On the 3rd May 1945 a delegation from the German High Command under the command of General-Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg made its way to the Headquarters of the British Armed Forces based in the Villa Möllering, just outside the village of Häcklingen, near Lüneburg. From there the delegation would be escorted to nearby Timeloberg, where Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery had his tactical Headquarters. Here von Friedeburg offered a limited surrender of three German Armies, however Montgomery demanded the unconditional surrender of all German troops in northwest Germany, Holland, Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein.

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On the 4th May 1945 on Timeloberg near Wendisch Evern, the Second World War came to an end and with it liberation from the Nazi Dictator ship. The unconditional surrender of all German troops in Holland, northwest Germany, Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark was accepted by the British Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery from a delegation of the German High Command. The ceasefire took effect at 08.00 hrs on the 5th May. In Holland and Denmark this day is still celebrated. as a National Holiday.

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Timeloberg was specially selected for the formal act of Surrender. From this highest point within the area around the town of Lüneburg one could look down on the spires of a conquered German town. Field Marshal Montgomery named the hill ‘Victory Hill’ as a result. Total Surrender After the signing of the Surrender Document at Timeloberg, von Friedeburg attempted to make a further partial surrender to the American Army. Army Commander Eisenhower however demanded a total surrender on all fronts, including with the Soviet Union. After Hitler’s suicide on 30th April 1945, his successor Admiral Karl Dönitz was able to begin direct negotiations with the Allies. As a result of the hopeless military situation, Dönitz agreed in the end to sign at the American Headquarters in Reims on 7th May 1945. The total surrender, which had to be repeated at the insistence of the Soviets in the Headquarters of Marshal Zhukov in Berlin Karlshorst, came into effect on the 9th May at Midnight.

The historical site of the Surrender at Timeloberg is today a part of a military training area, and not open to the public. Since the 4th May 1995 however a Memorial Stone, situated at the bottom of Timeloberg is a reminder of this event of 1945. Further information about what happened to the Memorial and its surroundings after the war finished may be found on information boards next to the memorial stone.