70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

Well, April 23rd went by without (as far as I know) anything spectacular happening: so much for my forcasts! But, thank God! It looks as though Germany has at last given up the struggle.

The news from Europe has been very exciting of late: the whole of Germany is now virtually occupied by our allied troops with just a few pockets still holding out. Hitler is reported dead (killed in Berlin by a Russian bullet). Goebbels has committed suicide; Berlin has fallen to the Russians; Hamburg has capitulated to the British; the Germans in Denmark are laying down their arms and, apparently in Norway there are signs of them surrendering. But in spite of all that this means – that the war in Germany is virtually over – there is not a great deal of excitement here; just a feeling of thankfulness that it is all over (Churchill is on his way to Germany for the official surrender); the end has been too long coming, too inevitable and too horrible to give one a feeling of excitement or elation. It was not like the end of the last war when the armies were still opposing each other in the field and the end came suddenly.This end has been too horrible; like hacking at the carcass of a stricken animal; our forces blasting the German cities to bits, and the Germans mobilising women and children from 13 to 15 to help in the defence! This has been the last great crime of the Nazis. What good could it possibly do to bring their enemies right into their cities, thus making inevitable the destruction of thousands of civilian lives as well as the greater part of the cities themselves with all their historic and artistic treasures. It went beyond heroism and amounted to brutal national suicide. There must and will be misery in Germany for years to come. Today’s paper gives news of 3rd May which is 4 days old, so it is possible by now that all fighting has ceased. How wonderful if that is so! But they may hold out in some places for a few weeks yet.