Why was the act of German surrender signed twice?

The first signing of the act took place in Reims, France, on May 7 at 2:41 am. Colonel General Alfred Jodl signed on behalf of Germany. The Western Allies were represented by U.S. General Walter Bedell-Smith and the USSR by Major General Ivan Susloparov, representative at the headquarters of the Western Allies, who, however, found himself in a difficult situation.

The German instrument of surrender signed on May 7, 1945

Susloparov simply… did not have the authority to sign such a document. But the Americans insisted – they wanted to end the war as quickly as possible and presented him with a fait accompli just a couple of hours before the ceremony. The general asked Moscow about further actions, but, due to technical problems, he never received an answer.

The military leader could not refuse either – the USSR would have to continue fighting against the Nazis alone, which would have led to an increase in the losses of Soviet troops.

Signing the capitulation papers of surrender of the German Wehrmacht in Reims, France.

He found a way out of the situation by insisting on the inclusion of a clause on the possibility of signing another act replacing the current one.

Later, the general learned of the Kremlin's categorical prohibition to sign the document. Stalin wanted the signing ceremony to be much more grandiose: to take place in Berlin, "here the fascist aggression came from", with the participation of the high command of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.

Signing the capitulation papers of surrender of the German Wehrmacht in Berlin.

The Allies agreed to consider the ceremony in Reims a "preliminary capitulation" and held a second signing on May 8 (May 9, Moscow time) in the Berlin district of Karlshorst. Back in Moscow, authorities expressed dissatisfaction with Susloparov’s actions, but no serious measures were taken against him.