September 2, 1945 · Pacific — Tokyo Bay Theater
September 2, 1945
Japan's formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945 ended eight years of war in China. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, combined with the Soviet declaration of war and invasion of Manchuria, had broken Japan's will to fight. China's representative, General Hsu Yung-chang, signed as one of the Allied powers — but the peace brought no rest. Within weeks, Chinese Communist and Nationalist forces were maneuvering for position in a civil war that would consume another four years.
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