7 May – General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms at Rheims, ending Germany's participation in the war. The document will take effect the next day.
8 May – World War II ends in Europe.
8–29 May – In Algeria, French troops kill an estimated 6,000 Algerian citizens in the Sétif massacre.
23 July – Marshal Philippe Pétain, who headed the Vichy government during World War II, goes on trial, charged with treason.