1945 Peace in Europe End of World War II Coin/Stamp Set

Commemorating the end of World War II... Peace in Europe 1945

May 8th 1945, the day after Germany's unconditional surrender, was VE Day (Victory in Europe). When Sir Winston Churchill's 3pm Downing Street radio broadcast declared the war had officially ended church bells rang and spontaneous street parties began throughout the country.

The display contains nine coins, namely: halfcrown, florin, English shilling, Scottish shilling, sixpence (all struck in 50% silver), threepence, penny, halfpenny and farthing plus the commemorative "Victory and Peace" postage stamps.

The coins were minted in 1945 and are in Fine (or better) condition and the stamps are in Mint condition as issued.

This item is new/mint and is housed in a display protection case but can be removed for framing if so desired.

This is a fantastic item that would make a great gift and is ideal for display.

 

 World War Two 1939 - 1945

 

World War Two in Europe began on 3 September 1939 when Britain and France declared war on Germany after Hitler had refused to abort his invasion of Poland, the territorial integrity of which had been guaranteed by Britain and France in March 1939.

 

Following several months of "phoney war", Hitler invaded France and the BeNeLux countries, which fell to him in June 1940. Britain endured the Blitz and feared invasion until the Battle of Britain in September 1940 secured superiority of the skies.

In June 1941, Hitler extended the war to the east by invading the Soviet Union, thereby making war on two fronts. The war further escalated on 7 December 1941 when America declared war on the Japanese after they bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbour. Hitler's declaration of war on America proved to be his undoing. With American entry into the war, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill felt certain of ultimate victory.

During 1942 Britain fought the Germans and the Italians in North Africa for control of the Eastern Mediterranean, oil and the Suez canal, achieving victory at El Alamein in October 1942. Thereafter, the British and Americans fought their way through Italy and drove the Germans out of the Balkans.

On 6 June 1944, a second Western front was opened with the invasion of Normandy - D-day. Soon the Russians had control of Eastern Europe and were on the outskirts of Berlin and the Western Allies had driven the Germans back into Germany. The war in Europe ended on 8 May 1945 when Admiral Doenitz surrendered (Hitler having committed suicide a week earlier on 30 April). In August 1945 the Japanese surrendered after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The losses of World War Two were as horrendous as its earlier counterpart - out of a total of 60,000,000 dead - at least 20,000,000 Soviet citizens alone - Britain and her Empire escaped relatively lightly with less than 500,000 Imperial troops killed (of which 144,000 were from the United Kingdom).


The Year That Was 1945...

 

• At the Yalta Conference of 4-11 February, Churchill, Stalin and the ailing Roosevelt discuss the postwar settlement of Germany. Stalin achieves far more than the other two • From 13-15 February, the Allies bomb Dresden in eastern Germany, killing at least 60,000 civilians in a fire storm and destroying the city's historic centre • On 20 March, British and Indian troops enter Mandalay in Burma • On 12 April, US president Franklin Roosevelt dies, age 63. He is succeeded by the vice president Harry Truman • On 28 April, Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are captured and shot by Italian partisans near Milan • On 30 April, Adolf Hitler marries his lover Eva Braun and both commit suicide in a Berlin bunker as Soviet troops approach • On 7 May, Germany surrenders. The country is divided into Soviet, American, British and French occupation zones. Berlin, within the Soviet zone, is also divided in the same way • On 26 June, the United Nations Charter is signed by 51 nations in San Francisco • On 26 July in Britain, a Labour landslide in the general election ousts Winston Churchill as prime minister. Instead Clement Attlee forms a government • On 6 and 9 August, US aircraft drop atomic bombs on, respectively, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On the order of Emperor Hirohito, Japan surrenders on 2 September, ending World War II • From 20 November, the International Military Tribunal, sitting at Nuremberg, tries crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO). It rules that 'obeying orders' is an insufficient defence for having committed such acts. The tribunal delivers its verdicts on 1 October 1946, including death sentences for Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hermann Goering, Martin Bormann and nine other leading Nazis • British writer George Orwell publishes Animal Farm, his satire on the Russian Revolution • Notable films include Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible, Roberto Rossellini's Roma, citta aperta (Rome, Open City) and David Lean's Brief Encounter • Beebop becomes a popular musical form •