<P> On 8 May 1945, the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich . The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not until 9 May 1945 . On 30 April Hitler committed suicide during the Battle of Berlin, and so the surrender of Germany was authorized by his replacement, President of Germany Karl Dönitz . The act of military surrender was signed on 7 May in Reims, France, and ratified on 8 May in Berlin, Germany . </P> <P> In the afternoon of 15 August 1945, the Surrender of Japan occurred, effectively ending World War II . On this day the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made in Japan, and because of time zone differences it was announced in the United States, Western Europe, the Americas, the Pacific Islands, and Australia / New Zealand on 14 August 1945 . The signing of the surrender document occurred on 2 September 1945 . </P> <P> By the end of the war in August 1945, British Commonwealth forces were responsible for the civil and / or military administration of a number of non-Commonwealth territories, occupied during the war, including Eritrea, Libya, Madagascar, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Italian Somaliland, Syria, Thailand and portions of Germany, Austria and Japan . Most of these military administrations were handed over to old European colonial authorities or to new local authorities soon after the end of the hostilities . Commonwealth forces administered occupation zones in Japan, Germany and Austria until 1955 . World War II confirmed that Britain was no longer the great power it had once been, and that it had been surpassed by the United States on the world stage . Canada, Australia and New Zealand moved within the orbit of the United States . The image of imperial strength in Asia had been shattered by the Japanese attacks, and British prestige there was irreversibly damaged . The price for India's entry to the war had been effectively a guarantee for independence, which came within two years of the end of the war, relieving Britain of its most populous and valuable colony . The deployment of 150,000 Africans overseas from British colonies, and the stationing of white troops in Africa itself led to revised perceptions of the Empire in Africa . </P> <P> The contributions from individual colonies, protectorates and dominions to the war effort were extensive and global . Further information about their involvement can be found in the military histories of the individual colonies and dominions listed below . </P>

Describe the state of the u.k. as an empire after wwii
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