May 8 is Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day, the day in 1945 when Nazi troops laid down their arms, ending World War II on the continent. Ceremonies were held in both Europe and the United States to remember the 70th anniversay of the Allied victory and to honor veterans of the war. Russia commemorated the anniversary on Saturday, May 9.
US, Europe Mark 70th Anniversary of VE Day
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Flowers lay on a plaque engraved with the names of Soviet casualties at a Soviet war memorial in a cemetery for killed Soviet soldiers on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, in Lebus, eastern Germany, May 8, 2015.
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World War II reenactors salute while the National Anthem plays during ceremony commemorating 70th Anniversary of VE Day at the National World War II Memorial, May 8, 2015, in Washington, D.C.
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Navy Petty Officer Kevin Smith, left, salutes WWII veteran Harold Noel, 98, who was a B-24 navigator during WWII and was shot down and imprisoned as a POW at Stalag Luft III, at the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. during a ceremony in honor of the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), May 8, 2015,
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World War II vintage aircraft flyover near the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., May 8, 2015, marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, and to commemorate the Allied victory in Europe during World War II.