The epic of the battle for Berlin became the crown of the victorious conclusion of the Great Patriotic War as a heroic feat of the Soviet people in the name of the salvation of all mankind
70 years ago, on April 16, 1945, the Berlin strategic offensive operation began. The Berlin operation was one of the last strategic operations of the Red Army in Europe. Soviet troops occupied the capital of Germany and put an end to the Great Patriotic War and World War II at the European Theater of War. The Berlin operation lasted 23 days - from April 16 to May 8, 1945, during which the Soviet armies carried out the Stettino-Rostock, Zelovo-Berlin, Cottbus-Potsdam, Shtremberg-Torgauska and Brandenburg-Rathenov front operations. The operation involved forces of three Soviet fronts - the 1st Belorussian, 1st Ukrainian and 2nd Belorussian fronts. Ground forces supported the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and the Dnieper Military flotilla.
The Berlin operation of the Soviet Army was one of the largest battles of World War II. More than 3,5 million soldiers and officers, more than 52 thousand guns and mortars, more than 7,7 thousand were involved in it from both sides. tanks and self-propelled guns, over 10 thousand combat aircraft. About 700 divisions took part in the bloody battles that unfolded on the 280-kilometer strip from the Baltic to the Sudeten Mountains.
The Berlin operation is divided into three stages. The first stage is the breakthrough of the enemy defense on the rivers Odra (Oder) and Neisse (Nisa). This stage continued from 16 to 21 in April of 1945. The second stage is the development of success, the dismemberment of the Berlin group of Wehrmacht into three parts, the formation of "boilers" in the area of Berlin and in the forests south-east of it. This stage lasted until 25 April. The third stage is the destruction of Hitler’s forces in Western Pomerania, the elimination of the enemy’s surrounded groups in the German capital, south-east of Berlin, and the exit of the Red Army on a broad front to the Elbe (Labe). This phase lasted from April 26 to May 8 1945.
The Berlin operation crowned the victorious path of the Red Army in 1944-1945. It carried out the richest combat experience gained by the Red Army in the most difficult and long struggle with the best armed forces of the Western world - the German Wehrmacht. This operation ended with the complete victory of the Soviet troops, the defeat and capitulation of one of the strongest groups of the Wehrmacht, which numbered about 1 million soldiers and officers. During the fierce battle, the Soviet troops completely destroyed the 93 divisions and 11 enemy brigades, captured about 450 thousand people, captured more than 1,5 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery, 4,5 thousand aircraft and 8,6 guns and mortars as trophies.
The victory in the Berlin operation was of great military and political importance. The success of the Red Army led to the final demoralization of the military and political leadership of the Third Reich, including the suicide of key figures of Nazi Germany, and the unconditional surrender of the enemy. The battle for Berlin became the agony of the German armed forces. The Soviet Union defeated the infernal Third Reich, whose operators and owners opened the doors to inferno (hell), sacrificing millions of innocent people to their dark lords. In the metaphysical sense, it was another victory of Good over the forces of evil in the endless confrontation between Light and darkness. The Russian (Soviet) civilization in this war represented the forces of Good.
The rapid defeat of the powerful Berlin grouping and the seizure by the Soviet armies of the German capital and the most important military, industrial center of Germany, Berlin, broke the calculations of the leadership of the Reich. Until recently, the German military-political leadership hoped to delay the advance of the Red Army, waiting for a split in the ranks of the anti-Hitler coalition. It was not for nothing that the death of the American President Roosevelt, who had embarked on the soft line of the West in relations with the Red Empire, caused delight in Berlin. And he had a foundation. The American leadership almost immediately launched a policy of 180 degrees, taking the course of confrontation with the Soviet Union. Britain, led by Churchill, fully supported this course. In Berlin, they hoped that cooling in the ranks of the Allies would lead to an armed clash between the Soviet Army and the Anglo-American troops. Germany in this case, after the elimination of Hitler, who was already a decommissioned figure, should again be the tip of the anti-Soviet Union. However, the rapid capture of Berlin, which made a huge impression on the Western military-political elite, surprised by the impressive power of the Soviet Army, thwarted these plans. As a result, the Allied meeting on the Elbe was peaceful. And the soldiers of the Soviet and Anglo-American troops, who did not know about the intricacies of big politics, sincerely rejoiced.
Deeply symbolic historical a fact that we cannot forget that the Banner of Victory over defeated Berlin was erected by Soviet victorious soldiers, warriors-liberators of Europe. Soviet soldiers saved the world, all of humanity from the black New World Order. The leaders of the Third Reich, who always set England, the British Empire as a model, built a caste, slave-owning society. They planned to "cleanse" the planet of "inferior" peoples, and make other nations slaves to the "Eternal Reich." In a sense, the leaders of the Reich must say “thank you” for openly voicing the plans of the owners of the Western project to turn the planet into a giant concentration camp. ABOUTHowever, the Russian (Soviet) civilization, which carries the code matrix of creating a just society on the planet (Grada Kitezh, the Kingdom of God for all nations), at the cost of incredible effort and loss, annihilated this dark scenario, gave humanity another chance for proper development .
Of particular importance is the memory of this historic Victory of Russian (Soviet) civilization in modern times. Only the memory of the Great Patriotic War and Victory in it still unites the inhabitants of the Russian Federation. Victory Day is the only holiday uniting everyone. Therefore, our enemies are making great efforts to denigrate the Great War, a feat of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. In order to cross out from the Great War the name of Joseph Stalin, the great leader of Soviet civilization and the Russian people, under whose leadership Russia-USSR won the worst war in the history of mankind.
The situation on the conceptual, ideological, historical and political "fronts" is difficult. The enemy was able to almost completely confuse part of the Russian civilization - Small Russia (Ukraine). One of the capitals of historical Rus - Kiev is occupied by new policemen and serfs of the current "Eternal Reich" - the conglomerate of the "American Empire" and the European "Fourth Reich". The moment of direct occupation is near. On the Russian land, and Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as other cities and villages of the Ukraine, are all Russian lands, the war is on again. And our external enemies were able to make the Russians kill Russians.
In the Baltics dominated by dwarf, Russophobic and neo-Nazi regimes. Russophobic sentiments are growing in the Scandinavian countries. Again, hatred of Russia became the basis of policy in Poland and Romania. Troops of a hostile NATO bloc are concentrated on the western borders of Russia. And the southern strategic direction began the expansion of the Islamic Caliphate, which was cultivated, for example, by the Third Reich, and is used by the owners of the Western project. The degradation and archaization after the collapse of the USSR of a large part of the space of Central Asia threatens the Russian Federation with big troubles from the Central Asian direction. There is a high probability of an explosion in the Transcaucasus, with the transfer of chaos to the North Caucasus, where national, religious, socio-economic, educational and cultural problems are only muted, but they have not gone away. China, with the support of part of the owners of the Western project, is building a “New Monetary World”, in which Russia has a place only as a raw materials appendage, which in the long run will pass the Far East, Siberia and the Arctic, since it cannot keep them.
In the Russian Federation itself, Western conductors continue to destroy education, health care, and the national economy. The strength reserves of the Soviet civilization in these areas are coming to an end. In the sphere of culture, the blackening of the Soviet past continues, “black myths” breed, which destroy the root images and meanings of civilization. De-Stalinization and de-Sovietisation continue, in fact, these processes simultaneously lead to the de-Russification of society, as in the Ukraine. The propaganda of debauchery and the sexual revolution, following the example of Western society, destroy the spirituality of our society, deprive it of the future in the form of children. Russian people again before a global challenge. And there is almost no time left ...
A characteristic feature of the Berlin operation was that its preparation, unlike many large-scale operations of the Second World War, was carried out in a very limited time frame - in just 12-14 days. For example, the Stalingrad, Belorussian, and Vistula-Oder operations were prepared by the 1-2 months. The tight deadlines were due to a number of factors, but the military strategic factor was of primary importance. Moscow needed to thwart the plans of the part of the leadership of the Third Reich seeking contacts with the Anglo-Saxon elites. So that the war would not drag on and develop into the Third World War, already using atomic weapons, it was necessary to take Berlin and put the Western world before this fact.
The defeat of the millionth enemy grouping was carried out by the efforts of three interacting Soviet fronts, which delivered six concentrated blows on a wide 300-kilometer front. The application of a number of powerful, crushing simultaneous strikes made it possible in the shortest possible time, to dismember the Berlin grouping into several separate parts, surround and destroy them separately. In addition, the simultaneous offensive of the Soviet armies hampered the German troops throughout the Oder-Neissen line, which was central to Berlin (central) direction. The Soviet offensive made it possible to maneuver around the enemy in unusual conditions, when there was no covering position of the Soviet fronts in relation to the Berlin grouping. The Soviet command created powerful offensive groups capable of quickly breaking into strong, deeply echeloned enemy defenses and breaking into the depths of its orders. In total, about 2,5 million people, about 42 thousand guns and mortars, 6250 tanks and SPG, about 7,5 thousand combat aircraft deployed in the Berlin direction.
A special feature of the Berlin operation was the high concentration of Soviet armored forces. Four tank armies, 10 separate tank and mechanized corps, 16 separate tank and self-propelled artillery brigades and up to 80 separate tank and self-propelled regiments participated in the operation. Armored forces participated in all phases of the operation: they broke through the German defensive line in close cooperation with the combined-arms armies; after breaking through the three defensive lines of the Oder-Neissen frontier, they independently acted in the operational depth, carrying out a maneuver around the German capital from the south and north; took part in the storming of Berlin with the preservation of their own lines of attack. True, the experience of storming Berlin showed the inexpediency of using large armored formations in the storming of such large cities, where tank units lost their main advantages — speed, maneuver, and strike power. However, during the Berlin operation, this step was justified by the need for a quick assault, without a long siege and led to a reduction in casualties.
The battle for Berlin showed the increased skill of Soviet gunners. The “God of War” - artillery, was massively used to crush enemy defenses in the most important areas and ensure fire superiority during the operation. A new phenomenon was the implementation of artillery preparation at night. Artillery played an important role during the assault on Berlin. A major role in the operation was played by air superiority. The Soviet Air Force during the operation made 91 thousand sorties, having brought down 14,5 thousand tons of bombs on the enemy, conducted 1280 air battles. Soviet aviation gained invaluable experience in the form of organization and implementation of military operations of large aviation forces during the storming of a big city and at night. The task of gaining complete dominance in the air was successfully solved. In addition, the Soviet Air Force gained the first experience of centralized use of radar facilities on the scale of the air army.
The Berlin operation was the pinnacle of Soviet military art to storm a large and well-fortified city. Here, the experience of urban battle tactics that was accumulated earlier was used and enriched, especially during the siege and storming of Budapest and the quick storming of Königsberg. The peculiarity of the storming of Berlin was that the Soviet troops abandoned the method of complete "stripping" of the offensive front. Soviet troops were advancing along narrow lines, quickly penetrating the enemy’s battle formations, and were not afraid to leave entire urban areas in the rear that could be cleared later by breaking the general organized resistance of the German garrison. This allowed in a short time to break the resistance of the enemy and solve the tasks.
The Berlin operation was a high indicator of the economic capabilities of the Soviet Union and a high appreciation of the organizational skills of Soviet military leaders. The Soviet command was able not only to accumulate a large amount of inventory at the beginning of the operation (only artillery ammunition was used by three fronts during the operation of 7200 cars, and directly during the storming of Berlin - 1200 cars), but systematically replenish them during the battle, maintaining a high level of security troops with everything necessary by the end of the battle.
During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops were led by the most famous commanders, who had vast experience in leading various troop formations in different combat conditions (catastrophe of retreat, positional and maneuverable defense, offensive operations). Our troops were led by outstanding commanders: Marshal Georgy Zhukov, Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky and Ivan Stepanovich Konev. The head of the headquarters was Marshal Joseph Stalin, who led the Soviet armed forces. The Soviet leader, who in the prewar years proved to be an excellent manager and organizer, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, showed himself to be a worthy supreme commander. Stalin firmly and skillfully carried out the general leadership of the fronts in the strategic operations of the final stage of the Great Patriotic War.
To be continued ...
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