Victory in Europe Day: Defence Minister Naď marks 77th anniversary of end of World War II

To mark the 77th anniversary of the end of the Second World War on Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď attended a special wreath laying service at the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Museum in Banská Bystrica. In the national act of commemoration, he honoured the memory of those who died in the world's bloodiest conflict in the history of mankind.

In his VE Day address, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “77 years have passed since the end of the Second World War. And yet, just a few weeks ago, hardly anyone would have imagined in their worst nightmare that the testimonies of atrocities we only learned about from the chronicles and the mouths of the eyewitnesses would become so much a part of our living experience. This clearly proves that evil and hatred in the worst of their forms are still present here and that the path to freedom is paved by countless numbers of victims and human tragedies. Therefore, as we remember those who have laid down their lives in the struggle for freedom, we pledge never to forget their heroism.”

World War II broke out when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. 60 countries had gradually become involved in the war. It took 2,194 days to end it. The formal acceptance of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender by the Allied forces marked the end of the war in Europe on 8 May 1945. However, this did not signify the absolute end of the conflict. Not until the surrender of Japan to the Allies in a surrender ceremony aboard a U.S. battleship in Tokyo Bay did the war come to an end on 2 September 1945. WW2 fatalities are estimated at approx. 60 million.