Surrender in WW2.

[iwccc]

I am trying to find evidence of soldiers that were at the Surrender.   I have been told orally that you had to be over 6' tall to be in this group.  Can anyone point me in the right direction to find out more e.g.  how many soldiers were there with the officers etc.  Is it true that you had to be over 6' tall.  Was the three armed services represented? I also can't work out whether it was the Japanese surrender or German surrender. 
Was the Japanese surrender (on board the Missouri) only represented by Sailors?I have very little to go on - only oral history from an elderly lady.  Any help would be much appreciated.  Thank you

[tonepad]

"Once reaching the deck, the Japanese had to walk past eight seamen, each one more than 6 feet tall. Starnes had picked them out in a calculated effort to emphasize Allied superiority and intimidate the Japanese delegation."

https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-missouri-surrender-20150902-story.html


Tony

[iwccc]

Thank you Tonepad...a very interesting read.  It would appear that the men on board were all sailors. My man was in the Army so perhaps he was at the German surrender?  Thank you for your input - it does mention the 6' men.

[ShaunJ]

There were several German surrender ceremonies in 1945: Luneberg Heath, Haar, Reims, Berlin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Instrument_of_Surrender

[iwccc]

Shaun J. thanks for this reference - some very interesting facts.  Still did not find any reference to Australian soldiers though.   Appreciate your input. Thank you

[majm]

_{I am trying to find evidence of soldiers that were at the Surrender.   I have been told orally that you had to be over 6' tall to be in this group.  Can anyone point me in the right direction to find out more e.g.  how many soldiers were there with the officers etc.  Is it true that you had to be over 6' tall.  Was the three armed services represented? I also can't work out whether it was the Japanese surrender or German surrender.}
Was the Japanese surrender (on board the Missouri) only represented by Sailors?_{I have very little to go on - only oral history from an elderly lady.  Any help would be much appreciated.  Thank you}

NO, the Japanese surrender that was on USS Missouri was simply the formal ceremony, and General Blamey (so the Australian Army) actually signed for Australia.  All three of the Australian Defence forces were formally represented at that ceremony.   I too have oral history supporting the tallest of the tallest were to be assigned guard duties at all the ceremonies.  All Japanese flags were to be on cutdown flag poles, US flag to be flown no higher than the AIF Monash (blue) flag (so not the RAN flag) ( Monash flag is very similar to the current flag of Australia which was NOT approved as a national flag until 1953, so until 1953 the usual civilian flags for Australia were the Union Jack and the Red Ensign - Jack in top left corner, the Southern Cross with various numbers of points, and the Commonwealth Star with various lengths of the points).

https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-manuscriptsandarchives-9770
Takenaga surrender by Japanese Army Battalion to Australian Army in New Guinea  3 May 1945

Formal surrender on USS Missouri … Australian delegates photo :
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/019136   :
Australian delegates at the Japanese surrender ceremony on board USS Missouri. Left to right: (back row) Captain J. Balfour; Lieutenant Colonel D. H. Dwyer; Air Vice Marshal G. Jones; Lieutenant General F. H. Berryman; Commodore J. A. Collins. Front row: Rear Admiral G. Moore; General Sir Thomas Blamey (who signed for Australia) and Air Vice Marshal W. D. Bostock.

https://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/31/article  Article including photos is online at AWM website re Accepting the Japanese Surrender at Bandjermasin 

https://www.naa.gov.au/learn/learning-resources/learning-resource-themes/war/world-war-ii/surrender-japanese-timor-area-world-war-ii   Japanese Chief of Staff signed the Instrument of Surrender in a ceremony on HMAS Moresby at sea off Timor.  Photo and information at that live link.

Further information :
https://www.navyhistory.org.au/tag/japanese-surrender/
https://www.dva.gov.au/newsroom/vetaffairs/vetaffairs-vol-36-no2-winter-2020/tokyo-bay-surrender-ceremony

JM

[majm]

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/119234 21 September 1945  Australian soldiers guarding Japanese prisoners.

More https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C202371

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Australian_2-31_Bn_parading_through_Bandjermasin_Sept_1945.jpg v

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U56074  scroll through 

JM

[iwccc]

Dear majm,  Thank you again for so much interesting information.  I appreciate your help in trying to track down a relatives claim to her husband being present at the surrender.  Might have to look at hi service record and see if it mentions this.  thanks again