when did wwii end

World War II ended officially on September 2, 1945, when Japan signed the formal surrender documents in the Pacific theater. In Europe, the war ended earlier with the German unconditional surrender on May 7 and 8, 1945 (celebrated as Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day). The signing of Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay marked the official end of the entire Second World War.