NANCY LYONS

In what later became known as Victory Day, an official
announcement of Japan’s unconditional surrender to
the Allies was made public to the world on August 14,
1945. (Because of time-zone differences, it was August
15 in Japan.)

Japan formally surrendered in writing two weeks later,
on September 2, 1945.

American servicemen and women in Paris celebrate V-J Day.

On April 9, 1942, Major General Edward P. King Jr. surrendered
at Bataan, Philippines, against General Douglas MacArthur’s
orders—and 78,000 troops (66,000 Filipinos and 12,000
Americans), the largest contingent of U.S. soldiers ever to
surrender, were taken captive by the Japanese.

The prisoners were at once led 55 miles from Mariveles, on
the southern end of the Bataan peninsula, to San Fernando,
on what became known as the “Bataan Death March.”

At least 600 Americans and 5,000 Filipinos died because of
the extreme brutality of their captors, who starved, beat and
kicked them on the way; those who became too weak to walk
were bayoneted.

Those who survived were taken by rail from San Fernando to
POW camps, where another 16,000 Filipinos and at least
1,000 Americans died from disease, mistreatment, and
starvation.

Prisoners photographed during the march. They have their hands tied behind their backs.

Bataan Death March Memorial featuring Filipino and
American soldiers at the Veterans Memorial Park in
Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan formally
surrendered to the Allies, bringing an end to World War II.

By the summer of 1945, the defeat of Japan was a foregone
conclusion. The Japanese navy and air force were destroyed.

At the end of June, the Americans captured Okinawa, a Japanese
island from which the Allies could launch an invasion of the main Japanese home islands. U.S. General Douglas MacArthur was
put in charge of the invasion, which was code-named “Operation Olympic” and set for November 1945.

General Douglas MacArthur speaks to open the surrender ceremonies on the USS Missouri.

General Douglas MacArthur signs the surrender documents. Behind him stand General Jonathan M. Wainwright and
General Arthur E. Percival.

In the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9,
1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered his 28,000 Confederate troops
to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, thus effectively ending the
American Civil War. Forced to abandon the Confederate capital
of Richmond, blocked from joining the surviving Confederate
force in North Carolina, and harassed constantly by Union
cavalry, Lee had no other option.