Axis troops surrender on the Italian front.

On 2 May 1945, the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers heard the news that the German Army Group South-West, under General von Vietinghoff, had surrendered unconditionally to Field-Marshal Alexander. This glorious news started off a round of parties and 'the sky was full of tracer and Very lights. The Pioneers, not to be outdone, detonated some colossal charges and nearly destroyed the village, and the Pipes and Drums played round the streets ... . The Faughs could rest on their laurels'.

Between December 1942 and April 1945, the 1st Faughs had won 3 DSOs, 21 MCs, 1 MBE, 4 DCMs, 43 MMs, 1 Russian award, and 23 Mentions in Dispatches. The Battalion had lost 19 officers and 261 men killed and 67 officers and 965 men wounded. The Adjutant wrote, 'It now requires everybody to get used to the boredom of peace’.

In his record of events, Brigadier Pat Scott, Commander 38 (Irish) Brigade noted:

'Such celebrations as there were did not go on very long and, by midnight, all was quiet and peaceful.

It was such a big event that it took time to assimilate.

I heard people remarking that, at any rate, we had beaten Monty to it; the "D-Day Dodgers" had got in first; and other kindred remarks.

Poor old "D-Day Dodgers": they had had a long fight for their money.

What a long time ago, it seemed since those early days in North Africa with the appalling discomforts of that campaign. It seemed a long time, too, since the epic battles of Sicily and Southern Italy.

How very few had seen them all.

How few in the Rifle Companies who had landed in North Africa were still with us to see the culmination of their efforts.

One’s mind turned that evening to a lot of faces of old friends whom one would not see again. One hopes that they, too, were able to join in the feeling of satisfaction and thankfulness that the last shot had been fired.'