Faces and moments: The World Wars

Elbe Day On 25 April 1945 American troops and units of the Red Army met for the first time on German soil in Strehla, roughly 30 kilometres south of the town of Torgau on the River Elbe. The Allied forces had effectively divided Germany in two, and in a symbol of friendship an American and a Russian soldier shook hands. © dpa

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (second from left) Like many of his colleagues, the preeminent figure of German Bauhaus avant-garde architecture emigrated to the United States. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe became an American citizen in 1944. As early as 1947 the Museum of Modern Art in New York showed a retrospective of his work. © dpa

Henry Kissinger American Secretary of State and National Security Advisor

Henry Kissinger Henry Kissinger grew up in Fürth and fled from the Nazis to the United States with his parents. The “German-American” became one of the most important American foreign affairs politicians from the 1960s until the 1980s. He was American Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, who served under the administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. © dpa

Marlene Dietrich signs a GI’s plaster cast.

Marlene Dietrich Marlene Dietrich rejected all film roles from the Nazi regime and took American citizenship in 1939. She supported American troops and was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1947, the highest civilian decoration in the USA. © dpa

Marlene Dietrich on the set of “Shanghai Express”.

Marlene Dietrich Marlene Dietrich rejected all film roles from the Nazi regime and took American citizenship in 1939. She supported American troops and was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1947, the highest civilian decoration in the USA. © dpa

Thomas Mann brought thinkers and artists together.

Thomas Mann Another name for Thomas Mann’s residence in Los Angeles in the early 1940s was the “White House of Exile”. The Nobel laureate who had emigrated to the USA took American citizenship just a few years after moving in. Today the Thomas Mann House is a meeting place for transatlantic exchange. © dpa

German Federal President Steinmeier opens the Thomas Mann House.

Thomas Mann House Another name for Thomas Mann’s residence in Los Angeles in the early 1940s was the “White House of Exile”. The Nobel laureate who had emigrated to the USA took American citizenship just a few years after moving in. Today the Thomas Mann House is a meeting place for transatlantic exchange. Photograph: Federal President Steinmeier © dpa

Liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp When the United States Army reached Buchenwald near Weimar on 11 April 1945, the prisoners had already rebelled and liberated the camp. Since then the former concentration camp has become a symbol of the National Socialist terror regime, and a symbol of resistance. © dpa

D-Day This major offensive against Hitler was the largest seaborne operation in history, and for many it marks the beginning of the end of World War II. The Allies first brought in large contingents of troops from the USA and Canada to Britain. From there 150,000 Allied soldiers crossed the English Channel and landed in Normandy, France, on 6 June 1944, popularly known as D-Day. The aim of Operation Overlord was to push back the German forces and liberate France. The landings were a success, but the human costs were high. The Allies sustained very heavy losses on the beaches of Normandy. © dpa

The end of the war On May 7, 1945, the German delegation signed an unconditional surrender of the German Reich. The signing took place in France at the Supreme Headquarters of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces in Europe. Two days later the surrender was signed again at the Headquarters of the Soviet Armed Forces in Berlin-Karlshorst. This marked the ceasefire in Europe after more than five years of war. © dpa

Faces and moments: The World Wars

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