1945, units of the Red Army launched an assault on the Reichstag. Storming of the Reichstag. Unwanted truth. Tactics of the Soviet troops

From April 28 to May 2, 1945 by forces The 150th and 171st Rifle Divisions of the 79th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front carried out an operation to capture the Reichstag. To this event, my friends, I dedicate this photo collection.
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1. View of the Reichstag after the end of hostilities.

2. Fireworks in honor of the Victory on the roof of the Reichstag. Soldiers of the battalion under the command of the Hero Soviet Union S. Neustroeva.

3. Soviet trucks and cars on a ruined street in Berlin. Behind the ruins you can see the Reichstag building.

4. Rear Admiral Fotiy Ivanovich Krylov (1896-1948), head of the River Emergency Rescue Directorate of the USSR Navy, awards a diver with an order for clearing mines on the Spree River in Berlin. In the background is the Reichstag building.

6. View of the Reichstag after the end of hostilities.

7. A group of Soviet officers inside the Reichstag.

8. Soviet soldiers with a banner on the roof of the Reichstag.

9. The Soviet assault group with the banner moves to the Reichstag.

10. The Soviet assault group with the banner is moving towards the Reichstag.

11. Commander of the 23rd Guards rifle division Major General P.M. Shafarenko in the Reichstag with colleagues.

12. Heavy tank IS-2 against the backdrop of the Reichstag

13. Soldiers of the 150th Rifle Idritsko-Berlin, Order of Kutuzov, 2nd degree, division on the steps of the Reichstag (among the depicted scouts are M. Kantaria, M. Egorov and the Komsomol organizer of the division, Captain M. Zholudev). In the foreground is the 14-year-old son of the regiment, Zhora Artemenkov.

14. The Reichstag building in July 1945.

15. The interior of the Reichstag building after the defeat of Germany in the war. On the walls and columns - the inscriptions left as a keepsake Soviet soldiers.

16. The interior of the Reichstag building after the defeat of Germany in the war. On the walls and columns there are inscriptions of Soviet soldiers left as a keepsake. Pictured is the south entrance of the building.

17. Soviet photojournalists and cameramen at the Reichstag building.

18. The wreckage of an inverted German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter against the backdrop of the Reichstag.

19. Autograph of Soviet soldiers on the column of the Reichstag: “We are in Berlin! Nikolay, Peter, Nina and Sasha. May 11, 1945.

20. A group of political workers of the 385th Infantry Division, headed by the head of the political department, Colonel Mikhailov, near the Reichstag.

21. German anti-aircraft guns and a dead German soldier at the Reichstag.

23. Soviet soldiers on the square near the Reichstag.

24. Red Army signalman Mikhail Usachev leaves his autograph on the wall of the Reichstag.

25. A British soldier leaves his autograph among the autographs of Soviet soldiers inside the Reichstag.

26. Mikhail Yegorov and Meliton Kantaria go out with a banner to the roof of the Reichstag.

27. Soviet soldiers hoist a banner over the Reichstag on May 2, 1945. This is one of the banners installed on the Reystag in addition to the official hoisting of the banner by Yegorov and Kantaria.

28. The famous Soviet singer Lidia Ruslanova performs "Katyusha" against the backdrop of the destroyed Reichstag.

29. The son of the regiment Volodya Tarnovsky puts his autograph on the column of the Reichstag.

30. Heavy tank IS-2 against the backdrop of the Reichstag.

31. A captured German soldier at the Reichstag. The famous photograph, often published in books and on posters in the USSR under the name "Ende" (German: "The End").

32. Fellow soldiers of the 88th Separate Guards Heavy Tank Regiment near the wall of the Reichstag, in the storming of which the regiment took part.

33. Banner of Victory over the Reichstag.

34. Two Soviet officers on the steps of the Reichstag.

35. Two Soviet officers on the square in front of the Reichstag building.

At the mention of the Reichstag, many have a very definite association - Second World War, a waving Soviet flag ... What was the Reichstag then, and what has it become now?

Building history

In 1884, the Duke of Normandy, William I the Conqueror, laid the first stone of this building in the very center of the German capital. This was the beginning of the long laborious construction of a highly controversial facility. It could have started earlier if not for the major incident associated with it. The problem was that the place chosen for the construction of the government building belonged to the famous diplomat Radzinsky and his family, and he was not going to give up his territory. Thus, the state managed to take possession of the land only three years after his death, when the diplomat's son gave his permission.

Long before that, a competition among the best architects had already been held, according to the results of which a Russian candidate was elected. However, he simply did not live up to the start of work, so another competition had to be held. The German Paul Wollot won. And Emperor Wilhelm, who laid the first stone, did not wait for the completion of construction, so the finished building was accepted by Wilhelm II.

According to the architect Paul Wollot, the Reichstag was the main symbol of the whole empire. Four towers at the corners acted as the four German kingdoms, and the central dome symbolized the greatest Kaiser himself. Wilhelm was not happy about this, he considered that it would be better if the dome was dedicated to the Parliament.

Reichstag fire in 1933

At the beginning of the year, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of the Reich, and the first thing he did was to order the dissolution of the Reichstag and organize new elections. But a week before the expected date of the election, a message came in that the building was on fire. It spread quickly, and soon the entire Reichstag was engulfed in flames. It was only around midnight that it was extinguished.

As it turned out, the arson was organized by a former communist pyromaniac. True, there is a version according to which a whole assault detachment took part in it, using underground passages. Arsonist Marinus van der Lubbe was released from prison in 2008 under an amnesty.

Reichstag in Hitler's time

Under the Weimar Republic, the building was used as a base for the Air Force, which was led by Hermann Göring. This man, in general, played a significant role in the history of the building - in particular, he connected his palace with it through an underground tunnel. This was the reason that the Soviet troops sought to capture the Reichstag. It seemed that its destruction would symbolize the destruction of all fascist beliefs. On many Russian shells, phrases like “According to the Reichstag!” were written in red paint. In 1945, they finally managed to hoist the banner over the stronghold of the Nazis.

Capture of the Reichstag and surrender

In 1945, it was already difficult to recognize the majestic structure in the Reichstag, which it was before the war - numerous bombings practically razed it to the ground along with the soldiers inside.

The Nazis tried to defend the building to the last, and the Soviet soldiers put into the assault all the hatred that had accumulated over the four war years. The Reichstag was so associated in their eyes with evil that even after the capture, they continued to shoot at it for a long time. In addition, all the walls were covered with insults to Hitler and his henchmen (after the restoration, only the most censored ones were left, without racism and immorality).

For the Germans, the main "wall of memory" also symbolizes the deliverance from Hitler's tyranny. Soldiers of the Soviet army left their signatures on it - they wrote their names, names of lovers, cities, dates. In the 1990s, there was talk of removing the wall so that it would not remind of the horrors of war, but the majority voted against such a decision. To date, the wall has been treated with a special protective solution so that the environment does not harm it.

Photo: Flag over the Reichstag in 1945

Recovery process

The Reichstag stood in a dilapidated state until 1954, when it was decided to blow up the ruins. Two years later, the government ordered restoration work, as a result of which the building acquired its current appearance. However, now the Parliament did not sit there, but an institute was founded historical sciences. However, from 1991 to 1999, another reconstruction was carried out, and the Parliament was returned to the Reichstag. The building has acquired two elevators and a glass-and-steel dome with an observation deck. A total of 600 million marks were invested in the global reconstruction.

Reichstag today

If possible, it is worth visiting this building, because nowadays there are quite a lot of interesting things here. Of course, first of all, these are Russian messages on the wall of memory, but also a huge dome 23 meters high, made in high-tech style, inside of which there is a cone of mirrors. Special computer program constantly adjusts the tilt of the mirrors to create the perfect light. Architect Norman Foster received the Pulitzer Prize for being able to create a fundamentally new building while maintaining the spirit of the old. With its fairly large size, the building looks quite light, even airy.

I must say that at first it was planned to build a building with a flat roof, but such a project was clearly missing something, but the transparent dome fit in just perfectly, giving grandeur. In addition, it also plays a functional role - energy.

For tourists, the Reichstag is open from 08 to 00 hours daily, but only as part of excursion groups. The last group enters at 22:00. There is a restaurant on the top floor from 09:00 to 16:30. To climb up the dome observation deck, you need to climb a 40-meter-high spiral staircase. A unique view of the capital opens from the site at any time of the day or night. Entrance to the building is free, but you must first register on the official website, preferably at least a month in advance.

The Reichstag is the most visited parliamentary building on the planet, about eight thousand people come here every day. There is even an opportunity to attend the plenary session. Another way to get inside the Reichstag is to book a table in a restaurant. Reviews about it are very good - snow-white tablecloths, excellent food, friendly service and, of course, a beautiful view from the window. Remember that when visiting the Reichstag, it is imperative to have an identity card with you.

Both for the inhabitants of Germany and for its guests, the Reichstag is an incredibly symbolic building. Looking at him fills the soul with memory, sorrow and desire that this horrific war never happen again.

From the very beginning, the real events surrounding the storming of the Reichstag were carefully hushed up and distorted by official Soviet historiography. There were more than enough reasons for this. First, the “infallible” leader Comrade Stalin himself was mistaken. He indicated the Reichstag as the main target in the capital of the enemy and the place over which it was necessary to hoist the banner of Victory. Not without incidents. Babajanyan's tank corps received a combat mission to break through to the Reichstag. At the same time, the corps was supposed to rush down the street past the Reich Chancellery, where Hitler was still alive.

By May 1945, almost nothing remained of the former splendor of the Reichstag. For several years now, the most ordinary office has been located in it - a medical archive, which was forced to share living space with a hospital, the maternity ward of the Charité clinic and a kindergarten. The area in front of the Reichstag was built up with various unsightly office and outbuildings. The once-chic Königsplatz, lying between the Reichstag and the opera house, was disfigured by unfinished construction. The underground line being laid in an open way formed a ditch filled with rainwater, and a whole lake was formed on the site of an unfinished pit for a new, straightened channel of the Spree River. Along the ditch there was a bank of rock taken out during digging. The once impressive fountains had not worked for a long time and were half-filled with various debris.

A photo. It is clearly seen how the area in front of the Reichstag is polluted with outbuildings.

In order not to drop the dignity of the leader, military historians had to somehow emphasize the strategic and political importance of the Reichstag. Therefore, it was told with what tenacity numerous SS men defended the Reichstag, although the old men and boys from the Volkssturm held the defense there.

After the “banner of Victory” was tied with close ties to the Reichstag, the “den of the beast”, all political agencies, military and civilian, tirelessly repeated about the great importance of taking this building by storm. The “banner of Victory” could not fly over a third-rate object! Soviet writers were also thrown into the solution of this important ideological task.

Veterans, participants in the assault, contributed their share to the fogging. First of all, those who received stars of heroes for the assault and for the banner. And even the most honest and decent veterans, who saw what was happening from one single point, from the place where they were personally, resolutely refuted others, no less honest and decent, but who were in a completely different place and saw something different.

Therefore, some historians, contrary to the pointing finger of the CPSU, tried to collect information from the participants in the storming of the Reichstag, while they were still alive and well. Known for the efforts of Ivan Dmitrievich Klimov, a member of the team of authors who worked on the six-volume "History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945". The head of the Memoir Group of the Press Department of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy, Colonel A. G. Kashcheev, cited precisely this argument (as long as the direct participants can tell something) in favor of writing a detailed and scientifically substantiated version of the Reichstag storm.

The commander of the 150th division, General V.M. Shatilov, also collected information from the participants in the assault. He sent letters to his former soldiers and officers with a request to describe their personal impressions, indicating at least the approximate time when what happened.

For both Klimov and Kashcheev, their struggle for historical truth was costly. The nervous energy spent in an unequal struggle with the ideological overseers from the Communist Party led both historians to a premature death. This did not threaten General Shatilov - his version fit into the Procrustean bed of the plot developed at GlavPU.

Nevertheless, be that as it may, the veterans of the storming of the Reichstag left a lot of memories of varying quality and varying degrees of reliability. Many managed to bypass censorship in some key episodes. And even while following the instructions of the Communist Party overseers in a disciplined manner, the authors of the memoirs made “mistakes” that shed light on certain events.

Let's try to restore how the assault on the Reichstag developed at least in in general terms. But in the beginning, it is necessary to say a few words about some of the architectural features of this extraordinary building, which significantly influenced the course of the battle.

Features of the architecture of the Reichstag.

The Reichstag in plan resembles the letter "F", only not rounded, but "angular". Two inner courtyards-wells provide natural lighting for the halls and rooms whose windows overlook these courtyards. The parliamentary meeting room was located on the central axis of the "letter", approximately in the middle. It was illuminated through a large and technically complex glazed ceiling, ending in a grandiose dome. Also glazed. Lighting through the so-called skylights in the Reichstag was used quite widely for rooms without external walls. So on the glass, to a large extent, the roof does not scatter much. Moreover, by the time of the assault, the glass had been broken. Nevertheless, most of the rooms had windows along the outer perimeter of the building, through which one could admire the views of the capital. When preparing the building for defense, the windows were bricked up.

The Reichstag had 4 floors: "erdgeshos" - the basement. By our standards, a full-fledged first floor with large windows and high ceilings. In the memoir, it appears as a "basement", for which there were reasons, as you will see later. "Hauptgeshos" - the main floor. The name speaks for itself. On this floor was the meeting room of the Reichstag - the German parliament. "Obergeshos" - top floor. (According to our third). Some of the large halls of the "hauptgeshos" had high ceilings, ending at the level of the ceilings of the "obergeshos". And, finally, the last floor is “tsvishengeshos”, which is most often translated as a mezzanine. "Tsvishengeshos" our fighters mistook for an attic. It would be useful to recall that the Germans, like the British, call the second floor the first, the third the second, and so on. And the first floor is called "earth". In order not to conflict with the memoirs, in which the second floor is called the first, and the third - the second, we accept the German names of the floors for this chapter.

The Reichstag had 3 entrances and 2 transport entrances. The main entrance was located on the western facade. A large staircase led visitors who arrived from the direction of Königsplatz, past beautiful fountains, immediately to the "hauptgeschos" - the main floor. Passing through a vast circular vestibule, in the center of which stood a huge sculpture of Bismarck, visitors entered the meeting room. Two more entrances, less pompous, although with chic staircases lined with figures of ancient warriors, were from the eastern and southern facades. The southern entrance was considered deputy. Here, in order to climb the “hauptgeshos”, there were also stairs, which, unlike the main entrance, were hidden in the depths of the building. On the north side of the building there was a transport passage to the courtyard. Our soldiers called it "arch". Another transport passage, to another courtyard, was on the eastern side of the building, closer to the Tiergarten.

Worked in the Reichstag a large number of service personnel. The design of the building was conceived in such a way that the servants, moving in the performance of their official duties, did not intersect with gentlemen deputies. Therefore, in the Reichstag there were a large number of service stairs and ladders, through which it was possible to get to almost any point of the building without disturbing the chosen ones of the people. And the basement floor (erdgeshos), where the bulk of plumbers, electricians, cleaners, etc., was based, was reliably isolated from the upper floors. The building had 150-200 rooms of various sizes and purposes.

In his memoirs, the commander of the 756th regiment, F.M. Zinchenko, described his thoughts before the assault:

... Of the four entrances to the Reichstag, the main one is the western one. It led, as it turned out, into an oval vestibule, from which there was an entrance to the meeting room.

In total, in the Reichstag, in addition to a large meeting room and meeting rooms for factions, there were more than 500 different rooms and premises, spacious basements.

... On the morning of April 30, a significant part of the city center was still in the hands of the Nazis. In the offensive zone of the 79th Corps, the Reichstag, the Kroll Opera, the Brandenburg Gate area, the northeastern part of the Tiergarten and the quarter of foreign embassies remained the most serious centers of resistance. All these points still quite effectively interacted with each other.

... It would be most convenient to enter the Reichstag, of course, through one of the four entrances available in it - western, northern, southern or eastern. The southern entrance was covered by strong flanking fire from large buildings located forty meters from this entrance and somewhat to the east of it. The approaches to it were also under fire from both tanks and direct fire guns. Our artillery and tanks could not suppress the firing points in these buildings, since they were covered by the walls of the Reichstag itself.

Attacking the northern entrance also made no sense. The 380th regiment still has not reached the Reichstag from this side. In addition, the enemy units that had recently counterattacked us could, with the support of the foreign embassy quarter, make a new sortie at any moment..

As for the eastern entrance, it went to the opposite side of the Reichstag from us, to the area that was still completely in the hands of the Nazis. It is clear that this entrance was also inaccessible to our fire weapons.

There remained the western, main entrance, which is also the main entrance. In the proposed plan, it was supposed to break into the Reichstag through this entrance. Its location provided our units with a wide front of attack and the most complete fire support. In addition, for the cause for which we ended up here, only the main entrance was suitable, as someone joked.

The ratio of forces.

Before describing the assault, let's try to determine the balance of power. S.A. Neustroev in his memoirs told how the surrendered Germans left the Reichstag. In total, the battalion commander counted 100-120 people. Taking as a basis the average losses of the Germans in Berlin, which reached 50%, it can be assumed that the Reichstag garrison numbered 200-240 people before the assault. According to a report from the chief of staff of the 79th Rifle Corps, the Reichstag was defended by the remnants of the 617th, 403rd, 407th and 421st Volkssturm battalions.

Map. Pretty approximate diagram of the storming of the Reichstag.

A photo. one of the 88 mm anti-aircraft guns at the Reichstag.

On April 26, 5 anti-aircraft guns were transferred to the Reichstag, which proved to be a formidable anti-tank weapon. But after the Soviet troops captured the "Himmler's house" by the morning of April 30, some of them became useless, because. their positions were too close to our infantry and the crews were not at all protected from machine-gun fire. Two guns were located behind the ditch, and one near the northeast corner of the Kroll Opera. According to A. Bessarab, despite their very disadvantageous position, the German gunners created many problems for the advancing Soviet troops.

On April 28, a team of SS men appeared in the Reichstag, who caught and shot deserters. They "inspired" the Volkssturm for a stubborn defense.

With what forces did the Red Army storm the Reichstag? The chairman of the Council of Veterans of the 150th division, General (in 1945, junior lieutenant) V.S. Ustyugov recalled:

At this time, the infantry (70-80 soldiers and officers) lined up in the courtyard of the "Himmler's house". They received ammunition, commanders set tasks, accepted replenishment. There were regiments - one name: in the 756th, in the battalion of Captain Neustroev there were 35 people, in our 674th lieutenant colonel Plekhodanov there were a little more - 75-80. In one of the battalions, there was only the battalion commander, Major Logvinenko, and two soldiers. It wasn't much better in other battalions. But combat missions were set, and they had to be carried out.

However, in the memoirs of the commander of the 674th regiment, lieutenant colonel A.D. Plekhodanov, other figures appear. According to him, there were 75 fighters in Neustroev's badly battered battalion. And before the assault, Plekhodanov sets the task not only for Davydov, but also for Logvinenko. This means that he did not have two fighters in the battalion, as Ustyugov writes. Most likely, not all soldiers were present at the formation.

S.A. Neustroev writes in his memoirs that on the morning of April 30, his battalion was housed in three large rooms of the “Himmler’s house”. And if we rely on his conclusion that the Reichstag garrison was approximately equal in size to his battalion, then Neustroev should have had 200-250 fighters by the beginning of the assault. By 20.00 on April 30, Neustroev's battalion received reinforcements, a whole company - 100 people. Stepan Andreevich put senior sergeant I.Ya. Syanov in command of the company.

K. Samsonov's battalion from the 380th regiment of the 171st division also had no more people than in Davydov's battalion. In addition, two well-equipped groups consisting of experienced scouts, created by order of the commander of the 79th corps, General S.N. Perevertkin, participated in the assault on the Reichstag. The groups, numbering 25 people each, were commanded by Major M.M. Bondar and Captain V.N. Makov.

Based on the above contradictory data, in total it turns out from 350 to 600 soldiers who attacked the Reichstag on foot. But the Red Army had a colossal advantage in artillery, including heavy self-propelled guns, and tanks. Only on direct fire were 89 guns. It could have been more, but there wasn't enough space. The 79th Corps had more than 1,000 guns at its disposal. If we take into account the shooting from closed positions, then the assault on the Reichstag was supported by about 130 guns.

Storm.

On the morning of April 30, after night battles, the 674th regiment completely occupied the "Himmler's house" and the first assault on the Reichstag began almost without a pause. Artillery has not yet pulled up, people are very tired. I really wanted to sleep. The fact is that Zhukov ordered to fight in Berlin day and night. Of course, parts succeeded each other, but, nevertheless, fatigue accumulated.

The great advantage for the defenders was the vast open space in front of the Reichstag. The first assault was carried out by the forces of the Davydov and Logvinenko battalions from the 674th regiment.

The start time of the first assault on the Reichstag also differs in the memories of different participants. Platoon commander L. Litvak, from P. Grechenkov's company (Davydov's battalion) recalled that the first assault began in the early morning. The Reichstag was practically invisible in the morning mist. Only the outlines of the transformer house, located on this side of the ditch, loomed indistinctly. But the commander of the 674th regiment, A. Plekhodanov, indicates in his article the time of the beginning of the first assault: 12.15 - 12.20. Reporting at the same time that he moved his command post to the "Himmler's house" only at 11.00.

V. Ustyugov says that the first assault was launched without any artillery preparation, at dawn. L. Litvak, on the contrary, claims that there was artillery preparation. And not one, but two! The second was carried out when his platoon lay down on the square before reaching the ditch. Nevertheless, the result was the same - the soldiers of two battalions of the 674th regiment lay on the square, hiding in craters and behind other shelters on the square in front of the Reichstag.

Second assault.

In the second assault, after artillery preparation, which began at 13.00 and lasted half an hour, in addition to the already mentioned battalions of Davydov and Logvinenko, the Samsonov battalion from the 171st division and the reconnaissance platoon of the 674th regiment took part. By the end of the artillery preparation, A. Plekhodanov ordered his chemists to put up a smoke screen. A lucky shot knocked out the massive front doors of the Reichstag.

The first to break into the Reichstag, at 13.35-13.40, were the soldiers of two battalions who lay down on the square after the first assault. Leon Litvak recalled that he and his platoon turned from the vestibule into the great hall to the right. So it was agreed before the assault: Plekhodanov's regiment stormed the enemy in the right (southern) part of the building. Regiment Zinchenko - moving in the center. And the 380th regiment of the 171st division (acting commander, Major V.D. Shatalin) - occupies left side building.

The German troops defending Berlin adhered to the following tactics: they took cover on the lower floors of buildings so as not to suffer unnecessary losses during shelling. At the end of the shelling, they needed to quickly take up positions in order to meet our advancing infantry with fire. Therefore, the vital task of our soldiers was to break into the building as soon as possible after the artillery preparation, so that the Germans would not have time to reach their line of defense. Here is how Leon Litvak described it:

After the artillery preparation, they again went on the attack. Friendly, no fuss. Obviously, the Nazis were strongly shaken there. The distance to the Reichstag slipped rapidly. Separate pockets of resistance were unable to stop us.
Having reached the steps of the Reichstag, the battle formations of the platoons mixed up. Running along them, they saw that the front door had been taken out by a shell. We rushed into it. The stunned Nazis did not have time to offer decisive resistance. My platoon immediately rushed to the right side of the first floor. Pressing the Nazis with fire and grenades deep into the building, the platoon broke into the huge hall.

And here is how A. Bessarab, who led his anti-tank division from the command post in the "Himmler's house" saw all this:

A whole sheaf of red rockets scattered in front of the front entrance -signalceasefire for direct fire guns. Assaulters rushed to the wide staircase from all sides. The picture was remembered for the rest of my life: the first Soviet officer appeared at the columns. He turned to face the soldiers running after him, threw up his hand with a machine gun up and, dragging people behind him, disappeared into the Reichstag building.

The Red Army soldiers, who ran up to the landing, just like their commander, saluted with machine guns, then disappeared one by one through the breach in the door. Another group. And more... Hurrah! Ours in the Reichstag!

Soon the first red banners appeared on the Reichstag. The battle sheet of the political department of the army wrote shortly after the assault:

"Among the attackers were M. Eremin and G. Savenko The banner handed over by the battalion commander Samsonov at the Komsomol meeting was under Eremin's tunic. They were the first to reach the Reichstag building and at 14:25 they hoisted a red banner on one of the columns.

A photo. Soldiers of Sorokin's platoon make a reconstruction of the hoisting of the banner for photojournalists on the afternoon of May 2.

On May 3, the newspaper of the 150th Infantry Division "Warrior of the Motherland" was published, placing in the corner, under the heading "They distinguished themselves in battle", a small modest note entitled "The Motherland pronounces the names of the heroes with deep respect." It dealt with a platoon of scouts who planted the first flag on the roof of the Reichstag at 14.25. Here is the text of this note:

“Soviet heroes, the best sons of the people. Books will be written about their outstanding feat, songs will be composed. Above the citadel of Hitlerism they hoisted the banner of victory. LET'S REMEMBER THE NAMES OF THE BRAVE: lieutenant Rakhimzhan Koshkarbaev, Red Army soldier Grigory Bulatov. Other glorious warriors fought shoulder to shoulder with them Pravotorov, Lysenko, Oreshko, Pochkovsky, Bryukhovetsky, Sorokin. THE HOMELAND WILL NEVER FORGET THEIR FEAT. GLORY TO THE HEROES! (We tried to reproduce the size and weight of the fonts used in this note).

The Germans quickly came to their senses and, opening heavy fire, prevented reinforcements from entering the Reichstag. Our soldiers, who were blocked in the Reichstag, held the defense in a large hall with high (two stories) ceilings and windows overlooking the courtyard. The reconnaissance platoon of Lieutenant Sorokin, including Lieutenant Koshkarbaev who joined them, after installing the banner on the sculpture towering over the main entrance, went down and repelled German attacks along with the soldiers of L. Litvak.

Both sides began to prepare for the next assault. The Germans restored the broken doors of the main entrance and threw down the red banners mounted on the Reichstag. The Soviet command decided to conduct a third assault in the dark to reduce losses and set the time for the decisive assault at 2200 hours after intensive half-hour artillery preparation. By this time, the 756th regiment received replenishment (about 100 people) from which Neustroev formed a new company and appointed senior sergeant I.Ya. Syanov to command this company. Three regiments took part in the third assault with their battalions: 674, 756 and 380, as well as two groups of scouts: V.N. Makova and M.M. Bondar. In one of the large halls of the Reichstag, the soldiers of the 674th regiment, who broke into it during the second assault, held the defense. In this hall, facing the courtyard, they were well protected from the shells of their artillery.

The third assault on the Reichstag.

At the command of V.N. Makov, his group rushed to the Reichstag 5 minutes before the end of the artillery preparation. They were the first to run up the steps and stopped at the boarded-up doors. More and more new fighters ran up, but the doors did not give in. Finally, a log found nearby managed to knock out the doors and the soldiers rushed inside the building, performing their assigned tasks. Neustroev's battalion rushed through the vestibule to the meeting room. Samsonov's battalion turned left from the vestibule, into the north wing of the building. The fighters of Davydov's battalion united with their comrades, who fought off the Germans for almost 8 hours in the southern wing of the Reichstag.

Four scouts from the 136th cannon brigade, on the instructions of Makov, without getting involved in the battle, rushed to the roof of the Reichstag along the stairs they discovered. (Around the lobby, on the layout of the building, 4 service stairs are visible). And at 22.40 the banner of the 79th Corps was inserted into the crown of the giantess sculpture personifying Germany.

After a chaotic night skirmish, the Germans withdrew to the basement. Ours took up defense in several rooms without trying to build on success, because. in the pitch darkness that reigned in the Reichstag, it was possible to shoot each other. The huge building began to resemble the "Wild Field" - empty and dangerous. And only the scouts of the Makov group scurried back and forth along the stairs they had mastered. Scouts are well aware of the meaning established banner, not least for them personally, organized a thorough guard, periodically replacing each other. The hoisting of the banner was immediately reported by radio to General Perevertkin. (There were no walkie-talkies in the battalions, but the groups of Makov and Bondar had them!).

Around 3-4 o'clock in the morning (already on May 1), on the orders of the commander of the 756th regiment, Lieutenant A.P. Berest led a group of fighters to the roof of the Reichstag, which included M. Egorov and M. Kantaria, who were chosen by political agencies for installation of a banner made at the direction of the Military Council of the 3rd shock army. Berest led the soldiers along the route laid out by Sorokin's reconnaissance platoon during the day. Those. having passed through a large multi-functional hall defended by Davydov's battalion, they came out onto a wide staircase and, having climbed it, went to the roof through southwestern corner tower. Before the sculptural group "Germany", the central element of the front facade of the Reichstag, it would be fifty meters to go.

But on this sculpture the flag of the 79th Corps was already fluttering, and it was carefully guarded. Several fighters lay down around the sculpture, coming from a completely different direction. In a nervous atmosphere, in complete darkness, having heard the cautious steps of a walking group of people ... In general, misfortune could have happened and the history of the "Victory Banner" would look completely different today.

But fortune that day was clearly on the side of Alexei Prokopovich and his group. Berest made a mistake in complete darkness, walked an extra 60 meters and led his soldiers to the roof of the Reichstag through southeastern tower. Looking around, they saw a large equestrian figure not far away and Berest ordered the soldiers to cling the banner to this figure.

The commander of the 756th regiment, Colonel F.M. Zinchenko, left the Reichstag and, taking Yegorov and Kantaria with him, went to his NP to the "Himmler's house". At 5 o'clock in the morning, a command came from the headquarters of the 79th Corps to the groups of Makov and Bondar to report to Perevertkin. The banners (at about 24.00 Bondar's fighters attached their banner on the same sculpture of the German "motherland") were left unguarded and soon disappeared in the most mysterious way. Nobody touched the banner of the Military Council and it hung safely until the morning of May 2, although no one guarded it. The completely unreasonable urgent call of scouts Makov and Bondar at 5 o'clock in the morning (!!!) to the headquarters of the corps, where General Perevertkin did not even invite the fighters to personally say at least thanks to them, causes great suspicion. A very bad idea arises that the political department of the 3rd shock army simply eliminated the dangerous competitors of its "native" banner No. 5.

Fight in the Reichstag. German counterattack.

On the morning of May 1, around 10:00, the Germans made a serious attempt to drive our troops out of the Reichstag. By 12.00 the premises of the northern wing of the building caught fire. The fire then spread to a boardroom filled with shelving of millions of medical records. There was nothing to put out the fire. To leave the building means to be under machine-gun fire almost point-blank. Nevertheless, with great difficulty, they managed to repulse the counterattack and drive the enemy back to the basement. Besides the fire, the second big problem was thirst. Water was obtained from great danger for life. Water sources were under the constant sight of snipers.

The German command tried to help its battalions in the Reichstag by organizing a counter attack from outside. But the Germans were clearly not strong enough. Still, it was the last day of the Berlin operation. The Fuhrer was no longer alive, but German soldiers they did not know this and stubbornly fought back. Somewhere around 14.00, a soldier ran up to the platoon commander L. Litvak and said that he was crawling towards them from the Tiergarten german tank. Taking with him the calculation of the PTR (anti-tank rifle), Litvak went to the windows facing south. It turned out that this was not a tank, but a self-propelled gun with a powerful cannon, but without a full-fledged turret. The crew was protected by armor only in front and on the sides. They opened continuous fire on the self-propelled guns from machine guns and anti-tank rifles. The self-propelled gun fired, missed and began to back away. Immediately, two shells hit her one after the other and the self-propelled gun began to smoke.

A photo. Volkssturm - German people's militia.

The night from the first to the second was also nervous. The Germans, who knew the building well, used this advantage either by appearing in a completely unexpected place, or by throwing grenades through the ventilation ducts. At about one in the morning, the Germans threw a thermite ball into the great hall of the south wing. It was not possible to throw it away - it was intensely sprayed with jets of fire. By three o'clock in the morning on May 2, the fire had gained such strength that it was impossible to be in the hall. We had to withdraw our troops from the southern wing of the building.

Goebbels has already committed suicide. Nazi bosses, including Bormann, have already fled from the Reich Chancellery like rats. Already the SS men from the Monke detachment, Hitler's last guard, made an attempt to escape from the burning Berlin. And the old Volkssturm men who defended the Reichstag, where the medical archive was now located, still did not give up. Finally, as soon as dawn broke, Neustroev's soldiers saw a white flag.

Neustroev, Berest (under the guise of a colonel) and a soldier-translator went to the negotiations. After brief negotiations about surrender, the Germans said they would think about it. At 7:00 a.m., the commander of the defense of Berlin, General Weidling, signed the surrender order. A. Bessarab wrote in his memoirs:

On May 2, at 10 o'clock in the morning, everything suddenly calmed down, the fire ceased. And everyone understood that something had happened. We saw white sheets that were “thrown away” in the Reichstag, the Chancellery building and the Royal Opera and cellars that had not yet been taken. Entire columns were toppled from there. Ahead of us was a column, where there were generals, colonels, then soldiers behind them.It must have been three hours.

I shared with you the information that I "dug up" and systematized. At the same time, he has not become impoverished at all and is ready to share further, at least twice a week.

If you find errors or inaccuracies in the article, please let us know. My e-mail address: [email protected] . I'll be very thankful.

April 30, 1945. The German parliament building was stormed. For any Russian, this phrase looks even shorter - the storming of the Reichstag. It means the end of the war, Victory. And, although the complete victory came a little later, it was this assault that became the apogee of the whole long war…

Storming of the Reichstag military operation parts of the Red Army against the German troops to seize the building of the German Parliament. It was carried out at the final stage of the Berlin offensive operation from April 28 to May 2, 1945 by the forces of the 150th and 171st rifle divisions of the 79th rifle corps of the 3rd shock army of the 1st Belorussian Front.

In preparation for reflection Soviet offensive Berlin was divided into 9 defense sectors. The central sector, which included government buildings, including the imperial office, the Gestapo building and the Reichstag, was well fortified and defended by elite SS units.

It was to the central sector that the armies of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts sought to break through. As you get closer Soviet troops to specific institutions, the command of the front and the armies set the task of mastering these objects.

On the afternoon of April 27, the task of capturing the Reichstag was assigned to the 11th Guards Tank Corps of the 1st Guards Tank Army. However, on the following day, the tankers failed to fulfill it due to the strong resistance of the German troops.

The 3rd Shock Army under the command of V.I. Kuznetsov, operating as part of the 1st Belorussian Front, was not originally intended to storm the central part of the city. However, as a result of seven days of fierce fighting, it was on April 28 that she was the closest to the Reichstag area.

It should be said about the aspect ratio in this operation:

The Soviet group included:
79th rifle corps(Major General Perevertkin S. N.) consisting of:
150th Infantry Division (Major General Shatilov V.M.)
756th Infantry Regiment (Colonel Zinchenko F.M.)
1st Battalion (Captain Neustroev S.A.)
2nd Battalion (Captain Klimenkov)
469th Infantry Regiment (Colonel Mochalov M.A.)
674th Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Plekhodanov A.D.)
1st Battalion (Captain Davydov V.I.)
2nd Battalion (Major Logvinenko Ya. I.)
328th Artillery Regiment (Major Gladkikh G.G.)
1957th Antitank Regiment
171st Rifle Division (Colonel Negoda A.I.)
380th Infantry Regiment (Major Shatalin V.D.)
1st Battalion (St. Lieutenant Samsonov K. Ya.)
525th Rifle Regiment
713th Rifle Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel M. G. Mukhtarov)
357th Artillery Regiment
207th Rifle Division (Colonel V. M. Asafov)
597th Rifle Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Kovyazin I.D.)
598th Rifle Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Voznesensky A. A.)

Attached parts:

86th Heavy Howitzer Artillery Brigade (Colonel Sazonov N.P.)
104th howitzer brigade of high power (Colonel Solomienko P.M.)
124th howitzer brigade of high power (Colonel Gutin G. L.)
136th Cannon Artillery Brigade (Colonel Pisarev A.P.)
1203rd self-propelled artillery regiment
351st Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
23rd Tank Brigade (Colonel Kuznetsov S.V.)
tank battalion (major Yartsev I. L.)
tank battalion (Captain Krasovsky S.V.)
88th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Mzhachikh P.G.)
85th Tank Regiment

The Reichstag was defended by:

Part of the forces of the 9th defense sector of Berlin.
Consolidated battalion of cadets naval school from Rostock
In total, the Reichstag area was defended by about 5,000 people. Of these, the Reichstag garrison was about 1000 people.

You can talk about the capture of the Reichstag by the minute, since each of them was performed by the fighters and performed a feat! I will try to restore the chronology by day ..

So:

By the evening of April 28, units of the 79th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Shock Army occupied the Moabit area and from the northwest approached the area where, in addition to the Reichstag, the building of the Ministry of the Interior, the Krol Opera Theater, the Swiss embassy and a number of other structures were located. Well fortified and adapted for long-term defense, together they were a powerful center of resistance.

The task of capturing the Reichstag was set on April 28 at the disposal of the commander of the 79th Rifle Corps, Major General S. N. Perevertkin:

... 3. 150th Infantry Division - one rifle regiment - defense on the river. Spree. With two rifle regiments, continue the offensive with the task of forcing the river. Spree and master western part Reichstag...

4. The 171st Infantry Division to continue the offensive within its borders with the task of forcing the river. Spree and take possession of the eastern part of the Reichstag ...

Before the advancing troops lay another water barrier - the Spree River. Its three-meter reinforced concrete shores excluded the possibility of crossing on improvised means. The only way on the South coast lay across the Moltke bridge, which, when the Soviet units approached, was blown up by German sappers, but did not collapse, but only deformed.

At both ends, the bridge was covered with reinforced concrete walls a meter thick and about one and a half meters high. It was not possible to capture the bridge on the move, since all approaches to it were shot through by multi-layered machine-gun and artillery fire. It was decided to undertake a second assault on the bridge after careful preparation. Powerful artillery fire destroyed the firing points in the buildings on the Kronprinzen Ufer and Schlieffen Ufer embankments and suppressed the German batteries that were shelling the bridge.

By the morning of April 29, the advanced battalions of the 150th and 171st rifle divisions under the command of Captain S. A. Neustroev and Senior Lieutenant K. Ya. Samsonov crossed to the opposite bank of the Spree. After the crossing, the Soviet units began fighting for the quarter located southeast of the Moltke bridge.

Among other buildings in the quarter was the building of the Swiss embassy, ​​which overlooked the square in front of the Reichstag and was an important element in common system German defense. On the same morning, the building of the Swiss embassy was cleared of the enemy by the companies of Senior Lieutenant Pankratov and Lieutenant M.F. Grankin. The next target on the way to the Reichstag was the building

Ministry of the Interior, nicknamed by the Soviet soldiers "Himmler's House". It was a huge six-story building that occupied an entire block. The solid stone building was additionally adapted for defense. To capture Himmler's house at 7 o'clock in the morning, a powerful artillery preparation was carried out, immediately after which Soviet soldiers rushed to storm the building.

For the next day, units of the 150th Infantry Division fought for the building and captured it by dawn on April 30. The way to the Reichstag was open.

The assault on the Reichstag began before dawn on 30 April. The 150th and 171st rifle divisions, commanded by General Shatilov V.M., rushed to the building of the German parliament. and Colonel Negoda A.I. The attackers were met with a sea of ​​fire from various types of weapons, and soon the attack bogged down.

The first attempt to take possession of the building on the move ended in failure. A thorough preparation of the assault began. To support the infantry attack only for direct fire, 135 guns, tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts were concentrated. Dozens more guns, howitzers and rocket launchers fired from closed positions. From the air, the attackers were supported by squadrons of the 283rd Fighter Aviation of the division of Colonel Chirva S.N.

At 12 o'clock artillery preparation began. Half an hour later the infantry went on the assault. She had only 250 m left to reach her intended goal, and it seemed that success had already been ensured.

“Everything roared and rumbled around,” recalled Colonel F.M. Zinchenko, whose regiment was part of the 150th Infantry Division. goals... So the reports flew on command. After all, everyone so wanted to be the first! .. "

General Shatilov V.M. first by telephone, and then in writing, he informed the commander of the 79th rifle corps, General Perevertkin S.N., that at 14:25 the rifle battalions under the command of captains Neustroev S.A. and Davydova V.I. broke into the Reichstag and hoisted a banner on it. At this time, units continue to clear the building from the Germans.

Such long-awaited news rushed further - to the headquarters of the 3rd shock army and the 1st Belorussian Front. This was reported by Soviet radio, followed by foreign radio stations. The Military Council of the 1st Belorussian Front, by order of April 30, already congratulated the soldiers on their victory, expressed gratitude to all soldiers, sergeants, officers of the 171st and 150th rifle divisions and, of course, General Perevertkin S.N. and ordered the Military Council of the Army to present the most distinguished for awards.

After receiving the news about the fall of the Reichstag, military cameramen, photojournalists, journalists rushed to him, among them the famous writer Gorbatov B.L. What they saw was disappointing: the assault battalions were still fighting on the outskirts of the building, where there was not a single Soviet soldier and not a single flag.

The third attack began at 18:00. Together with the attacking battalions of the 674th and 380th rifle regiments, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Plekhanov A.D., Colonel Zinchenko F.M., two groups of volunteers advanced, led by the adjutant of the commander of the 79th rifle corps, Major Bondar M.M. and the commander of the battery of control of the commander of the artillery of the corps, captain Makovetsky V.N. At the initiative of the command and the political department of the corps, these groups were created specifically for hoisting flags made in the corps over the Reistag.

"This attack was a success: the battalions of captains Neustroev S.A., Davydov V.I., senior lieutenant Samsonov K.Ya. and a group of volunteers broke into the building, about which Zinchenko F.M. reported to General Shatilov V.M. in the afternoon, he repeatedly demanded to break into the Reichstag and, which worried him most of all, to hoist a banner on it.

The report pleased the division commander and at the same time upset him: the banner had not yet been installed. The general ordered to clear the building of the enemy and "immediately install the banner of the Military Council of the Army on its dome"! To speed up the task, the division commander appointed Zinchenko F.M. commandant of the Reichstag". (R. Portuguese V. Runov "Boilers of the 45th", M., "Eksmo", 2010, p. 234).

However, Colonel Zinchenko F.M. he understood, as he wrote after the war, "that neither in the evening nor during the night the Reichstag can be completely cleared, but the banner must be installed at any cost! ..". He ordered to recapture as many rooms as possible from the enemy before dark, and then give the personnel a rest.

The banner of the Military Council of the 3rd shock army was instructed to hoist the regiment's scouts - M.V. Kantaria and M.A. Egorov. Together with a group of fighters led by Lieutenant Brest, with the support of Syanov's company, they climbed onto the roof of the building and at 21:50 on April 30, 1945 hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag.

M.V. Kantaria

Two days later, the banner was replaced by a large red banner. The removed flag was sent to Moscow on a special flight with military honors on June 20.

On June 24, 1945, the first parade of troops of the active army, the Navy and the Moscow garrison took place on Red Square in Moscow to commemorate the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic war. After participating in the parade, the Banner of Victory is still kept in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces.

It should also be noted that in addition to the banner of the Military Council of the Army, many other flags were strengthened on the Reichstag building. The first flag was hoisted by a group of Captain Makov V.N., who attacked together with Neustroev's battalion. Volunteers headed by the captain, senior sergeants Bobrov A.P., Zagitov G.K., Lisimenko A.F. and Sergeant Minin M.P. they immediately rushed to the roof of the Reichstag and fixed the flag on one of the sculptures on the right tower of the house. It happened at 22:40, which was two or three hours before the hoisting of the flag, which history was destined to become the Banner of Victory.

For skillful leadership of the battle and heroism, V.I. Davydov, S.A. Neustroev, K.Ya. Samsonov, as well as M.A. Egorov and M.V. Kantaria, who hoisted the Banner of Victory over the Reichstag, were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The battle inside the Reichstag continued with great tension until the morning of May 1, and separate groups of fascists who settled in the cellars of the Reichstag continued to resist until May 2, until the Soviet fighters finally finished with them. In the battles for the Reichstag, up to 2,500 enemy soldiers were killed and wounded, 2,604 prisoners were captured.

The final battle in the Great Patriotic War was the Battle of Berlin, or the Berlin Strategic War. offensive, which was held from April 16 to May 8, 1945.

On April 16, at 03:00 local time, aviation and artillery preparation began on the sector of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts. After its completion, 143 searchlights were turned on to blind the enemy, and the infantry, supported by tanks, went on the attack. Encountering no strong resistance, she advanced 1.5-2 kilometers. However, the further our troops advanced, the stronger the resistance of the enemy grew.

Troops of the 1st Ukrainian front carried out a swift maneuver to reach Berlin from the south and west. On April 25, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts united west of Berlin, completing the encirclement of the entire enemy Berlin grouping.

The liquidation of the Berlin enemy grouping directly in the city continued until May 2. The assault had to take every street and house. On April 29, fighting began for the Reichstag, the possession of which was entrusted to the 79th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front.

Before the assault on the Reichstag, the Military Council of the 3rd Shock Army handed over to its divisions nine Red Banners, specially made according to the type of the State Flag of the USSR. One of these Red Banners, known under No. 5 as the Banner of Victory, was transferred to the 150th Rifle Division. Similar self-made red banners, flags and flags were in all advanced units, formations and subunits. They, as a rule, were handed over to assault groups, which were recruited from among volunteers and went into battle with the main task - to break into the Reichstag and install the Banner of Victory on it. The first - at 22:30 Moscow time on April 30, 1945, hoisted an assault red banner on the roof of the Reichstag on the sculptural figure "Goddess of Victory" - reconnaissance artillerymen of the 136th Army Cannon Artillery Brigade, senior sergeants G.K. Zagitov, A.F. Lisimenko, A.P. Bobrov and Sergeant A.P. Minin from the assault group of the 79th Rifle Corps, commanded by Captain V.N. Makov, the assault group of artillerymen acted jointly with the battalion of captain S.A. Neustroeva. Two or three hours later, also on the roof of the Reichstag on the sculpture of an equestrian knight - Kaiser Wilhelm - by order of the commander of the 756th rifle regiment 150th Infantry Division Colonel F.M. Zinchenko, the Red Banner No. 5 was installed, which then became famous as the Banner of Victory. Red Banner No. 5 was hoisted by scouts Sergeant M.A. Egorov and junior sergeant M.V. Kantaria, who were accompanied by Lieutenant A.P. Berest and machine gunners from the company of senior sergeant I.Ya. Syanov.

The fighting for the Reichstag continued until the morning of May 1. At 6:30 am on May 2, the head of the defense of Berlin, General of Artillery G. Weidling, surrendered and ordered the remnants of the troops of the Berlin garrison to cease resistance. In the middle of the day, the resistance of the Nazis in the city ceased. On the same day, the encircled groupings of German troops southeast of Berlin were liquidated.

On May 9, at 0:43 Moscow time, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, as well as representatives of the German Navy, who had the appropriate authority from Doenitz, in the presence of Marshal G.K. Zhukov from the Soviet side signed the Act of unconditional surrender of Germany. A brilliant operation, coupled with the courage of Soviet soldiers and officers who fought to end the four-year nightmare of war, led to a logical outcome: Victory.

Capture of Berlin. 1945 Documentary

PROGRESS OF THE BATTLE

The Berlin operation of the Soviet troops began. Goal: complete the defeat of Germany, capture Berlin, connect with the allies

The infantry and tanks of the 1st Belorussian Front launched an attack before dawn under the illumination of anti-aircraft searchlights and advanced 1.5-2 km

With the onset of dawn on the Seelow Heights, the Germans came to their senses and fight with bitterness. Zhukov introduces tank armies into battle

16 Apr. 45g. The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front of Konev meet less resistance on the way of their offensive and immediately force the Neisse

Commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front Konev orders the commanders of his tank armies Rybalko and Lelyushenko to advance on Berlin

Konev demands from Rybalko and Lelyushenko not to get involved in protracted and head-on battles, to boldly move forward towards Berlin

In the battles for Berlin, twice a Hero of the Soviet Union, commander of a tank battalion of Guards. Mr. S.Khokhryakov

The 2nd Belorussian Front of Rokossovsky joined the Berlin operation, covering the right flank.

By the end of the day, Konev's front had completed the breakthrough of the Neissen line of defense, crossed the river. Spree and provided the conditions for the encirclement of Berlin from the south

Troops of the 1st Belorussian Front Zhukov break the 3rd enemy defense line on the Oderen-on the Seelow Heights all day

By the end of the day, Zhukov's troops completed the breakthrough of the 3rd lane of the Oder line at the Seelow Heights

On the left wing of Zhukov's front, conditions were created for cutting off the Frankfurt-Guben group of the enemy from the area on Berlin

Directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command to the commanders of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts: "It is better to treat the Germans." , Antonov

Another directive of the Headquarters: on identification marks and signals at a meeting Soviet armies and allied troops

At 13.50, long-range artillery of the 79th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Shock Army was the first to open fire on Berlin - the beginning of the assault on the city itself

20 Apr. 45g. Konev and Zhukov send almost identical orders to the troops of their fronts: “Be the first to break into Berlin!”

By evening, formations of the 2nd Guards Tank, 3rd and 5th Shock Armies of the 1st Belorussian Front reached the northeastern outskirts of Berlin

The 8th Guards and 1st Guards Tank Armies wedged into the city defensive bypass of Berlin in the districts of Petershagen and Erkner

Hitler ordered the 12th Army, previously targeted against the Americans, to be turned against the 1st Ukrainian Front. She now has the goal of linking up with the remnants of the 9th and 4th Panzer Armies, making their way south of Berlin to the west.

3rd Guards tank army Rybalko broke into southern part Berlin and by 17.30 is fighting for Teltow - Konev's telegram to Stalin

Hitler in last time refused to leave Berlin while there was such an opportunity. Goebbels and his family moved to a bunker under the Reich Chancellery ("Fuhrer's bunker")

Assault flags were presented by the Military Council of the 3rd Shock Army to the divisions storming Berlin. Among them is the flag that became the banner of victory - the assault flag of the 150th Infantry Division.

In the district of Spremberg, Soviet troops liquidated the encircled group of Germans. Among the destroyed units is the tank division "Protection of the Fuhrer"

Troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front are fighting in the south of Berlin. At the same time, they reached the Elbe River northwest of Dresden

Goering, who had left Berlin, turned to Hitler on the radio, asking him to approve him at the head of the government. Received an order from Hitler removing him from the government. Bormann ordered Goering's arrest for treason

Himmler unsuccessfully tries through the Swedish diplomat Bernadotte to offer the allies surrender on the Western Front

Shock formations of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts in the Brandenburg region closed the encirclement ring of German troops in Berlin

Forces of the German 9th and 4th tanks. armies are surrounded in the forests southeast of Berlin. Parts of the 1st Ukrainian Front reflect the counterattack of the 12th German Army

Report: “In the suburbs of Berlin, Ransdorf, there are restaurants where they “willingly sell” beer to our fighters for occupation marks.” The head of the political department of the 28th Guards Rifle Regiment, Borodin, ordered the owners of Ransdorf's restaurants to close them for a while until the battle was over.

In the area of ​​Torgau on the Elbe, Soviet troops of the 1st Ukrainian fr. met with the troops of the 12th American Army Group General Bradley

Having crossed the Spree, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front of Konev and the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front of Zhukov are rushing towards the center of Berlin. The rush of Soviet soldiers in Berlin can no longer be stopped

The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front in Berlin occupied Gartenstadt and Gerlitsky Station, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front - the district of Dahlem

Konev turned to Zhukov with a proposal to change the demarcation line between their fronts in Berlin - the city center to transfer it to the front

Zhukov asks Stalin to salute the capture of the center of Berlin to the troops of his front, replacing Konev's troops in the south of the city

The General Staff orders Konev's troops, who have already reached the Tiergarten, to transfer their offensive zone to Zhukov's troops

Order No. 1 of the military commandant of Berlin, Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General Berzarin, on the transfer of all power in Berlin into the hands of the Soviet military commandant's office. It was announced to the population of the city that the National Socialist Party of Germany and its organizations were disbanding and their activities were prohibited. The order established the order of behavior of the population and determined the main provisions necessary for the normalization of life in the city.

The battles for the Reichstag began, the mastery of which was entrusted to the 79th rifle corps of the 3rd shock army of the 1st Belorussian Front

When breaking through the barriers on the Berlin Kaiserallee, the tank of N. Shendrikov received 2 holes, caught fire, the crew failed. The mortally wounded commander, having gathered his last strength, sat down at the controls and threw the flaming tank at the enemy cannon

Hitler's marriage to Eva Braun in a bunker under the Reich Chancellery. Witness - Goebbels. In his political testament, Hitler expelled Goering from the NSDAP and officially named Grand Admiral Dönitz as his successor.

Soviet units are fighting for the Berlin metro

The Soviet command rejected attempts by the German command to start negotiations on the time. ceasefire. There is only one demand - surrender!

The assault on the Reichstag building itself began, which was defended by more than 1000 Germans and SS men from different countries

In different places of the Reichstag, several red banners were fixed - from regimental and divisional to self-made

Scouts of the 150th division Egorov and Kantaria were ordered to hoist the Red Banner over the Reichstag around midnight

Lieutenant Berest from the Neustroev battalion led the combat mission of installing the Banner over the Reichstag. Established around 3.00, May 1

Hitler committed suicide in the Reich Chancellery bunker by taking poison and shooting him in the temple with a pistol. Hitler's corpse is burned in the courtyard of the Reich Chancellery

At the post of Chancellor, Hitler leaves Goebbels, who will commit suicide the next day. Before his death, Hitler appointed Bormann Reich Minister for Party Affairs (previously such a post did not exist)

The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front captured Bandenburg, cleared the areas of Charlottenburg, Schöneberg and 100 quarters in Berlin

In Berlin, Goebbels and his wife Magda committed suicide, after killing their 6 children

Beg. German General Staff Krebs, announced the suicide of Hitler, offered to conclude a truce. Stalin confirmed the categorical demand for unconditional surrender in Berlin. At 18 o'clock the Germans rejected him

At 18.30, in connection with the rejection of the surrender, the Berlin garrison received a fire attack. The mass surrender of the Germans began

At 01.00, the radios of the 1st Belorussian Front received a message in Russian: “Please cease fire. We are sending parliamentarians to the Potsdam Bridge"

A German officer, on behalf of the commander of the defense of Berlin Weidling, announced the readiness of the Berlin garrison to stop resistance

At 0600, General Weidling surrendered and an hour later signed the surrender order for the Berlin garrison.

Enemy resistance in Berlin has completely ceased. The remnants of the garrison surrender en masse

In Berlin, Goebbels's deputy for propaganda and press, Dr. Fritsche, was taken prisoner. Fritsche testified during interrogation that Hitler, Goebbels and Chief of the General Staff General Krebs committed suicide

Stalin's order on the contribution of the Zhukov and Konev fronts to the defeat of the Berlin group. By 21.00, 70 thousand Germans had already surrendered

The irretrievable losses of the Red Army in the Berlin operation - 78 thousand people. Enemy losses - 1 million, incl. 150 thousand killed

Soviet troops deployed throughout Berlin field kitchens where "wild barbarians" feed hungry Berliners