World War II formally ended in Poland on May 8, 1945, however, the liberation of individual territories lasted from January to May 1945. Despite Germany's capitulation, Poland fell under USSR domination, which led to the installation of communist rule and fundamental territorial and social changes.

World War II was the most tragic conflict in the history of Poland and the world. Although most countries recognize May 8, 1945, as the official end of the war in Europe, the situation for Poland is much more complex.

For many historians and Poles, the end of World War II did not mean full freedom. Despite Nazi Germany's capitulation, Polish territories came under Soviet Union influence, which led to further decades of political dependence. This complicated situation means that determining the exact date of the war's end in Poland still sparks discussions among historians and researchers.

Military operations on Polish territory ended gradually in different regions between January and May 1945. The process of liberating individual areas proceeded from east to west along with the Red Army offensive.

The Red Army began the operation to liberate Poland on January 12, 1945, during the Vistula-Oder offensive. Key cities were liberated in the following order:

• Warsaw regained freedom on January 17, 1945

• Kraków was liberated on January 19, 1945

• Poznań was liberated on February 23, 1945

• Gdańsk was captured on March 30, 1945

• Szczecin was liberated on April 26, 1945

• First capitulation signed in Reims on May 7, 1945

• Official capitulation in Berlin on May 8, 1945

• End of fighting in Gdańsk on May 9, 1945

• Capitulation of last Wehrmacht units on Hel Peninsula on May 14, 1945

Region	Liberation date
Central Poland	January 1945
Greater Poland	February 1945
Pomerania	March 1945
Western Pomerania	April 1945
Hel Peninsula	May 1945

Poland underwent fundamental territorial and demographic changes after World War II. The post-war period was characterized by mass population resettlements and reorganization of state borders.

Polish borders underwent radical changes in 1945. Under the provisions of the Potsdam Conference, Poland received 102,785 km² of western and northern lands while losing 178,000 km² of eastern territories. The new Polish territory included:

• Western Pomerania with access to the Baltic Sea
• Warmia and Masuria (former East Prussia)
• Lower Silesia with the Opole region
• Lubusz Land
• Gdańsk with adjacent territories

Territorial changes triggered mass migration movements between 1945-1950. The resettlement process included the following groups:

Population Group	Number of Resettled People
Poles from Eastern Borderlands	1.5 million
Germans displaced westward	3.2 million
Ukrainians resettled under Operation "Vistula"	150,000
Poles returning from the West	2.0 million

• Forced nature of most displacements
• Organization of railway transports by state authorities
• Creation of staging points for resettlers
• System of housing and farm allocation in the Recovered Territories

Soviet domination in Poland began with the Red Army's entry into Polish territories in 1944. The Soviet Union systematically implemented its model of power, using both military force and political control mechanisms.

The Polish Committee of National Liberation (PKWN) began operations on July 21, 1944, in Chełm as a temporary executive body subordinate to Moscow. The communist authorities carried out a series of actions to consolidate their position:

• Establishment of the security apparatus with help from Soviet advisors in 1944

• Elimination of political opposition through arrests of Polish Underground State members

• Falsification of the 1946 people's referendum results

• Conducting undemocratic parliamentary elections in January 1947

• Delegitimization of the London government by the Allies on July 5, 1945

• Taking control of the economy through industry nationalization in 1946

• Liquidation of independent social and political organizations in 1945-1947

• Introduction of censorship and media control by the Main Office of Press Control

• Unification of the education system according to Soviet models

Event	Date	Effect
PKWN establishment	07/21/1944	Creation of pro-Soviet administration
People's referendum	06/30/1946	Falsified results: 68% votes "3xYES"
Parliamentary elections	01/19/1947	Official result: 80% for Democratic Bloc

World War II ended at different times for various countries and regions of the world. The most important dates of surrender mark the formal end of military operations in Europe and Asia.

The Third Reich's surrender occurred in two stages. On May 7, 1945, in Reims, representatives of the German command signed the preliminary act of surrender before the Western Allies. The proper surrender ceremony took place on May 8 in Berlin-Karlshorst at 23:01 Central European Time. Due to the time difference, it was already 1:01 AM on May 9 in Moscow, which is why the Soviet Union celebrated victory over Germany on May 9.

Date	Event	Location
May 7, 1945	Preliminary surrender	Reims, France
May 8, 1945 23:01	Official surrender	Berlin-Karlshorst
May 9, 1945 1:01	Surrender according to Moscow time	Berlin-Karlshorst

Japan surrendered after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender on August 15, 1945, in a radio broadcast. The formal signing of the surrender document took place on September 2, 1945, aboard the American battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Date	Event
August 6, 1945	Bombing of Hiroshima
August 9, 1945	Bombing of Nagasaki
August 15, 1945	Emperor's surrender announcement
September 2, 1945	Signing of surrender document

World War II caused fundamental changes in Polish society's structure, economy, and demographics. Poland's demographic losses amounted to 6 million citizens, including 3 million citizens of Jewish origin.

Loss Category	Percentage of Destruction
Industry	65%
Railway Infrastructure	84%
Residential Buildings	43%
Schools	60%
Cultural Institutions	70%

• Loss of Eastern Borderlands covering 178,000 km²
• Incorporation of Western and Northern Territories covering 102,785 km²
• Reduction of Poland's territory by 75,215 km² compared to 1939

• Liquidation of large land estates through the 1944 land reform
• Destruction of pre-war intellectual and economic elites
• Mass population migrations related to resettlements:
• 2.2 million Poles from the Eastern Borderlands
• 3.3 million Germans expelled from new territories
• 480,000 Ukrainians resettled under Operation "Vistula"

• Implementation of communist system under USSR control

• Creation of security apparatus controlling society

• Elimination of independent political parties

• Nationalization of industry and trade

• Introduction of censorship and media control

• Destruction of 43% of historical monuments

• Loss of significant library and museum collections

• Disruption of pre-war Poland's cultural continuity

• Imposition of socialist realist cultural model

• World War II in Poland formally ended on May 8, 1945, however, the liberation of individual territories lasted from January to May 1945
• Despite Germany's capitulation, Poland did not regain full independence - it came under USSR domination, which led to the installation of communist rule
• The end of the war brought fundamental territorial changes - Poland lost the Eastern Borderlands but received the Western and Northern Territories, which involved mass population resettlements
• Poland's war losses were enormous - 6 million citizens died, 65% of industry and significant infrastructure was destroyed
• The post-war period was characterized by deep socio-political changes, including the elimination of pre-war elites, nationalization of the economy, and introduction of censorship

The end of World War II in Poland was a complex process that cannot be reduced to a single specific date. Although May 8, 1945, is considered the official end of the war in Europe, for Poland this period did not mean full freedom.

Liberation from German occupation brought new challenges in the form of Soviet domination, introduction of the communist system, and significant territorial changes. Population resettlements, war damage, and demographic losses fundamentally changed the face of the country.

The effects of World War II left a lasting mark on Polish society, shaping its fate for decades to come. The political transformation and Poland's geopolitical position after 1945 began a new chapter in the country's history that significantly differed from pre-war reality.