Berlin, Germany
April 29, 1945
Stalin demanded the capture of Berlin. He rightly predicted a conflict with western allies over who would control Germany after the war, and as such he urged Soviet commanders to claim victory before the United States. Much of the German capital was demolished by a sustained barrage from thousands of Soviet artillery guns, as a force of over two million soldiers encircled the city. Soon, Hitler would be dead, his army in chaos, and his thousand-year Reich undone. All that remained for the USSR was the capture of The Reichstag, Germany's symbolic landmark and historic seat of power.
"And I wanted to shout, to call to all our brothers, our soldiers, who are lying in the Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian and Polish earth, who sleep for ever on the fields of our battles: 'Comrades, can you hear us? We've done it"
- Vastly Grossman, Soviet War Correspondent
6 сен 2024