5 epic parties troops threw when the world wars ended

When years of world war come to an end, the troops who fought are going to party hard. From New York to Moscow to Paris, the Allied cities celebrated their victories with abandon.

1. The end of World War II in Europe saw Moscow run out of booze.

Russia suffered some of the worst devastation of any of the Allies during World War II, possibly even worse than France. So, when the German surrender was announced in Moscow at 1:10 in the morning, the Soviets sure as hell weren't waiting for the sun to start partying.

Russian soldiers and citizens spilled into the streets in their pajamas and started drinking the town dry. And that's not an exaggeration, the party got so boisterous that people reported that vodka just didn't exist in the city by the time the partying ended.

2. Canadian authorities tried to limit drinking at the surrender of Germany and sailors rioted.

Across the Atlantic, Canadian authorities predicted the drunken antics that would ensue and tried to control it by closing bars and liquor stores. Sailors, soldiers, and civilians broke into the largest two liquor stores and 207 other businesses and stole the contents before burning a police car, a wagon, a tram, and 20 other vehicles.

A federal inquiry later blamed the navy for the sailors' conduct and fired a senior officer in charge of the men.

3. Paris celebrations started slow and then built to a crescendo.

France tried to hold off the celebrations until noon on May 8 after Germany surrendered, but her people were having none of it. People closed their shops and milled towards the building where Gen. Charles de Gaulle announced the official surrender of Germany and Paris really got the party going.

Aviators from all the allied countries started flying around the city at treetop level as a group of men fired celebratory cannon shots nonstop. Soldiers lined up to receive kisses from French girls. Crowds gathered around Allied flags and sang the anthems of each nation as soldiers stood nearby and joined in.

4. The Polish army got drunk on the front lines.

For units on the front line, the parties celebrating the end of the war started as soon fighting stopped. For the Polish units "Vodka was supplied for the units in unlimited quantities. Kisses and embraces, salvoes from all arms, marked this great event."

5. Liquor flowed through Paris after the World War I armistice was signed.

Paris is apparently the place to be when a world war ends. After the first one, Allied soldiers found themselves plied with liquor, celebrated as heroes, and in some cases, surrounded by mobs singing their praise.

"Honest to goodness," U.S. soldier Alton Lawrence wrote in a letter to a friend, "I never celebrated so in my life before. I ate, drank, and yelled until I almost gagged. Oh what a head the next morning. France has less wine and cognac than she had a week ago."