VE Day celebrated on 7 (Western Allies) or 8 (Russia) May 1945 marks the end of World War II in Europe but, is it true?

The act of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces was signed on 7 May in Reims, France and on 8 May in Berlin, Germany. Nevertheless in four places of Europe the fight continued. These places were on The Netherlands’ Island of Texel, in the town of Odzak, situated in Northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and in Poljana, a village situated in Slovenia.

(1) The Prague Offensive was the last major Soviet operation of World War II in Europe. The offensive, and the battle for Prague, was fought on the Eastern Front from 6 May to 11 May 1945. This battle for the city is particularly noteworthy in that it ended after the Third Reich capitulated on 8 May 1945. This battle is also notable in that it was fought concurrently with the Prague Uprising. 

The city of Prague was ultimately liberated by the USSR during the Prague Offensive. All of the German troops of Army Group Centre and many of Army Group Ostmark (formerly known as Army Group South) were killed or captured, or fell into the hands of the Allies after the capitulation. The capitulation of Army Group Centre was nine days after the fall of Berlin and three days after Victory in Europe Day.

(Via Tassos S)

(2) The Battle of Poljana happened between 14 May and 15 May 1945 and it was a battle of World War II in Yugoslavia. It started at Poljana, near the village of Prevalje in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia), and was the culmination of a series of engagements between the Yugoslav Partisans and a large retreating Axis column, numbering in excess of 30,000 men. The column consisted of units of the German (Wehrmacht), the Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia, the Montenegrin People's Army (former Chetniks and the survivors of the Battle on Lijevče field), and Slovene Home Guard forces, as well as other fascist collaborationist factions and even civilians who were attempting to escape into British-controlled Austria. The surrender of this last area of Axis resistance 8 days after the official end of World War II in Europe.

(Via militaryhistorynow.com)

(3) The Georgian Uprising on Texel Island (The Netherlands) happened between 5 April and 20 May 1945. Texel was a heavily fortified island and was part of the German Atlantic Wall system of defense. It was an insurrection by the 882nd Infantry Battalion Königin Tamara of the Georgian Legion of the German Army stationed on this island.

The bloodshed lasted beyond the German capitulation in the Netherlands and Denmark on 5 May 1945 and even beyond Germany's general surrender on 8 May 1945. The fighting continued until Canadian troops arrived 20 May 1945 to enforce the German surrender, and disarmed the remaining German troops.

(4) The Battle of Odžak was the last World War II battle in Europe. The battle began on 19 April 1945 and lasted until 25 May 1945, 17 days after the end of the war in Europe. The combatants were the Croatian Armed Forces commanded by Petar Rajkovačić and the Yugoslav Partisans commanded by Miloš Zekić. The battle took place in the Bosnian town of Odžak. The battle was a Pyrrhic victory for the Partisans.

(Via commons.wikimedia.org)