With a little over three million men still in the army in the field (of whom some 1,850,000 were on what was left of the eastern front), on 9 May the Wehrmacht announced the surrender in its last communiqué, broadcast just after eight in the evening from the ‘Reichssender Flensburg’:
Since midnight the weapons on all fronts are now silent. On the orders of the Grand Admiral, the Wehrmacht has given up the fight which has become hopeless. Thus the heroic struggle which lasted nearly six years has come to an end. It brought us great victories but also heavy defeats. In the end the German Wehrmacht was honourably defeated by a huge superior force.
The German soldier, true to his oath and with the greatest dedication, ahs performed deeds which never will be forgotten. The home front supported him to the last with all its powers and suffering the greatest sacrifices.
The unique achievement of the front and the home front will find its ultimate appreciation in a future just verdict of history.
Our opponents too will not refuse their respect for the achievements and sacrifices of German soldiers on land, at sea and in the air. Every soldier therefore can hand over his weapons with honour and pride and begin work courageously and confidently for the eternal life of our people in the darkest hour of our history.
In this dark hour the Wehrmacht is thinking of its comrades who remain with the enemy.
The dead obligate us to unconditional loyalty, to obedience and discipline with regard to a Fatherland bleeding from countless wounds.
Source:
Bessel, Richard. “The Last Days of the Reich.” Germany 1945: From War to Peace. New York, NY, HarperCollins, 2009. 132-33. Print.
Original Source Listed:
Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945. Band 3, p. 569.
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