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Germany was defeated, unconditionally, and a statewide holiday had been declared 70 years ago Friday.

But V-E Day in Utah was far from a boisterous celebration, for everyone knew that victory in Europe hardly meant World War II was over.

"V-E Finds Utah Grimly Determined to Carry War to Japan" read a banner headline across the top of The Salt Lake Tribune local section on May 8, 1945.

Below it ran pictures emphasizing the contrast between Armistice Day in 1918, when Germany's surrender brought World War I to an end and filled Salt Lake City's Main Street with a jubilant crowd at 200 South, and V-E Day, when a car carrying a large bell and an American flag went through that nearly deserted intersection.

The point was driven home further by a prominently placed story noting the deaths of four more Utahns — Melvin Shaw from Magna, Glen Hermansen of Gunnison, Farris Lind from Vernal and Albert Speth of Logan — in different battles in the Pacific.

"In 1918, it was a full grown dove of peace which suddenly and somewhat unexpectedly settled down upon the world. This time it was only half a bird. And it was this thought of the war still to be won in the Pacific that laid a restraining blanket over the observance of V-E Day in this area," The Tribune reported. "Advance precautions to cope with unruly crowds proved entirely unnecessary. There were no crowds, unruly or otherwise. Street and sidewalk traffic was far lighter than on a normal business day."

As an unidentified police officer described it: "Just like Sunday or New Year's Day without the hangovers."

The declaration of V-E Day actually was rather complicated. It had been clear for days that Adolf Hitler was dead, and the Nazis were done. King George of England had proclaimed victory on May 7. But Utah Gov. Herbert Maw was reticent to declare a holiday until President Harry Truman said the war in Europe was over, and nobody seemed to know exactly when his pronouncement would be made.

So people were told that if V-E Day was made official before 2 p.m., May 8 would be the holiday; after 2 p.m., it would be the next day. Not sure what to do, Logan and Price both held May 7 celebrations.

Truman's announcement came shortly after 7 a.m. Mountain War Time on May 8, early enough for most people to take the day off from work and to spend their time as government officials were encouraging — at home with their families, in church or out playing sports. Salt Lake City golf courses were packed. High school tennis matches and baseball games went on. The Deseret Gym closed, but the Wasatch plunge pool stayed open.

Schools were in session for half a day. At Hawthorne Elementary in Salt Lake City, "pupils were asked to turn their joy to constructive celebrations and children in different classrooms described what they could do for the war effort." Assemblies were held at South and West high schools, but East High's was canceled because too many students were absent.

A midday ceremony at Fort Douglas attracted an estimated 3,000 people to hear Brig. Gen. John Wilson "pay solemn homage to the brave men of our armed forces who have fought and died to preserve our ideals of liberty." Work went on as usual at Kearns Army Depot, except for an afternoon assembly for military and civilian personnel.

Radio station KDYL carried formal statements from Levi Edgar Young, a member of the LDS Church's [Quorum] of the Seventy, Judge Memorial Catholic High School Principal Rev. Robert Dwyer and Zion Lutheran Rev. Thomas Wersell. Among the many church services was a joint observance by the congregations of the Unitarian Society and Temple B'nai B'rith Israel.

On the not-so-formal front, employees in the Salt Lake County shops hanged Hitler in effigy beneath a sign proclaiming to the Japanese emperor, "Hirohito you are Next." The Salt Lake Chamber published an ad in The Tribune that morning, showing Hitler hanging from a gallows, and encouraging people to buy war bonds because there were "millions of [Japanese] yet to lick."

To help raise money for the ongoing war effort, about 175 women showed up at The Tribune-Salt Lake Telegram auditorium to receive war-bond kits and to get their marching orders for door-to-door sales of what was called the "7th war loan." Campaign chairwoman Cornelia Lund noted that "instead of a let-down, V-E seemed to bring renewed determination to help end the war with Japan as soon as possible."

That day came a little more than three months later. Japan quit fighting on Aug. 15, 1945, after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but did not officially surrender until Sept. 2.

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