Victory 1945

* A fully illustrated account of the end of World War II * The German surrender document * President Truman's draft statement about the A-bomb attacks * The Japanese surrender document * Maps showing the positions of the opposing forces when Germany and Japan surrendered * A full-size facsimile newspaper front page from the end of the war * The personal discharge papers of Marine Michael Kerr * An official pamphlet about employment rights of the service personnel * A souvenir photographic print of the victory celebrations * A letter from the parents of a young US airman who never came home Sixty years ago, the most destructive war in human history was brought to a conclusion by the most destructive bomb in human history.

The atom bombs that were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and on Nagasaki three days later assured Allied victory over the Japanese.

In Europe and North America, the victory celebrations had begun three months earlier, with 8 May designated as 'VE' or 'Victory in Europe' Day. Men and women from all branches of the services danced in the streets of London, New York and Paris along with millions of war-weary civilians, while out on the battlefields the celebrations were far more subdued, with many soldiers barely able to believe that six years of war had finally come to an end.

Through its unique collection of facsimile documents and a fully illustrated booklet, the VICTORY 1945 dossier tells the story of the final weeks of World War II and the immediate aftermath, when families celebrated the return of their loved ones from military service or mourned the loss of those who never came home.