Peter Belcher was already a veteran of the D-Day landings and the Battle of the Bulge, but the worst was yet to come ...

Ahead of the anniversary, the ECHO has delved into our vast archive to find these images of Liverpool and wider Merseyside ...

After six years of warfare, the nation was at fever pitch as the Germans left Finland on April 25 and it was expected the total surrender of the German Army was imminent ...