I'm wondering. I'm talking like a soldier is in his trench and hears through radio or whatever that the war is over. Do they just walk over to the German camp and smoke cigarettes together or something? Do they hear the announcement and just pack up and leave and if so, how?
Just wondering about what happened to the soldiers on both sides, within minutes and hours of the wars being over.
I appreciate any answers in advance!
Kurt Vonnegut (PFC. K. VONNEGUT, JR. 12102964 U.S. ARMY) was a POW held by the Germans during the war. Here is his account of what happened when the war ended. This is the last few paragraphs of a letter he wrote to home on May 29, 1945, and is published in the book "Armageddon in Retrospect".
"When General Patton took Leipzig we were evacuated on foot to Hellexisdorf on the Saxony-Czechoslovakian border. There we remained until the war ended. Our guards deserted us. On that happy day the Russians were intent on mopping up isolated outlaw resistance in our sector. Their planes (P39's) strafed and bombed us, killing fourteen. But not me.
Eight of us stole a team and wagon. We traveled and looted our way through Sudetendland and Saxony for eight days, living like kings. The Russians are crazy about Americans. The Russians picked us up in Dresden. We rode from there to the American lines at Halle in Land-Lease Ford trucks. We've since flown to the Le Havre.
I'm writing from a Red Cross Club in Le Havre P.O.W. Repatriation Camp. I'm being wonderfully well fed and entertained. The state-bound ships [are] jammed, naturally, so I'll have to be patient. I hope I'm home in a month. Once home I'll be given twenty-one days recuperation at Atterbury, about $600 back pay and—get this—sixty days (60) furlough!
I've too damned much to say, the rest will have to wait. I can't receive mail here so don't write. May 29, 1945
Love, Kurt – Jr"
Follow up question in regards to the first minute - why the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month?
Since you mentioned two very different World Wars but seem to be actually wondering about how armistices in general happen on the ground, you should read this first-hand account of the last 12 hours of the Korean War. It covers every single question you asked in your submission statement, so you should find it quite informative.
Seems like this is a rather hard question tbh but can't blame myself for being a lazy fuck and not doing any research. I'll research it when I get home and try to answer