Record revealed
Japanese Instrument of Surrender, 1945
After six years of brutal global conflict, this document marked the end of the Second World War.
Series
War Office: 21 Army Group: Military Headquarters Papers, Second World War
Catalogue reference: WO 205
What's it about?
WO 205
This series consists of Military Headquarters papers relating to 21 Army Group. The series contains files of the General Staff dealing with planning and implementation of the invasion of Northern Europe in 1944 (Operation Overlord) and with...
Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
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WO 205
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Title (The name of the record)
- War Office: 21 Army Group: Military Headquarters Papers, Second World War
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Date (When the record was created)
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1942-1947
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Description (What the record is about)
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This series consists of Military Headquarters papers relating to 21 Army Group.
The series contains files of the General Staff dealing with planning and implementation of the invasion of Northern Europe in 1944 (Operation Overlord) and with subsequent activity in enemy occupied territories before the new control authorities assumed responsibility.
Pieces 1 to 19B contain files of senior officers including those of the Commander-in-Chief Home Forces. These papers have been separated from those of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces as they conveniently record in one series the part played by the British Land Forces.
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Arrangement (Information about the filing sequence or logical order of the record)
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Arrangement
The series is arranged as follows ('G' files are the files of the General Staff):
- Files of senior officers: pieces 1-19B
- G Operations: pieces 20-424, 1109-1144
- G Operations (Air): pieces 425-585, 1145-1157
- G Liaison: pieces 586A-602J
- G (R) Camouflage: pieces 603-614
- G Records: 615-623
- G R.A.C.: pieces 624-642
- G Plans: pieces 643-746
- G Training and Infantry: pieces 747-772, 1088-1094
- G Build Up Control Organisation: pieces 773-798
- G Passive Air Defence: pieces 799-838
- G Operations (Movement and Transportation): pieces 839-843
- Operational reports: pieces 844-972D
- Miscellaneous papers: pieces 973-1024, 1095-1108, 1158-1165, 1227-1244
- Surrender and Post-surrender Period (May-July 1945): pieces 1025-1084
- G Intelligence: pieces 1085-1086
- G Air: piece 1087
- Engineers: pieces 1166-1224
- German documents: pieces 1225-1226
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Related material (A cross-reference to other related records)
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For Military Headquarters papers of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force covering the invasion of Northern Europe, 1944 to 1945, see WO 219
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
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Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
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English
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
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1253 files and volumes
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
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Open unless otherwise stated
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Immediate source of acquisition (When and where the record was acquired from)
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From 1973 Ministry of Defence
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Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
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Accruals (Indicates whether the archive expects to receive further records in future)
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Series is accruing
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Administrative / biographical background (Historical or biographical information about the creator of the record and the context of its creation)
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21 Army Group was the British operational group under Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). The headquarters was formed on 31 July 1943 at St Paul's School, London. Its purpose was to take over from the Commander-in-Chief Home Forces the responsibility for the detailed planning of the land operation to invade the continent.
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C14411/
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
9,781,006 records
Within the department: WO
Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General,...
You are currently looking at the series: WO 205
War Office: 21 Army Group: Military Headquarters Papers, Second World War
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