One of the greatest events of the 20th century was the day when Peace in Europe and the end of the war in Europe were trumpeted via newspapers and radio, Monday, May 7, 1945.
It is not easy to find authentic stories from the day and the celebrations in Stockholm. I have found a referenced one in the daily newspaper Nya Norrland with the headline; Wildest carnival acid in Stockholm. Yankee was hoisted along Kungsgatan. Traffic chaos with Lauritz Falk in the center. The text is titled -Private to Nya Norrland- unfortunately without indication of the writer but interesting nonetheless as Kristoffersson's pictures fit so well into the story. The text below is reproduced as it is written in the newspaper, and the rather thumbed unique copy I found at a flea market. I think it is quite fascinating reading.
At three o'clock on Monday afternoon, the air defense sirens sounded as usual over Stockholm and the telephones pinged their warning signals - there was still war in the world. The city was in the usual Monday afternoon calm, but in a few minutes the picture had completely changed. A new signal was heard. The air defense sirens were in the most bewildering disarray, as if a clown had fallen into the air defense center and been driving around.
At the same time, the morning newspaper flyers and the midday editions of the newspapers were distributed with the news of peace and from the gray streets of everyday Stockholm, as if by magic, a fantastic carnival atmosphere rose against the golden evening sun. After a few minutes, it was completely impossible to get around on the major traffic arteries. Kungsgatan stood still from Vasagatan down to Stureplan. Hundreds of cars and buses were waiting to arrive. An ant would not have managed to tangle itself across the street.
The office staff in the businesses along the main street apparently got an immediate break and everything they could get their hands on in the way of paper was shoveled out of the windows. Whole rolls of paper were thrown out like giant serpentines and wound around the wires of the trolley buses. Sheets of paper in folio, quarto and octavo in all possible colors and with all of Stockholm's business vignettes snowed in clouds down onto the streets or were carried by the fresh wind up over the rooftops, over Strömmen and down to the king's enormous castle.
The young people stormed trucks. Trucks that were innocently approaching were stormed and all around the city they drove around to the crowds filled with cheering young people. Choirs were improvised on the street and sang the whole series of national anthems from "ja vi alters" to "Kong Christian stod ved höjen mast" to "God save the King" to "Du gamla du fria" and other choirs from office windows and roofs responded in kind - plus new showers of streamers and shining pieces of paper.
Extra police were ordered out, but had a mission doomed to failure. But they were as happy as London Bobbies. I saw a Dane adorn a policeman with a miniature Danish flag and he didn't seem displeased, even though it caused another dozen or so cars to be stopped somewhere down the Kungsholmsbron.
Opposite the Germany Window on Kungsgatan came a US soldier dressed in full uniform. He was hoisted for a full ten minutes by young people, walked a short distance up Kungsgatan, but soon whirled in the air again. Norwegian students embraced each other in the streets, girls kissed each other and flower shops were raided for flowers in the only colours that now existed in their minds - white, red and blue. In the Germany Window on Kungsgatan, which recently, for lack of a better way, had advertised partly German culture in the form of film snapshots and partly the Allied cultural devastation in the form of bombed Munich memorials, nothing was to be seen that day. A large grey sheet had been hung in front of the window.
Lauritz Falk did not have to sing alone. A short while later, a large black open car tried to pass up Kungsgatan via Stureplan from Birger Jarlsgatan, but it was hopeless for a very special reason. In the car was the actor Lauritz Falk with his wife and children and friends both inside and outside the car. An improvised Norwegian paper flag - the real ones are not so easy to get hold of right now - waved in Mrs Falk's hand and Lauritz took up "Ja vi elsker", he did not have to sing alone. The whole street participated. The car was filled with confetti in an instant. Down from Stureplan, Stockholm offered a truly fantastic sight. First, of course, packed with people in all directions, then all the cars, buses and trams that stood still with cheers echoing, then the murmur and countless voices. A Norwegian beams at an oncoming acquaintance, "It's a great day. The greatest of my life. Two honest Swedes who have just met, apparently; lucky that I met you, I didn't have to be happy all alone". A small selection of lines in the middle of a sea of flags.
On Vasagatan, England has its shop windows. In the first one you see the following, extremely objective press clips; German voices about the war; Goebbels in June 1940: The German people thank their leader for the brilliant age he has brought us into. Hitler in his great speech at the same time; The war in the West is over.
Carnival life in Stockholm continued throughout the evening. At 7 pm, the Stockholm students organized a train from Djurgårdssundsbron through the entire city to the Norwegian consulate on Vasagatan, where the Norwegian national anthem was sung and cheers were raised for the liberated brotherly people.
In the afternoon, a few thousand people gathered in front of the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian flags that had been erected in front of the Concert Hall and sang the three national anthems. During the evening hours, the entire population of Stockholm was out on the streets and it was almost impossible to get around. There was no possibility of entering restaurants or other places of business.