During the Great Patriotic War, Soviet troops carried out the Berlin strategic offensive operation, the purpose of which was to defeat the main forces of the German army groups Vistula and Center, capture Berlin, reach the Elbe River and unite with the Allied forces.
The troops of the Red Army, having defeated large groups during January - March 1945 Nazi troops in East Prussia, Poland and East Pomerania, by the end of March they reached the Oder and Neisse rivers on a broad front. After the liberation of Hungary and the occupation of Vienna by Soviet troops in mid-April, Nazi Germany was under attack from the Red Army from the east and south. At the same time, from the west, without encountering any organized German resistance, Allied troops advanced in the Hamburg, Leipzig and Prague directions.
The main forces of the Nazi troops acted against the Red Army. By April 16, there were 214 divisions (of which 34 tank and 15 motorized) and 14 brigades were on the Soviet-German front, and against the American-British troops the German command held only 60 poorly equipped divisions, of which five were tank. The Berlin direction was defended by 48 infantry, six tank and nine motorized divisions and many other units and formations (a total of one million people, 10.4 thousand guns and mortars, 1.5 thousand tanks and assault guns). From the air, ground troops covered 3.3 thousand combat aircraft.
The defense of the Nazi troops in the Berlin direction included the Oder-Neissen line 20-40 kilometers deep, which had three defensive lines, and the Berlin defensive area, which consisted of three ring contours - external, internal and urban. In total, the depth of defense with Berlin reached 100 kilometers; it was intersected by numerous canals and rivers, which served as serious obstacles for tank forces.
During the Berlin offensive operation, the Soviet Supreme High Command envisaged breaking through the enemy's defenses along the Oder and Neisse and, developing an offensive in depth, encircling the main group of fascist German troops, dismembering it and subsequently destroying it piece by piece, and then reaching the Elbe. For this purpose, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, troops of the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Georgy Zhukov and troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Ivan Konev were brought in. The operation was attended by the Dnieper military flotilla, part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet, and the 1st and 2nd armies of the Polish Army. In total, the Red Army troops advancing on Berlin numbered over two million people, about 42 thousand guns and mortars, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, and 7.5 thousand combat aircraft.
According to the plan of the operation, the 1st Belorussian Front was supposed to capture Berlin and reach the Elbe no later than 12-15 days later. The 1st Ukrainian Front had the task of defeating the enemy in the Cottbus area and south of Berlin and on the 10-12th day of the operation to capture the line of Belitz, Wittenberg and further the Elbe River to Dresden. The 2nd Belorussian Front had to cross the Oder River, defeat the enemy's Stettin group and cut off the main forces of the German 3rd Tank Army from Berlin.
On April 16, 1945, after powerful aviation and artillery preparation, a decisive attack by troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts of the Oder-Neissen defensive line began. In the area of the main attack of the 1st Belorussian Front, where the offensive was launched before dawn, infantry and tanks, in order to demoralize the enemy, launched an attack in a zone illuminated by 140 powerful searchlights. The troops of the front's strike group had to successively break through several lines of deeply echeloned defense. By the end of April 17, they managed to break through the enemy’s defenses in the main areas near the Seelow Heights. The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front completed the breakthrough of the third line of the Oder defense line by the end of April 19. On the right wing of the front's shock group, the 47th Army and the 3rd Shock Army successfully advanced to cover Berlin from the north and northwest. On the left wing, conditions were created to bypass the enemy's Frankfurt-Guben group from the north and cut it off from the Berlin area.
The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front crossed the Neisse River, broke through the enemy’s main defense line on the first day, and wedged 1-1.5 kilometers into the second. By the end of April 18, front troops completed the breakthrough of the Niessen defense line, crossed the Spree River and provided conditions for encircling Berlin from the south. In the Dresden direction, formations of the 52nd Army repelled an enemy counterattack from the area north of Görlitz.
The advanced units of the 2nd Belorussian Front crossed the Ost-Oder on April 18-19, crossed the interfluve of the Ost-Oder and West Oder, and then began crossing the West Oder.
On April 20, artillery fire from the 1st Belorussian Front on Berlin marked the beginning of its assault. On April 21, tanks of the 1st Ukrainian Front broke into the southern outskirts of Berlin. On April 24, troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts united in the Bonsdorf area (southeast of Berlin), completing the encirclement of the enemy's Frankfurt-Guben group. On April 25, tank formations of the fronts, having reached the Potsdam area, completed the encirclement of the entire Berlin group (500 thousand people). On the same day, troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front crossed the Elbe River and linked up with American troops in the Torgau area.
During the offensive, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front crossed the Oder and, having broken through the enemy’s defenses, advanced to a depth of 20 kilometers by April 25; they pinned down the German 3rd Panzer Army, preventing it from launching a counterattack from the north against the Soviet forces encircling Berlin.
The Frankfurt-Guben group was destroyed by the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian Fronts in the period from April 26 to May 1. The destruction of the Berlin group directly in the city continued until May 2. By 15:00 on May 2, enemy resistance in the city had ceased. The fighting with individual groups breaking through from the outskirts of Berlin to the west ended on May 5.
Simultaneously with the defeat of the encircled groups, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front reached the Elbe River on a wide front on May 7.
At the same time, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, successfully advancing in Western Pomerania and Mecklenburg, on April 26 captured the main strongholds of the enemy’s defense on the western bank of the Oder River - Poelitz, Stettin, Gatow and Schwedt and, launching a rapid pursuit of the remnants of the defeated 3rd tank army, on May 3 they reached the coast of the Baltic Sea, and on May 4 they advanced to the line of Wismar, Schwerin, and the Elde River, where they came into contact with British troops. On May 4-5, front troops cleared the islands of Wollin, Usedom and Rügen of the enemy, and on May 9 they landed on the Danish island of Bornholm.
The resistance of the Nazi troops was finally broken. On the night of May 9, the Act of Surrender of the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany was signed in the Karlshorst district of Berlin.
Berlin operation lasted 23 days, the width of the combat front reached 300 kilometers. The depth of front-line operations was 100-220 kilometers, the average daily rate of attack was 5-10 kilometers. As part of the Berlin operation, the Stettin-Rostok, Seelow-Berlin, Cottbus-Potsdam, Stremberg-Torgau and Brandenburg-Ratenow frontal offensive operations were carried out.
During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops surrounded and eliminated the largest group of enemy troops in the history of wars.
They defeated 70 enemy infantry, 23 tank and mechanized divisions and captured 480 thousand people.
The Berlin operation cost the Soviet troops dearly. Their irretrievable losses amounted to 78,291 people, and sanitary losses - 274,184 people.
More than 600 participants in the Berlin operation were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. 13 people were awarded the second Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
(Additional
1.9 million people
6,250 tanks
more than 7,500 aircraft
Polish troops: 155,900 people
1 million people
1,500 tanks
more than 3,300 aircraft
78,291 killed
274,184 injured
215.9 thousand units. small arms
1,997 tanks and self-propelled guns
2,108 guns and mortars
917 aircraft
Polish troops:
2,825 killed
6,067 injured
OK. 400 thousand killed
OK. 380 thousand captured
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Berlin strategic offensive operation- one of the last strategic operations of Soviet troops in the European Theater of Operations, during which the Red Army occupied the capital of Germany and victoriously ended the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War in Europe. The operation lasted 23 days - from April 16 to May 8, 1945, during which Soviet troops advanced westward to a distance of 100 to 220 km. The width of the combat front is 300 km. As part of the operation, the following frontal offensive operations were carried out: Stettin-Rostok, Seelow-Berlin, Cottbus-Potsdam, Stremberg-Torgau and Brandenburg-Ratenow.
The military-political situation in Europe in the spring of 1945
In January-March 1945, troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts, during the Vistula-Oder, East Pomeranian, Upper Silesian and Lower Silesian operations, reached the line of the Oder and Neisse rivers. The shortest distance from the Küstrin bridgehead to Berlin was 60 km. Anglo-American troops completed the liquidation of the Ruhr group of German troops and by mid-April advanced units reached the Elbe. The loss of the most important raw material areas caused a decline in industrial production in Germany. Difficulties in making up for the casualties suffered in the winter of 1944/45 have increased. Nevertheless armed forces Germany still represented an impressive force. According to the intelligence department of the General Staff of the Red Army, by mid-April they included 223 divisions and brigades.
According to the agreements reached by the heads of the USSR, USA and Great Britain in the fall of 1944, the border of the Soviet occupation zone was supposed to pass 150 km west of Berlin. Despite this, Churchill put forward the idea of getting ahead of the Red Army and capturing Berlin, and then commissioned the development of a plan for a full-scale war against the USSR.
Goals of the parties
Germany
The Nazi leadership tried to prolong the war in order to achieve a separate peace with England and the United States and split the anti-Hitler coalition. At the same time, holding the front against the Soviet Union became crucial.
USSR
The military-political situation that had developed by April 1945 required the Soviet command to prepare and carry out an operation in the shortest possible time to defeat a group of German troops in the Berlin direction, capture Berlin and reach the Elbe River to join the Allied forces. The successful completion of this strategic task made it possible to thwart the plans of the Nazi leadership to prolong the war.
- Capture the capital of Germany, Berlin
- After 12-15 days of the operation, reach the Elbe River
- Deliver a cutting blow south of Berlin, isolate the main forces of Army Group Center from the Berlin group and thereby ensure the main attack of the 1st Belorussian Front from the south
- Defeat the enemy group south of Berlin and operational reserves in the Cottbus area
- In 10-12 days, no later, reach the Belitz - Wittenberg line and further along the Elbe River to Dresden
- Deliver a cutting blow north of Berlin, protecting the right flank of the 1st Belorussian Front from possible enemy counterattacks from the north
- Press to the sea and destroy German troops north of Berlin
- Two brigades of river ships will assist the troops of the 5th Shock and 8th Guards Armies in crossing the Oder and breaking through enemy defenses on the Küstrin bridgehead
- The third brigade will assist the troops of the 33rd Army in the Furstenberg area
- Ensure mine defense of water transport routes.
- Support the coastal flank of the 2nd Belorussian Front, continuing the blockade of Army Group Courland pressed to the sea in Latvia (Courland Pocket)
Operation plan
The operation plan provided for the simultaneous transition of troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts to the offensive on the morning of April 16, 1945. The 2nd Belorussian Front, in connection with the upcoming major regrouping of its forces, was supposed to launch an offensive on April 20, that is, 4 days later.
When preparing the operation, special attention was paid to the issues of camouflage and achieving operational and tactical surprise. The front headquarters developed detailed action plans for disinformation and misleading the enemy, according to which preparations for an offensive by the troops of the 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts were simulated in the area of the cities of Stettin and Guben. At the same time, intensified defensive work continued in the central sector of the 1st Belorussian Front, where the main attack was actually planned. They were carried out especially intensively in areas clearly visible to the enemy. It was explained to all army personnel that the main task was stubborn defense. In addition, documents characterizing the activities of troops in various sectors of the front were planted at the enemy’s location.
The arrival of reserves and reinforcement units was carefully disguised. Military echelons with artillery, mortar, and tank units on Polish territory were disguised as trains transporting timber and hay on platforms.
When conducting reconnaissance, tank commanders from the battalion commander to the army commander dressed in infantry uniforms and, under the guise of signalmen, examined crossings and areas where their units would be concentrated.
The circle of knowledgeable persons was extremely limited. In addition to army commanders, only the chiefs of army staffs, heads of operational departments of army headquarters and artillery commanders were allowed to familiarize themselves with the Headquarters directive. Regimental commanders received tasks verbally three days before the offensive. Junior commanders and Red Army soldiers were allowed to announce the offensive mission two hours before the attack.
Regrouping of troops
In preparation for the Berlin operation, the 2nd Belorussian Front, which had just completed the East Pomeranian operation, in the period from April 4 to April 15, 1945, had to transfer 4 combined arms armies over a distance of up to 350 km from the area of the cities of Danzig and Gdynia to the line of the Oder River and replace the armies of the 1st Belorussian Front there. The poor condition of the railways and the acute shortage of rolling stock prevented full use of the opportunities railway transport Therefore, the main burden of transportation fell on motor transport. The front was allocated 1,900 vehicles. The troops had to cover part of the route on foot.
Germany
The German command foresaw the offensive of the Soviet troops and carefully prepared to repel it. From the Oder to Berlin, a deeply layered defense was built, and the city itself was turned into a powerful defensive citadel. First-line divisions were replenished with personnel and equipment, and strong reserves were created in operational depth. In Berlin and nearby it was formed great amount Volkssturm battalions.
Nature of defense
The basis of the defense was the Oder-Neissen defensive line and the Berlin defensive region. The Oder-Neisen line consisted of three defensive lines, and its total depth reached 20-40 km. The main defensive line had up to five continuous lines of trenches, and its front edge ran along the left bank of the Oder and Neisse rivers. A second defense line was created 10-20 km from it. It was the most equipped in engineering terms at the Seelow Heights - in front of the Kyustrin bridgehead. The third stripe was located 20-40 km from the front edge. When organizing and equipping the defense, the German command skillfully used natural obstacles: lakes, rivers, canals, ravines. All settlements were turned into strong strongholds and were adapted for all-round defense. During the construction of the Oder-Neissen line, special attention was paid to the organization of anti-tank defense.
The saturation of defensive positions with enemy troops was uneven. The greatest density of troops was observed in front of the 1st Belorussian Front in a 175 km wide zone, where the defense was occupied by 23 divisions, a significant number of individual brigades, regiments and battalions, with 14 divisions defending against the Kyustrin bridgehead. In the 120 km wide offensive zone of the 2nd Belorussian Front, 7 infantry divisions and 13 separate regiments defended. There were 25 enemy divisions in the 390 km wide zone of the 1st Ukrainian Front.
In an effort to increase the resilience of their troops in defense, the Nazi leadership tightened repressive measures. So, on April 15, in his address to the soldiers of the eastern front, A. Hitler demanded that everyone who gave the order to withdraw or would withdraw without an order be shot on the spot.
Composition and strengths of the parties
USSR
Total: Soviet troops - 1.9 million people, Polish troops - 155,900 people, 6,250 tanks, 41,600 guns and mortars, more than 7,500 aircraft
Germany
Following the orders of the commander, on April 18 and 19 the tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front marched uncontrollably towards Berlin. The rate of their advance reached 35-50 km per day. At the same time, the combined arms armies were preparing to eliminate large enemy groups in the area of Cottbus and Spremberg.
By the end of the day on April 20, the main strike group of the 1st Ukrainian Front was deeply wedged into the enemy’s position and completely cut off German group Army Vistula from Army Group Center. Sensing the threat caused by the rapid actions of the tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the German command took a number of measures to strengthen the approaches to Berlin. To strengthen the defense, infantry and tank units were urgently sent to the area of the cities of Zossen, Luckenwalde, and Jutterbog. Overcoming their stubborn resistance, Rybalko’s tankers reached the outer Berlin defensive perimeter on the night of April 21. By the morning of April 22, Sukhov's 9th Mechanized Corps and Mitrofanov's 6th Guards Tank Corps of the 3rd Guards Tank Army crossed the Notte Canal, broke through the outer defensive perimeter of Berlin, and by the end of the day reached the southern bank of the Teltow Canal. There, encountering strong and well-organized enemy resistance, they were stopped.
At 12 noon on April 25, west of Berlin, the advanced units of the 4th Guards Tank Army met with units of the 47th Army of the 1st Belorussian Front. Something else happened that same day significant event. An hour and a half later, General Baklanov's 34th Guards Corps of the 5th Guards Army met with American troops on the Elbe.
From April 25 to May 2, troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front fought fierce battles in three directions: units of the 28th Army, 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies took part in the assault on Berlin; part of the forces of the 4th Guards Tank Army, together with the 13th Army, repelled the counterattack of the 12th German Army; The 3rd Guards Army and part of the forces of the 28th Army blocked and destroyed the encircled 9th Army.
All the time from the beginning of the operation, the command of Army Group Center sought to disrupt the offensive of the Soviet troops. On April 20, German troops launched the first counterattack on the left flank of the 1st Ukrainian Front and pushed back the troops of the 52nd Army and the 2nd Army of the Polish Army. On April 23, a new powerful counterattack followed, as a result of which the defense at the junction of the 52nd Army and the 2nd Army of the Polish Army was broken through and German troops advanced 20 km in the general direction of Spremberg, threatening to reach the rear of the front.
2nd Belorussian Front (April 20-May 8)
From April 17 to 19, troops of the 65th Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front, under the command of Colonel General P.I. Batov, conducted reconnaissance in force and advanced detachments captured the Oder interfluve, thereby facilitating subsequent crossings of the river. On the morning of April 20, the main forces of the 2nd Belorussian Front went on the offensive: the 65th, 70th and 49th armies. The crossing of the Oder took place under the cover of artillery fire and smoke screens. The offensive developed most successfully in the sector of the 65th Army, which was largely due to the engineering troops of the army. Having established two 16-ton pontoon crossings by 1 p.m., the troops of this army captured a bridgehead 6 kilometers wide and 1.5 kilometers deep by the evening of April 20.
We had a chance to observe the work of sappers. Working up to their necks in icy water amid exploding shells and mines, they made a crossing. Every second they were threatened with death, but people understood their soldier’s duty and thought about one thing - to help their comrades on the west bank and thereby bring victory closer.
More modest success was achieved on the central sector of the front in the 70th Army zone. The left-flank 49th Army met stubborn resistance and was unsuccessful. All day and all night on April 21, front troops, repelling numerous attacks by German troops, persistently expanded bridgeheads on the western bank of the Oder. In the current situation, front commander K.K. Rokossovsky decided to send the 49th Army along the crossings of the right neighbor of the 70th Army, and then return it to its offensive zone. By April 25, as a result of fierce battles, front troops expanded the captured bridgehead to 35 km along the front and up to 15 km in depth. To build up striking power, the 2nd Shock Army, as well as the 1st and 3rd Guards Tank Corps, were transported to the western bank of the Oder. At the first stage of the operation, the 2nd Belorussian Front, through its actions, shackled the main forces of the 3rd German Tank Army, depriving it of the opportunity to help those fighting near Berlin. On April 26, formations of the 65th Army took Stettin by storm. Subsequently, the armies of the 2nd Belorussian Front, breaking enemy resistance and destroying suitable reserves, stubbornly advanced to the west. On May 3, Panfilov's 3rd Guards Tank Corps southwest of Wismar established contact with the advanced units of the 2nd British Army.
Liquidation of the Frankfurt-Guben group
By the end of April 24, formations of the 28th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front came into contact with units of the 8th Guards Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, thereby encircling General Busse's 9th Army southeast of Berlin and cutting it off from the city. The surrounded group of German troops began to be called the Frankfurt-Gubensky group. Now the Soviet command was faced with the task of eliminating the 200,000-strong enemy group and preventing its breakthrough to Berlin or to the West. To accomplish the last task, the 3rd Guards Army and part of the forces of the 28th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front took up active defense in the path of a possible breakthrough of German troops. On April 26, the 3rd, 69th, and 33rd armies of the 1st Belorussian Front began the final liquidation of the encircled units. However, the enemy not only put up stubborn resistance, but also repeatedly made attempts to break out of the encirclement. By skillfully maneuvering and skillfully creating superiority in forces on narrow sections of the front, German troops twice managed to break through the encirclement. However, each time the Soviet command took decisive measures to eliminate the breakthrough. Until May 2, the encircled units of the 9th German Army made desperate attempts to break through the battle formations of the 1st Ukrainian Front to the west, to join the 12th Army of General Wenck. Only a few small groups managed to penetrate through the forests and go west.
Assault on Berlin (April 25 - May 2)
A salvo of Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers hits Berlin
At 12 noon on April 25, the ring closed around Berlin when the 6th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 4th Guards Tank Army crossed the Havel River and linked up with units of the 328th Division of the 47th Army of General Perkhorovich. By that time, according to the Soviet command, the Berlin garrison numbered at least 200 thousand people, 3 thousand guns and 250 tanks. The city's defense was carefully thought out and well prepared. It was based on a system of strong fire, strongholds and resistance units. The closer to the city center, the denser the defense became. Massive stone buildings with thick walls gave it particular strength. The windows and doors of many buildings were sealed and turned into embrasures for firing. The streets were blocked by powerful barricades up to four meters thick. The defenders had a large number of faustpatrons, which in the context of street battles turned out to be a formidable anti-tank weapon. Of no small importance in the enemy’s defense system were underground structures, which were widely used by the enemy to maneuver troops, as well as to shelter them from artillery and bomb attacks.
By April 26, six armies of the 1st Belorussian Front (47th, 3rd and 5th shock, 8th Guards, 1st and 2nd Guards Tank Armies) and three armies of the 1st Belorussian Front took part in the assault on Berlin. th Ukrainian Front (28th, 3rd and 4th Guards Tank). Considering the experience of taking major cities, for battles in the city, assault detachments were created consisting of rifle battalions or companies, reinforced with tanks, artillery and sappers. The actions of assault troops, as a rule, were preceded by a short but powerful artillery preparation.
By April 27, as a result of the actions of the armies of two fronts that had deeply advanced to the center of Berlin, the enemy grouping in Berlin stretched out in a narrow strip from east to west - sixteen kilometers long and two or three, in some places five kilometers wide. The fighting in the city did not stop day or night. Block after block, Soviet troops advanced deeper into enemy defenses. So, by the evening of April 28, part 3 shock army went to the Reichstag area. On the night of April 29, the actions of the forward battalions under the command of Captain S. A. Neustroev and Senior Lieutenant K. Ya. Samsonov captured the Moltke Bridge. At dawn on April 30, the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, adjacent to the parliament building, was stormed at the cost of considerable losses. The path to the Reichstag was open.
On April 30, 1945 at 14:25, units of the 150th Infantry Division under the command of Major General V.M. Shatilov and the 171st Infantry Division under the command of Colonel A.I. Negoda stormed the main part of the Reichstag building. The remaining Nazi units offered stubborn resistance. We had to fight for literally every room. In the early morning of May 1, the assault flag of the 150th Infantry Division was raised over the Reichstag, but the battle for the Reichstag continued all day and only on the night of May 2 did the Reichstag garrison capitulate.
Helmut Weidling (left) and his staff officers surrender to Soviet troops. Berlin. May 2, 1945
On May 1, only the Tiergarten and the government quarter remained in German hands. The imperial chancellery was located here, in the courtyard of which there was a bunker at Hitler's headquarters. On the night of May 1, by prior agreement, the Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, General Krebs, arrived at the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army. He informed the army commander, General V.I. Chuikov, about Hitler’s suicide and the proposal of the new German government to conclude a truce. The message was immediately transmitted to G.K. Zhukov, who himself called Moscow. Stalin confirmed his categorical demand for unconditional surrender. At 18:00 on May 1, the new German government rejected the demand for unconditional surrender, and Soviet troops were forced to continue the assault with renewed vigor.
At one o'clock in the morning on May 2, the radio stations of the 1st Belorussian Front received a message in Russian: “We ask you to cease fire. We are sending envoys to the Potsdam Bridge.” A German officer who arrived at the appointed place, on behalf of the commander of the defense of Berlin, General Weidling, announced the readiness of the Berlin garrison to stop resistance. At 6 a.m. on May 2, Artillery General Weidling, accompanied by three German generals, crossed the front line and surrendered. An hour later, while at the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army, he wrote a surrender order, which was duplicated and, with the help of loudspeaker installations and radio, delivered to enemy units defending in the center of Berlin. As this order was communicated to the defenders, resistance in the city ceased. By the end of the day, the troops of the 8th Guards Army cleared the central part of the city from the enemy. Some units that did not want to surrender tried to break through to the west, but were destroyed or scattered.
Losses of the parties
USSR
From April 16 to May 8, Soviet troops lost 352,475 people, of which 78,291 were irretrievable. The losses of Polish troops during the same period amounted to 8,892 people, of which 2,825 were irretrievable. The losses of military equipment amounted to 1,997 tanks and self-propelled guns, 2,108 guns and mortars, and 917 combat aircraft.
Germany
According to combat reports from the Soviet fronts:
- Troops of the 1st Belorussian Front in the period from April 16 to May 13
killed 232,726 people, captured 250,675
The Berlin operation was an offensive operation of the 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov), 2nd Belorussian (Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky) and 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I.S. Konev) fronts to capture Berlin and defeat the defending his group April 16 - May 2, 1945 ( The Second World War, 1939-1945). In the Berlin direction, the Red Army was opposed by a large group consisting of Army Group Vistula (generals G. Heinrici, then K. Tippelskirch) and Center (Field Marshal F. Schörner).
The balance of forces is shown in the table.
Source: History of the Second World War: In 12 vols. M., 1973-1 1979. T. 10. P. 315.
The offensive on the German capital began on April 16, 1945, after the completion of the main operations of the Red Army in Hungary, Eastern Pomerania, Austria and East Prussia. This deprived the German capital of support
the most important agricultural and industrial areas. In other words, Berlin was deprived of any possibility of obtaining reserves and resources, which undoubtedly hastened its downfall.
For the strike, which was supposed to shake the German defense, an unprecedented density of fire was used - over 600 guns on 1 km of front. The hottest battles broke out in the sector of the 1st Belorussian Front, where the Seelow Heights, which covered the central direction, were located. To capture Berlin, not only a frontal attack by the 1st Belorussian Front was used, but also a flank maneuver by the tank armies (3rd and 4th) of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Having covered more than a hundred kilometers in a few days, they broke through to the German capital from the south and completed its encirclement. At this time, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front were advancing towards the Baltic coast of Germany, covering the right flank of the forces advancing on Berlin.
The culmination of the operation was the battle for Berlin, in which there was a 200,000-strong group under the command of General X. Weidling. Fighting within the city began on April 21, and by April 25 it was completely surrounded. Up to 464 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers took part in the battle for Berlin, which lasted almost two weeks and was characterized by extreme ferocity. Due to the retreating units, the Berlin garrison grew to 300 thousand people.
If in Budapest (see Budapest 1) the Soviet command avoided using artillery and aviation, then during the assault on the capital of Nazi Germany they did not spare fire. According to Marshal Zhukov, from April 21 to May 2, almost 1.8 million artillery shots were fired at Berlin. In total, more than 36 thousand tons of metal were dropped on the city. Fire was also fired at the capital's center by fortress guns, the shells of which weighed half a ton.
A feature of the Berlin operation can be called the widespread use of large tank masses in the zone of continuous defense of German troops, including in Berlin itself. In such conditions, Soviet armored vehicles were not able to use wide maneuver and became a convenient target for German anti-tank weapons. This led to high losses. Suffice it to say that in two weeks of fighting, the Red Army lost a third of the tanks and self-propelled guns that participated in the Berlin operation.
The battles did not subside either day or night. During the day, the assault units attacked in the first echelons, at night - in the second. The battle for the Reichstag, over which the Victory Banner was hoisted, was especially fierce. On the night of April 30 to May 1, Hitler committed suicide. By the morning of May 2, the remnants of the Berlin garrison were divided into separate groups, which capitulated by 15:00. The surrender of the Berlin garrison was accepted by the commander of the 8th Guards Army, General V.I. Chuikov, who walked the path from Stalingrad to the walls of Berlin.
During the Berlin operation, about 480 thousand German soldiers and officers were captured. The losses of the Red Army amounted to 352 thousand people. In terms of daily losses of personnel and equipment (over 15 thousand people, 87 tanks and self-propelled guns, 40 aircraft), the battle for Berlin surpassed all other operations of the Red Army, where the damage was caused primarily during the battle, in contrast to the battles of the first period of the war, when the daily losses of Soviet troops were largely determined by a significant number of prisoners (see Border battles). In terms of the intensity of losses, this operation is comparable only to the Battle of Kursk.
The Berlin operation dealt the final crushing blow to the armed forces of the Third Reich, which, with the loss of Berlin, lost the ability to organize resistance. Six days after the fall of Berlin, on the night of May 8-9, the German leadership signed the act of unconditional surrender of Germany. A medal “For the Capture of Berlin” was issued for participants in the Berlin operation.
Book materials used: Nikolai Shefov. Battles of Russia. Military-historical library. M., 2002.Wir kapitulieren nie?
Offensive operation of the 2nd Belorussian (Marshal Rokossovsky), 1st Belorussian (Marshal Zhukov) and 1st Ukrainian (Marshal Konev) fronts April 16 - May 8, 1945. Having defeated large German groups in East Prussia, Poland and Eastern Pomerania and reaching the Oder and Neisse, Soviet troops penetrated deeply into German territory. On the western bank of the river. Oder bridgeheads were captured, including a particularly important one in the Küstrin area. At the same time, Anglo-American troops were advancing from the west.
Hitler, hoping for disagreements between the allies, took all measures to delay the advance of Soviet troops on the approaches to Berlin and negotiate a separate peace with the Americans. In the Berlin direction, the German command concentrated a large group as part of the Vistula Army Group (3rd Panzer and 9th Armies) of Colonel General G. Heinrici (from April 30, Infantry General K. Tippelskirch) and the 4th Panzer and 17th Armies. th armies of Army Group Center under General Field Marshal F. Scherner (total about 1 million people, 10,400 guns and mortars, 1,530 tanks and assault guns, over 3,300 aircraft). On the western banks of the Oder and Neisse, 3 defensive zones up to 20-40 km deep were created. The Berlin defensive area consisted of 3 defensive rings. All large buildings in the city were turned into strongholds, streets and squares were blocked with powerful barricades, numerous minefields were installed, and booby traps were scattered everywhere.
The walls of the houses were covered with Goebbels' propaganda slogans: "Wir kapitulieren nie!" (“We will never surrender!”), “Every German will defend his capital!”, “Let’s stop the red hordes at the walls of our Berlin!”, “Victory or Siberia!”. Loudspeakers in the streets called on residents to fight to the death. Despite the ostentatious bravado, Berlin was already doomed. The giant city was in a huge trap. The Soviet command concentrated 19 combined arms (including 2 Polish), 4 tank and 4 air armies (2.5 million people, 41,600 guns and mortars, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, 7,500 aircraft) in the Berlin direction. From the west, British and American bombers came in continuous waves, methodically, block by block, turning the city into a heap of ruins.
On the eve of the capitulation, the city presented a terrible sight. Flames shot out from a damaged gas pipeline, illuminating the smoky walls of houses. The streets were impassable due to piles of rubble. Suicide bombers jumped out of the basements of houses with Molotov cocktails and rushed at Soviet tanks, which had become easy prey in city blocks. Hand-to-hand fighting took place everywhere - on the streets, on the roofs of houses, in basements, in tunnels, in the Berlin subway. Advanced Soviet units competed with each other for the honor of being the first to capture the Reichstag, considered the symbol of the Third Reich. Soon after the Victory Banner was hoisted over the Reichstag dome, Berlin capitulated on May 2, 1945.
Material used from the website Third Reich www.fact400.ru/mif/reich/titul.htm
In the historical dictionary:
BERLIN OPERATION - an offensive operation of the Red Army at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
In January - March 1945, Soviet troops defeated large German fascist groups in East Prussia, Poland and East Pomerania, penetrated deeply into German territory and captured the bridgeheads necessary to capture its capital.
The plan of the operation was to deliver several powerful blows on a wide front, dismember the enemy’s Berlin group, encircle and destroy it piece by piece. To accomplish this task, the Soviet command concentrated 19 combined arms (including two Polish), four tank and four air armies (2.5 million people, 41,600 guns and mortars, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, 7,500 aircraft).
The German command concentrated a large group in the Berlin area as part of Army Group Vistula (3rd Panzer and 9th Armies) and Army Group Center (4th Panzer and 17th Army) - about 1 million people, 10 400 guns and mortars, 1,530 tanks and assault guns, over 3,300 aircraft. On the western banks of the Oder and Neisse rivers, three defensive strips up to 20-40 km deep were created; The Berlin defensive area consisted of three defensive rings; all large buildings in the city were turned into strongholds; streets and squares were blocked with powerful barricades.
On April 16, after powerful artillery and air preparation, the 1st Belorussian Front (Marshal G.K. Zhukov.) attacked the enemy on the river. Oder. At the same time, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front (Marshal I.S. Konev) began to cross the river. Neisse. Despite fierce enemy resistance, especially on the Zelovsky Heights, Soviet troops broke through his defenses. Attempts by the Nazi command to win the battle for Berlin on the Oder-Neisse line failed.
On April 20, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front (Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky) crossed the river. Oder and by the end of April 25 they broke through the main enemy defense line south of Stettin. On April 21, the 3rd Guards Tank Army (General Ya. S. Rybalko) was the first to break into the northeastern outskirts of Berlin. Troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts, after breaking through enemy defenses from the north and south, bypassed Berlin and on April 25 encircled up to 200 thousand German troops west of Berlin.
The defeat of this group resulted in a fierce battle. Until May 2, bloody battles raged on the streets of Berlin day and night. On April 30, troops of the 3rd Shock Army (Colonel General V.I. Kuznetsov) began fighting for the Reichstag and took it by the evening. Sergeant M.A. Egorov and Junior Sergeant M.V. Kantaria hoisted the Victory Banner on the Reichstag.
The fighting in Berlin continued until May 8, when representatives of the German High Command, led by Field Marshal W. Keitel, signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany.
Orlov A.S., Georgieva N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical Dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 36-37.
Battle of Berlin
In the spring of 1945, the Third Reich stood on the verge of final collapse.
By April 15, 214 divisions, including 34 tank and 14 motorized, and 14 brigades, were fighting on the Soviet-German front. 60 German divisions, including 5 tank divisions, acted against the Anglo-American troops.
Preparing to repel the Soviet offensive, the German command created a powerful defense in the east of the country. Berlin was covered to great depth by numerous defensive structures erected along the western banks of the Oder and Neisse rivers.
Berlin itself was turned into a powerful fortified area. Around it, the Germans built three defensive rings - outer, inner and city, and in the city itself (an area of 88 thousand hectares) they created nine defense sectors: eight around the circumference and one in the center. This central sector, which covered the main state and administrative institutions, including the Reichstag and the Reich Chancellery, was prepared especially carefully in engineering terms. There were more than 400 reinforced concrete permanent structures in the city. The largest of them - six-story bunkers dug into the ground - could accommodate up to a thousand people each. The subway was used for covert maneuver of troops.
For the defense of Berlin, the German command hastily formed new units. In January - March 1945, even 16- and 17-year-old boys were called up for military service.
Taking these factors into account, the Supreme Command Headquarters concentrated large forces on three fronts in the Berlin direction. In addition, it was planned to use part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet, the Dnieper Military Flotilla, the 18th Air Army, and three air defense corps of the country.
Polish troops were involved in the Berlin operation, consisting of two armies, tank and air corps, two breakthrough artillery divisions and a separate mortar brigade. They were part of the fronts.
On April 16, after powerful artillery preparation and air strikes, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front went on the offensive. The Berlin operation began. The enemy, suppressed by artillery fire, did not offer organized resistance at the front line, but then, having recovered from the shock, resisted with fierce tenacity.
Soviet infantry and tanks advanced 1.5-2 km. In the current situation, in order to speed up the advance of the troops, Marshal Zhukov brought into the battle the tank and mechanized corps of the 1st and 2nd Guards Tank Armies.
The offensive of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front developed successfully. At 06:15 on April 16, artillery preparation began. Bombers and attack aircraft attacked strong blows at resistance nodes, communication centers and command posts. The battalions of the first echelon divisions quickly crossed the Neisse River and captured bridgeheads on its left bank.
The German command brought up to three tank divisions and a tank destroyer brigade into the battle from its reserve. The fighting became fierce. Breaking enemy resistance, the combined arms and tank formations of the 1st Ukrainian Front broke through the main line of defense. On April 17, front troops completed the breakthrough of the second line and approached the third, which ran along the left bank of the river. Spree.
The successful offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front created a threat for the enemy to bypass his Berlin group from the south. The German command concentrated its efforts in order to delay the further advance of Soviet troops at the turn of the river. Spree. The reserves of Army Group Center and the withdrawn troops of the 4th Tank Army were sent here. But the enemy’s attempts to change the course of the battle were unsuccessful.
The 2nd Belorussian Front went on the offensive on April 18. On April 18-19, front troops crossed the Ost-Oder in difficult conditions, cleared the enemy from the lowland between the Ost-Oder and the West-Oder and took up their starting positions for crossing the West-Oder.
Thus, favorable preconditions for the continuation of the operation have developed on all fronts.
The offensive of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front developed most successfully. They entered the operational space and rushed towards Berlin, covering the right wing of the Frankfurt-Guben group. On April 19-20, the 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies advanced 95 km. The rapid offensive of these armies, as well as the 13th Army, by the end of April 20 led to the cutting off of Army Group Vistula from Army Group Center.
The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front continued the offensive. On April 20, on the fifth day of the operation, the long-range artillery of the 79th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Shock Army of Colonel General V.I. Kuznetsova opened fire on Berlin. On April 21, the advanced units of the front broke into the northern and southeastern outskirts of the German capital.
On April 24, southeast of Berlin, the 8th Guards and 1st Guards Tank Armies of the 1st Belorussian Front, advancing on the left flank of the strike group, met with the 3rd Guards Tank and 28th Armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front. As a result, the enemy's Frankfurt-Guben group was completely isolated from the Berlin garrison.
On April 25, the advanced units of the 1st Ukrainian Front - the 5th Guards Army of General A.S. Zhadov - met on the banks of the Elbe in the Torgau area with reconnaissance groups of the 5th Corps of the 1st American army General O. Bradley. The German front was cut. In honor of this victory, Moscow saluted the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front.
At this time, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front crossed the West Oder and broke through the defenses on its western bank. They pinned down the German 3rd Panzer Army and prevented it from launching a counterattack from the north against the Soviet forces encircling Berlin.
In ten days of operation, Soviet troops overcame the German defenses along the Oder and Neisse, encircled and dismembered its groups in the Berlin direction and created the conditions for the capture of Berlin.
The third stage is the destruction of the enemy's Berlin group, the capture of Berlin (April 26 - May 8). German troops, despite the inevitable defeat, continued to resist. First of all, it was necessary to eliminate the enemy’s Frankfurt-Guben group, which numbered up to 200 thousand people.
Part of the troops of the 12th Army that survived the defeat retreated to the left bank of the Elbe along bridges built by American troops and surrendered to them.
By the end of April 25, the enemy defending in Berlin occupied a territory whose area was approximately 325 square meters. km. The total length of the front of the Soviet troops operating in the German capital was about 100 km.
On May 1, units of the 1st Shock Army, advancing from the north, met south of the Reichstag with units of the 8th Guards Army, advancing from the south. The surrender of the remnants of the Berlin garrison took place on the morning of May 2 by order of its last commander, General of Artillery G. Weidling. The liquidation of the Berlin group of German troops was completed.
The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, moving westward, reached the Elbe by May 7 on a wide front. The troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front reached the coast of the Baltic Sea and the border of the Elbe River, where they established contact with the 2nd British Army. The troops of the right wing of the 1st Ukrainian Front began to regroup in the Prague direction to carry out tasks to complete the liberation of Czechoslovakia. During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops defeated 70 enemy infantry, 23 tank and motorized divisions, captured about 480 thousand people, captured up to 11 thousand guns and mortars, over 1.5 thousand tanks and assault guns, and 4,500 aircraft.
Soviet troops suffered heavy losses in this final operation - more than 350 thousand people, including over 78 thousand - irrevocably. The 1st and 2nd armies of the Polish Army lost about 9 thousand soldiers and officers. (The classification has been removed. Losses of the USSR Armed Forces in wars, combat operations and military conflicts. M., 1993. P. 220.) Soviet troops also lost 2,156 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, 1,220 guns and mortars, 527 aircraft.
The Berlin operation is one of largest operations Second World War. The victory of the Soviet troops in it became a decisive factor in completing the military defeat of Germany. With the fall of Berlin and the loss of vital areas, Germany lost the opportunity for organized resistance and soon capitulated.
Materials used from the site http://100top.ru/encyclopedia/
Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation
-one of the last strategic operations of the Soviet troops, during which the Red Army occupied the capital of Germany and victoriously completed the Great War Patriotic War. The operation lasted 23 days - from April 16 to May 8, 1945, during which Soviet troops advanced westward to a distance of 100 to 220 km. The width of the combat front is 300 km. As part of the operation, the following frontal offensive operations were carried out: Stettin-Rostok, Seelow-Berlin, Cottbus-Potsdam, Stremberg-Torgau and Brandenburg-Ratenow.
MILITARY-POLITICAL SITUATION IN EUROPE IN SPRING 1945
In January-March 1945 troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts during the Vistula-Oder, East Pomeranian, Upper Silesian and Lower Silesian operations reached the line of the Oder and Neisse rivers. The shortest distance from the Küstrin bridgehead to Berlin was 60 km. Anglo-American troops completed the liquidation of the Ruhr group of German troops and by mid-April advanced units reached the Elbe. The loss of the most important raw material areas caused a decline in industrial production in Germany. Difficulties in replacing the casualties suffered in the winter of 1944/45 increased. Nevertheless, the German armed forces still represented an impressive force. According to the intelligence department of the General Staff of the Red Army, by mid-April they included 223 divisions and brigades.
According to the agreements reached by the heads of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain in the fall of 1944, the border of the Soviet occupation zone was to pass 150 km west of Berlin. Despite this, Churchill put forward the idea of getting ahead of the Red Army and capturing Berlin.
GOALS OF THE PARTIES
Germany
The Nazi leadership tried to prolong the war in order to achieve a separate peace with England and the United States and split the anti-Hitler coalition. At the same time, holding the front against the Soviet Union became crucial.
USSR
The military-political situation that had developed by April 1945 required the Soviet command to prepare and carry out an operation in the shortest possible time to defeat a group of German troops in the Berlin direction, capture Berlin and reach the Elbe River to join the Allied forces. The successful completion of this strategic task made it possible to thwart the plans of the Nazi leadership to prolong the war.
To carry out the operation, the forces of three fronts were involved: the 1st and 2nd Belorussian, and the 1st Ukrainian, as well as the 18th Air Army of Long-Range Aviation, the Dnieper Military Flotilla and part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet.
Tasks of the Soviet fronts
1st Belorussian Front Capture the capital of Germany, the city of Berlin. After 12-15 days of the operation, reach the Elbe River 1st Ukrainian Front Deliver a dissecting blow south of Berlin, isolate the main forces of Army Group Center from the Berlin group and thereby ensure the main attack of the 1st Belorussian Front from the south. Defeat the enemy group south of Berlin and operational reserves in the Cottbus area. In 10-12 days, no later, reach the Belitz - Wittenberg line and further along the Elbe River to Dresden. 2nd Belorussian Front Deliver a cutting blow north of Berlin, protecting the right flank of the 1st Belorussian Front from possible enemy counterattacks from the north. Press to the sea and destroy German troops north of Berlin. Dnieper military flotilla Two brigades of river ships will assist the troops of the 5th Shock and 8th Guards Armies in crossing the Oder and breaking through enemy defenses on the Küstrin bridgehead. The third brigade will assist the troops of the 33rd Army in the Furstenberg area. Ensure mine defense of water transport routes. Red Banner Baltic Fleet Support the coastal flank of the 2nd Belorussian Front, continuing the blockade of Army Group Courland pressed to the sea in Latvia (Curland Pocket).
OPERATION PLAN
The operation plan included simultaneous transition to the offensive by the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts on the morning of April 16, 1945. The 2nd Belorussian Front, in connection with the upcoming major regrouping of its forces, was supposed to launch an offensive on April 20, that is, 4 days later.
The 1st Belorussian Front must was to deliver the main blow with the forces of five combined arms (47th, 3rd Shock, 5th Shock, 8th Guards and 3rd Army) and two tank armies from the Küstrin bridgehead in the direction of Berlin. The tank armies were planned to be brought into battle after the combined arms armies had broken through the second line of defense on the Seelow Heights. In the main attack area, an artillery density of up to 270 guns (with a caliber of 76 mm and above) was created per kilometer of the breakthrough front. In addition, front commander G.K. Zhukov decided to launch two auxiliary strikes: on the right - with the forces of the 61st Soviet and 1st Army of the Polish Army, bypassing Berlin from the north in the direction of Eberswalde, Sandau; and on the left - by the forces of the 69th and 33rd armies on Bonsdorf with main task prevent the retreat of the enemy's 9th Army to Berlin.
1st Ukrainian Front was supposed to deliver the main blow with the forces of five armies: three combined arms (13th, 5th Guards and 3rd Guards) and two tank armies from the area of the city of Trimbel in the direction of Spremberg. An auxiliary strike was to be delivered in the general direction of Dresden by the forces of the 2nd Army of the Polish Army and part of the forces of the 52nd Army.
The dividing line between the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian Fronts ended 50 km southeast of Berlin in the area of the city of Lübben, which allowed, if necessary, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front to strike Berlin from the south.
Commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front K.K. Rokossovsky decided to deliver the main blow with the forces of the 65th, 70th and 49th armies in the direction of Neustrelitz. Separate tank, mechanized and cavalry corps of front-line subordination were to develop the success after the breakthrough of the German defense.
PREPARATION FOR OPERATION
USSR
Intelligence support
Reconnaissance aircraft took aerial photographs of Berlin, all approaches to it and defensive zones 6 times. In total, about 15 thousand aerial photographs were obtained. Based on the results of filming, captured documents and interviews with prisoners, detailed diagrams, plans, maps, which were supplied to all command and staff levels. The military topographical service of the 1st Belorussian Front produced an accurate model of the city with its suburbs, which was used to study issues related to the organization of the offensive, the general assault on Berlin and battles in the city center. Two days before the start of the operation in the entire zone of the 1st Belorussian Front reconnaissance of the front was carried out in force. Over the course of two days on April 14 and 15, 32 reconnaissance detachments, each with a force of up to a reinforced rifle battalion, clarified the placement of enemy fire weapons, the deployment of his groups, and determined the strong and most vulnerable places of the defensive line.
Engineering support
During the preparation for the offensive, the engineering troops of the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Lieutenant General Antipenko carried out a large amount of sapper and engineering work. By the beginning of the operation, often under enemy fire, 25 road bridges with a total length of 15,017 linear meters had been built across the Oder and 40 ferry crossings had been prepared. In order to organize a continuous and complete supply of the advancing units with ammunition and fuel, the railway track in the occupied territory was changed to a Russian track almost all the way to the Oder. In addition, military engineers of the front made heroic efforts to strengthen the railway bridges across the Vistula, which were in danger of being demolished by the spring ice drift.
On the 1st Ukrainian Front To cross the Neisse River, 2,440 engineer wooden boats, 750 linear meters of assault bridges and over 1,000 linear meters of wooden bridges for loads of 16 and 60 tons were prepared.
2nd Belorussian Front At the beginning of the offensive, it was necessary to cross the Oder, the width of which in some places reached six kilometers, so special attention was also paid to the engineering preparation of the operation. The engineering troops of the front, under the leadership of Lieutenant General Blagoslavov, in the shortest possible time pulled up and securely sheltered dozens of pontoons and hundreds of boats in the coastal zone, transported timber for the construction of piers and bridges, made rafts, and laid roads through the marshy areas of the coast.
Preparing the offensive, recalled G.K. Zhukov, - we were fully aware that the Germans were expecting our attack on Berlin. Therefore, the front command thought out in every detail how to organize this strike as unexpectedly as possible for the enemy. When preparing the operation, special attention was paid to the issues of camouflage and achieving operational and tactical surprise. The front headquarters developed detailed action plans for disinformation and misleading the enemy, according to which preparations for an offensive by the troops of the 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts were simulated in the area of the cities of Stettin and Guben. At the same time, intensified defensive work continued in the central sector of the 1st Belorussian Front, where the main attack was actually planned. They were carried out especially intensively in areas clearly visible to the enemy. It was explained to all army personnel that the main task was stubborn defense. In addition, documents characterizing the activities of troops in various sectors of the front were planted at the enemy’s location.
The arrival of reserves and reinforcement units was carefully disguised. Military trains with artillery, mortar, and tank units on Polish territory were disguised as trains transporting timber and hay on platforms.
When conducting reconnaissance, tank commanders from the battalion commander to the army commander dressed in infantry uniforms and, under the guise of signalmen, examined crossings and areas where their units would be concentrated.
The circle of knowledgeable persons was extremely limited. In addition to army commanders, only the chiefs of army staffs, heads of operational departments of army headquarters and artillery commanders were allowed to familiarize themselves with the Headquarters directive. Regimental commanders received tasks verbally three days before the offensive. Junior commanders and Red Army soldiers were allowed to announce the offensive mission two hours before the attack.
Regrouping of troops
In preparation for the Berlin operation, the 2nd Belorussian Front, which had just completed the East Pomeranian operation, in the period from April 4 to April 15, 1945, had to transfer 4 combined arms armies over a distance of up to 350 km from the area of the cities of Danzig and Gdynia to the line of the Oder River and replace the armies of the 1st Belorussian Front there. The poor condition of the railways and the acute shortage of rolling stock did not allow full use of the capabilities of railway transport, so the main burden of transportation fell on road transport. The front was allocated 1,900 vehicles. The troops had to cover part of the route on foot. This was a difficult maneuver for the troops of an entire front, recalled Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky, the like of whom was not seen throughout the entire Great Patriotic War.
The German command foresaw the offensive of the Soviet troops and carefully prepared to repel it. From the Oder to Berlin, a deeply layered defense was built, and the city itself was turned into a powerful defensive citadel. First-line divisions were replenished with personnel and equipment, and strong reserves were created in operational depth. A huge number of Volkssturm battalions were formed in Berlin and near it.
Nature of defense
The basis of the defense was the Oder-Neissen defensive line and the Berlin defensive region. The Oder-Neisen line consisted of three defensive lines, and its total depth reached 20-40 km. The main defensive line had up to five continuous lines of trenches, and its front edge ran along the left bank of the Oder and Neisse rivers. A second defense line was created 10-20 km from it. It was the most equipped in engineering terms at the Zelovsky Heights - in front of the Kyustrin bridgehead. The third stripe was located 20-40 km from the front edge. When organizing and equipping the defense, the German command skillfully used natural obstacles: lakes, rivers, canals, ravines. All settlements were turned into strong strongholds and were adapted for all-round defense. During the construction of the Oder-Neissen line, special attention was paid to the organization of anti-tank defense.
Saturation of defensive positions with troops the enemy was uneven. The greatest density of troops was observed in front of the 1st Belorussian Front in a 175 km wide zone, where the defense was occupied by 23 divisions, a significant number of individual brigades, regiments and battalions, with 14 divisions defending against the Kyustrin bridgehead. In the 120 km wide offensive zone of the 2nd Belorussian Front, 7 infantry divisions and 13 separate regiments defended. There were 25 enemy divisions in the 390 km wide zone of the 1st Ukrainian Front.
Striving to increase resilience their troops in defense, the Nazi leadership tightened repressive measures. So, on April 15, in his address to the soldiers of the eastern front, A. Hitler demanded that everyone who gave the order to withdraw or would withdraw without an order be shot on the spot.
STRENGTHS OF THE PARTIES
USSR
Total: Soviet troops - 1.9 million people, Polish troops - 155,900 people, 6,250 tanks, 41,600 guns and mortars, more than 7,500 aircraft.
In addition, the 1st Belorussian Front included German formations consisting of former captured Wehrmacht soldiers and officers who agreed to participate in the fight against the Hitler regime (Seydlitz troops).
Germany
Total: 48 infantry, 6 tank and 9 motorized divisions; 37 separate infantry regiments, 98 separate infantry battalions, as well as a large number of separate artillery and special units and formations (1 million people, 10,400 guns and mortars, 1,500 tanks and assault guns and 3,300 combat aircraft).
On April 24, the 12th Army entered the battle under the command of Infantry General W. Wenck, which had previously occupied the defense on the Western Front.
GENERAL COURSE OF COMBAT OPERATIONS
1st Belorussian Front (April 16-25)
At 5 a.m. Moscow time (2 hours before dawn) on April 16, artillery preparation began in the zone of the 1st Belorussian Front. 9,000 guns and mortars, as well as more than 1,500 BM-13 and BM-31 RS installations, crushed the first line of German defense in the 27-kilometer breakthrough area for 25 minutes. With the start of the attack, artillery fire was transferred deep into the defense, and 143 anti-aircraft searchlights were turned on in the breakthrough areas. Their dazzling light stunned the enemy and at the same time illuminated the way for the advancing units. For the first one and a half to two hours, the offensive of the Soviet troops developed successfully, and individual formations reached the second line of defense. However, soon the Nazis, relying on a strong and well-prepared second line of defense, began to offer fierce resistance. Intense fighting broke out along the entire front. Although in some sectors of the front the troops managed to capture individual strongholds, they failed to achieve decisive success. The powerful resistance unit equipped on the Zelovsky Heights turned out to be insurmountable for rifle formations. This jeopardized the success of the entire operation.
In such a situation, the front commander, Marshal Zhukov, accepted the decision to bring the 1st and 2nd Guards Tank Armies into battle. This was not provided for in the offensive plan, however, the stubborn resistance of the German troops required strengthening the penetrating ability of the attackers by introducing tank armies into battle. The course of the battle on the first day showed that the German command attached decisive importance to holding the Seelow Heights. To strengthen the defense in this sector, by the end of April 16, the operational reserves of Army Group Vistula were deployed. All day and all night on April 17, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front fought fierce battles with the enemy. By the morning of April 18, tank and rifle formations, with the support of aviation from the 16th and 18th Air Armies, took the Zelovsky Heights. Overcoming the stubborn defense of German troops and repelling fierce counterattacks, by the end of April 19, front troops broke through the third defensive line and were able to develop an offensive on Berlin.
Real threat of encirclement forced the commander of the 9th German Army, T. Busse, to come up with a proposal to withdraw the army to the suburbs of Berlin and establish a strong defense there. This plan was supported by the commander of Army Group Vistula, Colonel General Heinrici, but Hitler rejected this proposal and ordered the occupied lines to be held at all costs.
April 20 was marked by an artillery strike on Berlin, inflicted by long-range artillery of the 79th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Shock Army. It was a kind of birthday gift for Hitler. On April 21, units of the 3rd Shock, 2nd Guards Tank, 47th and 5th Shock Armies, having overcome the third line of defense, broke into the outskirts of Berlin and started fighting there. The first to rush into Berlin from the east were the troops that were part of the 26th Guards Corps of General P.A. Firsov and the 32nd Corps of General D.S. Zherebin of the 5th Shock Army. On the evening of April 21, the advanced units of the 3rd Guards Tank Army P.S. approached the city from the south. Rybalko. On April 23 and 24, fighting in all directions became especially fierce. On April 23, the greatest success in the assault on Berlin was achieved by the 9th Rifle Corps under the command of Major General I.P. Rosly. The warriors of this corps took possession of Karlshorst and part of Kopenick with a decisive assault and, reaching the Spree, crossed it on the move. The ships of the Dnieper military flotilla provided great assistance in crossing the Spree, transferring rifle units to the opposite bank under enemy fire. Although the pace of Soviet advance had slowed by April 24, the Nazis were unable to stop them. On April 24, the 5th Shock Army, fighting fiercely, continued to successfully advance towards the center of Berlin.
Operating in the auxiliary direction, the 61st Army and the 1st Army of the Polish Army, having launched an offensive on April 17, overcame the German defenses with stubborn battles, bypassed Berlin from the north and moved towards the Elbe.
1st Ukrainian Front (16-25 April)
The offensive of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front developed more successfully. On April 16, early in the morning, a smoke screen was placed along the entire 390-kilometer front, blinding the enemy's forward observation posts. At 6:55 a.m., after a 40-minute artillery strike on the front edge of the German defense, reinforced battalions of the first echelon divisions began crossing the Neisse. Having quickly captured bridgeheads on the left bank of the river, they provided conditions for building bridges and crossing the main forces. During the first hours of the operation, 133 crossings were equipped by front engineering troops in the main direction of attack. With each passing hour, the amount of forces and means transported to the bridgehead increased. In the middle of the day, the attackers reached the second line of German defense. Sensing the threat of a major breakthrough, the German command, already on the first day of the operation, threw into battle not only its tactical, but also operational reserves, giving them the task of throwing the advancing Soviet troops into the river. However, by the end of the day, front troops broke through the main defense line on the 26 km front and advanced to a depth of 13 km.
By the morning of April 17 via Neisse to in full force The 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies crossed. All day long, the front troops, overcoming stubborn enemy resistance, continued to widen and deepen the gap in the German defense. Aviation support for the advancing troops was provided by pilots of the 2nd Air Army. Attack aircraft, acting at the request of ground commanders, destroyed enemy fire weapons and manpower at the front line. Bomber aircraft destroyed suitable reserves. By the middle of April 17, the following situation had developed in the zone of the 1st Ukrainian Front: the tank armies of Rybalko and Lelyushenko were marching west along a narrow corridor penetrated by troops of the 13th, 3rd and 5th Guards armies. By the end of the day they approached the Spree and began crossing it. Meanwhile, in the secondary, Dresden, direction, the troops of the 52nd Army of General K.A. Koroteev and the 2nd Army of the Polish General K.K. Sverchevsky broke through the enemy’s tactical defenses and in two days of fighting advanced to a depth of 20 km.
Considering the slow advance of the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, as well as the success achieved in the zone of the 1st Ukrainian Front, on the night of April 18, the Headquarters decided to turn the 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front to Berlin. In his order to the army commanders Rybalko and Lelyushenko for the offensive, the front commander wrote: In the main direction, with a tank fist, push forward bolder and more decisively. Bypass cities and large populated areas and not get involved in protracted frontal battles. I demand a firm understanding that the success of tank armies depends on bold maneuver and swiftness in action.
Following orders from the commander On April 18 and 19, the tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front marched uncontrollably towards Berlin. The rate of their advance reached 35-50 km per day. At the same time, the combined arms armies were preparing to eliminate large enemy groups in the area of Cottbus and Spremberg.
By the end of the day on April 20 The main strike force of the 1st Ukrainian Front penetrated deeply into the enemy's position and completely cut off the German Army Group Vistula from Army Group Center. Sensing the threat caused by the rapid actions of the tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the German command took a number of measures to strengthen the approaches to Berlin. To strengthen the defense, infantry and tank units were urgently sent to the area of the cities of Zossen, Luckenwalde, and Jutterbog. Overcoming their stubborn resistance, Rybalko’s tankers reached the outer Berlin defensive perimeter on the night of April 21.
By the morning of April 22 Sukhov's 9th Mechanized Corps and Mitrofanov's 6th Guards Tank Corps of the 3rd Guards Tank Army crossed the Notte Canal, broke through the outer defensive perimeter of Berlin, and by the end of the day reached the southern bank of the Teltovkanal. There, encountering strong and well-organized enemy resistance, they were stopped.
On the afternoon of April 22 at Hitler's headquarters a meeting of the top military leadership was held, at which it was decided to remove the 12th Army of V. Wenk from western front and directing it to join the semi-encircled 9th Army of T. Busse. To organize the offensive of the 12th Army, Field Marshal Keitel was sent to its headquarters. This was the last serious attempt to influence the course of the battle, since by the end of the day on April 22, the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts had formed and almost closed two encirclement rings. One is around the enemy’s 9th Army east and southeast of Berlin; the other is to the west of Berlin, around the units directly defending in the city.
The Teltow Canal was a fairly serious obstacle: a ditch filled with water with high concrete banks forty to fifty meters wide. In addition, its northern coast was very well prepared for defense: trenches, reinforced concrete pillboxes, tanks dug into the ground and self-propelled guns. Above the canal is an almost continuous wall of houses, bristling with fire, with walls a meter or more thick. Having assessed the situation, the Soviet command decided to carry out thorough preparations for crossing the Teltow Canal. All day on April 23, the 3rd Guards Tank Army prepared for the assault. By the morning of April 24, a powerful artillery group, with a density of up to 650 guns per kilometer of front, was concentrated on the southern bank of the Teltow Canal, intended to destroy German fortifications on the opposite bank. Having suppressed the enemy defenses with a powerful artillery strike, the troops of the 6th Guards Tank Corps of Major General Mitrofanov successfully crossed the Teltow Canal and captured a bridgehead on its northern bank. On the afternoon of April 24, Wenck's 12th Army launched the first tank attacks on the positions of General Ermakov's 5th Guards Mechanized Corps (4th Guards Tank Army) and units of the 13th Army. All attacks were successfully repulsed with the support of the 1st Assault Aviation Corps of Lieutenant General Ryazanov.
At 12 noon on April 25 West of Berlin, the advanced units of the 4th Guards Tank Army met with units of the 47th Army of the 1st Belorussian Front. On the same day, another significant event occurred. An hour and a half later, on the Elbe, the 34th Guards Corps of General Baklanov of the 5th Guards Army met with American troops.
From April 25 to May 2, troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front fought fierce battles in three directions: units of the 28th Army, 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies took part in the assault on Berlin; part of the forces of the 4th Guards Tank Army, together with the 13th Army, repelled the counterattack of the 12th German Army; The 3rd Guards Army and part of the forces of the 28th Army blocked and destroyed the encircled 9th Army.
All the time since the beginning of the operation, the command of Army Group Center sought to disrupt the advance of Soviet troops. On April 20, German troops launched the first counterattack on the left flank of the 1st Ukrainian Front and pushed back the troops of the 52nd Army and the 2nd Army of the Polish Army. On April 23, a new powerful counterattack followed, as a result of which the defense at the junction of the 52nd Army and the 2nd Army of the Polish Army was broken through and German troops advanced 20 km in the general direction of Spremberg, threatening to reach the rear of the front.
2nd Belorussian Front (April 20-May 8)
From April 17 to 19, troops of the 65th Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front, under the command of Colonel General P.I. Batov, conducted reconnaissance in force and advanced detachments captured the Oder interfluve, thereby facilitating subsequent crossings of the river. On the morning of April 20, the main forces of the 2nd Belorussian Front went on the offensive: the 65th, 70th and 49th armies. The crossing of the Oder took place under the cover of artillery fire and smoke screens. The offensive developed most successfully in the sector of the 65th Army, which was largely due to the engineering troops of the army. Having established two 16-ton pontoon crossings by 1 p.m., the troops of this army captured a bridgehead 6 kilometers wide and 1.5 kilometers deep by the evening of April 20.
We had a chance to observe the work of sappers. Working up to their necks in icy water amid exploding shells and mines, they made a crossing. Every second they were threatened with death, but people understood their soldier’s duty and thought about one thing - to help their comrades on the west bank and thereby bring victory closer.
More modest success was achieved on the central sector of the front in the zone of the 70th Army. The left-flank 49th Army met stubborn resistance and was unsuccessful. All day and all night on April 21, front troops, repelling numerous attacks by German troops, persistently expanded bridgeheads on the western bank of the Oder. In the current situation, front commander K.K. Rokossovsky decided to send the 49th Army along the crossings of the right neighbor of the 70th Army, and then return it to its offensive zone. By April 25, as a result of fierce battles, front troops expanded the captured bridgehead to 35 km along the front and up to 15 km in depth. To build up striking power, the 2nd Shock Army, as well as the 1st and 3rd Guards Tank Corps, were transported to the western bank of the Oder. At the first stage of the operation, the 2nd Belorussian Front, through its actions, shackled the main forces of the 3rd German Tank Army, depriving it of the opportunity to help those fighting near Berlin. On April 26, formations of the 65th Army took Stettin by storm. Subsequently, the armies of the 2nd Belorussian Front, breaking enemy resistance and destroying suitable reserves, stubbornly advanced to the west. On May 3, Panfilov's 3rd Guards Tank Corps southwest of Wismar established contact with the advanced units of the 2nd British Army.
Liquidation of the Frankfurt-Guben group
By the end of April 24, formations of the 28th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front came into contact with units of the 8th Guards Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, thereby encircling General Busse's 9th Army southeast of Berlin and cutting it off from the city. The surrounded group of German troops began to be called the Frankfurt-Gubensky group. Now the Soviet command was faced with the task of eliminating the 200,000-strong enemy group and preventing its breakthrough to Berlin or to the West. To accomplish the last task, the 3rd Guards Army and part of the forces of the 28th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front took up active defense in the path of a possible breakthrough of German troops. On April 26, the 3rd, 69th, and 33rd armies of the 1st Belorussian Front began the final liquidation of the encircled units. However, the enemy not only put up stubborn resistance, but also repeatedly made attempts to break out of the encirclement. By skillfully maneuvering and skillfully creating superiority in forces on narrow sections of the front, German troops twice managed to break through the encirclement. However, each time the Soviet command took decisive measures to eliminate the breakthrough. Until May 2, the encircled units of the 9th German Army made desperate attempts to break through the battle formations of the 1st Ukrainian Front to the west, to join the 12th Army of General Wenck. Only a few small groups managed to penetrate through the forests and go west.
At 12 noon on April 25, the ring closed around Berlin when the 6th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 4th Guards Tank Army crossed the Havel River and linked up with units of the 328th Division of the 47th Army of General Perkhorovich. By that time, according to the Soviet command, the Berlin garrison numbered at least 200 thousand people, 3 thousand guns and 250 tanks. The city's defense was carefully thought out and well prepared. It was based on a system of strong fire, strongholds and resistance units. The closer to the city center, the denser the defense became. Massive stone buildings with thick walls gave it particular strength. The windows and doors of many buildings were sealed and turned into embrasures for firing. The streets were blocked by powerful barricades up to four meters thick. The defenders had a large number of faustpatrons, which in the context of street battles turned out to be a formidable anti-tank weapon. Of no small importance in the enemy’s defense system were underground structures, which were widely used by the enemy to maneuver troops, as well as to shelter them from artillery and bomb attacks.
By April 26 in the storming of Berlin Six armies of the 1st Belorussian Front took part (47th, 3rd and 5th shock, 8th Guards, 1st and 2nd Guards Tank Armies) and three armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front (28th I, 3rd and 4th Guards Tank). Taking into account the experience of capturing large cities, assault detachments were created for battles in the city, consisting of rifle battalions or companies, reinforced with tanks, artillery and sappers. The actions of assault troops, as a rule, were preceded by a short but powerful artillery preparation.
By April 27
As a result of the actions of the armies of two fronts that had deeply advanced to the center of Berlin, the enemy grouping in Berlin stretched out in a narrow strip from east to west - sixteen kilometers long and two or three, in some places five kilometers wide. The fighting in the city did not stop day or night. Block after block, Soviet troops “gnawed through” the enemy’s defenses. So, by the evening of April 28, units of the 3rd Shock Army reached the Reichstag area. On the night of April 29, the actions of the forward battalions under the command of Captain S. A. Neustroev and Senior Lieutenant K. Ya. Samsonov captured the Moltke Bridge. At dawn on April 30, the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, adjacent to the parliament building, was stormed at the cost of considerable losses. The path to the Reichstag was open.
April 30, 1945 at 21.30
units of the 150th Infantry Division under the command of Major General V
Berlin in 1945 was the largest city of the Reich and its center. Here were the headquarters of the commander-in-chief, the Reich Chancellery, the headquarters of most armies and many other administrative buildings. By spring, Berlin was home to more than 3 million residents and about 300 thousand deported civilians from the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.
The entire top of Nazi Germany remained here: Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, Goering and others.
Preparing the operation
The Soviet leadership planned to take the city at the end of the Berlin offensive. This task was assigned to the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and Belorussian fronts. At the end of April, the advanced units met, the city was besieged.
The USSR allies refused to participate in the operation. Berlin in 1945 represented an extremely important strategic goal. In addition, the fall of the city would invariably lead to a victory in propaganda terms. The Americans developed a plan for the assault back in 1944. After consolidating the troops in Normandy, it was planned to make a rush north to the Ruhr and begin an attack on the city. But in September the Americans suffered huge losses in Holland and abandoned the operation.
Soviet troops on both fronts had more than 2 million manpower and about 6 thousand tanks. Of course, all of them could not participate in the assault. 460 thousand people were concentrated for the strike, and Polish formations also took part.
City defense
The defense of Berlin in 1945 was prepared very carefully. The garrison numbered over 200 thousand people. It is quite difficult to give an exact figure, since the civilian population was actively involved in the defense of the Nazi capital. The city was surrounded by several lines of defense. Every building was turned into a fortress. Barricades were built on the streets. Almost the entire population was obliged to take part in construction engineering structures. Concrete bunkers were hastily installed on the approaches to the city.
Berlin in 1945 was defended by the best troops of the Reich, including the SS. The so-called Volkssturm was also created - militia units recruited from civilians. They were actively armed with Faust cartridges. This is a single-shot anti-tank gun that fires cumulative projectiles. Machine gun crews were located in buildings and simply on city streets.
Offensive
Berlin in 1945 had already been under regular bombing for several months. In 1944, raids by the British and Americans became more frequent. Before this, in 1941, on the personal orders of Stalin, a number of secret operations were carried out by Soviet aviation, as a result of which a number of bombs were dropped on the city.
On April 25, massive artillery preparation began. Soviet aviation ruthlessly suppressed firing points. Howitzers, mortars, and MLRS hit Berlin with direct fire. On April 26, the most fierce fighting of the entire war began in the city. For the Red Army, the density of the city's buildings was a huge problem. It was extremely difficult to advance due to the abundance of barricades and dense fire.
Large losses in armored vehicles were caused by many Volkssturm anti-tank groups. To take one city block, it was first treated with artillery.
The fire stopped only when the infantry approached the German positions. Then the tanks destroyed the stone buildings blocking the path, and the Red Army moved on.
Liberation of Berlin (1945)
Marshal Zhukov ordered to use the experience of the Stalingrad battles. In a similar situation, Soviet troops successfully used small mobile groups. Several armored vehicles, a group of sappers, mortarmen and artillerymen were attached to the infantry. Also, sometimes flamethrowers were included in such a unit. They were needed to destroy the enemy hidden in underground communications.
The rapid advance of Soviet troops led to the encirclement of the Reichstag area within 3 days after the start of active fighting. 5 thousand Nazis concentrated in a small area in the city center. A ditch was dug around the building, making a tank breakthrough impossible. All available artillery fired at the building. On April 30, shells breached the Reichstag. At 14:25 a red flag was raised over the buildings.
The photograph that captured this moment would later become one of
The Fall of Berlin (1945)
After the capture of the Reichstag, the Germans began to flee en masse. Chief of the General Staff Krebs requested a ceasefire. Zhukov conveyed the proposal of the German side personally to Stalin. The commander-in-chief demanded only the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. The Germans rejected such an ultimatum. Immediately after this, heavy fire fell on Berlin. The fighting continued for several more days, as a result of which the Nazis were finally defeated and ended in Europe. in Berlin in 1945 showed the whole world the power of the liberating Red Army and Soviet people. The capture of the Nazi lair forever remained one of the most important points in the history of mankind.