Beckum, Germany, May 8, 1945: Smiling U.S. Ninth Army soldiers in Beckum, Germany, hold extra editions of Stars and Stripes announcing news of German’s surrender. The soldiers en route to mess with their mess kits are, left to right: Technician third grade (Tec 3) Vincent Pellegrino, New York, N.Y., and Tec 4 Oliver Scarselli, Newburgh, New York, and Tec 3 James Spear, Fall River, Massachusetts.