Berlin operation 1945 briefly. Battle for Berlin. Summary of the last operation of the Great Patriotic War
This article briefly describes the battle for Berlin - the decisive and final operation of the Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War. It consisted in the final destruction of the fascist army and the capture of the capital of Germany. The successful completion of the operation marked a victory Soviet Union and the whole world over fascism.
Plans of the parties before the operation
By April 1945, as a result of a successful offensive Soviet troops located in close proximity to the capital of Germany. The battle for Berlin was important not only militarily, but also ideologically. The Soviet Union sought, ahead of the allies, to short time take over the capital of Germany. The Soviet troops were to valiantly end the bloody war by hoisting their banner over the Reichstag. The desired date for the end of the war was April 22 (Lenin's birthday).
Hitler, realizing that the war was lost anyway, wanted to resist to the end. It is not known in what mental state Hitler was at the end of the war, but his actions and statements look crazy. Berlin, according to him, becomes the last bastion, the citadel of the German nation. It must be defended by every German capable of bearing arms. The battle for Berlin should be the triumph of fascism, at this point the offensive of the Soviet Union would be stopped. On the other hand, the Fuhrer argued that the best Germans died in previous battles, and the German people never fulfilled their world mission. One way or another, fascist propaganda bore fruit until the very end of the war. The Germans showed exceptional perseverance and courage in the final battles. An important role was played by the fear of the expected revenge of the Soviet soldiers for the atrocities of the Nazis. Even realizing that victory was no longer possible, the Germans resisted, hoping for surrender to Western troops.
balance of power
Soviet troops, approaching Berlin at a distance of about 50 km, were an impressive offensive grouping. The total number was about 2.5 million people. The operation involved: 1st Belorussian (Zhukov), 2nd Belorussian (Rokossovsky) and 1st Ukrainian (Konev) fronts. Against the defenders of Berlin, a 3-4-fold superiority was concentrated in military equipment. The Soviet army has accumulated extensive experience in conducting military operations, including assaults on fortified cities. Among the soldiers there was a huge motivation in the victorious end of the war
German troops (army groups "Vistula" and "Center") numbered about 1 million people. Berlin was surrounded by three well-fortified defense rings. The most protected was the site in the area of the Seelow Heights. The Berlin garrison itself (commander - General Weidling) consisted of 50 thousand people. The city was divided into eight defense sectors (along the circumference), plus a central fortified sector. After the encirclement of Berlin by Soviet troops, the number of defenders, according to various estimates, ranged from 100 to 300 thousand people. In their composition, the most combat-ready were the remnants of the defeated troops defending the suburbs of Berlin, as well as the bloodless garrison of the city. The rest of the defenders were hastily recruited from the inhabitants of Berlin, making up detachments militia(Volkssturm), mostly old people and children from 14 years old, who simply did not have time to undergo any military training. The situation was complicated by the fact that there was an acute shortage of weapons and ammunition. Information is provided that by the beginning of the direct battle for Berlin, there was one rifle for every three defenders. Only faustpatrons were sufficient enough, which really became a serious problem for Soviet tanks.
The construction of the city's defensive structures began late and was not fully completed. However, the assault big city always presents great difficulties, as it does not allow the full use of heavy equipment. Houses turned into a kind of fortress, many bridges, an extensive metro network - these are the factors that helped to keep the onslaught of the Soviet troops.
Stage I (beginning of operation)
The main role in the operation was entrusted to the commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, Marshal Zhukov, whose task was to storm the most fortified Seelow Heights and enter the German capital. The battle for Berlin began on April 16 with a powerful artillery preparation. The Soviet command was the first to use powerful searchlights to blind and disorganize the enemy. This, however, did not bring the desired results and had only a certain psychological factor. German troops offered stubborn resistance, and the pace of the offensive was lower than expected. The opposing sides suffered huge losses. However, superiority began to speak Soviet forces and by April 19, in the main strike direction, the troops broke the resistance of the third ring of defense. Conditions were formed for the encirclement of Berlin from the north.
On southbound troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front. The offensive also began on April 16 and immediately made it possible to advance far deep into the German defenses. On April 18, tank armies crossed the river. Spree and launched an attack on Berlin from the south.
The troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front were supposed to force the river. Oder and through their actions to provide support to Marshal Zhukov to cover Berlin from the north. On April 18-19, the front launched an offensive and achieved significant success.
By April 19, by the combined efforts of the three fronts, the main resistance of the enemy was broken, and the opportunity arose for the complete encirclement of Berlin and the defeat of the remaining groupings.
Stage II (environment of Berlin)
Since April 19, the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts have been developing the offensive. Already on April 20, artillery strikes the first blows on Berlin. The next day, the troops enter the northern and southeastern regions of the city. On April 25, the tank armies of the two fronts unite, thereby completing the encirclement of Berlin. On the same day, a meeting of Soviet troops with allies takes place on the river. Elbe. This meeting was of great importance as a symbol of the joint struggle against the fascist threat. The garrison of the capital is completely cut off from the rest of the German groups. The remnants of the Army Groups "Center" and "Vistula", which constituted the outer lines of defense, are in the boilers and are partially destroyed, surrender or attempt to break through to the west.
Troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front pin down the 3rd Panzer Army and thereby deprive it of the possibility of launching a counterattack.
Stage III (completion of the operation)
The Soviet troops were faced with the task of encircling and destroying the remaining German forces. The victory over the largest - the Frankfurt-Guben grouping was decisive. The operation took place from April 26 to May 1 and ended with the almost complete destruction of the group.
About 460 thousand Soviet soldiers took part directly in the battle for Berlin. By April 30, the defending forces were cut into four parts. The defense of the Reichstag was fierce, the battles were fought literally for every room. Finally, on the morning of May 2, the commander of the garrison, General Weidling, signed the act of unconditional surrender. This was announced through loudspeakers throughout the city.
Soviet troops on a broad front reached the river. Elbe, as well as to the coast of the Baltic Sea. The regrouping of forces began final release Czechoslovakia.
On the night of May 9, 1945, representatives of Germany, the USSR and the Allies signed an act of complete and unconditional surrender of Germany. Mankind celebrated the victory over the greatest threat to the whole world - fascism.
Evaluation and significance of the Battle of Berlin
The capture of Berlin is ambiguously assessed in historical science. Soviet historians talked about the genius of the Berlin operation, its careful development. In the post-perestroika period, they pointed to unjustified losses, to the senselessness of the assault, to the fact that there were practically no defenders left. The truth is contained in both statements. The last defenders of Berlin were significantly inferior in strength to the attackers, but do not forget about the power of the impact of Hitler's propaganda, forcing people to give their lives for the Fuhrer. This explains the exceptional tenacity in defense. The Soviet troops really suffered heavy losses, but the people needed the battle for Berlin and the hoisting of the flag on the Reichstag, as a natural result of their incredible suffering during the war years.
Berlin operation was the final stage in the struggle of the leading world powers against fascist regime Germany. The main culprit of unleashing a bloody war was defeated. The main ideologist - Hitler committed suicide, the top leaders of the Nazi state were captured or killed. Victory in World War II was not far off. For some time (before cold war) humanity felt its unity and the possibility of joint action in the face of serious danger.
During the Great Patriotic War Soviet troops carried out the Berlin strategic offensive operation, the purpose of which was to defeat the main forces of the German army groups Vistula and Center, capture Berlin, reach the Elbe River and unite with the Allied forces.
The troops of the Red Army, having defeated large groupings of Nazi troops in January-March 1945 in East Prussia, Poland and Eastern Pomerania, by the end of March they reached the Oder and Neisse on a wide front. After the liberation of Hungary and the occupation of Vienna by Soviet troops in mid-April Nazi Germany was under the blows of the Red Army from the east and south. At the same time, from the west, without encountering any organized resistance from the Germans, the Allied troops advanced in the Hamburg, Leipzig and Prague directions.
The main forces of the Nazi troops acted against the Red Army. By April 16, there were 214 divisions on the Soviet-German front (of which 34 were armored and 15 motorized) and 14 brigades, and against the American-British troops, the German command held only 60 poorly equipped divisions, of which five were armored. The Berlin direction was defended by 48 infantry, six tank and nine motorized divisions and many other units and formations (a total of one million people, 10.4 thousand guns and mortars, 1.5 thousand tanks and assault guns). From the air, ground troops covered 3.3 thousand combat aircraft.
The defense of the Nazi troops in the Berlin direction included the Oder-Neissen line 20-40 kilometers deep, which had three defensive lanes, and the Berlin defensive area, which consisted of three ring contours - external, internal and urban. In total, with Berlin, the depth of defense reached 100 kilometers, it was crossed by numerous canals and rivers, which served as serious obstacles for tank troops.
The Soviet Supreme High Command during the Berlin offensive operation provided for breaking through the enemy’s defenses along the Oder and Neisse and, developing the offensive in depth, encircle the main grouping of Nazi troops, dismember it and subsequently destroy it in parts, and then go to the Elbe. For this, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Georgy Zhukov and the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Ivan Konev were involved. The Dnieper military flotilla, part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet, the 1st and 2nd armies of the Polish Army took part in the operation. In total, the Red Army troops advancing on Berlin numbered over two million people, about 42 thousand guns and mortars, 6250 tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts, 7.5 thousand combat aircraft.
According to the plan of the operation, the 1st Belorussian Front was supposed to capture Berlin and reach the Elbe no later than 12-15 days later. The 1st Ukrainian Front had the task of defeating the enemy in the area of Cottbus and south of Berlin, and on the 10th-12th day of the operation to capture the line of Belitz, Wittenberg and further the Elbe River to Dresden. The 2nd Belorussian Front was to cross the Oder River, defeat the Stettin enemy grouping and cut off the main forces of the German 3rd Panzer Army from Berlin.
On April 16, 1945, after a powerful aviation and artillery preparation, a decisive attack by the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts of the Oder-Neissen defensive line began. In the area of the main attack of the 1st Belorussian Front, where the offensive was launched before dawn, the infantry and tanks, in order to demoralize the enemy, went on the attack in a zone illuminated by 140 powerful searchlights. The troops of the shock group of the front had to sequentially break through several lanes of defense in depth. By the end of April 17, they managed to break through the enemy defenses in the main areas near the Seelow Heights. The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front completed the breakthrough of the third line of the Oder line of defense by the end of April 19. On the right wing of the shock group of the front, the 47th Army and the 3rd Shock Army were successfully moving forward to cover Berlin from the north and northwest. On the left wing, conditions were created for bypassing the Frankfurt-Guben enemy grouping from the north and cutting it off from the Berlin area.
The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front crossed the Neisse River, on the first day they broke through the enemy's main line of defense, and wedged 1-1.5 kilometers into the second. By the end of April 18, the troops of the front had completed the breakthrough of the Neusen line of defense, crossed the Spree River and provided the conditions for the encirclement of Berlin from the south. On the Dresden direction, formations of the 52nd Army repelled an enemy counterattack from the area north of Görlitz.
On April 18-19, the advanced units of the 2nd Belorussian Front crossed the Ost-Oder, crossed the interfluve of the Ost-Oder and West-Oder, and then began crossing the West-Oder.
On April 20, artillery fire of the 1st Belorussian Front on Berlin laid the foundation for its assault. On April 21, tanks of the 1st Ukrainian Front broke into the southern outskirts of Berlin. On April 24, the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts joined in the Bonsdorf area (southeast of Berlin), completing the encirclement of the Frankfurt-Guben grouping of the enemy. On April 25, tank formations of the fronts, leaving in the Potsdam area, completed the encirclement of the entire Berlin grouping (500 thousand people). On the same day, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front crossed the Elbe River and joined the American troops in the Torgau region.
During the offensive, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front crossed the Oder and, having broken through the enemy's defenses, advanced to a depth of 20 kilometers by April 25; they firmly fettered the German 3rd Panzer Army, depriving it of the opportunity to launch a counterattack from the north against the Soviet troops surrounding Berlin.
The Frankfurt-Gubenskaya grouping was destroyed by the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts in the period from April 26 to May 1. The destruction of the Berlin grouping directly in the city continued until May 2. By 3 pm on May 2, enemy resistance in the city had ceased. Fighting with separate groups, breaking through from the outskirts of Berlin to the west, ended on May 5th.
Simultaneously with the defeat of the encircled groupings, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front on May 7 reached the Elbe River on a wide front.
At the same time, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, successfully advancing in Western Pomerania and Mecklenburg, on April 26 captured the main strongholds of the enemy’s defense on the western bank of the Oder River - Pölitz, Stettin, Gatow and Schwedt and, deploying a swift pursuit of the remnants of the defeated 3rd tank army, on May 3 they reached the coast of the Baltic Sea, and on May 4 they advanced to the line of Wismar, Schwerin, the Elde River, where they came into contact with the British troops. On May 4-5, the troops of the front cleared the islands of Vollin, Usedom and Rügen from the enemy, and on May 9 they landed on the Danish island of Bornholm.
The resistance of the Nazi troops was finally broken. On the night of May 9, in the Berlin district of Karlshorst, the Act of Surrender of the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany was signed.
The Berlin operation lasted 23 days, the width of the front of hostilities reached 300 kilometers. The depth of front-line operations was 100-220 kilometers, the average daily advance rate was 5-10 kilometers. As part of the Berlin operation, the Stettin-Rostock, Zelow-Berlin, Cottbus-Potsdam, Stremberg-Torgau and Brandenburg-Rathen front-line offensive operations were carried out.
During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops surrounded and liquidated the largest grouping of enemy troops in the history of wars.
They defeated 70 infantry, 23 tank and mechanized divisions of the enemy, captured 480 thousand people.
The Berlin operation cost the Soviet troops dearly. Their irretrievable losses amounted to 78,291 people, and sanitary - 274,184 people.
More than 600 participants in the Berlin operation were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. 13 people were awarded the second Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
(Additional
During the Great Patriotic War, Soviet troops carried out the Berlin strategic offensive operation, the purpose of which was to defeat the main forces of the German army groups Vistula and Center, capture Berlin, reach the Elbe River and join the Allied forces.
The troops of the Red Army, having defeated large groupings of Nazi troops in East Prussia, Poland and East Pomerania during January-March 1945, by the end of March reached the Oder and Neisse rivers on a wide front. After the liberation of Hungary and the occupation of Vienna by Soviet troops in mid-April, fascist Germany was under the blows of the Red Army from the east and south. At the same time, from the west, without encountering any organized resistance from the Germans, the Allied troops advanced in the Hamburg, Leipzig and Prague directions.
The main forces of the Nazi troops acted against the Red Army. By April 16, there were 214 divisions on the Soviet-German front (of which 34 were armored and 15 motorized) and 14 brigades, and against the American-British troops, the German command held only 60 poorly equipped divisions, of which five were armored. The Berlin direction was defended by 48 infantry, six tank and nine motorized divisions and many other units and formations (a total of one million people, 10.4 thousand guns and mortars, 1.5 thousand tanks and assault guns). From the air, ground troops covered 3.3 thousand combat aircraft.
The defense of the Nazi troops in the Berlin direction included the Oder-Neissen line 20-40 kilometers deep, which had three defensive lanes, and the Berlin defensive area, which consisted of three ring contours - external, internal and urban. In total, with Berlin, the depth of defense reached 100 kilometers, it was crossed by numerous canals and rivers, which served as serious obstacles for tank troops.
The Soviet Supreme High Command during the Berlin offensive operation provided for breaking through the enemy’s defenses along the Oder and Neisse and, developing the offensive in depth, encircle the main grouping of Nazi troops, dismember it and subsequently destroy it in parts, and then go to the Elbe. For this, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Georgy Zhukov and the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Ivan Konev were involved. The Dnieper military flotilla, part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet, the 1st and 2nd armies of the Polish Army took part in the operation. In total, the Red Army troops advancing on Berlin numbered over two million people, about 42 thousand guns and mortars, 6250 tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts, 7.5 thousand combat aircraft.
According to the plan of the operation, the 1st Belorussian Front was supposed to capture Berlin and reach the Elbe no later than 12-15 days later. The 1st Ukrainian Front had the task of defeating the enemy in the area of Cottbus and south of Berlin, and on the 10th-12th day of the operation to capture the line of Belitz, Wittenberg and further the Elbe River to Dresden. The 2nd Belorussian Front was to cross the Oder River, defeat the Stettin enemy grouping and cut off the main forces of the German 3rd Panzer Army from Berlin.
On April 16, 1945, after a powerful aviation and artillery preparation, a decisive attack by the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts of the Oder-Neissen defensive line began. In the area of the main attack of the 1st Belorussian Front, where the offensive was launched before dawn, the infantry and tanks, in order to demoralize the enemy, went on the attack in a zone illuminated by 140 powerful searchlights. The troops of the shock group of the front had to sequentially break through several lanes of defense in depth. By the end of April 17, they managed to break through the enemy defenses in the main areas near the Seelow Heights. The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front completed the breakthrough of the third line of the Oder line of defense by the end of April 19. On the right wing of the shock group of the front, the 47th Army and the 3rd Shock Army were successfully moving forward to cover Berlin from the north and northwest. On the left wing, conditions were created for bypassing the Frankfurt-Guben enemy grouping from the north and cutting it off from the Berlin area.
The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front crossed the Neisse River, on the first day they broke through the enemy's main line of defense, and wedged 1-1.5 kilometers into the second. By the end of April 18, the troops of the front had completed the breakthrough of the Neusen line of defense, crossed the Spree River and provided the conditions for the encirclement of Berlin from the south. On the Dresden direction, formations of the 52nd Army repelled an enemy counterattack from the area north of Görlitz.
On April 18-19, the advanced units of the 2nd Belorussian Front crossed the Ost-Oder, crossed the interfluve of the Ost-Oder and West-Oder, and then began crossing the West-Oder.
On April 20, artillery fire of the 1st Belorussian Front on Berlin laid the foundation for its assault. On April 21, tanks of the 1st Ukrainian Front broke into the southern outskirts of Berlin. On April 24, the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts joined in the Bonsdorf area (southeast of Berlin), completing the encirclement of the Frankfurt-Guben grouping of the enemy. On April 25, tank formations of the fronts, leaving in the Potsdam area, completed the encirclement of the entire Berlin grouping (500 thousand people). On the same day, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front crossed the Elbe River and joined the American troops in the Torgau region.
During the offensive, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front crossed the Oder and, having broken through the enemy's defenses, advanced to a depth of 20 kilometers by April 25; they firmly fettered the German 3rd Panzer Army, depriving it of the opportunity to launch a counterattack from the north against the Soviet troops surrounding Berlin.
The Frankfurt-Gubenskaya grouping was destroyed by the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts in the period from April 26 to May 1. The destruction of the Berlin grouping directly in the city continued until May 2. By 3 pm on May 2, enemy resistance in the city had ceased. Fighting with separate groups, breaking through from the outskirts of Berlin to the west, ended on May 5th.
Simultaneously with the defeat of the encircled groupings, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front on May 7 reached the Elbe River on a wide front.
At the same time, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, successfully advancing in Western Pomerania and Mecklenburg, on April 26 captured the main strongholds of the enemy’s defense on the western bank of the Oder River - Pölitz, Stettin, Gatow and Schwedt and, deploying a swift pursuit of the remnants of the defeated 3rd tank army, on May 3 they reached the coast of the Baltic Sea, and on May 4 they advanced to the line of Wismar, Schwerin, the Elde River, where they came into contact with the British troops. On May 4-5, the troops of the front cleared the islands of Vollin, Usedom and Rügen from the enemy, and on May 9 they landed on the Danish island of Bornholm.
The resistance of the Nazi troops was finally broken. On the night of May 9, in the Berlin district of Karlshorst, the Act of Surrender of the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany was signed.
The Berlin operation lasted 23 days, the width of the front of hostilities reached 300 kilometers. The depth of front-line operations was 100-220 kilometers, the average daily advance rate was 5-10 kilometers. As part of the Berlin operation, the Stettin-Rostock, Zelow-Berlin, Cottbus-Potsdam, Stremberg-Torgau and Brandenburg-Rathen front-line offensive operations were carried out.
During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops surrounded and liquidated the largest grouping of enemy troops in the history of wars.
They defeated 70 infantry, 23 tank and mechanized divisions of the enemy, captured 480 thousand people.
The Berlin operation cost the Soviet troops dearly. Their irretrievable losses amounted to 78,291 people, and sanitary - 274,184 people.
More than 600 participants in the Berlin operation were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. 13 people were awarded the second Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
(Additional
The Berlin operation is an offensive operation of the 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov), 2nd Belorussian (Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky) and 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I.S. Konev) fronts to capture Berlin and defeat the defending his groupings April 16 - May 2, 1945 ( The Second World War, 1939-1945). In the Berlin direction, the Red Army was opposed by a large grouping as part of the Vistula Army Group (Generals G. Heinrici, then K. Tippelskirch) and Center (Field Marshal F. Schörner).
The ratio of forces is given in the table.
Source: History of the Second World War: In 12 vols. M., 1973-1 1979. T. 10. S. 315.
The attack on the German capital began on April 16, 1945, after the completion of the main operations of the Red Army in Hungary, East Pomerania, Austria and East Prussia. This deprived the German capital of support
the most important agricultural and industrial areas. In other words, Berlin was deprived of any possibility of obtaining reserves and resources, which undoubtedly hastened its fall.
For the blow, which was supposed to shake the German defenses, an unprecedented density of fire was used - over 600 guns per 1 km of the front. The most heated battles broke out in the sector of the 1st Belorussian Front, where the Seelow Heights covering the central direction were located. For the capture of Berlin, not only the frontal attack of the 1st Belorussian Front was used, but also the flank maneuver of the tank armies (3rd and 4th) of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Having overcome more than a hundred kilometers in a few days, they broke through to the German capital from the south and completed its encirclement. At this time, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front were advancing towards the Baltic coast of Germany, covering the right flank of the forces advancing on Berlin.
The culmination of the operation was the battle for Berlin, in which there was a 200,000-strong group under the command of General X. Weidling. Fighting within the city began on April 21, and by April 25 it was completely surrounded. Up to 464 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers took part in the battle for Berlin, which lasted almost two weeks and was extremely fierce. Due to the retreating units, the garrison of Berlin grew to 300 thousand people.
If in Budapest (see Budapest 1) the Soviet command avoided the use of artillery and aircraft, then during the assault on the capital of Nazi Germany they spared no fire. According to Marshal Zhukov, from April 21 to May 2, almost 1.8 million artillery shots were fired at Berlin. And in total, more than 36 thousand tons of metal were brought down on the city. Fortress guns, the shells of which weighed half a ton, also fired at the capital's center.
A feature of the Berlin operation can be called the widespread use of large tank masses in the zone of continuous defense of German troops, including in Berlin itself. In such conditions, Soviet armored vehicles were not able to use a wide maneuver and became a convenient target for German anti-tank weapons. This resulted in high losses. Suffice it to say that in two weeks of fighting, the Red Army lost a third of the tanks and self-propelled guns participating in the Berlin operation.
The fighting didn't stop day or night. During the day, the assault units advanced in the first echelons, at night - in the second. The battle for the Reichstag, over which the Banner of Victory was hoisted, was especially fierce. On the night of April 30 to May 1, Hitler committed suicide. By the morning of May 2, the remnants of the Berlin garrison were divided into separate groups, which capitulated by 15 o'clock. The surrender of the Berlin garrison was accepted by the commander of the 8th Guards Army, General V.I. Chuikov, past way from Stalingrad to the walls of Berlin.
During the Berlin operation, only about 480 thousand German soldiers and officers were captured. The losses of the Red Army amounted to 352 thousand people. In terms of the daily losses of personnel and equipment (over 15 thousand people, 87 tanks and self-propelled guns, 40 aircraft), the battle for Berlin surpassed all other operations of the Red Army, where the damage was inflicted primarily during the battle, in contrast to the battles of the first period of the war, when the daily losses of the Soviet troops were determined to a large extent significant number prisoners (see Border battles). In terms of the intensity of losses, this operation is comparable only to the Battle of Kursk.
The Berlin operation dealt the last crushing blow to the armed forces of the Third Reich, which, with the loss of Berlin, lost their ability to organize resistance. Six days after the fall of Berlin, on the night of May 8-9, the German leadership signed the act of Germany's unconditional surrender. For participants in the Berlin operation, a medal "For the Capture of Berlin" was issued.
Used materials of the book: Nikolai Shefov. Russian battles. Military History Library. M., 2002.Wir capitulieren nie?
Offensive operation of the 2nd Belorussian ( Marshal Rokossovsky), 1st Belorussian (Marshal Zhukov) and 1st Ukrainian (Marshal Konev) fronts April 16 - May 8, 1945. Having defeated large German groups in East Prussia, Poland and East Pomerania in January-March and reaching the Oder and Neisse, Soviet troops penetrated deeply into German territory. On the western bank of the river Oder bridgeheads were captured, including a particularly important one in the Kustrin area. At the same time, Anglo-American troops advanced from the west.
Hitler, hoping for disagreements between the allies, took all measures to delay the advance of the Soviet troops on the outskirts of Berlin and negotiate a separate peace with the Americans. In the Berlin direction, the German command concentrated a large grouping as part of the Vistula Army Group (3rd Panzer and 9th Armies) of Colonel General G. Heinrici (since April 30, Infantry General K. Tippelskirch) and the 4th Panzer and 17th th Army of the Army Group "Center" Field Marshal F. Scherner (total about 1 million people, 10,400 guns and mortars, 1,530 tanks and assault guns, over 3,300 aircraft). On the western banks of the Oder and the Neisse, 3 defensive zones were created up to 20-40 km deep. The Berlin defensive area consisted of 3 ring defensive contours. All large buildings in the city were turned into strongholds, streets and squares were blocked by powerful barricades, numerous minefields were set up, and booby traps were scattered everywhere.
The walls of the houses were covered with Goebbels' propaganda slogans: "Wir kapitulieren nie!" ("We will never surrender!"), "Every German will defend his capital!", "Let's stop the red hordes at the walls of our Berlin!", "Victory or Siberia!". Loudspeakers in the streets urged residents to fight to the death. Despite the ostentatious bravado, Berlin was already doomed. The giant city was in a huge trap. The Soviet command concentrated 19 combined arms (including 2 Polish), 4 tank and 4 air armies (2.5 million people, 41,600 guns and mortars, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations, 7,500 aircraft) in the Berlin direction. British and American bombers came in continuous waves from the west, methodically, block by block, turning the city into a heap of ruins.
On the eve of the surrender, the city was a terrible sight. Tongues of flame escaped from the damaged gas pipeline, illuminating the sooty walls of houses. The streets were impassable due to rubble. Suicide bombers with Molotov cocktails jumped out of the basements of houses and rushed at the easy prey in urban areas. soviet tanks. Hand-to-hand fighting went on everywhere - on the streets, on the roofs of houses, in basements, in tunnels, in the Berlin subway. The advanced Soviet units competed with each other for the honor of being the first to capture the Reichstag, which was considered a symbol of the Third Reich. Shortly after the Banner of Victory was hoisted over the dome of the Reichstag, Berlin capitulated on May 2, 1945.
Used material from the site Third Reich www.fact400.ru/mif/reich/titul.htm
In the historical dictionary:
BERLIN OPERATION - offensive Red Army at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.
In January - March 1945, Soviet troops defeated large fascist German groups in East Prussia, Poland and East Pomerania, penetrated deep into German territory and seized the bridgeheads necessary to take its capital.
The plan of the operation was to inflict several powerful blows on a wide front, dismember the Berlin enemy grouping, surround and destroy it piece by piece. To accomplish this task, the Soviet command concentrated 19 combined arms (including two Polish), four tank and four air armies (2.5 million people, 41,600 guns and mortars, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations, 7,500 aircraft).
The German command concentrated a large grouping in the Berlin area as part of the Vistula Army Group (3rd Panzer and 9th Armies) and the Center Army Group (4th Panzer and 17th Army) - about 1 million people, 10 400 guns and mortars, 1530 tanks and assault guns, over 3300 aircraft. On the western banks of the Oder and Neisse rivers, three defensive belts up to 20-40 km deep were created; The Berlin defensive area consisted of three ring defensive contours, all large buildings in the city were turned into strongholds, streets and squares were blocked by powerful barricades.
On April 16, after powerful artillery and aviation preparation, the 1st Belorussian Front (Marshal G.K. Zhukov.) Attacked the enemy on the river. Oder. At the same time, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front (Marshal I.S. Konev) began to force the river. Neisse. Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, especially on the Zelov heights, the Soviet troops broke through his defenses. Attempts by the Nazi command to win the battle for Berlin on the Oder-Neisse line failed.
On April 20, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front (Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky) crossed the river. The Oder and by the end of April 25 broke through the enemy's main line of defense south of Stettin. On April 21, the 3rd Guards Tank Army (General Ya. S. Rybalko) was the first to break into the northeastern outskirts of Berlin. The troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts, after breaking through the enemy defenses from the north and south, bypassed Berlin and on April 25 locked up to 200 thousand German troops to the west of Berlin in the encirclement ring.
The defeat of this group resulted in a fierce battle. Until May 2, bloody battles were going on in the streets of Berlin day and night. On April 30, the troops of the 3rd shock army (Colonel-General V.I. Kuznetsov) began fighting for the Reichstag and took it by evening. Sergeant M. A. Egorov and junior sergeant M. V. Kantaria hoisted the Banner of Victory on the Reichstag.
The fighting in Berlin continued until May 8, when representatives of the German High Command, headed by Field Marshal W. Keitel, signed the Act of Germany's unconditional surrender.
Orlov A.S., Georgiev N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 36-37.
Battle for Berlin
In the spring of 1945, the Third Reich was on the verge of final collapse.
By April 15, 214 divisions, including 34 tank and 14 motorized divisions, and 14 brigades were fighting on the Soviet-German front. 60 German divisions acted against the Anglo-American troops, of which 5 were tank divisions.
Preparing to repel the Soviet offensive, the German command created a powerful defense in the east of the country. Berlin was covered to a great depth by numerous defensive structures erected along the western banks of the Oder and Neisse rivers.
Berlin itself was turned into a powerful fortified area. Around it, the Germans built three defensive rings - outer, inner and city, and in the city itself (an area of 88 thousand hectares) they created nine defense sectors: eight around the circumference and one in the center. This central sector, which covered the main state and administrative institutions, including the Reichstag and the Imperial Chancellery, was especially carefully prepared in terms of engineering. There were more than 400 reinforced concrete long-term structures in the city. The largest of them - six-story bunkers dug into the ground - could accommodate up to a thousand people each. For the covert maneuver of troops, the subway was used.
For the defense of Berlin, the German command hastily formed new units. In January - March 1945 on military service even 16- and 17-year-old boys were called up.
Considering these factors, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command concentrated large forces in the Berlin direction in the composition of three fronts. In addition, it was supposed to use part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet, the Dnieper military flotilla, the 18th air army, and three air defense corps of the country.
Polish troops were involved in the Berlin operation, consisting of two armies, tank and aviation corps, two breakthrough artillery divisions and a separate mortar brigade. They were part of the fronts.
On April 16, after powerful artillery preparation and air strikes, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front went on the offensive. The Berlin operation began. The enemy, suppressed by artillery fire, offered no organized resistance at the forefront, but then, recovering from the shock, resisted with fierce stubbornness.
Soviet infantry and tanks advanced 1.5-2 km. In the current situation, in order to speed up the advance of the troops, Marshal Zhukov brought into battle the tank and mechanized corps of the 1st and 2nd Guards Tank Armies.
The offensive of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front was successfully developing. At 06:15 on April 16, artillery preparation began. Bombers and attack aircraft inflicted heavy blows on resistance centers, communication centers and command posts. Battalions of divisions of the first echelon quickly crossed the Neisse River and captured bridgeheads on its left bank.
The German command brought into battle from its reserve up to three tank divisions and a tank destroyer brigade. The fighting took on a fierce character. Breaking the resistance of the enemy, the combined arms and tank formations of the 1st Ukrainian Front broke through the main line of defense. On April 17, the troops of the front completed the breakthrough of the second lane and approached the third, which ran along the left bank of the river. Spree.
The successful offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front created a threat for the enemy to bypass his Berlin grouping from the south. The German command concentrated its efforts in order to delay the further advance of the Soviet troops at the turn of the river. Spree. The reserves of Army Group Center and the retreating troops of the 4th Panzer Army were sent here. But the enemy's attempts to change the course of the battle were not successful.
The 2nd Belorussian Front went on the offensive on 18 April. On April 18-19, the troops of the front in difficult conditions crossed the Ost-Oder, cleared the lowland between the Ost-Oder and West-Oder from the enemy, and took their starting positions for forcing the West-Oder.
Thus, in the zone of all fronts, favorable prerequisites were formed for the continuation of the operation.
The offensive of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front developed most successfully. They entered the operational space and rushed to Berlin, covering the right wing of the Frankfurt-Guben group. On April 19-20, the 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies advanced 95 km. The rapid offensive of these armies, as well as the 13th Army, by the end of April 20, led to the cutting off of the Vistula Army Group from the Center Army Group.
The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front continued their offensive. On April 20, on the fifth day of the operation, long-range artillery of the 79th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Shock Army, Colonel General V.I. Kuznetsova opened fire on Berlin. On April 21, the advanced units of the front broke into the northern and southeastern outskirts of the German capital.
On April 24, southeast of Berlin, the 8th Guards and 1st Guards Tank Armies of the 1st Belorussian Front, advancing on the left flank of the shock group, met with the 3rd Guards Tank and 28th Armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front. As a result, the Frankfurt-Guben grouping of the enemy was completely isolated from the Berlin garrison.
On April 25, the advanced units of the 1st Ukrainian Front - the 5th Guards Army of General A.S. Zhadov - met on the banks of the Elbe in the Torgau region with reconnaissance groups of the 5th Corps of the 1st american army General O. Bradley. The German front was split. In honor of this victory, Moscow saluted the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front.
At this time, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front crossed the West-Oder and broke through the defenses on its western bank. They fettered the German 3rd Panzer Army and deprived it of the opportunity to launch a counterattack from the north against the Soviet troops surrounding Berlin.
During the ten days of the operation, the Soviet troops overcame the German defenses along the Oder and the Neisse, surrounded and dismembered his groupings in the Berlin direction and created the conditions for capturing Berlin.
The third stage is the destruction of the Berlin enemy grouping, the capture of Berlin (April 26 - May 8). German troops, despite the inevitable defeat, continued to resist. First of all, it was necessary to liquidate the Frankfurt-Guben grouping of the enemy, numbering up to 200 thousand people.
Part of the troops of the 12th Army who survived the defeat retreated to the left bank of the Elbe along the bridges built by the American troops and surrendered to them.
By the end of April 25, the enemy defending in Berlin occupied a territory whose area was approximately 325 square meters. km. The total length of the front of the Soviet troops operating in the capital of Germany was about 100 km.
On May 1, units of the 1st Shock Army, advancing from the north, met south of the Reichstag with units of the 8th Guards Army, advancing from the south. The surrender of the remnants of the Berlin garrison took place on the morning of May 2 by order of its last commander, General of Artillery G. Weidling. The liquidation of the Berlin grouping of German troops was completed.
The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, advancing in a westerly direction, reached the Elbe by May 7 on a wide front. The troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front reached the coast of the Baltic Sea and the line of the Elbe River, where they established contact with the 2nd British Army. The troops of the right wing of the 1st Ukrainian Front began to regroup in the Prague direction to complete the tasks of completing the liberation of Czechoslovakia. During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops defeated 70 enemy infantry, 23 tank and motorized divisions, captured about 480 thousand people, captured up to 11 thousand guns and mortars, over 1.5 thousand tanks and assault guns, 4500 aircraft.
Soviet troops in this final operation suffered heavy losses - more than 350 thousand people, including over 78 thousand - irretrievably. The 1st and 2nd armies of the Polish Army lost about 9 thousand soldiers and officers. (Secrecy stamp removed. Losses of the Armed Forces of the USSR in wars, combat actions and military conflicts. M., 1993. S. 220.) Soviet troops also lost 2156 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations, 1220 guns and mortars, 527 aircraft.
The Berlin operation is one of the largest operations of the Second World War. The victory of the Soviet troops in it became a decisive factor in the completion of the military defeat of Germany. With the fall of Berlin and the loss of vital areas, Germany lost the opportunity for organized resistance and soon capitulated.
Used materials from the site http://100top.ru/encyclopedia/
How did this important historical event. What preceded it, what were the plans and the alignment of forces of the warring parties. How the operation of the Soviet troops to capture Berlin developed, the chronology of events, the assault on the Reichstag with the hoisting of the Banner of Victory and the significance of the historical battle.
The capture of Berlin and the fall of the Third Reich
By the middle of spring 1945, the main events were unfolding in a significant part of Germany. By this time, Poland, Hungary, almost all of Czechoslovakia, Eastern Pomerania and Silesia had been liberated. The troops of the Red Army liberated the capital of Austria - Vienna. The defeat of large enemy groupings in East Prussia, Courland, and the Zemlandsky Peninsula was completed. Most of the coast of the Baltic Sea remained with our army. Finland, Bulgaria, Romania and Italy were withdrawn from the war.
In the south, the Yugoslav army, together with the Soviet troops, cleared most of Serbia and its capital Belgrade from the Nazis. From the west, the Allies crossed the Rhine and the operation to defeat the Ruhr group was coming to an end.
The German economy was in great difficulty. The raw material areas of the previously occupied countries were lost. The decline in the industry continued. Production of military products for six months has decreased by more than 60 percent. In addition, the Wehrmacht experienced difficulties with mobilization resources. Sixteen-year-old youths were already subject to the call. However, Berlin still remained not only the political capital of fascism, but also a major economic center. In addition, Hitler concentrated the main forces with a huge combat potential in the Berlin direction.
That is why the defeat of the Berlin grouping of German troops and the capture of the capital of the Third Reich was of such importance. The battle for Berlin and its fall was to put an end to the Great Patriotic War and become the natural outcome of the Second World War of 1939-1945.
Berlin offensive operation
All participants were interested in the speedy end of hostilities. anti-Hitler coalition. Fundamental questions, namely: who will take Berlin, the division of spheres of influence in Europe, the post-war structure of Germany and others were decided in the Crimea at a conference in Yalta.
The enemy understood that strategically the war was lost, but in the current situation he tried to extract tactical benefits. His main task was the prolongation of the war in order to find ways to separate negotiations with the Western allies of the USSR in order to obtain more favorable conditions surrender.
There is also an opinion that Hitler had hope for the so-called weapon of retaliation, which was at the stage of final development and was supposed to turn the balance of power. That is why the Wehrmacht needed time, and losses here did not play any role. Therefore, Hitler concentrated 214 divisions on the Soviet-German front, and only 60 on the American-British one.
Preparation of an offensive operation, the position and tasks of the parties. The balance of forces and means
On the German side, the defense of the Berlin direction was assigned to army groups "Center" and "Vistula". The construction of echeloned defense was carried out from the beginning of 1945. main part it was made up of the Oder-Neissen line and the Berlin defensive area.
The first was a deep defense of three lanes up to forty kilometers wide, with powerful strongholds, engineering barriers and areas prepared for flooding.
In the Berlin defensive area, three so-called defensive ring bypasses were equipped. The first, or external, was prepared at a distance of twenty-five to forty kilometers from the center of the capital. It included strongholds and points of resistance in settlements, defense lines along rivers and canals. The second main, or internal, up to eight kilometers deep passed through the outskirts of Berlin. All lines and positions were tied in single system fire. The third city bypass coincided with the ring railway. Berlin itself was divided into nine sectors by the command of the Nazi troops. The streets leading to the city center were barricaded, the first floors of buildings were turned into long-term firing points and structures, trenches and caponiers were dug for guns and tanks. All positions were connected by message moves. For a covert maneuver, it was supposed to actively use the metro as a roadway.
The operation of the Soviet troops to capture Berlin began to be developed during the winter offensive.
Plan for the Battle of Berlin
The idea of the command was this - to break through the Oder-Neissen line with coordinated strikes from three fronts, then, developing the offensive, go to Berlin, surround the enemy grouping, cut it into several parts and destroy it. In the future, no later than 15 days from the beginning of the operation, reach the Elbe to join the Allied forces. To do this, the Headquarters decided to involve the 1st and 2nd Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts.
Due to the fact that the Soviet-German front narrowed, the Nazis in the Berlin direction managed to achieve an incredible density of troops. In some areas, it reached 1 division per 3 kilometers of the front line. The army groups "Center", "Vistula" included 48 infantry, 6 tank, 9 motorized divisions, 37 separate infantry regiments, 98 separate infantry battalions. Also, the Nazis had about two thousand aircraft, including 120 jets. In addition, about two hundred battalions, the so-called Volkssturm, were formed in the Berlin garrison, their total number exceeded two hundred thousand people.
Three Soviet fronts outnumbered the enemy and had the 21st combined arms army, 4 tank and 3 air, in addition, 10 separate tank and mechanized and 4 cavalry corps. It was also envisaged to involve the Baltic Fleet, the Dnieper military flotilla, long-range aviation and part of the country's air defense forces. In addition, Polish formations took part in the operation - they included 2 armies, a tank and aviation corps, 2 artillery divisions, a mortar brigade.
By the beginning of the operation, Soviet troops had an advantage over the Germans:
- in personnel by 2.5 times;
- in guns and mortars by 4 times;
- in tanks and self-propelled artillery installations by 4.1 times;
- in airplanes by 2.3 times.
Operation start
The offensive was to begin April 16. In front of him, in the offensive zone of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts, one rifle battalion from each tried to open fire weapons on the front line of the enemy’s defense.
IN 5.00 artillery preparation started on the appointed date. After that 1 -th Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Zhukov went on the offensive, inflicting three blows: one main and two auxiliary. The main one in the direction of Berlin through the Seelow Heights and the city of Seelow, the auxiliary ones are north and south of the German capital. The enemy stubbornly resisted, and it was not possible to take the heights from a swoop. After a series of detour maneuvers, only towards the end of the day did our army finally take the city of Zelov.
On the first and second days of the operation, battles were fought in the first line of defense of the German fascists. It was not until April 17 that a breach was finally made in the second lane. The German command tried to stop the offensive by committing available reserves into battle, but they did not succeed. The battles continued on 18 and 19 April. The pace of progress remained very low. The Nazis were not going to give up, their defense was filled big amount anti-tank weapons. Dense artillery fire, stiffness of maneuver due to difficult terrain - all this influenced the actions of our troops. Nevertheless, on April 19, at the end of the day, they broke through the third, last line of defense of this line. As a result, in the first four days, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front advanced 30 kilometers.
The offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Konev was more successful. During the first day, the troops crossed the Neisse River, broke through the first line of defense and wedged to a depth of 13 kilometers. The next day, throwing the main forces of the front into battle, they broke through the second lane and advanced 20 kilometers. The enemy retreated across the river Spree. The Wehrmacht, preventing a deep bypass of the entire Berlin grouping, transferred the reserves of the Center group to this sector. Despite this, on April 18, our troops crossed the Spree River and broke into the front line of the defense of the third lane. At the end of the third day, in the direction of the main attack, the 1st Ukrainian Front advanced to a depth of 30 kilometers. In the process of further movement by the second half of April, our units and formations cut off the Vistula Army Group from the Center. Large enemy forces were in a semi-encirclement.
Troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, commanded by Marshal Rokossovsky, according to the plan, they were supposed to attack on April 20, but in order to facilitate the task of the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, they began to cross the Oder on the 18th. By their actions, they pulled part of the enemy's forces and reserves onto themselves. Preparations for the main phase of the operation were completed.
Storming Berlin
Before April 20, all 3 Soviet fronts basically completed the task of breaking through the Oder-Neissen line and destroying the Nazi troops in the suburbs of Berlin. It was time to move on to the assault on the German capital itself.
The beginning of the battle
On April 20, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front began shelling the outskirts of Berlin with long-range artillery, and on April 21 they broke through the first bypass line. Since April 22, fighting has already been fought directly in the city. The distance between the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts advancing from the northeast from the south was reduced. The prerequisites for the complete encirclement of the German capital were created, it also became possible to cut off from the city and encircle a large grouping of the 9th infantry army of the enemy, numbering up to two hundred thousand people, with the task of preventing it from breaking through to Berlin or retreating to the west. This plan was implemented on 23 and 24 April.
To avoid encirclement, the Wehrmacht command decided to remove all troops from the western front and throw them on the deblockade of the capital and the encircled 9th Army. On April 26, part of the forces of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts took up defensive positions. It was necessary to prevent a breakthrough both from the inside and from the outside.
Fighting to destroy the encircled group continued until May 1. In some areas, the fascist German troops managed to break through the defense ring and go to the west, but these attempts were thwarted in time. Only small groups were able to break through and surrender to the Americans. In total, in this area, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts managed to capture about 120 thousand soldiers and officers, a large number of tanks and field guns.
On April 25, Soviet troops met with American troops on the Elbe. Through a well-organized defense and access to the Elbe, units of the 1st Ukrainian Front created a very successful bridgehead. It became important for the subsequent attack on Prague.
Culmination of the Battle of Berlin
Meanwhile in Berlin fighting reached their climax. Assault detachments and groups carried out advancement deep into the city. They consistently moved from building to building, from quarter to quarter, from district to district, destroying pockets of resistance, disrupting the control of the defenders. In the city, the use of tanks was limited.
However, tanks played an important role in the battle for Berlin. hardened in tank battles on Kursk Bulge, during the liberation of Belarus and Ukraine, tankers were not to be frightened by Berlin. But they were used only in close cooperation with the infantry. Single attempts, as a rule, led to losses. Artillery units also encountered certain features of the application. Some of them were assigned to assault groups for direct fire and destruction.
Storming of the Reichstag. Banner over the Reichstag
On April 27, the battles for the city center began, which were not interrupted day or night. The Berlin garrison did not stop fighting. On April 28, it flared up again near the Reichstag. It was organized by the troops of the 3rd shock army of the 1st Belorussian Front. But our fighters were able to come close to the building only on April 30th.
Assault groups were given red flags, one of which belonged to the 150th Infantry Division of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, later became the Banner of Victory. It was erected on May 1 on the pediment of the building by soldiers of the infantry regiment of the Idritskaya division M.A. Egorov and M.V. Kantaria. It was a symbol of the capture of the main fascist citadel.
Standard-bearers of Victory
While preparations for the Victory Parade in June 1945 were in full swing, there was not even a question of whom to appoint as the flag bearers of the Victory. It was Yegorov and Kantaria who were instructed to act as assistant denominators and carry the Banner of Victory across the main square of the country.
Unfortunately, the plans did not materialize. The front-line soldiers, who defeated the Nazis, could not cope with combat science. In addition, combat wounds still made themselves felt. Despite everything, they trained very hard, sparing neither effort nor time.
Marshal G.K. Zhukov, who hosted that famous parade, looked at the rehearsal of carrying the banner and came to the conclusion that it would be too difficult for the heroes of the battle for Berlin. Therefore, he ordered the removal of the Banner to be canceled and the parade to be held without this symbolic part.
But after 20 years, two heroes still carried the Banner of Victory across Red Square. It happened at the 1965 Victory Parade.
Capture of Berlin
The capture of Berlin did not end with the storming of the Reichstag. By May 30, the German troops defending the city were divided into four parts. Their management was completely broken. The Germans were on the brink of disaster. On the same day, the Fuhrer took his own life. On May 1, the chief of the Wehrmacht General Staff, General Krebe, entered into negotiations with the Soviet command and offered to temporarily stop hostilities. Zhukov put forward the only demand - unconditional surrender. It was rejected, and the assault resumed.
Late at night on May 2, the commander of the defense of the German capital, General Weidling, surrendered, and our radio stations began to receive a message from the Nazis asking for a ceasefire. By 3:00 p.m., the resistance had completely ceased. The historic assault is over.
The battle for Berlin was over, but the offensive continued. The 1st Ukrainian Front began a regrouping, the purpose of which was an attack on Prague and the liberation of Czechoslovakia. At the same time, the 1st Belorussian by May 7 went out on a wide front to the Elbe. The 2nd Belorussian reached the coast of the Baltic Sea, and also entered into interaction with the 2nd British army, positioned on the Elbe. Later, he began the liberation of the Danish islands in the Baltic Sea.
The results of the assault on Berlin and the entire Berlin operation
The active phase of the Berlin operation lasted a little over two weeks. Her results are:
- a large group of Nazis was defeated, the command of the Wehrmacht practically lost control of the remaining troops;
- captured the bulk senior management Germany, as well as almost 380 thousand soldiers and officers;
- gained experience in the use of different types of troops in urban battles;
- made an invaluable contribution to the Soviet military art;
- according to various estimates, it was the Berlin operation that dissuaded the leadership of the United States and Britain from starting a war against the USSR.
On the night of May 9, Field Marshal Keitel in Potsdam signed an act that meant the complete and unconditional surrender of Germany. So May 9 became the Day Great Victory. A conference was soon held there, at which the fate of post-war Germany was decided and the map of Europe was finally redrawn. There were still a few months left before the end of the Second World War of 1939-1945.
All the heroes of the battle were marked by the leadership of the USSR. More than six hundred people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In addition, in order to recognize special merits to the Fatherland, a medal was developed "For the capture of Berlin." Interesting fact- the battles in the German capital were still ongoing, and in Moscow they had already presented a sketch of the future medal. The Soviet leadership wanted Russian soldiers to know that wherever they fought for the glory of the Motherland, their awards would find their heroes.
Over a million people have been awarded. In addition to our soldiers, servicemen of the Polish army, who especially distinguished themselves in battles, also received medals. There are a total of seven such awards established for victories in cities outside the USSR.
