Measuring 7 1/4 inches wide and 10 3/4 inches tall, this is a copy of the Instrument of Surrender of All German Forces, with an addition at the top; a few lines of handwritten text in blue ink, which roughly translate as an identification of the following text as the document as signed by General Alfred Jodl on his behalf, with a date of "31.10.74" and signature of "Donitz". Born in 1891, Doenitz rose through the German naval ranks, commanding a submarine in World War One, devising the "wolf pack" tactics of World War II while in British captivity, and eventually becoming Grand Admiral and Commander in Chief of the Kriegsmarine. His final promotion would be to the Head of State of Germany by way of Hitler's last will and testament on April 30, 1945, leading to a 20 day scramble to get as many men to surrender to the West as possible in order to keep them out of Soviet hands, before finally authorizing an unconditional surrender on May 7, 1945. Later that month, Doenitz's "Flensburg Government" was officially dissolved by the Allies and it's members brought before the Nuremburg Trials for their actions during the War. Doenitz was sentenced to 10 years incarceration, while Jodl and other members of his government were hung. Upon his release from Spandau Prison he retired in West Germany, where he penned two books on his life and was known to actively respond to correspondence, including requests for signatures; it is quite likely that this document was one of the items that received such attention from him. Doenitz, the last German Grand Admiral, died of a heart attack on December 24, 1980, and his funeral was attended by a number of German and foreign naval officers, many in full uniform in direct contradiction to orders.

Excellent. The document is crisp overall, with a pair of clean folds across the body. The printed text is very sharp, and the handwriting is crisp and unsmudged.