We look back at the events leading to the end of WWII in Europe – and how Northern Ireland is celebrating VE Day on the 80th anniversary
VE Day celebrations across Belfast
May 8 will herald the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), when Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allied forces, signalling the end to World War Two. The surrender document was signed by German representatives the previous day.
The path to this moment had been shaped by a number of critical political and military events in early 1945.