 19, the Finnish government submitted a reply to the Soviet Union, tactfully expressing that it could not accept these harsh armistice conditions.After Finland rejected the Soviet Union's armistice conditions, the attitude of the United States and Britain towards Finland was hardened.In the statement issued by the Allies to the small satellite countries of various countries on May 12, Finland was listed as a satellite country of Germany.Finland is in a difficult situation. It desperately wants to get out of the war, but the terms of peace are unacceptable. On June 9, 1944, the Soviet army launched a powerful offensive to the Finnish defense line of the Karelian Isthmus. On June 20, the Soviet army advanced to the furthest point of the "Winter Battle" from 1939 to 1940, and captured Finnishka. Viborg, the capital of Lelia. On June 27, Finnish President Reiti and German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop signed an agreement. Germany agreed to provide military assistance to Finland, and the Finnish government would not negotiate a separate peace.In this way, the fate of Finland is tied to Germany.By the end of July, the situation in Finland had deteriorated further, German aid was negligible, and Soviet troops had crossed Estonia and advanced towards the Baltic coast. On August 1, Reiti announced his resignation, and Marshal Mannerheim became the President of Finland.A few days later, Mannerheim took the opportunity of Germany's honor to tell Keitel that former President Reiti's promise not to make a unilateral peace was no longer valid.At this time, the Germans had nothing to offer except medals to the Finns.When news came that Romania had fought with the Germans as soon as it sued for peace, Finland hurriedly asked the Soviet Union for peace terms through Sweden on August 25. On August 29, the Soviet Union replied that the conditions for a negotiated solution were: Finland must publicly declare to sever relations with Germany; German troops should withdraw from Finland within two weeks, and they cannot withdraw at that time, and Finland should disarm them and hand them over to the Allies as prisoners of war. On September 2, the Finnish Parliament held a secret meeting and approved the Prime Minister's acceptance of this precondition for negotiations. On September 3, the Finnish government issued a statement announcing the severance of relations with Germany and the cessation of hostilities against the Soviet Union starting at 8 am the next day.Two days later, the Soviet government announced that the Supreme Command of the Red Army had issued an order to cease fire 24 hours after the ceasefire in Finland, that is, at 8:00 am on September 5.

On September 14, negotiations with the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom on one side and Finland on the other were held in Moscow. On September 18, the Allies offered Finland the terms of an armistice, which they demanded to accept immediately so that a signing ceremony could be held the next day. At 6 am on September 19, the Finnish Parliament voted unanimously in favor of accepting these conditions.On the same day, the representatives of Finland signed the terms of the armistice.This agreement has a total of 23 points, much more detailed than the original 6 points, and some aspects are more demanding, but the allies have also made concessions, especially in the amount of compensation, which has been reduced by half.And more importantly, it will not be occupied by the Soviet army like Romania.The armistice agreement mainly includes: the Finnish army should withdraw to within the 1940 border, and the situation stipulated in the 1940 peace treaty should be restored; the Soviet government gave up the right to lease the Hanko Peninsula. 50 years in order to establish a naval base; the Petersamo area ceded to Finland by the Soviet Union after the First World War should be returned to the Soviet Union; etc.; the establishment of the Allied Regulatory Committee to manage and supervise the implementation of this agreement until the conclusion of a peace treaty with Finland, etc.

At this point, Finland finally withdrew from the war.This weak country's attempt to use the power of Germany to regain its territory and rights from the Soviet Union failed, and it paid a greater price for this effort. In March 1944, Romania began negotiations with the Allies.The Soviet Union made it clear that Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, which Romania ceded to the Soviet Union in 1940, must be confirmed; In August, the second Vienna Protocol allocated the northern regions of Hungary to Romania.But rejected by Antonescu, these conditions were unacceptable to him.But other Romanian dignitaries and senior military officers were determined to withdraw from the war. In early April 1944, the Soviet Red Army occupied Bessarabia and crossed the Proust River into Moldavia.By August, Soviet forces had crushed the German defenses in Moldavia, leading the Romanian king and political leaders to conclude that Romania could now defect without risking German reprisals. On August 23, by order of the king, Antonescu was arrested and the government reorganized.Two days later, the Luftwaffe began bombing Bucharest, and the new Romanian government immediately declared war on Germany. On August 27, the king and the new government unconditionally accepted the terms of the armistice proposed by the Soviets in the spring. On September 10, the two sides negotiated an armistice agreement in Moscow. On September 12, the agreement was signed.

According to the armistice agreement, Romania should send at least 12 divisions under the command of the Soviet army to participate in the war against Germany and Hungary; it should also ensure that the free movement of the Soviet army in its territory is not hindered; repatriate the prisoners of war of the Allies and release political prisoners; Property and military facilities, and provide the Soviet army with all the materials needed for combat; the Soviet Union agreed not to demand full compensation for the losses caused by Romania in the Soviet Union, but Romania should pay 300 million U.S. dollars in compensation, paid in goods within 6 years; Romania should return All valuables and materials removed from the territory of the USSR shall cooperate in the arrest and interrogation of war criminals and the dissolution of organizations of the fascist type; Control; before the conclusion of the peace treaty, the Allied Control Committee was established to supervise the implementation of the armistice agreement under the leadership and orders of the Soviet Supreme Command; the Romanian civil administration will be restored to a place 50 to 100 kilometers away from the front line.The Allied governments agreed to return Transylvania to Romania, subject to confirmation of the peace conference.

When the Soviet army passed through Romania and advanced to the Danube, panic began in Bulgaria. On September 2, 1944, the leader of the Peasant Party, Muraviyov, formed a new government and sent envoys to Cairo to inquire about the terms of peace between Britain and the United States. At this time, the Soviet army had reached the northern border of Bulgaria. On September 5, the Soviet government Declares war on Bulgaria.The Muraviyov government hastily cut off diplomatic relations with Germany on September 7, and declared war on Germany the next day.At the same time, Bulgaria asked the Soviet army to cease fighting. On September 9, the Soviet army stopped military operations in Bulgaria. On October 13, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom issued a public statement that as a condition of the armistice, the Bulgarian government must promise to withdraw all Bulgarian troops and officials from the territory of Greece and Yugoslavia within 15 days. under the supervision of a military delegation.Bulgaria immediately accepted this condition and quickly implemented it. On October 28, 1944, the armistice agreement was signed. The conditions were basically the same as those of Romania: the Soviet army had the right to move freely on Bulgarian territory; guarantee all supplies needed by the Soviet Supreme Command; release all Allied prisoners of war; disband fascist-type organizations ; drama, publications and communication facilities were placed under Soviet control; Bulgaria agreed to disarm the German army and put its own army under the command of the Soviet Supreme Command to participate in the war against Germany; unification abolished all references to the annexation of Greek and Yugoslav territories various legislations; the uniform return of all kinds of property transported from the territory of the Soviet Union, Greece, and Yugoslavia; all existing war materials on the territory of Bulgaria are under the control of the Soviet Union, etc.Perhaps the Bulgarian army never entered the territory of the Soviet Union and was not required to pay reparations.Before the start of the armistice negotiations, the Bulgarian army had already launched an offensive into Yugoslavia to cut off the German army’s retreat from Greece and achieved great results, which greatly strengthened Bulgaria’s negotiating position in Moscow and the conditions for the armistice would not be too harsh.

On October 16, 1944, the Germans took a surprise move in Hungary, thwarting Admiral Horthy's attempt to emulate Romania and Bulgaria's truce with the Soviet Union. In April 1945, the German army retreated from Hungary, and the Salahi government retreated westward with the Germans. On December 22, 1944, with the support of the Soviet Union, the Provisional National Government composed of various parties in Hungary was established in Debrecen. On December 28, the Debrecen government declared war on Germany and requested an armistice from the Allied countries. On January 20, 1945, the Hungarian Provisional National Government signed an armistice agreement in Moscow. Its format was roughly similar to that used by Finland, Romania, and Bulgaria: such as the disarmament of the German army on Hungarian territory, the release of political prisoners and the abolition of racial discrimination laws, The Soviet army can freely pass through the territory of Hungary, repatriate prisoners of war and return all materials looted from the Soviet Union and other countries, disband fascist-type organizations, the Soviet army takes over all propaganda tools, and the Allied Control Committee chaired by the Soviets is responsible for regulating and monitoring the armistice agreement implementation, provide 8 Hungarian divisions to join the war against Germany, reduce the Hungarian territory and adjust it to the territory between the two wars, withdraw and return the territories that belonged to Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Romania before the war, and pay 300 million US dollars first, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia would share 100 million, the Soviet Union would get 200 million, etc.So far, Hungary and other former German slave countries have all separated from the Axis group.

On January 14, 1943, at the "Casablanca Conference", the United States and Britain decided to expand the Mediterranean battlefield, attack Italy, force it to withdraw from the war, and try to get Turkey to join the war. On July 10, 1943, Alexander commanded Montgomery's 8th Army and Patton's 7th Army to land in Sicily. After more than a month of fierce fighting, on August 17, the British and American troops joined forces in Messina, and the remnants of the German and Italian troops retreated into Italy. .As early as when the war in North Africa was reversed, Mussolini suggested that Hitler make peace with the Soviet Union alone. When the Allied forces unveiled the Sicilian war, he was ready to showdown with Hitler. Italy could no longer sustain the war, but on July 17, When the two met in a villa in Veneto, Mussolini dared not speak in front of Hitler's eloquence.After Sicily was captured by the Allied forces, Italy was shaken and Mussolini's position was shaken. On July 24, 1943, the Italian Fascist Party held a meeting of the Supreme Council. Mussolini was severely criticized. The meeting passed a resolution: restore the constitutional system, expand the power of the king, and the king should command the army. On July 25, King Emmanuel of Italy dismissed Mussolini as prime minister and detained him.That night, the king ordered Marshal Badoglio to form a non-fascist government composed of soldiers and civilians.

On the one hand, the Badoglio government pretended to be false with Germany, claiming to continue to fight side by side with Germany in order to stabilize Germany, and on the other hand, it secretly sent secret envoys to negotiate with the Allies. In August, Italy and the Allies negotiated several times and finally reached the terms of an armistice.In order to promote Italy's early separation from the Axis group, the Allies did not insist on unconditional surrender. On September 3, 1943, in the forest near Syracuse, Sicily, Catilano of Italy and Eisenhower of the United States signed the armistice agreement, and the Allies formally accepted Italy's surrender.On the same day, the British army forcibly crossed the Strait of Messina and marched towards southern Italy. On September 8, the two sides announced an armistice declaration. On September 9, the German army surrounded Rome, Badoglio's cabinet members and members of the royal family fled to Brinxi in a hurry, and established an anti-fascist government in the area occupied by the Allied forces. On October 13, the Badoglio government declared war on Germany.At the same time, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union issued a declaration, recognizing Italy as a joint fighting party.

As early as March 9, 1945, Hitler saw that the situation was over, and issued an order to destroy all German military, industrial, transportation and communication equipment and all reserves. His reason was that since the German nation was defeated, there would be no reason to survive.Hitler's order was firmly resisted by Minister of Armaments and Wartime Production Speer. In April, the Soviet Army and the British and American troops tightened the noose from both directions. Hitler and his cronies prayed for miracles and even studied astrological charts. On April 13, the news of President Roosevelt's death did make Hitler and his ilk ecstatic for a while, but the miracle of the Third Reich's resurrection did not happen. On April 23, the Soviet army had almost completely surrounded Berlin. Goering sent a telegram to Hitler, asking if he could take over the supreme power of the Third Reich according to the previous agreement, because on June 29, 1941, Hitler had Issue an order designating Göring as his successor.At the same time, Himmler also privately approached Count Bernadotte of Sweden about surrendering to the Anglo-American side.Hitler was furious after receiving Goering's telegram and ordered Goering to be arrested. On April 28, Reuters released the news that Himmler attempted to make the German troops on the western front surrender to Eisenhower through Count Bernadotte. Hitler was furious when he heard about it, and ordered Himmler to be arrested as a traitor. On April 30, Hitler and his mistress Eva Braun committed suicide after a hastily completed wedding. Hitler left a will before his death. In addition to lies, sophistry, hypocrisy, stupidity and arrogance, this will also designated Admiral Dönitz as his heir.On the night of Hitler’s suicide, Goebbels and Bormann sent Krebs, the last Chief of Staff of the Third Reich, to negotiate with General Chuikov of the Soviet Army in an attempt to exchange for safe passage by abandoning Berlin so that he could reach Dönitz to take up his new post.Chuikov was ordered to demand the unconditional surrender of all Berlin defenders.The day before Hitler committed suicide, the German army in Italy had surrendered unconditionally.Although Doenitz said a lot of big words about fighting to the end, he knew that Germany was exhausted and resistance had come to an end. On May 4, the German High Command ordered all German troops in northwestern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands to surrender to Field Marshal Montgomery.The next day, on May 5, Admiral Fredburg, the commander-in-chief of the German Navy, came to Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims to discuss the matter of surrender. Refugees surrender to British and American forces.Eisenhower saw through the Germans' attempt and demanded an immediate and unconditional surrender of the German army, otherwise the entire Allied front would be blocked. On May 7, at 1:30 in the morning, Dönitz authorized Jodl to sign the unconditional surrender document after receiving Eisenhower's request conveyed by Jodl. At 2:41 a.m. on May 7, 1945, at Eisenhower's Western Allied Headquarters in Reims, France, Fredeburg and Jodl signed the unconditional surrender document on behalf of Germany, and Walter Biddle Smith signed on behalf of the Allied Forces , signed by General Ivan Suslobav as witness on behalf of the Soviet Union, and General François Sevez on behalf of the French witnesses. Since the Soviet Union was the main force that defeated Hitler's Germany, and Berlin was captured by the Soviet army alone, Stalin was deeply dissatisfied with the surrender ceremony in Reims.After consultations, Su Meiying decided that the surrender ceremony in Reims was only a rehearsal of the formal surrender ceremony, which would be held in Berlin under the auspices of the Soviet side. At 12 midnight on May 8, 1945, Germany's unconditional surrender ceremony was officially held in Berlin.The representatives of the Soviet Union were Marshal Zhukov and Vyshinsky, and the representatives of the Supreme Command of the Western Allied Forces were General Ted of the British Air Force, General Spatz, Commander of the US Strategic Air Force, and General de Tassini, Commander-in-Chief of the French Army.The ceremony was presided over by Marshal Zhukov. The German Field Marshal Keitel, Admiral Fredburg and Air Force Admiral Shtumpf signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of Germany, which will take effect from 0:00 on May 9.At this point, the sound of guns and artillery that lasted for five years, eight months and seven days finally fell silent on the land of Europe, and it was only a matter of time before Japan in Asia remained. From February 4 to 11, 1945, the leaders of the Soviet Union, the United States and Britain, Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill led their foreign ministers, chiefs of staff, and advisers to Yalta on the Crimean Peninsula of the Soviet Union to hold talks, known as the "Yalta Conference" in history.The talks covered issues such as the westward movement of Poland's border, how to deal with postwar Germany and other parts of Europe, and the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan.Finally, an agreement was reached that the Soviet Union would join the war against Japan within 2 to 3 months after the end of the European War. The conditions for the Soviet Union’s participation in the war were: Outer Mongolia would continue to maintain its status quo of independence and restore the rights and interests taken away by Japan during the Tsarist Russia era before the Russo-Japanese War ( Sakhalin Island and all adjacent islands should be returned to the Soviet Union, China’s Dalian Port should be internationalized, the Soviet Union should guarantee superior rights and interests in this port, resume the lease of Lushun Port as a Soviet military port, jointly operate the Middle East Railway and the South Manchuria Railway, and guarantee the superior rights and interests of the Soviet Union), The Kuril Islands must be handed over to the Soviet Union and others.In order to get the Soviet Union to join the war against Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States reached an agreement with the Soviet Union that seriously damaged China's territorial integrity and sovereignty without telling the Chinese government. Therefore, the Yalta agreement also reflected the ugly side of international power politics transactions. In mid-February 1945, U.S. Admiral Nimitz led the Central Pacific Fleet, in accordance with the decision of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Iwo Jima, which is located between Tokyo and Saipan, and Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. attack. On February 16, Spruance and Mitchell commanded the 58th Fast Carrier Commando, part of the US 5th Fleet, to conduct a large-scale air strike against Japan, drawing Japanese attention away from Iwo Jima.Another fleet of the 5th Fleet began bombing Iwo Jima the same day.Iwo Jima is the central island of the Ogasawara archipelago. Once the Allied forces occupy the island, land-based aircraft can directly attack the Japanese mainland.The U.S. military originally planned to take Iwo Jima in five days, but it turned out to be a tough battle for more than a month. It was not until March 26 that the U.S. military completely occupied Iwo Jima.Of Japan's 23,000 defenders, all were killed except for 200 captured.The U.S. military suffered 19,000 casualties and 7,000 were killed.Beginning on March 18, the US military bombed the Kyushu airport and the remnant fleet in the Inland Sea of ​​Japan for two consecutive days, and severely damaged Kyushu's industrial, communication, and transportation facilities. On March 23, the US 58th Aircraft Carrier Commando conducted an air strike before landing on Okinawa. On the 24th, surface ships of the US 5th Fleet occupied the Kerama Islands near Okinawa in one fell swoop and established a sea supply and maintenance base. On April 1, 1945, the U.S. military used powerful air and surface firepower to destroy the coastal underwater barriers set up by the Japanese army and then forcibly landed on Okinawa Island.The British Pacific Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Bernard Rollins, also participated in the attack. 1,300 warships transported 180,000 landing troops to Okinawa, and the Japanese defenders were about 100,000 people from the 32nd Army of Lieutenant General Ushimanjima.After 50 days of bloody battle, on June 21, the U.S. military announced the capture of Okinawa.Japan's 100,000 defenders were all killed except for 11,000 captured. Ushimanshima and his chief of staff committed suicide by caesarean section. The death of non-combatants on the island reached 150,000. The remaining Japanese navy was wiped out, among which the giant battleship "Yamato" " was bombed and sunk.15,000 U.S. troops were killed, 15 ordinary Allied ships were lost, and more than 200 ships were injured.At the same time, in June and July, MacArthur's 7th Fleet, with the cooperation of the Australian Navy and Army, captured Borneo and cut off Japan's important source of oil. When the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to concentrate all possible forces to attack the Japanese mainland, the allied powers discussed and dealt with the defeated Germany, Italy and their European vassal states and the war against Japan from July 17 to August 1945. On the 2nd, a meeting was held in Potsdam on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany. The leaders of the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom and their foreign ministers attended the meeting. On July 26, the leaders of the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom discussed the conditions for ending the war against Japan and the handling of Japan after the war, and passed the famous "Potsdam Proclamation", urging Japan to surrender immediately and unconditionally. Four days after the U.S. troops landed on Okinawa, the Japanese cabinet was overthrown. On the same day, the Soviet government announced that the Soviet-Japanese Nonaggression Pact would not be renewed after it expired in April 1945.Then, Germany announced its unconditional surrender.Facing the impending collapse, Japan’s Supreme War Guidance Conference held three consecutive meetings of the “Big Six” in mid-May, and finally decided to exchange the rights and interests of Northeast China with the Soviet Union to prevent it from participating in the war, and to ask the Soviet Union to intervene if necessary. The mediators, on the other hand, aimed to preserve the Japanese mainland and colonial Korea, trying to make a final contest. On July 12, Japanese Foreign Minister Togo instructed Sato, the ambassador to the Soviet Union, to inform Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov that the Emperor wanted to end the war and sent former Prime Minister Konoe to Moscow as a special envoy to discuss all matters concerning Japan-Soviet relations. problems, especially the interests of Northeast China.But obviously, Japan's offer was far less than that offered by Britain and the United States during the Yalta Conference, and the Soviet Union would not consider it at all. After the "Potsdam Proclamation" was published, the Japanese war faction believed that the proclamation did not mention the retention of the emperor system, which meant that the Allies wanted to destroy Japan's national foundation, so they refused to surrender. On July 16, 1945, under the appeal of Einstein and other scientists, the United States finally successfully trial-produced the first atomic bomb after several years of hard work. On August 6, 13 days after Japan rejected the Potsdam Proclamation, the U.S. Air Force dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, which was in ruins. On August 8, Molotov summoned the Japanese ambassador Sato, handed over the Soviet Union's declaration of war to Japan, and declared it to take effect the next day.This was another heavy blow to the Japanese government, which wholeheartedly expected the Soviet Union to mediate. On August 9, the U.S. Air Force dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.On the same day, 1.5 million members of the Soviet Red Army and some Mongolian People's Republic troops, under the command of Marshal Vasilevsky, commander of the Far East Force, launched a powerful offensive against the 800,000 Japanese Kwantung Army entrenched in Northeast China. On August 11, the Soviet army crossed the 50-degree north latitude dividing line and entered the southern part of Sakhalin Island. Beginning on August 18, the Soviet army landed in the Thousand Islands, and announced the end of the offensive after capturing Guohou and Shikotan Islands in early September.Less than four weeks after the Soviet army participated in the war, they wiped out the Kwantung Army in Northeast China and the Japanese troops stationed in North Korea, killed more than 80,000 Japanese soldiers, captured nearly 600,000 Japanese soldiers, and seized more than 1,560 cannons, more than 600 tanks, and 800 aircraft. Many aircraft made an important contribution to Japan's unconditional surrender. On August 9, Japan’s Supreme War Guidance Conference was held in the air-raid shelter of the Imperial Palace. Minister Lu Ke Anan, Army Chief of Staff Yoshijiro Umezu, and Navy Chief of Military Command Vice Takeshi Toyoda resolutely opposed unconditional surrender. Three conditions: Japan handles war criminals on its own; Japan disarms itself; the allies are not allowed to occupy Japanese territory, and at most use a small number of troops to implement short-term occupation.Another faction of Togo Motoku strongly advocated unconditional surrender on the premise of preserving the emperor system.There was a fierce dispute between the two factions, and finally the meeting was adjourned, and the emperor was asked to "sacred judgment".At the imperial meeting, Emperor Hirohito had already planned in his heart, and finally decided to surrender unconditionally. The imperial meeting ended at 2:30 am on August 10.At 3 o'clock in the morning, the cabinet continued to meet. Prime Minister Suzuki emphasized that the emperor had made a holy judgment, and the hardliners in the cabinet had to agree. On the morning of August 10, the Japanese government, through the Swiss and Swedish governments, forwarded Japan's acceptance of the "Potsdam Proclamation" to the governments of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and China. On the afternoon of August 12, Japan received official replies from the governments of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and China, requesting that the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government should obey the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces from the moment of surrender. On the issue of retaining the emperor system, the Allies had actually agreed to Japan's request, but the hardliners in the Japanese cabinet still opposed accepting the Allies' request. On the morning of August 13, the cabinet meeting was deadlocked again, so we had to adjourn it temporarily to ask the emperor for a decision.At the same time, Prime Minister Anan attempted to launch a coup d'état, holding the emperor hostage in order to fight the Allies to the end, but was opposed by Yoshijiro Umezu. At 10:50 a.m. on August 14, the emperor rejected the proposal of the hardliners at the imperial meeting, decided to accept the request of the Allies, and drafted an armistice edict on the spot. The meeting ended at noon on the 14th.The edict announcing the acceptance of the "Potsdam Proclamation" and the final telegram to the Allied countries to accept the "Potsdam Proclamation" were sent out at 23:00 on the 14th.That night, the hardliners recruited a group of desperadoes to break into the palace, trying to steal the recording of the emperor's broadcast edict to be played the next day, but they were quickly suppressed, and Ananlu committed suicide by caesarean section. On August 15, the Emperor of Japan broadcast the edict of surrender.From this day to mid-September, more than 3.3 million Japanese troops scattered outside the Japanese mainland surrendered to the Allies one after another. On August 30, 1945, MacArthur led a huge US and British troops to land near Tokyo and other areas in Japan, realizing the military occupation of Japan. At 9:00 am on September 2, 1945, a signing ceremony for the surrender of Japan was held on the American battleship USS Missouri moored in Tokyo Bay.Foreign Minister Shigemitsu Aoi of the new Togo Cabinet signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of the Japanese emperor and government, and Army Chief of Staff Yoshijiro Umezu represented the Japanese headquarters.Then came Admiral MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Admiral Nimitz, representative of the United States, General Xu Yongchang, representative of China, Admiral Fleiser, representative of the United Kingdom, Lieutenant General Dereviako, representative of the Soviet Union, and Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Xin and other representatives of the surrendered countries signed in turn.At this point, the Second World War finally ended.