On the 8th of May, 1945, the Second World War was officially over in Europe. The proclamation of freedom sparked feelings of rapture among most of the population. This was also the case in neutral Switzerland. In Asia, combat continued going on until the beginning of September, 1945. Soviet Army troops had kettled Hitler in the bunker of his underground «Reichskanzlei» in Berlin. On the 8th of May, top officials of the German Armed Forces signed a capitulation. It was the end of the biggest and cruellest war mankind had ever witnessed: 50 million casualties, cities in rubble and ash, entire countries devastated.It’s not a surprise that news of horror’s end triggered excitement and relief. Switzerland was one of the few countries in Europe to survive the war undamaged. Nevertheless, even the Swiss felt the War’s effects, with the mobilisation of the Swiss Army, fear of German invasion, rationing and all kinds of restrictions, as well as the arrival of refugees and soldiers who had to be detained.
