On 'Elbe Day,' American and Soviet troops met at the Elbe River near Torgau, Germany. This historic encounter signaled that the two Allied armies had effectively cut Nazi Germany in half. The meeting was a moment of immense celebration and camaraderie between soldiers who had fought their way from opposite ends of the continent. Photos of the 'Handshake of Torgau' became famous symbols of the Allied cooperation that won the war. Although the two nations would soon become rivals in the Cold War, Elbe Day remains a symbol of the moment the world came together to defeat a common enemy.