Like spring, victory in Europe came at lastin its own sweet time.
For soldiers in Europe, war's end came variously, and at various times. For some it ended long agoat Dunkirk, at Salerno, in Normandy, in the Ardennes, at many an unsung roadside. But for each survivor the war ended on the day when the prisoners' cage was opened or the field ahead no longer spat death.
For the commanders it ended over different tables at different hours: for Alexander in Caserta on Sunday; for Montgomery on Lüneburg Heath on the following Friday; for Devers, at Munich on Saturday.
For heads of states,...