Col. Gen. Paul Stumpff signs the surrender terms for the Luftwaffe, Germany's air force, early May 9, 1945, in Berlin. The combined chiefs of the German army, navy and air force signed the formal ratification of the Third Reich's unconditional surrender in Berlin before Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, representing Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of all Allied forces, and Marshal Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov, deputy commmander-in-chief of the Soviet Forces. The event took place two days after a document was signed by German officials in Reims, France, and announced the following day, May 8. U.S. SIGNAL CORPS Col. Gen. Gustaf Jodl, German chief of staff to Adm. Karl Doenitz, reads the document of unconditional surrender of Germany to the Allies, which he is about to sign at 2:42 a.m. May 7, 1945, in the war room at Forward Headquarters of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces at Reims, France. Under the instrument of surrender all German armed forces were bound to lay down their arms on all fronts. On Jodl's left is Adm. Hans-Georg von Friedeburg of the German navy, and on his right is Maj. Wilhelm Oxenius of the German general staff. Standing behind von Friedeburg is British Maj. Gen. K.W.D. Strong of the staff of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. At the far left is Col. Ivan Zenkovitch, aide to Major General of Artillery Ican Susloparoff, who signed the document of surrender on behalf of the Soviet High Command.