Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day or VE Day) occurs on May 8. On this day in 1945 the Allied forces during the Second World War Officially marked the defeat of Nazi Germany. Originally the Allies had designated May the 9th as the official day for marking the surrender of the Third Reich but news of the surrender became public in the west on the 8th of May, resulting in massive celebrations throughout the western world. Thus May 8th became recognized in the west as VE Day. The Soviets, however, observed the May 9th date as the official date of the end of the war and modern Russia still observes the 9th of May as Victory Day, the day on which an end came to the “Great Patriotic War” (as World War II is there known). During Moscow’s 1945 Victory Parade the standards of Germany’s defeated armies were thrown to the grown before of Lenin's Mausoleum at Red Square. In London, the day before, over a million people spilled into the streets. New York and other American cities saw huge celebrations. It would be more than three months before Japan followed Germany and on August 15th, 1945 Japans surrender occurred. This beautiful Royal Canadian Mint product is sure to be a hit with collectors everywhere.