How did this most important thing go? historical event. What preceded it, what were the plans and alignment of forces of the warring parties. How the operation developed Soviet troops on the capture of Berlin, the chronology of events, the storming of the Reichstag with the hoisting of the Victory Banner and the significance of the historical battle.
The capture of Berlin and the fall of the Third Reich
By mid-spring 1945, the main events were unfolding across a large part of Germany. By this time, Poland, Hungary, almost all of Czechoslovakia, Eastern Pomerania and Silesia had been liberated. Red Army troops liberated the capital of Austria, Vienna. The defeat of large enemy groups in East Prussia, Courland, on the Zemland Peninsula. Most of the Baltic Sea coast remained with our army. Finland, Bulgaria, Romania and Italy were withdrawn from the war.
In the south, the Yugoslav army, together with 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 experiencing enormous difficulties. The raw materials areas of previously occupied countries were lost. The decline in industry continued. Military production fell by more than 60 percent in six months. In addition, the Wehrmacht experienced difficulties with mobilization resources. Sixteen-year-old boys were already subject to conscription. However, Berlin still remained not only the political capital of fascism, but also a major economic center. In addition, Hitler concentrated his main forces with enormous combat potential in the Berlin direction.
That's why the defeat of the Berlin group German troops and the capture of the capital of the Third Reich was so important. The Battle of Berlin and its fall was supposed to put an end to the Great Patriotic War and become a natural outcome of the Second World War of 1939-1945.
Berlin offensive operation
All participants were interested in the speedy completion 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 resolved in Crimea at a conference in Yalta.
The enemy understood that the war was strategically lost, but in the current situation he tried to extract tactical benefits. His main task was to prolong the war in order to find ways to enter into separate negotiations with the Western allies of the USSR in order to obtain more favorable terms of surrender.
There is also an opinion that Hitler had hope for the so-called retaliation weapon, which was at the stage of final development and was supposed to change the balance of power. That is why the Wehrmacht needed time, and losses did not play any role here. Therefore, Hitler concentrated 214 divisions on the Soviet-German front, and only 60 on the American-British front.
Preparation of an offensive operation, position and tasks of the parties. Balance of forces and means
On the German side, the defense of the Berlin direction was entrusted to army groups "Center" and "Vistula". The construction of layered defense was carried out from the beginning of 1945. The main part of it was the Oder-Neissen line and the Berlin defensive region.
The first was a deep defense of three stripes up to forty kilometers wide, with powerful strongholds, engineering barriers and areas prepared for flooding.
In the Berlin defensive area, three so-called defensive rings 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, ran along the outskirts of Berlin. All milestones and positions were tied to unified system fire. The third city circuit coincided with the ring railway. The command of the Nazi troops divided Berlin itself into nine sectors. 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 communication passages. For covert maneuvers, it was planned to actively use the metro as rolling roads.
The operation of the Soviet troops to capture Berlin began to be developed during the winter offensive.
Plan for the "Battle of Berlin"
The command’s plan was to break through the Oder-Neissen line with coordinated strikes from three fronts, then, developing the offensive, reach Berlin, encircle the enemy group, cut it into several parts and destroy it. Subsequently, no later than 15 days from the start 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 front line. The army groups “Center” and “Vistula” included 48 infantry, 6 tank, 9 motorized divisions, 37 separate infantry regiments, 98 separate infantry battalions. The Nazis also had approximately 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.
The three Soviet fronts outnumbered the enemy and had the 21st combined arms army, 4 tank and 3 air forces, in addition, 10 separate tank and mechanized and 4 cavalry corps. It was also planned 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 an aviation corps, 2 artillery divisions, mortar brigade.
At the beginning of the operation, Soviet troops had an advantage over the Germans:
- in personnel by 2.5 times;
- in guns and mortars 4 times;
- in tanks and self-propelled artillery units by 4.1 times;
- in airplanes 2.3 times.
Start of operation
The offensive was about 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 On the appointed date, artillery preparation began. After this 1 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Zhukov went on the offensive, delivering three blows: one main and two auxiliary. The main one is in the direction of Berlin through the Seelow Heights and the city of Seelow, auxiliary ones are to the north and south of the capital of Germany. The enemy stubbornly resisted, and it was not possible to take the heights from a swoop. After a series of outflanking maneuvers, it was only towards the end of the day that our army finally took the city of Seelow.
On the first and second days of the operation, fighting took place in the first line of defense of the German fascists. Only on April 17 was it finally possible to make a hole in the second lane. The German command tried to stop the offensive by bringing available reserves into the battle, but were unsuccessful. The battles continued on April 18 and 19. The pace of progress remained very slow. The Nazis were not going to give up; their defenses were filled with a large number of anti-tank weapons. Dense artillery fire, constrained 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 and final 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 24 hours, the troops crossed the Neisse River, broke through the first line of defense and penetrated to a depth of 13 kilometers. The next day, throwing the main forces of the front into battle, they broke through the second line and advanced 20 kilometers. The enemy retreated across the Spree River. The Wehrmacht, preventing a deep bypass of the entire Berlin group, transferred the reserves of the Center group to this area. Despite this, our troops crossed the Spree River on April 18 and broke the front line of the defense of the third zone. 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 Army Group Vistula from the Center. Large enemy forces were semi-encircled.
The troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, commanded by Marshal Rokossovsky, According to the plan, the attack was supposed to take place on April 20, but in order to facilitate the task, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front began to cross the Oder on the 18th. By their actions they drew part of the enemy’s forces and reserves onto themselves. Preparations for the main phase of the operation were completed.
Storm of Berlin
All 3 Soviet fronts before April 20 basically completed the task of breaking through the Oder-Neissen line and destroying Nazi troops in the suburbs of Berlin. It was time to move on to the assault on the German capital itself.
Start of the battle
On April 20, troops of the 1st Belorussian Front began shelling the outskirts of Berlin with long-range artillery, and 21 broke through the first bypass line. From April 22, fighting took place directly in the city. The distance between the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front advancing from the northeast and the 1st Ukrainian Front from the south decreased. The preconditions for the complete encirclement of the German capital were created, and the opportunity also arose to cut off from the city and encircle a large group of the enemy’s 9th Infantry Army, numbering up to two hundred thousand people, with the task of preventing its breakthrough to Berlin or retreat to the west. This plan was put into effect on April 23 and 24.
To avoid encirclement, the Wehrmacht command decided to withdraw all troops from the western front and throw them into the relief blockade 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 from both inside and outside.
The battles to destroy the encircled group continued until May 1. In some areas, fascist German troops managed to break through the defense ring and go westward, but these attempts were stopped in time. Only small groups were able to break through and surrender to the Americans. In total, in this sector, 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 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.
Climax of the Battle of Berlin
Meanwhile in Berlin fighting reached its apogee. Assault troops and groups advanced deeper into the city. They consistently moved from building to building, from block to block, from area to area, 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 of Berlin. Tempered in tank battles on the Kursk Bulge, during the liberation of Belarus and Ukraine, the tank crews were not intimidated by Berlin. But they were used only in close cooperation with infantry. Single attempts, as a rule, led to losses. Artillery units also encountered certain application features. Some of them were given assault groups for direct fire and destruction shooting.
Storming of the Reichstag. Banner over the Reichstag
On April 27, 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. Her troops organized the 3rd shock army 1st Belorussian Front. But our soldiers were able to get close to the building only on April 30.
The assault groups were given red flags, one of which, belonging to the 150th Rifle Division of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, later became the Victory Banner. It was erected on May 1 on the pediment of the building by soldiers rifle regiment Idritsa division M.A. Egorov and M.V Kantaria. It was a symbol of the capture of the main fascist stronghold.
Victory Standard Bearers
While preparations for the Victory Parade in June 1945 were in full swing, the question did not even arise about who to appoint as the Victory standard bearers. It was Egorov and Kantaria who were tasked with acting as assistants to the flag bearer and carrying the Victory Banner across the main square of the country.
Unfortunately, the plans were not allowed to come true. The front-line soldiers who defeated the fascists were unable to cope with combat science. In addition, battle wounds were still making 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 of Berlin. Therefore, he ordered the removal of the Banner to be canceled and the parade to be held without this symbolic part.
But 20 years later, two heroes still carried the Victory Banner across Red Square. This 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 cut into four parts. Their management was completely disrupted. The Germans were on the brink of disaster. That 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 proposed a temporary cessation of hostilities. Zhukov put forward the only demand - unconditional surrender. It was rejected and the assault resumed.
In the dead of 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 15.00 the resistance had completely ceased. The historical assault is over.
The Battle of Berlin ended, but the offensive operation continued. The 1st Ukrainian Front began a regrouping, the purpose of which was to attack Prague and liberate Czechoslovakia. At the same time, by May 7, the 1st Belorussian reached a broad front towards the Elbe. The 2nd Belorussian reached the shores of the Baltic Sea, and also entered into interaction with the 2nd British Army positioned on the Elbe. Subsequently, he began the liberation of the Danish islands in the Baltic Sea.
Results of the assault on Berlin and the entire Berlin operation
The active phase of the Berlin operation lasted just over two weeks. Its results are as follows:
- a large group of Nazis was defeated, the Wehrmacht command practically lost control of the remaining troops;
- the bulk of Germany's top leadership was captured, as well as almost 380 thousand soldiers and officers;
- gained experience in using different types of troops in urban battles;
- made an invaluable contribution to 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 signed an act in Potsdam that meant the complete and unconditional surrender of Germany. So May 9 became Great Victory Day. 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 heroes of the battle were noted 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 services to the Fatherland, a medal was developed "For the capture of Berlin." An interesting fact is that the fighting in the German capital was still ongoing, but 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 their Motherland, their heroes would find their rewards.
More than a million people were awarded. In addition to our soldiers, soldiers of the Polish army who particularly distinguished themselves in battle also received medals. There are a total of seven such awards, established for victories in cities outside the borders of the USSR.
In November 1944, the General Staff began planning military operations on the approaches to Berlin. It was necessary to defeat the German Army Group “A” and complete the liberation of Poland.
At the end of December 1944, German troops launched an offensive in the Ardennes and pushed back the Allied troops, putting them on the brink complete defeat. The leadership of the USA and Great Britain turned to the USSR with a request to conduct offensive operations to divert enemy forces.
Fulfilling our allied duty, our units went on the offensive eight days ahead of schedule and pulled back part of the German divisions. The offensive launched ahead of time did not allow for full preparation, which led to unjustified losses.
As a result of the rapidly developing offensive, already in February, units of the Red Army crossed the Oder - the last major obstacle in front of the German capital - and approached Berlin to a distance of 70 km.
The fighting on the bridgeheads captured after crossing the Oder was unusually fierce. Soviet troops waged a continuous offensive and pressed back the enemy all the way from the Vistula to the Oder.
At the same time, the operation began in East Prussia. Its main goal was to capture the Konigsberg fortress. Perfectly defended and provided with everything necessary, with a selected garrison, the fortress seemed impregnable.
Before the assault, heavy artillery preparation was carried out. After the capture of the fortress, its commandant admitted that he did not expect such a rapid fall of Koenigsberg.
In April 1945, the Red Army began immediate preparations for the assault on Berlin. The USSR leadership believed that delaying the end of the war could lead to the Germans opening a front in the west and concluding a separate peace. The danger of Berlin's surrender to Anglo-American units was considered.
The Soviet attack on Berlin was carefully prepared. A huge amount of ammunition and military equipment was transferred to the city. Troops from three fronts took part in the Berlin operation. The command was entrusted to Marshals G.K. Zhukov, K.K. Rokossovsky and I.S. Konev. 3.5 million people took part in the battle on both sides.
The assault began on April 16, 1945. At 3 a.m. Berlin time, under the light of 140 searchlights, tanks and infantry attacked German positions. After four days of fighting, the fronts commanded by Zhukov and Konev, with the support of two armies of the Polish Army, closed a ring around Berlin. 93 enemy divisions were defeated, about 490 thousand people and a huge amount of captured military equipment and weapons were captured. On this day, a meeting of Soviet and American troops took place on the Elbe.
Hitler's command declared: “Berlin will remain German.” And everything possible was done for this. refused to capitulate and threw old people and children into street battles. He hoped for discord between the allies. The prolongation of the war led to numerous casualties.
On April 21, the first assault troops reached the outskirts of the German capital and started street battles. German soldiers put up fierce resistance, surrendering only in hopeless situations.
On May 1 at 3 o'clock, the Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, General Krebs, was delivered to the command post of the 8th Guards Army. He stated that Hitler had committed suicide on April 30 and proposed to begin armistice negotiations.
The next day, the Berlin Defense Headquarters ordered an end to resistance. Berlin has fallen. When it was captured, Soviet troops lost 300 thousand killed and wounded.
On the night of May 9, 1945, the act of unconditional surrender of Germany was signed. in Europe ended, and with it.
The Berlin operation of the Red Army, carried out from April 16 to May 2, 1945, became a triumph for the Soviet troops: Berlin, the capital of the Third Reich, was defeated, and the Hitlerite empire was completely defeated.
The history of the Battle of Berlin has been described many times in military historical literature here and abroad. Assessments are different, sometimes polar: some consider it a standard of military art, others believe that it is far from the best example of military art.
Be that as it may, when describing the capture of Berlin by the Red Army in Western historiography of this most important operation, the main attention is paid to two issues: the level of military art of the Red Army and the attitude of Soviet soldiers towards the population of Berlin. When covering these topics, not all, but many authors are from other countries, and in last years and some domestic historians strive to emphasize negative phenomena in both issues.
How did all this actually happen, given the conditions and time of action of the Soviet troops in April-May 1945?
The main blow to Berlin was delivered by the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. Photo by Georgy Petrusov.
DID YOU FILL BERLIN WITH A MOUNTAIN OF CORPSES OR WRITE A GOLDEN PAGE IN THE HISTORY OF MILITARY ART?
Most critics agree that the fronts that carried out the Berlin operation, despite their superiority over the enemy, did not act skillfully enough and suffered unreasonably high losses.
Thus, David Glantz, a famous American military historian, writes that “The Berlin operation was one of the most unsuccessful for Zhukov” (in parentheses, let’s say that the same Glantz calls the most unsuccessful operation Zhukov Rzhev-Sychevsk offensive operation “Mars”, which was carried out 11/25–12/20/1942). According to the German historian Karl-Heinz Friser, “the gigantic Soviet fire strike (meaning the artillery barrage on April 16 - author’s note) went into the sand... The use of searchlights glorified by Zhukov’s propaganda was just as unproductive and even harmful.” Russian historian Andrei Mertsalov notes that Zhukov “lost his nerves” and “in a state of passion he made a fatal mistake. He used tank armies designed to develop operational success to break through tactical defenses.” 1,400 tanks were used as a ram, which went through the marching formations of the 8th Guards. armies, mixed them up and created enormous confusion in the command and control system. The operational plan was disrupted. As Mertsalov notes, “the mistake was all the more severe” because the 8th Guards. the army had its own tanks in large numbers."
But was it really that simple?
Yes, the Berlin operation cost us great losses - 78,291 killed and 274,184 wounded. Average daily losses amounted to 15,325 people - one of the highest losses suffered by the Red Army in strategic and independent front-line operations during the entire period of the war.
But in order to talk sensibly about this operation, it is necessary to remember the environment in which it was carried out.
Firstly, it had to be carried out in as soon as possible. Why? Because already on April 22, after listening to a report on the situation at the front, Hitler made a decision: to throw all his forces against the Russian troops. What did this mean? And the fact is that, having long wanted to open the front to the Western allies, and now having received Hitler’s permission, German generals were ready to surrender part of their troops as prisoners to the Anglo-American armies in order to throw all their remaining forces onto the Eastern Front. And Stalin understood this well. This was discussed in the Allied negotiations in Switzerland with SS General Karl Wolf, and in the negotiations with the Germans in Sweden, and in the main actions of the Wehrmacht on the Western Front. And here we must pay tribute to Stalin’s intuition. He foresaw what the English historian Basil Liddell Hart would later write about: “The Germans might make the fatal decision to sacrifice the defense of the Rhine for the defense of the Oder in order to delay the Russians.”
In the spring of 1945, the military-political situation demanded that the Berlin operation be carried out as soon as possible.
Essentially, on April 11, after the Americans encircled Army Group B under the command of Field Marshal Model in the Ruhr, the resistance of German troops in the West ceased. One of the American journalists wrote: “Cities fell like bowling pins. We drove 150 km without hearing a single shot. The city of Kassel surrendered through the mediation of the burgomaster. Osnabrück surrendered without resistance on April 5. Mannheim capitulated over the telephone." On April 16, the mass surrender of Wehrmacht soldiers and officers began.
But if on the Western Front “cities fell like ninepins,” then on the Eastern Front the German resistance was desperate to the point of fanaticism. Stalin wrote with irritation to Roosevelt on April 7: “The Germans have 147 divisions on the Eastern Front. They could, without harming their cause, remove 15-20 divisions from the Eastern Front and transfer them to help their troops on the Western Front. However, the Germans did not and will not do this. They continue to fiercely fight with the Russians for some little-known Zemlyanitsa station in Czechoslovakia, which they need as much as a dead poultice, but without any resistance they surrender such important cities in the center of Germany as Osnabrück, Mannheim, Kassel.” That is, the path to Berlin for the Western allies was essentially open.
What could the Soviet troops do to prevent the gates of Berlin from opening to the Western allies? Only one. Capture the capital of the Third Reich faster. And therefore, all the reproaches against our front commanders, especially Zhukov, lose ground.
On the Eastern Front, German resistance was desperate to the point of fanaticism.
Zhukov, Konev and Rokossovsky had one task - to quickly, as quickly as possible, capture the capital of the Third Reich. And it was not easy. The Berlin operation did not fit into the canons of offensive operations of front groups of those years.
Speaking at the editorial office of the Military Historical Journal in August 1966, Zhukov said: “Now, after a long time, reflecting on the Berlin operation, I came to the conclusion that the defeat of the Berlin enemy group and the capture of Berlin itself were done correctly, but it is possible It would have been possible to carry out this operation somewhat differently.”
Yes, of course, reflecting on the past, our commanders and modern historians find best options. But this is today, many years later and under completely different conditions. And then? Then there was one task: to take Berlin as quickly as possible. But this required careful preparation.
And we must admit that Zhukov did not succumb to the sentiments of Stalin, the General Staff, and the commander of his key army, Chuikov, who believed that after capturing the bridgehead on the Oder near the city of Küstrin, it was necessary to immediately march on Berlin. He understood well that the troops were tired, the rear was lagging behind, and a pause was needed for the final final offensive. He also saw something else: the 2nd Belorussian Front was 500 km behind. To the right, over his, Zhukov’s, 1st Belorussian Front looms a powerful group - the Vistula Army Group. Guderian later wrote: “The German command intended to launch a powerful counterattack with the forces of Army Group Vistula with lightning speed, until the Russians brought large forces to the front or until they guessed our intentions.”
Even boys from the Hitler Youth were thrown into battle.
And he, Zhukov, managed to convince Headquarters that the attack on Berlin in February would not bring success. And then Stalin decided to launch an attack on Berlin on April 16, but to carry out the operation in no more than two weeks.
The main blow was delivered by Zhukov's front - the 1st Belorussian. But the environment in which he had to act was very specific.
By decision of the commander, the front launched the main attack from the bridgehead west of Küstrin with the forces of five combined arms and two tank armies. On the very first day, the combined arms armies were supposed to break through the first defensive line 6-8 km deep. Then, to develop success, tank armies had to be introduced into the breakthrough. At the same time, the situation and terrain made any other forms of maneuver difficult. Therefore, Zhukov’s favorite technique was chosen - a frontal strike. The goal is to fragment the forces concentrated on the shortest route to the capital of the Third Reich in the direction of Küstrin-Berlin. The breakthrough was planned on a wide front - 44 km (25% of the entire length of the 1st Belorussian Front). Why? Because a breakthrough on a wide front in three directions excluded a counter-maneuver of enemy forces to cover Berlin from the east.
The enemy was placed in a position where he could not weaken the flanks, without risking allowing the Red Army to capture Berlin from the north and south, but could not strengthen the flanks at the expense of the center, because this would speed up the advance of Soviet troops in the Küstrin-Berlin direction.
Storm troops were created for the fighting in Berlin. This B-4 howitzer was assigned to the first battalion of the 756th Infantry Regiment of the 150th Infantry Division. Photo by Yakov Ryumkin.
But we must take into account that the experience of almost four years of war has taught both belligerents a lot. This means that it was necessary to undertake something new, unexpected for the German troops, something for which they were not ready. And Zhukov begins the offensive not at dawn, as usual, but at night after a short artillery barrage and begins the attack by suddenly turning on 143 powerful searchlights in order to blind the enemy, suppress him not only with fire, but also with a sudden psychological technique - blinding.
Historians have different assessments of the success of the use of searchlights, but participants on the German side recognize its suddenness and effectiveness.
However, the peculiarity of the Berlin operation was that, essentially, the first defensive line was immediately followed by a second, and behind it fortified settlements all the way to Berlin. This factor was not properly appreciated by the Soviet command. Zhukov understood that after breaking through the enemy’s tactical defense zone, he would throw the tank armies into the breakthrough, lure the main forces of the Berlin garrison to fight them and destroy them in the “open field.”
Soviet tanks near the bridge over the Spree River in the Reichstag area.
Therefore, breaking through two lines of defense (what kind!) in one day by combined arms armies was an impossible task for combined arms armies.
And then the commander of the 1st Belorussian Front decides to introduce tank armies into battle - in fact, to directly support the infantry. The pace of the advance increased.
But we must not forget that these were last days war, the last battles for the victory of Russia. “And it’s not at all scary to die for her,” as the poet Mikhail Nozhkin wrote, “but everyone still hopes to live.” And this factor could not be ignored. Zhukov directs the 1st Guards. the tank army not to the north, but bypassing the city, and to the south-eastern outskirts of Berlin, cutting off the escape routes of the 9th German Army to Berlin.
But then tankmen and infantrymen burst into Berlin, and fighting began in the city. Assault detachments are created, which include infantry and tank units, sappers, flamethrowers, and artillerymen. The battle goes on for every street, every house, every floor.
The tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front enter Berlin from the south. For some time, the troops are mixed. In this regard, Konev’s troops are withdrawn outside Berlin, Zhukov continues the assault on the capital of Hitler’s Reich.
Self-propelled guns SU-76M on one of the streets of Berlin.
This is how this extraordinary offensive operation took place. Therefore, critics of its conduct should at least take into account the uniqueness of the situation, and not analyze it according to classical canons.
Of course, there were mistakes by the command and the executors, and interruptions in supplies, and skirmishes between units of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian Fronts, and aviation sometimes hit the wrong targets. Yes, it all happened.
But amidst all this chaos generated by the deadly final battle of two great armies, we must distinguish the main thing. We won a final victory over a strong and desperately resisting enemy. “The enemy was strong, the greater our glory!” We have put a victorious point in the war with the fascist bloc. The Third Reich was defeated and destroyed. The Red Army, which had become the strongest in the world, raised its banners high in the center of Europe. Against the background of all this, the mistakes and miscalculations that happen to every commander in every war fade away. The Berlin operation is forever inscribed as a golden page in the history of military art.
“HORDES OF BARBARIANS” SOURGING INTO “CIVILIZED EUROPE” OR ARE THERE LIBERERS?
As mentioned above, a favorite theme of historians who want to discredit the successes of the Red Army during the war in every possible way is the comparison of Soviet soldiers with “hordes of barbarians”, “Asian hordes” who poured into “civilized Europe” for the purpose of robbery, outrages and violence. This topic is especially discussed when describing the Berlin operation and the attitude of soldiers and officers of the Red Army towards the civilian population.
Musical moment. Photo by Anatoly Egorov.
The English historian Anthony Beevor, author of the acclaimed book “The Fall of Berlin,” is especially sophisticated in this direction. Without bothering to check the facts, the author cites mainly the statements of people who met him (like a “survey on the streets”, practiced on modern radio stations). Statements, naturally, may be different, but the author cites only those that talk about looting and especially violence against women by Soviet soldiers. The data is very vague. For example, “one Komsomol organizer of a tank company said that Soviet soldiers raped at least 2 million women,” “one doctor calculated that the violence was massive,” “Berliners remember the violence that took place,” etc. Unfortunately, Geoffrey Roberts, the author of the generally objective book “Victory at Stalingrad,” writes about the same thing, also without reference to documents.
At the same time, Beevor, among the main reasons for violent actions on the part of Soviet soldiers, identifies “sexual pathologies in all representatives of Soviet society, formed by the government’s policy in the field of sexual education.”
Of course, as in any army, there were cases of looting and violence. But the European medieval principle, when captured cities were given over for three days to be plundered, is one thing. And it’s a completely different matter when the political leadership and army command do (and effectively do) everything possible to stop or reduce to a minimum the outrages.
This task was not easy for the Soviet leadership, but it was carried out everywhere and with dignity. And this is after what the Soviet soldier saw on the lands he liberated: the atrocities of the German occupiers, devastated cities and villages, millions of people turned into slaves, the consequences of bombing, shelling, backbreaking work and terror in the temporarily occupied territory of the country, not to mention the indirect losses. Tens of millions were left homeless. Tragedy and horror came to every Soviet family, and the rage of the soldiers and officers who fought on enemy soil knew no bounds. An avalanche of revenge could have overwhelmed Germany, but this did not happen. It was not possible to completely prevent violence, but they managed to contain it and then reduce it to a minimum.
First peace day in Berlin. Soviet soldiers communicate with civilians. Photo by Victor Temin.
In passing, let us say that the British historian is clearly silent about the fact that the German command in the occupied territory of not only the USSR, but also other countries, regularly organized round-ups of women in order to deliver them to the front line for the pleasure of the German soldiers. It would be interesting to hear his opinion whether this was connected with the sexual pathologies of the Germans, “shaped by the government’s policies in the field of sexual education”?
Let us recall that the political position on the attitude towards the German population was first formulated by Stalin in February 1942. Rejecting the Nazi slander that the Red Army aims to exterminate the German people and destroy the German state, the Soviet leader said: “The experience of history says that the Hitlers are coming and they leave, but the German people and the German state remain.” The Wehrmacht at this time was still 100 km from Moscow.
With the entry of the Red Army into the territory of the aggressor countries, emergency measures were taken to prevent atrocities against the German civilian population. On January 19, 1945, Stalin signed an order that demanded that rude treatment of the local population be prevented. The order was communicated to every soldier. This order was followed up by orders from the Military Councils of the fronts, army commanders, and division commanders of other formations. The order of the Military Council of the 2nd Belorussian Front, signed by Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, ordered that looters and rapists be shot at the scene of the crime.
With the start of the Berlin operation, Headquarters sent a new document to the troops:
Directive Rates Supreme High Command to the commanders of troops and members of the military councils of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts on a change in attitude towards German prisoners of war and the civilian population on April 20, 1945.
The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command orders:
1. Demand a change in attitude towards Germans, both prisoners of war and civilians. Treat the Germans better. The brutal treatment of the Germans makes them afraid and forces them to stubbornly resist without surrendering.
A more humane attitude towards the Germans will make it easier for us to conduct military operations on their territory and will undoubtedly reduce the tenacity of the Germans in defense.
2. In the regions of Germany west of the line of the mouth of the Oder River, Fürstenberg, then the Neisse River (to the west), create German administrations, and install German burgomasters in the cities.
Ordinary members of the National Socialist Party, if they are loyal to the Red Army, should not be touched, but only the leaders should be detained if they did not manage to escape.
3. Improving attitudes towards Germans should not lead to a decrease in vigilance and familiarity with the Germans.
Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
I. STALIN
ANTONOV
Along with explanatory work, strict punitive measures were taken. According to data from the Military Prosecutor's Office, in the first months of 1945, 4,148 officers and a large number of privates were convicted by military tribunals for committing atrocities against the local population. Several show trials of military personnel resulted in death sentences for the perpetrators.
Commander of the 756th Infantry Regiment, first commandant of the Reichstag Fyodor Zinchenko.
For comparison, in the US Army, where the number of rapes has sharply increased, 69 people were executed for murder, looting and rape with murder in April, and more than 400 people were convicted in April alone. Eisenhower, after the entry of Western troops into Germany, generally forbade military personnel from any communication with the local population. However, as American historians note, this ban was doomed to failure, “because it was contrary to the very nature of a young, healthy American and allied soldier when it came to women and children.”
As for the Red Army, thousands of documents from political agencies (the so-called “7 departments”), commandant’s offices, and prosecutors’ offices, which were directly involved in eliminating negative phenomena in relations between troops and the local population, show that there was constant intensive work, and it gradually brought positive results.
The state of relations between the army and the population was closely monitored by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. And it gave results.
Here, for example, is an excerpt from the report of the head of the political department of the 8th Guards Army to the head of the political department of the 1st Belorussian Front on the behavior of the German population in the occupied suburbs of Berlin and its attitude towards Soviet military personnel dated April 25, 1945:
The general impression from the first meetings with residents of the suburbs of Berlin - the settlements of Ransdorf and Wilhelmshagen - is that the majority of the population treats us loyally and strives to emphasize this both in conversations and in behavior. Almost all the residents say: “We didn’t want to fight, let Hitler fight now.” At the same time, everyone tries to emphasize that they are not involved in the Nazis and never supported Hitler’s policies; some persistently try to convince them that they are communists.
IN populated areas Wilhelmshagen and Ransdorf have restaurants serving liquor, beer and snacks. Moreover, restaurant owners are willing to sell all this to our soldiers and officers for occupation stamps. Head of the political department of the 28th Guards. CK Colonel Borodin ordered the owners of Ransdorf's restaurants to close their restaurants until the battle was over.
Head of the political department of the 8th Guards. Army of the Guards Major General M. SKOSYREV
One of the reports from a member of the Military Council of the 1st Ukrainian Front states that “the Germans carefully carry out all instructions and express satisfaction with the regime established for them. Thus, the pastor of the city of Zagan, Ernst Schlichen, stated: “The measures carried out by the Soviet command are regarded by the German population as fair, arising from military conditions. But individual cases of arbitrariness, especially cases of rape of women, keep the Germans in constant fear and tension.” The military councils of the front and armies are waging a determined struggle against the looting and rape of German women.”
Unfortunately, rarely does anyone in the West remember anything else. About the selfless assistance of the Red Army to Berliners and Germans from other cities. But it’s not for nothing that a monument to the Soviet soldier-liberator stands (and was recently renovated) in Berlin’s Treptower Park. The soldier stands with his sword lowered and clutching the rescued girl to his chest. The prototype of this monument was the feat of soldier Nikolai Masolov, who, under heavy enemy fire, risking his life, carried a German child from the battlefield. This feat was accomplished by many Soviet soldiers, and some of them died in the last days of the war.
Before the assault on April 30, 1945, Colonel Fedor Zinchenko was appointed commandant of the Reichstag. Half an hour before the battle, he learned of the death of his last brother. Two others died near Moscow and Stalingrad. All his six sisters remained widows. But, fulfilling his duty, the commandant first took care of the local population. The storming of the Reichstag was still ongoing, and the regimental cooks were already distributing food to the hungry Germans.
Reconnaissance platoon of the 674th Infantry Regiment of the 150th Idritsa Infantry Division on the steps of the Reichstag. In the foreground is Private Grigory Bulatov.
Immediately after the capture of Berlin, the following food standards were introduced for the population of the German capital for each resident (depending on the nature of the activity): bread - 300-600 grams; cereals – 30-80 grams; meat – 20-100 grams; fat – 70 grams; sugar – 15-30 grams; potatoes – 400-500 grams. Children under 13 years of age were given 200 grams of milk daily. Approximately the same standards were established for other cities and towns in the regions of Germany liberated by the Soviet Army. At the beginning of May 1945, the Military Council of the 1st Belorussian Front reported on the situation in Berlin to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters: “The measures of the Soviet command to supply food and improve life in the city stunned the Germans. They are surprised by the generosity fast recovery order in the city, discipline of the troops." Indeed, in Berlin alone, from the resources of the Soviet troops, for the needs of the local population, the following were allocated in the shortest possible time: 105 thousand tons of grain, 18 thousand tons of meat products, 1500 tons of fats, 6 thousand tons of sugar, 50 thousand tons of potatoes and other products. The city government was given 5 thousand dairy cows to provide children with milk, 1000 trucks and 100 cars, 1000 tons of fuels and lubricants for establishing intra-city transportation.
A similar picture was observed everywhere in Germany, where the Soviet Army entered. It was not easy at that time to find the necessary resources: the Soviet population was given modest food rations strictly on ration cards. But the Soviet government did everything to provide the German population with the necessary products.
Much work has been done to restore educational institutions. With the support of the Soviet military administration and thanks to the dedicated work of local democratic bodies of self-government, by the end of June, classes were held in 580 schools in Berlin, where 233 thousand children were studying. 88 orphanages and 120 cinemas began operating. Theaters, restaurants, and cafes were opened.
Even in the days of fierce battles, the Soviet military authorities took under protection outstanding monuments of German architecture and art, preserved for humanity the famous Dresden Gallery, the richest book collections of Berlin, Potsdam and other cities.
In conclusion, we repeat once again: the task of mastering such huge city, like Berlin, was exceptionally difficult. But the troops of the Zhukov, Konev, and Rokossovsky fronts coped with it brilliantly. The significance of this victory is recognized throughout the world, including by German generals and military leaders of the allied forces.
Here, in particular, is how I rated it Battle of Berlin one of the outstanding military leaders of the time, Army General George Marshall: “The chronicle of this battle provides many lessons for everyone involved in the art of war. The assault on the capital of Nazi Germany was one of the most difficult operations of Soviet troops during the Second World War. This operation represents remarkable pages of glory, military science and art.”
The operation plan of the Soviet Supreme High Command was to deliver several powerful blows on a wide front, dismember the enemy’s Berlin group, encircle and destroy it piece by piece. The operation began on April 16, 1945. After powerful artillery and air preparation, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front attacked the enemy on the Oder River. At the same time, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front began to cross the Neisse River. Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, Soviet troops broke through his defenses.
On April 20, long-range artillery fire from the 1st Belorussian Front on Berlin marked the beginning of its assault. By the evening of April 21, his shock units reached the northeastern outskirts of the city.
The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front carried out a rapid maneuver to reach Berlin from the south and west. On April 21, having advanced 95 kilometers, tank units of the front broke into the southern outskirts of the city. Taking advantage of the success of tank formations, the combined arms armies of the shock group of the 1st Ukrainian Front quickly advanced westward.
On April 25, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian Fronts united west of Berlin, completing the encirclement of the entire Berlin enemy group (500 thousand people).
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 pinned down the 3rd German Tank Army, preventing it from being used on the approaches to Berlin.
The Nazi group in Berlin, despite the obvious doom, continued stubborn resistance. In fierce street battles on April 26-28, it was cut by Soviet troops into three isolated parts.
The fighting went on day and night. Breaking through to the center of Berlin, Soviet soldiers stormed every street and every house. On some days they managed to clear up to 300 blocks of the enemy. Hand-to-hand combat broke out in subway tunnels, underground communication structures and communication passages. The basis of the combat formations of rifle and tank units during the fighting in the city were assault detachments and groups. Most of the artillery (up to 152 mm and 203 mm guns) was assigned to rifle units for direct fire. Tanks operated as part of both rifle formations and tank corps and armies, promptly subordinate to the command of combined arms armies or operating in their own offensive zone. Attempts to use tanks independently led to heavy losses from artillery fire and faustpatrons. Due to the fact that Berlin was shrouded in smoke during the assault, the massive use of bomber aircraft was often difficult. The most powerful strikes on military targets in the city were carried out by aviation on April 25 and on the night of April 26; 2,049 aircraft took part in these strikes.
By April 28, only central part, which was shot from all sides by Soviet artillery, and by the evening of the same day, units of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front reached the Reichstag area.
The Reichstag garrison numbered up to one thousand soldiers and officers, but it continued to continuously strengthen. It was armed with a large number of machine guns and faust cartridges. There were also artillery pieces. Deep ditches were dug around the building, various barriers were erected, and machine gun and artillery firing points were equipped.
On April 30, troops of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front began fighting for the Reichstag, which immediately became extremely fierce. Only in the evening, after repeated attacks, Soviet soldiers broke into the building. The Nazis put up fierce resistance. Hand-to-hand combat broke out on the stairs and in the corridors every now and then. The assault units, step by step, room by room, floor by floor, cleared the Reichstag building of the enemy. The entire path of Soviet soldiers from the main entrance to the Reichstag to the roof was marked with red flags and flags. On the night of May 1, the Victory Banner was hoisted over the building of the defeated Reichstag. The battles for the Reichstag continued until the morning of May 1, and individual groups of the enemy, holed up in basement compartments, capitulated only on the night of May 2.
In the battles for the Reichstag, the enemy lost more than 2 thousand soldiers and officers killed and wounded. Soviet troops captured over 2.6 thousand Nazis, as well as 1.8 thousand rifles and machine guns, 59 artillery pieces, 15 tanks and assault guns as trophies.
On May 1, units of the 3rd Shock Army, advancing from the north, met south of the Reichstag with units of the 8th Guards Army, advancing from the south. On the same day, two important Berlin defense centers surrendered: the Spandau citadel and the Flakturm I (Zoobunker) concrete anti-aircraft defense tower.
By 15:00 on May 2, enemy resistance had completely ceased, the remnants of the Berlin garrison surrendered. total number more than 134 thousand people.
During the fighting, out of approximately 2 million Berliners, about 125 thousand died, and a significant part of Berlin was destroyed. Of the 250 thousand buildings in the city, about 30 thousand were completely destroyed, more than 20 thousand buildings were in a dilapidated state, more than 150 thousand buildings had moderate damage. More than a third of metro stations were flooded and destroyed, 225 bridges were blown up by Nazi troops.
The fighting with individual groups breaking through from the outskirts of Berlin to the west ended on May 5. On the night of May 9, the Act of Surrender of the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany was signed.
During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops surrounded and eliminated the largest group of enemy troops in the history of wars. They defeated 70 enemy infantry, 23 tank and mechanized divisions and captured 480 thousand people.
The Berlin operation cost the Soviet troops dearly. Their irretrievable losses amounted to 78,291 people, and sanitary losses - 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
Berlin strategic offensive operation (Berlin operation, Capture of Berlin) - an offensive operation of Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War, which ended with the capture of Berlin and victory in the war.
The military operation was carried out in Europe from April 16 to May 9, 1945, during which the territories captured by the Germans were liberated and Berlin was taken under control. The Berlin operation was the last in the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War.
The following smaller operations were carried out as part of the Berlin Operation:
- Stettin-Rostock;
- Seelovsko-Berlinskaya;
- Cottbus-Potsdam;
- Stremberg-Torgauskaya;
- Brandenburg-Ratenow.
The goal of the operation was to capture Berlin, which would allow Soviet troops to open the way to join the Allies on the Elbe River and thus prevent Hitler from prolonging the Second World War for a longer period.
Progress of the Berlin operation
In November 1944, the General Staff of the Soviet Forces began planning an offensive operation on the approaches to the German capital. During the operation it was supposed to defeat the German Army Group “A” and finally liberate the occupied territories of Poland.
At the end of the same month, the German army launched a counteroffensive in the Ardennes and was able to push back the Allied forces, thereby putting them almost on the brink of defeat. To continue the war, the Allies needed the support of the USSR - for this, the leadership of the United States and Great Britain turned to the Soviet Union with a request to send their troops and conduct offensive operations in order to distract Hitler and give the Allies the opportunity to recover.
The Soviet command agreed, and the USSR army launched an offensive, but the operation began almost a week earlier, which resulted in insufficient preparation and, as a result, large losses.
By mid-February, Soviet troops were able to cross the Oder, the last obstacle on the way to Berlin. There were a little more than seventy kilometers left to the capital of Germany. From that moment on, the battles took on a more protracted and fierce character - Germany did not want to give up and tried with all its might to hold back the Soviet offensive, but it was quite difficult to stop the Red Army.
At the same time, preparations began on the territory of East Prussia for the assault on the Konigsberg fortress, which was extremely well fortified and seemed almost impregnable. For the assault, the Soviet troops carried out thorough artillery preparation, which ultimately bore fruit - the fortress was taken unusually quickly.
In April 1945 Soviet army began preparations for the long-awaited assault on Berlin. The leadership of the USSR was of the opinion that in order to achieve the success of the entire operation, it was necessary to urgently carry out the assault, without delaying it, since prolonging the war itself could lead to the fact that the Germans could open another front in the West and conclude a separate peace. In addition, the leadership of the USSR did not want to give Berlin to the Allied forces.
The Berlin offensive operation was prepared very carefully. Huge reserves of military equipment and ammunition were transferred to the outskirts of the city, and the forces of three fronts were pulled together. The operation was commanded by Marshals G.K. Zhukov, K.K. Rokossovsky and I.S. Konev. In total, more than 3 million people took part in the battle on both sides.
Storm of Berlin
The assault on the city began on April 16 at 3 am. Under the light of searchlights, one and a half hundred tanks and infantry attacked the German defensive positions. A fierce battle lasted for four days, after which the forces of three Soviet fronts and troops of the Polish army managed to encircle the city. On the same day, Soviet troops met with the Allies on the Elbe. As a result of four days of fighting, several hundred thousand people were captured and dozens of armored vehicles were destroyed.
However, despite the offensive, Hitler had no intention of surrendering Berlin; he insisted that the city must be held at all costs. Hitler refused to surrender even after Soviet troops approached the city; he threw all available human resources, including children and the elderly, onto the battlefield.
On April 21, the Soviet army was able to reach the outskirts of Berlin and start street battles there - German soldiers fought to the last, following Hitler's order not to surrender.
On April 29, Soviet soldiers began storming the Reichstag building. On April 30, the Soviet flag was hoisted on the building - the war ended, Germany was defeated.
Results of the Berlin operation
The Berlin operation put an end to the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War. As a result of the rapid advance of Soviet troops, Germany was forced to surrender, all chances of opening a second front and concluding peace with the Allies were severed. Hitler, having learned about the defeat of his army and the entire fascist regime, committed suicide.
