On May 8,1945, the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces was signed by Field Marshal Kietel in Berlin, ending World War II for Germany. The German people were confronted with a situation that they had never before experienced: foreign armies occupied the entire German territory. The total breakdown of civil administration throughout the country required immediate measures to ensure the rebuilding of civil authority. After disposing of Hitler’s successor as head of state and his government, the Allies issued a unilateral declaration on June 5, 1945, which proclaimed their supreme authority over German territory. The allies would govern Germany through four occupation zones, one for each of the four powers- the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union.The establishment of zones of occupation had been decided at a series of conferences. The conferences of Casablanca and Tehran were used as a planning conference. While at the Yalta conference in February 1945 participates decided that in Addition to the United States, British, and Soviet occupation zones in Germany, the French were also to have occupation zones carved out of the United States and British Zones. The peaceful relationship between the U.S., Britain and the Soviet Union began to show strains at the Potsdam Conference, held from July 17 to August 2,1945. In most instances, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was successful in getting the settlements he desired. One of his most far reaching victories was securing the conference’s approval of his decision to compensate Poland for the loss of territory in the east to the Soviet Union by awarding it administrative control over parts of Germany. Pending the negation of a peace treaty with Germany, Poland was to administer the German provinces of Pomerania, Silesia and the southern portion of East Prussia. The forcible “transfer” to the west of Germans living in these provinces was likewise ap...
