World War II propaganda poster titled “United: The United Nations Fight for Freedom" designed by Leslie Ragan around 1943 for the U.S. Office of War Information. It was used to symbolize unity, cooperation, and shared determination among the Allied nations to fight the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan). The naval fleet and aircraft highlight military strength and industrial power.

As Nazi Germany's defeat approaches, the Allies must decide what to do with the Wehrmacht's vast military arsenal. In this photo, a 274 mm railway gun, seized by the US 7th Army during its advance near Rentwertshausen, Thuringia, on 10 April 1945, bears witness to this power: the imposing piece of artillery easily supports the weight of twenty-two American soldiers perched on its barrel. It was originally a 10.8-inch French naval gun from a warship, which was converted into a railway gun by France during the First World War and then captured by the Wehrmacht in 1940.

On 11 April 1945, officers of the Royal Air Force inspect an incomplete siege gun within the ruins of the Krupp armaments complex in Essen, Germany — a key industrial site targeted by Bomber Command during the Second World War.

On 25 April 1945, American and Soviet troops link up at Torgau on the Elbe, north-east of Leipzig.

Second Lieutenant William Robertson and Lieutenant Alexander Sylvashko of the Soviet Army stand before the ‘East Meets West’ sign, commemorating the historic meeting of the American and Soviet forces near Torgau, Germany, on April 25, 1945.

On 27 April 1945, in the German town of Torgau, American and Russian soldiers come together to celebrate their joint victory over Nazi Germany with a toast. The American contingent, made up of troops from the 102nd Cavalry Group of the First U.S. Army, had pushed deep into Germany and established contact with Soviet forces - a moment that became a powerful symbol of Allied unity in the final days of the war.

Victory in the West April - May 1945: Russian and American soldiers rest on the banks of the River Elbe, following the link-up between the US 1st Army and the Russian 1st Ukrainian Army at Torgau sixty miles south of Berlin.

General view of the banquet hall, decorated with Russian banners and portraits of Stalin and Roosevelt. At the center, just to the left of the mirror, is General Courtney Hodges, Commanding General of the U.S. 1st Army. From left to right are: General Jordov, Commanding General of the Soviet 5th Army; Major General William P. Kean, Chief of Staff of the U.S. 1st Army; Major General Backenov, Commanding General of the Soviet 34th Corps; a Soviet staff officer; and Brigadier General Charles E. Hart, Artillery Officer of the U.S. 1st Army. They are attending a banquet held on 30 April 1945, following the historic meeting of the American and Soviet armies at Torgau, Germany.

On 3 May 1945, the US Army newspaper The Stars and Stripes announces the unconditional surrender of the German and Italian forces in Italy and part of Austria.

During the night of 7 to 8 May 1945 in Reims, Admiral Karl Doenitz, who succeeded Adolf Hitler at the head of the Reich, and General Gustav Jodl, Chief of Staff of the Wehrmacht, sign the unconditional surrender of the Nazi troops. On the 8 May, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, triumphantly announces the news on British radio.

On 8 May 1945, in Berlin, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signs the Act of Unconditional Military Surrender of the German Armed Forces.

On 8 May 1945, in Berlin, Field Marshal Keitel signs the Act of Unconditional Military Surrender of the German Armed Forces.

In a radio broadcast on 8 May 1945, the US President, Harry S. Truman, announces to the American people the end of the Second World War in Europe.

On 8 May 1945 in Reims, the German military High Command signed the unconditional surrender of the Reich. On the same day, General de Gaulle announces the end of the war to the French people in a broadcast speech.

On 8 May 1945, the French newspaper Le Monde announces that Admiral Doenitz has ordered the unconditional surrender of all German forces.

On 8 May 1945, the daily newspaper L’Humanité, mouthpiece of the French Communist Party, comments on the surrender of Hitler’s Germany.

On 8 May 1945, the daily newspaper L'Humanité, published by the French Communist Party, announces the surrender of Nazi Germany.

On 8 May 1945, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro headlines Germany's surrender.

8 May 1945 marks the victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany and the end of the war in Europe. The front page of the French newspaper Le Parisien libéré announces Germany's surrender and the return of peace.

On 8 May 1945, the French daily newspaper Le Monde leads with the surrender of the German armed forces.

On 17 May 1945, German troops cross the Danish border at Krusau, where they are immediately disarmed. The soldiers lay down their arms before continuing on their way to Germany.

On 23 August 1945, the remains of German military aircraft were seen scattered inside a bombed-out hangar at Paderborn Airfield in Germany.

At the end of the Second World War, the immense arsenal of the Wehrmacht — such as these cannons manufactured by Krupp — is destroyed by the Allies.