Special edition of the weekly Le Journal de Tanger – Tangier, Morocco, dated May 8, 1945, titled: Victoire – Victory – marking the official surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe. In French.
The front-page editorial of this special issue opens with the word “Hoshana!” – the French equivalent of the Hebrew “”הושענא!”.” On the previous day, May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender in Reims, France, before the Western Allies (the United States, Britain, and France). The surrender came into effect on May 8 at 11:01 p.m. (Central European Time). Across the front page, the word Victoire appears in large red letters, accompanied by photographs of the “architects” of victory – Allied leaders Churchill, Truman, de Gaulle, and others – alongside a narrative recounting the final developments that led to the end of the war. On the back page, set against a large red “V” for Victory, appear the portraits of battalion commanders stationed in the Tangier region of Morocco, with a description beneath each image outlining their individual contributions to the fighting. The interior pages feature an extensive review of the liberation of Paris, the fall of Berlin, and the return to life after the war.
Tangier was part of the International Zone of Tangier, established in 1923 and jointly administered by several nations. On June 14, 1940, Fascist Spain took advantage of the fall of Paris to seize control of the city, effectively dissolving its international institutions. The occupation lasted until October 11, 1945, when the city was returned to its prior international status. During the 1940s, Le Journal de Tanger was published weekly. The newspaper continued to report on local and international events under the supervision or censorship of the Spanish authorities. This issue is one of the rare uncensored editions published freely at the end of the war.
4 pp. 60 cm. Fold marks. Tears along the upper margins. Paper slightly brittle. Good condition.
