Conquering Berlin

From April 16 to May 8, 1945, the last strategic offensive campaign carried out by the Soviet army during the Soviet-German War in World War II. The Soviet Army concentrated 162 divisions of three front armies including the 1st, 2nd Belarusian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts, 2.5 million troops, and was equipped with 7,500 aircraft, 42,000 artillery pieces, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery. The enemy was the German Army Group Vistula and Army Group Center, which killed 1 million people. The battle was launched on April 16, 1945, and successively broke through the Oder River and Ness River defense lines. On the 25th, Berlin was surrounded again. During the storming of Berlin, the Soviet army adopted multiple attacks towards the center. After fierce street fighting, they broke into the central area of ??Berlin on April 27 and began to storm the Reichstag Building on the 29th. Hitler committed suicide in the basement of the Chancellery on the 30th. On May 2, General H. Weidling, commander of the Berlin garrison, surrendered. On the 8th, Marshal W. Keitel, a representative of the German High Command, signed an unconditional surrender to the Soviet Army and the Allied Expeditionary Force in Berlin. Throughout the campaign, the Soviet Army destroyed 93 German divisions, annihilated nearly 1 million German troops, captured approximately 480,000 officers and soldiers, and captured 8,600 artillery pieces, more than 1,500 tanks and self-propelled artillery, and 4,500 aircraft. The Soviet army suffered 304,000 casualties, 2,156 tanks and self-propelled artillery, 1,220 artillery pieces, and 527 aircraft. The ending of the Battle of Berlin marked the demise of fascist Germany, the end of the Soviet-German War and the European War.

In the spring of 1945, the armies of the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain and France were fighting in Germany. The Soviet army was only 60 kilometers away from Berlin and was ready to give the German army a final and annihilating blow. The leading troops of the US and British troops have moved forward to the Elbe River, 100-120 kilometers away from the German capital. In mid-April, the Leningrad Front (commanded by Soviet Marshal Govorov) was fighting the German Courland Group; the Belarusian 3rd Front (commanded by General Bagramyan) cleared the East Prussian Group (see East Prussia Group) Battle of Prussia); the 2nd Belarusian Front completely annihilated the remnants of the German Army Group in the Gdynia area, and part of its troops went to the Baltic Sea coast northwest of Danzig (Gdańsk); the 1st Belarusian Front arrived at the Oder River, Seize several landing sites in the Stirling area, and after destroying the German Pomeranian Group, begin to change the deployment to occupy the line from Schwedt to Veliky Gastroze. The 1st Ukrainian Front is in Veliky Gastroze. It approaches the Neisse River from Penzichy, and approaches the Czechoslovak border in the Neustadt and Latibor areas; the 4th Ukrainian Front (commanded by General Yeremenko) reaches the Latibor and Zhilina lines, Ukraine The 3rd (commanded by Marshal Tolbukhin of the Soviet Union) and the 2nd Front (commanded by Marshal Malinovsky of the Soviet Union) captured Vienna on April 13 (see Battle of Vienna).

The main force of the German army was still focused on dealing with the Soviet army at this time. As of April 16, the Soviet Union had 214 divisions (including 34 tank divisions and 15 motorized divisions) and 14 brigades fighting on the Soviet-German battlefield. At that time, there were only 60 poorly equipped German divisions fighting against the American and British forces, including 5 tank divisions and only about 200 tanks. Defending the direction of Berlin are the "Vistula" Army Group (which governs the 3rd Tank Army and the 9th Tank Army) commanded by General G. Heinrich, and the 4th Tank Army belonging to the "Center" Army Group commanded by Marshal Scherner. , the 17th Army (a total of 48 infantry divisions, 9 motorized divisions, 6 tank divisions, and many other units and formations, with approximately 1 million men, 10,400 artillery and pursuit guns, 1,500 tanks and assault artillery vehicles and 3,300 combat aircraft). The Army Headquarters Reserve has eight divisions. In addition, more than 200 National Commando battalions have been established in Berlin, with a total garrison strength of more than 200,000. The German defense in the direction of Berlin is a heavily troop-intensive defense in depth, including the Oder River-Neisse River area and the Berlin Defense Area: three defense zones are constructed in the Oder River-Neisse River area, with a depth of 20-40 kilometers; the Berlin Defense Area It includes three annular enclosures: the outer layer, the inner layer and the urban area. The fortifications were particularly strong before Küstrin Landing and in the direction of Cottbus, where the strongest army groups were concentrated. The front face of the Küstrin landing site is 1 division every 3 kilometers, 60 artillery pieces, and 17 tanks every 1 kilometer of the front. The German high command took various measures to prevent the Soviet army from seizing Berlin. The Allies also wanted to seize Berlin, although the major powers of the Anti-Hitler Alliance had reached an agreement on the transfer of Berlin to the Soviet combat zone. The political and military leaders of Britain and the United States were eager to have their troops invade Berlin before the Soviet army. However, the British and American troops were unable to complete this task, so the Allied High Command gave up the action plan.

When preparing for the final battle against the German army - the assault on Berlin, the Soviet Supreme Command strictly adhered to the policy agreed and announced by the anti-Hitler alliance countries to force Germany to surrender unconditionally politically, militarily and economically. Participating in the Battle of Berlin were: the 1st and 2nd Belarusian Fronts, the 1st Ukrainian Front, a section of the Baltic Fleet (commanded by Admiral Tributz), the 18th Air Force Long-range Aviation Army (800 aircraft, commander of the Air Force Commander Georgi) Lovanov), the Home Defense Air Force and the Dnieper District Fleet. In addition, there are the Polish 1st and 2nd Armies.

The Soviet Army Group *** has 162 infantry and cavalry divisions, 21 tank corps and mechanized corps, 4 air force armies, 2.5 million people, about 42,000 artillery and pursuit guns, and more than 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery. 7,500 aircraft. This resulted in several times the advantage over the German army: 1.5 times more personnel than the German army, 3 times more artillery, 3.1 times more tanks and self-propelled artillery, and 1.3 times more aircraft. The main assault directions of each front army have greater advantages over the German army. The purpose of the Battle of Berlin was to smash the German army group defending Berlin, capture Berlin, the German capital, and enable the Soviet army to move out of the Elbe River to join the Allied forces before the end of the battle. The battle plan stipulated that several fierce assaults should be carried out on a wide front to encircle the Berlin Group, and at the same time divide it and eliminate it one by one. The headquarters of the Soviet Supreme Command paid special attention to the factor of time and required the battle to be carried out at a high speed and end within 12 to 15 days and nights. The commanders of all front armies made their determination based on the intentions of the base camp. The 1st Belarusian Front (commanded by Marshal Zhukov of the Soviet Union) was ordered to use the 47th Army (commanded by Major General Perhorovich), the 3rd Assault Army (the 9th Army reinforced with tanks, commanded by General Kuznetsov), and the 3rd Assault Army. The troops of the 5th Army (commanded by General Berzalin) and the 8th Guards Army (commanded by General Chuikov) carried out the main assault from the Kusterlin Landing Ground and broke through the first and second defenses on the first day of the battle. zone, ensuring that the 1st Guards Tank Army (the reinforced 11th Tank Army, commanded by Tank Corps General Katukov) and the 2nd Guards Tank Army (commanded by Major General Radzievsky) enter the battle (in each After the combined armies of all arms captured the stronghold of the Cerro Highlands). By the sixth day of the battle, the main group of the front army should capture Berlin. After that, the 9th Tank Division of the 3rd Assault Army advanced to the area west of Berlin on the eighth day and night; the 47th Army left the Elbe River line before the 11th day. The 61st Army (commanded by General Belov) and the Polish 1st Army are located north of Küstrin, while the 69th (commanded by General Korpacci) and the 33rd Army (commanded by Cveta General Yev) and the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps carried out auxiliary assaults south of Küstrin. The 3rd Army (commanded by General Gorbatov) is the second echelon of the front army. The 7th Guards Cavalry Corps serves as a reserve force. Infantry and tanks should use the darkness of night 1.5-2 hours before dawn to launch an attack after 30 minutes of artillery preparation. In order to illuminate the ground during impact, the Army prepared more than 140 searchlights.

The Soviet army planned to attack Berlin in three ways: the 1st Belorussian Front commanded by Marshal Zhukov served as the most powerful group and the vanguard of the attack to break through the defense lines on the east and west banks of the Oder River and several nearby areas. Attack from the east. The 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Konev moved forward to the south of the east bank of the Ness River to the foothills of the Sudeten Mountains, attacking from the south. The 2nd Belorussian Front, commanded by Marshal Rokossovsky, advanced to the lower reaches of the Oder River and attacked from the north.

Advance on Berlin

At 5:00 in the morning on April 16, Zhukov issued the attack order. Soviet artillery shells roared and poured into the German defensive positions, and bombers roared towards the Germans. The German troops dropped a large number of bombs overhead, and the entire earth was shaking horribly. Twenty minutes later, more than 140 searchlights were all turned on at once, illuminating the German positions brightly. The German soldiers were dazzled, and the Soviet troops took the opportunity to rush towards the opponent's positions. Soon, Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front broke through the first German defense zone outside Berlin. At the same time, Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front in the south also launched an attack on the banks of the Ness River on the morning of April 16 and quickly crossed the Ness River.

After Zhukov's 1st Belarusian Front broke through the first German defense zone, it reached the second German defense zone at noon that day. However, when the Soviet army advanced to Zelov, the hub of the defense zone, On the high ground, they encountered stubborn resistance from the German army. Taking advantage of the favorable terrain, the German army tenaciously defended every trench and every foxhole, causing great damage to the Soviet army. Zhukov continued to increase his assault force and put two tank armies into battle, but several attacks were repelled by the Germans. On the morning of April 17, Zhukov concentrated almost all the artillery fire of the front army. After preparing for the fierce artillery fire, nearly a thousand tanks moved forward in a single column. The tanks in the front were hit and caught fire, and the tanks in the back continued to push forward. go ahead. The Soviet soldiers shouted slogans and charged forward. Those in front fell down, and those behind continued to rush up. At this time, the several divisions of German troops defending the highlands were already scarred. In the end, they could not withstand the frenzied onslaught of the Soviet army and began to retreat towards Berlin. On the morning of April 18, the Soviet army finally captured the Zelov Heights. , annihilated nearly 30,000 enemy defenders, and continued to advance towards Berlin. On the morning of the 20th, the 3rd Shock Army, the vanguard of the 1st Belarusian Front, led by General Kuznetsov, arrived on the outskirts of Berlin, placing the entire urban area of ??Berlin within the range of its howitzers and cannons. At 1:30 pm on the 20th, the Soviet ground artillery group bombarded Berlin for the first time.

After Konev's Ukrainian 1st Front in the south forcibly crossed the Ness River, it broke through the German defensive zone on the Ness River, and then forcibly crossed the Spree River and advanced 30 kilometers. When Zhukov's troops were blocked on the Zelov Heights, the tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front first attacked Berlin from the south. By the night of April 20, the 3rd Tank Army broke into the southern suburbs of Berlin, and the 4th Tank Army also broke into To the southwestern suburbs of Berlin.

To the north, Rokossovsky's 2nd Belorussian Front launched an offensive on April 18, and by the 19th, they forcibly crossed the East Oder River, containing the strength of the German "Vistula Army Group" north of Berlin.

At this point, the German defense system on the Oder River-Neisse River was broken through by the Soviet army. The three Soviet front armies advanced day and night and began to encircle Berlin. By April 24, the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front and the 1st Ukrainian Front met southeast of Berlin, cutting off the connection between the German 9th Army and Berlin and encircling the army. On April 25, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front that detoured around Berlin from the north met with the 4th Tank Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front west of Berlin, thus completing the encirclement of Berlin. The German army group in the area north of Berlin was also attacked by the right-wing troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front and the 1st Belorussian Front, and was in a very difficult situation. On the same day, the 5th Guards Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front advanced westward to the Elbe River and joined forces with the 1st Army of the US Army on the Western Front at the Tor Highlands.

Fierce fighting in the city

In view of the fact that the Soviet army has reached the gates of Berlin, Hitler decided that the German command headquarters would evacuate Berlin, while he himself stayed behind to "live or die with Berlin." He ordered all staff officers and civilian personnel of military agencies to participate in the battle without exception, and decided that commanders who remained stationary would be executed within 5 hours, and officers and soldiers who retreated would not only be executed, but their bodies would also be hung " "Deserter", "Coward", "He betrayed the country and stained the German nation" were displayed in public.

At 3 pm on April 20, the long-range artillery of the 79th Army of the 3rd Assault Group within the 1st Belarusian Front first opened fire on Berlin. After nearly a day of fighting, the German defense lines near Berlin were breached. The German defense forces had suffered heavy losses in previous battles and were extremely exhausted, unable to stop the powerful assault of the dominant Soviet Red Army.

On April 21, the 2nd Guards Tank Army and the 47th Guards Army broke through to the city of Berlin. Due to the narrow road, the Soviet army adjusted its tactics and coordinated the tank army and the combined arm of various arms to prepare to eliminate the remaining enemies. On the same day, tank units of the 1st Ukrainian Front also approached the Berlin defensive perimeter. Konev strengthened the 10th Artillery Corps, the 25th Assault Division, and the 23rd Anti-aircraft Artillery Division to the 3rd Guards Tank Army, and the 2nd Fighter Aviation Corps served as air cover. On the same day, the Soviet army transferred large-caliber fortress artillery from the rear to destroy the German strongholds. Each shell weighed 500 kilograms. In the following 13 days of fighting, the fortress artillery fired approximately 1.8 million shells. The battle came to an end. An unprecedentedly tragic situation.

In the early morning of April 26, thousands of Soviet aircraft once again dropped tens of thousands of tons of bombs and gasoline bombs over Berlin. On the ground, an average of nearly a thousand artillery pieces of various types were deployed per mile, and Berlin suddenly became a dark world. After the bombing and shooting ended, Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front sent countless assault groups and assault detachments to advance into the city from all directions. Thanks to the experience of Stalingrad, the Soviet soldiers knew how to capture a city. Before attacking, the Soviet army first bombarded the target area with artillery and aircraft. Under the cover of tanks and engineers equipped with flamethrowers and explosive equipment, the infantry advanced in small sections, infiltrating from backyards, basements, and even underground railways and sewers. Capture every street and every building. But Berlin is a city carefully fortified by the German army, with a complete defense system and very strong fortifications. The closer they got to the city center, the more difficult it became for the Soviet army to advance. Strong buildings, hidden basements, underground railways, drainage ditches, etc. all provided the German army with support points to develop firepower. Therefore, the Soviet army had to fight for building after building and capture street by street, paying a heavy price for every step forward.

At this time, Hitler was still having unrealistic fantasies. He said to Berlin garrison commander Weidling, "The situation will improve. Our 9th Army will soon arrive in Berlin and, together with the 12th Army, will carry out the attack on the enemy." Counterattack, the Russians will suffer the most disastrous defeat in Berlin." The German generals who always "reported good things but not bad things" to Hitler made their leader unaware that the 9th Army commanded by General Busch deployed southeast of Berlin had been destroyed. The Soviet army was divided and surrounded, unable to move towards Berlin. The 12th Army, which defended the Elbe River southwest of Berlin, was led by General Wenck and desperately approached Berlin. However, it was eventually restrained by the US military and blocked by the Soviet army. After entering the Felch area, it could no longer advance. Hitler, who was almost isolated from the outside world, stayed in the underground bunker of the Chancellery and was unaware of the above situation. He continued to send out wireless telegrams signed by him to mobilize troops and punish generals. In fact, some generals were no longer so determined to carry out his orders.

On April 27, the Soviet army had invaded the 9th District of Berlin, and Keitel sent a telegram to Berlin telling the truth. The telegram admitted that the 12th Army could not continue to advance, and the 9th Army It is also impossible to stand out from the encirclement. Hitler's last glimmer of hope was gone. Berlin garrison commander Weidling proposed to Hitler a plan for the garrison to break out of the capital and ensure "the safe evacuation of the head of state from Berlin." He also reported that there was only enough ammunition for two days and nights, and that food and medicine were almost exhausted. Army Chief of Staff General Krebs supported Weidling's breakout proposal and believed that from a military point of view, this plan was possible.

However, Hitler realized that he had completely lost the war he had started, and he refused to leave Berlin, where he would persist until the end of his life.

On April 28, the 3rd Shock Army and the 8th Guards Army of the 1st Belarusian Front pushed into Berlin's Tiergarten area. This garden area was the last support point for the Berlin defenders. , because this position contains the government offices, the Reichstag, the Supreme Command and other top institutions symbolizing the power of the Third Reich, the Berlin Garrison Command deployed the most elite troops of the SS here. The 8th Guards Army under the command of General Chuikov first launched an attack on the position. That afternoon, it crossed the Landwehr Canal, occupied the German communication hub, and cut off Berlin's main communication links with the outside world. Late at night, the 3rd Assault Army, under the command of General Kuznetsov, launched a storm against the Ministry of Internal Affairs building outside the Capitol. The German army put up a desperate but most stubborn resistance. The battle continued until late at night on the 29th. The building was captured by the Soviet army only after almost all of them were killed.

At 1 a.m. on the 29th, Hitler announced his wedding to Eva Braun, who had been waiting for him for 12 years. After the wedding, Hitler dictated his will, naming Field Marshal D?nitz as his successor. He decided to commit suicide and wanted the couple's remains to be cremated in the Chancellery. At 3:30 pm on the 30th, Hitler and his wife, who had been married for only one day, committed suicide by taking poison in the dormitory of the underground bunker. Moreover, while taking the poison, Hitler also raised a gun and pulled the trigger on his temple. Then, Goebbels and others carried the bodies of Hitler and Eva to a crater in the garden of the Chancellery, poured gasoline on them, and cremated them.

At 21:50 on April 30, Soviet soldiers planted the red flag of victory on the dome of the Reichstag Building in Berlin

The battle for the Soviet army to capture the Reichstag Building is still fiercely underway , the 150th Infantry Division of the 3rd Assault Army was the closest unit to the Capitol. At 6 pm on the 30th, Soviet soldiers once again attacked the building. The nearly 2,000 German troops entrenched here are worthy of being the "Forest Guards" of the Third Reich. Their tenacious resistance caused the Soviet army to pay a heavy price for every step forward. During the bloody battle, even if the Soviet troops occupied the floors below the building, the German troops guarding the upper floors refused to surrender. The Soviet troops had to fight the defending enemies floor by floor. Fierce fighting was going on in every corner of the building. The Soviet army relied on the powerful troops that continuously poured into the building to crush the enemy's resistance one by one. At 21:50, Sergeant Mikhail Yegorov and Corporal Melitan Kantaria, heroes of the Soviet Union, planted the Soviet red flag on the dome of the main building of the Parliament Building.

Late on the night of the 30th, the German army requested a temporary ceasefire through radio broadcasts and requested negotiations with the Soviet army. At 3:55 a.m. on May 1, General Krebs, Chief of the German Army General Staff, emerged from the underground bunker of the Imperial Office under a white flag and went to the frontline command post of the 8th Soviet Guards Army for negotiations. Krebs said Chuikov said: "I want to tell you something absolutely confidential. You are the first foreigner I have informed about this matter. Hitler committed suicide yesterday." Krebs then asked the Soviets to cease fighting first and then wait until a new German government was formed before negotiating. Chuikov immediately reported the situation to Zhukov by phone. Ten minutes later, Stalin sent the highest order from Moscow: "The German army can only surrender unconditionally without any negotiations, not with Krebs or any other fascists." At 9:45, Zhukov, in accordance with the spirit of Stalin's instructions, issued an ultimatum to the German army in Berlin on behalf of the Soviet army: the German army must completely surrender, otherwise the Soviet army will launch a final storm on the German army at 10:40. Chuikov asked Krebs to bring the ultimatum back to Goebbels and others. After seeing the ultimatum, Goebbels knew that there was no room for bargaining, and committed suicide with his wife and six children in the evening.

At 7:00 on May 2, General Weidelin, commander of the German Berlin City Defense, went to Chuikov’s forward command post and signed a surrender order. By noon, all the remaining defenders of Berlin, about 150,000 men, had surrendered. At this point, the last decisive battle of the Soviet-German war - the Battle of Berlin ended. In this battle, the Soviet Army annihilated 1 million German troops, captured more than 480,000 people, destroyed and captured more than 12,000 tanks and self-propelled artillery, destroyed and captured more than 6,000 aircraft, and destroyed and captured 23,000 artillery pieces of various types. The Soviet army also paid a price of 300,000 casualties.

On May 9, 1945, entrusted by Hitler’s successor D?nitz, representatives of the German High Command, Marshal Keitel, Admiral Stuumpfer, and Admiral Frederborg visited the military in Berlin. In the cafeteria hall of the Engineering College, an unconditional surrender letter was formally signed to the Soviet Union and its allies. Three months later, with Japan's defeat and surrender, World War II finally ended with the complete victory of the Allies.

Battle of Berlin

On April 16, 1945, the Soviet army launched the Battle of Berlin in order to end the European war as soon as possible. After nearly twenty days of fierce fighting, the Soviet army defeated the 1 million German army and occupied Berlin. Hitler was forced to commit suicide and fascist Germany was declared dead. At the same time, the Soviet army encountered unexpected resistance when attacking the Reichstag. The nearly 2,000 German troops entrenched here were indeed the last major battle on the European battlefield during the Third Reich's World War II.

After the Soviet army entered urban Berlin at a huge cost, at 3:30 pm on the 30th, the "Forest Army" saw no hope of making a comeback. They made the Soviet army pay a heavy price for every step forward. Fierce fighting was going on in every corner of the building. The Soviet army relied on the powerful troops that continuously poured into the building to crush the enemy's resistance one by one. At 21:50, the Soviet army planted the red flag of victory on the circle of the main building of the Reichstag. At 7:00 on May 2, General Weidling, the commander of the German Berlin City Defense, went to Zhukov's forward command post and signed a surrender order. By noon, all Berlin defenders surrendered. At this point, the last decisive battle of the Soviet-German war - the Battle of Berlin ended. In this battle, the Soviet army captured 380,000 German troops, and the Soviet army also paid the price of 300,000 casualties.

On September 8, 1943, Italy surrendered unconditionally.