![]() ![]() Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front kicked off the campaign on January 12 and was deep in Silesia two weeks later. The enormous force of the Soviet troops also played a role here: the four jaded armies that the Germans deployed (2. The attack came as a surprise to the Germans, and the numerically superior Soviet armies quickly advanced. The advance to the OderĪs early as the summer of 1944, the Red Army had reached the Weichsel in eastern Poland, and after a long supply period, the Weichsel-Oder offensive finally began on January 12, 1945. This was an error of judgment by Stalin, but because the advance of the Western Allies had started to gain momentum in the early months of 1945, Stalin wanted to speed up the offensive towards Berlin. Stalin was very suspicious of Winston Churchill in particular and considered him able to conclude such an agreement with the Germans - contrary to the agreements made in Yalta. The Germans had indeed strewn propaganda magazines over the Allied armies in the West, calling on them to join forces with the German army to fight the communists. Stalin thought there was a chance that the Germans would give up the struggle in the West and deploy the entire armed forces in the war against communism. The Battle of Berlin was one of the last major battles in the war against Germany six days after the weapons fell silent in Berlin, the Third Reich capitulated and World War II in Europe was over. Relief attempts by imposing armed forces 'on paper', conceived in the fantasy world of the Führerbunker, ended in nothing. Although only one result was conceivable, both parties fought extremely fiercely and cruelly. The Germans fought with the courage of desperation to postpone the inevitable final defeat for as long as possible, while the Soviet commanders - competing for the honor of hoisting the Soviet flag on the Reichstag - did everything they could to reach the city center as quickly as possible. Source: Public DomainĪt this last stage of the war, the Red Army had tremendous numerical and technological superiority, but extremely large losses were suffered on both the German and Soviet sides. The flag had already been raised on April 30, but that monent was not recorded on film. ![]() The world famous picture by Yevgeny Khaldei of the Red Banner on the Reichstag, taken on May 2, 1945. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |