On 8 May 1985, ITN broadcast a special programme covering the celebrations being held on both sides of the Iron Curtain to mark the 40th anniversary of VE Day, the day on which the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Germany’s armed forces and brought to an end the Second World War in Europe. Showbiz celebrities (Vera Lynn, Ernie Wise, Michael Aspel) joined front-bench politicians and former prime ministers (Edward Heath, James Callaghan, Denis Healey, William Whitelaw, David Owen, and others) in sharing their memories of the moment they heard the news and celebrations began. Meanwhile, ITN’s team observed commemorations across Europe. Tim Ewart reported from Soviet Russia’s capital of Moscow, while Ian Glover-James broadcast from the Polish capital of Warsaw. Desmond Hamill reported from East Berlin on socialist East Germany’s grand commemorations of the Soviet Union’s liberation of Germany from the forces of Fascism. The service did not, Hamill noted, remember Germany’s war dead. Lastly, Michael Brunson reported from West Berlin, where he observed the muted marking of the historic anniversary. No grand parades were wanted or needed to remember the Second World War, West Berliners told Brunson. The Berlin Wall stood as a painful testimony to the tragedy of the conflict and its legacy.
#VEDay #VictoryInEurope #SecondWorldWar #WorldWarII #WorldWarTwo #SovietUnion #USSR #EastGermany #WestGermany #BerlinWall #IronCurtain #ColdWar
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