April 26, 1945 The third and final stage of the Berlin operation began: Soviet troops began to cut through and destroy the encircled groups of German troops. The enemy's Potsdam group was cut off from Berlin. Soviet troops have already occupied three quarters of Berlin.* *

On May 1, 1945, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front fought and occupied the cities of Stralsund, Grimmen and 18 other large settlements. 8,500 German soldiers and officers were captured. Troops of the 1st Belorussian Front stormed the city of Brandenburg, the center of the Brandenburg War.

On May 2, 1945, the troops of the 1st Belorussian (Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov) and 2nd Ukrainian (Marshal of the Soviet Union I.S. Konev) fronts completed the defeat of the Berlin group of German troops and completely captured Berlin. By 15 o'clock enemy resistance

May 3, 1945 3rd Guards Tank Corps A.P. Panfilov of the 2nd Belorussian Front occupied the cities of Bad Doberan, Neubukov, Warin in Germany and established communications along the Elbe with the advanced units of the 2nd British Army. Troops of the 1st Belorussian Front reached the Elbe southeast of the city

On May 4, 1945, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, having crossed the Divenow Strait north of Stettin, captured the city of Wollin, as well as several other large settlements. On May 3, front troops captured 22 thousand German soldiers and officers. Troops of the 1st Belorussian

On May 5, 1945, the KGB of the USSR Yuri Andropov’s remains were dug up, burned, and the ashes were scattered.* * *On May 4, 26 German tanks were knocked out and destroyed on all fronts. In air battles and anti-aircraft artillery fire, 14 enemy aircraft were shot down.* * *The Americans were released from prison

On May 6, 1945, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front completely captured the island of Rügen. The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front continued their offensive northwest of the city of Brandenburg.* * *The Prague operation of the 1st, 2nd and 4th began a day ahead of schedule. th Ukrainian fronts and

On May 7, 1945, troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front broke through the enemy’s defenses west of Dresden.* * *After the German command of the garrison of the Danish island of Bornholm refused to capitulate, Baltic Fleet aviation launched a massive raid on the port of Rennes. Ships and

May 8, 1945 Victory Day in Western Europe and the USA.* * *In Karlshorst (a suburb of Berlin) at 22:43 Central European time, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany was signed. This is what it says in all calendars, although in reality,

May 9, 1945 Victory Day of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.* * *G.K. Zhukov: “At 0 hours 50 minutes on May 9, 1945, the meeting at which the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces was adopted closed. Then a reception took place, which was held with

On May 10, 1945, the troops of the Leningrad, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts continued to receive capitulated German troops. German troops under the command of Field Marshal Scherner and a group under the command of Colonel General Wöhler on the territory of Czechoslovakia

May 13, 1945 Since May 9, Soviet troops captured more than 1.2 million German soldiers and officers and 101 generals. In Czechoslovakia and Austria, our troops cleared occupied areas from scattered groups of generals Schörner and Wöhler, who had not laid down their arms.* * *To liberated Norway

May 14, 1945 Military Commandant of Berlin Colonel General N.E. Berzarin, together with the new metro directorate, opened traffic on the first metro line, and by the end of May, five metro lines with a total length of 61 kilometers were put into operation. May 19

On May 15, 1945, Moscow Radio broadcast the operational report of the Soviet Information Bureau for the last time. It consisted of one line: “Reception of captured German soldiers and officers on all fronts

May 24, 1945 Speeches by I. Stalin at a reception in the Kremlin in honor of the commanders of the Red Army: “Comrades, allow me to raise one more, final toast. I would like to raise a toast to the health of our Soviet people, and above all the Russian people. I’m drinking first of all for

On May 31, 1945, a Special Committee under the new US President Harry Truman began discussing the problem of the atomic bomb, which the Americans were soon to acquire. The decision was made: to use the atomic bomb, there should be no warnings about new weapons,

Soviet soldiers rest between battles in Berlin. In the foreground is a killed German soldier.
During the fighting from April 24 to May 2 in this area, our troops captured more than 120,000 German soldiers and officers. During the same time, the Germans lost more than 60,000 people killed. During the same time, our troops captured the following trophies: tanks and self-propelled guns - 304, field guns - more than 1,500, machine guns - 2,180, vehicles - 17,600 and many other weapons and military equipment.
In the Berlin area on May 2, more than 134,000 German soldiers and officers were captured.

The commander of the 56th Corps, General Helmut Weidling (left), who surrendered to Soviet troops on May 2, together with his staff officers, was the last commander of the defense of Berlin personally appointed by Hitler.
Southeast of Berlin, troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts completed the liquidation of the encircled group of German troops.

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

The medal “For the Capture of Berlin” is made of brass and has the shape of a regular circle with a diameter of 32 mm. On the front side of the medal: in the center there is the inscription “FOR THE CAPTURE OF BERLIN”, above the inscription there is a five-pointed star, at the bottom along the circumference there is a half-wreath of oak leaves. The front side of the medal is edged. On the reverse side of the medal is the date of the capture of Berlin “May 2, 1945”, under the date there is a five-pointed asterisk. All inscriptions and images on the medal are convex. Using an eyelet and a ring, the medal is connected to a pentagonal block covered with a red silk moiré ribbon 24 mm wide. There are five stripes in the middle of the ribbon: three black and two orange. The extreme black stripes are bordered by narrow orange stripes.
Most of the awards with the medal “For the Capture of Berlin” occurred immediately after the end of the Great Patriotic War. So, in the period 1945–1948. About 1,082,000 people were awarded the medal. However, some of the soldiers and officers who participated in the storming of Berlin, for various reasons, were not able to receive a medal during this period. All these individuals were awarded medals later.
Probably one of the last awards in history of this medal of honor took place in the summer of 2003. At the Russian embassy in Armenia, the medal was presented to Yerevan resident Anatoly Zelentsov. During the assault on Berlin, Guard Sergeant Major Zelentsov was wounded, ended up in the hospital, and for some reason did not receive a well-deserved award. The medal found him only 58 years later.
North-west of Berlin troops 1st Belorussian Front, continuing the offensive, they fought and occupied the cities of Neu-Ruppin, KIRITZ, WUSTERHAUSEN, NEUSTADT, FERBELLIN, FRIZAK.
Troops 2nd Belorussian Front, developing the offensive, on May 2 they captured the cities of ROSTOK, WARNEMÜNDE - large ports and important naval bases of the Germans on the Baltic Sea, and also occupied the cities of RIBNITZ, MARLOW, LAAGE, TETEROW, MIROV and the large settlements of ALTENPLEN, RECHTENBERG, FRANZBURG, TRIBZES, SULZE, DARGUN, TURKOV, YABEL, TSEHLIN, HERTZ-SPRUNG. By the end of May 2, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front reached the line of Warnemünde, Röbel, Pritzwalk and completed the defeat of the enemy group in Western Pomerania and Mecklenburg. In the battles of May 2, front troops captured 10,600 German soldiers and officers and captured 328 aircraft.
Troops 4th Ukrainian Front, continuing the offensive in the Western Carpathians, they fought and occupied the large settlements of LASKOV, ORLOVA, DEMBOVETS, GORDZISHOW, TURZOVKA, DLGE POLE, VELIKOE ROVNE, STIAVNIK, PAPRADNO, MODLATIN. In the battles of May 2, front troops captured more than 1,400 German soldiers and officers.
Troops 2nd Ukrainian Front, continuing the offensive east of the city of BRNO, they fought and occupied the large settlements of BRUMOV, VALASZKE, KLOBOUKI, SLAVICHIN, LUHACHOVIZE, BRZAZOWKI, UGERESKY HRADIŠTEF, NAPJEDLA. On May 2, front troops captured more than 1,000 German soldiers and officers. The commander of the 16th German Tank Division, Major General Müller, was captured by Czechoslovakian partisans and handed over to our troops.
On May 2, 53 German tanks and self-propelled guns were knocked out and destroyed on all fronts.
There were 7 days left until our Victory.

Banner over the Reichstag / Photo: www.mihailov.be

On May 2, 1945, Soviet troops completely captured the German capital Berlin during the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation, which was carried out from April 16 to May 8, 1945 during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945).

In the spring of 1945, the armed forces of the Soviet Union, the USA, Great Britain and France fought on the territory of Nazi Germany. Soviet troops were located 60 kilometers from Berlin, and the advanced units of the American-British troops reached the Elbe River 100-120 kilometers from the German capital.

Berlin was not only a political stronghold of Nazism, but also one of the largest military-industrial centers in Germany.

The main forces of the Wehrmacht were concentrated in the Berlin direction. In Berlin itself, about 200 Volkssturm battalions (militia units of the Third Reich) were formed, and the total number of the garrison exceeded 200 thousand people.

The city's defense was carefully thought out and well prepared. The Berlin defensive area included three ring contours. The external defensive circuit ran along rivers, canals and lakes 25-40 kilometers from the center of the capital. It was based on large settlements, turned into centers of resistance. The internal defensive contour, which was considered the main defense line of the fortified area, ran along the outskirts of the suburbs of Berlin. Anti-tank obstacles and barbed wire barriers were erected on their streets. The total depth of defense on this perimeter was six kilometers. The third, urban bypass ran along the circular railway. All streets leading to the city center were blocked with all kinds of barriers, and bridges were prepared to be blown up.

For ease of defense management, Berlin was divided into nine sectors. The most heavily fortified was the central sector, where the main government and administrative institutions were located, including the Reichstag and the Imperial Chancellery. Trenches for artillery, mortars, tanks and assault guns were dug in the streets and squares, and numerous firing points were prepared, protected by reinforced concrete structures. For covert maneuver by forces and means, it was planned to widely use the metro, the total length of lines of which reached 80 kilometers. Most of the defensive structures in the city itself and on the approaches to it were occupied by troops in advance.

The operation plan of the Soviet Supreme High Command was to deliver several powerful blows on a wide front, dismember the enemy’s Berlin group, encircle and destroy it piece by piece. The operation began on April 16, 1945. After powerful artillery and air preparation, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front attacked the enemy on the Oder River. At the same time, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front began to cross the Neisse River. Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, Soviet troops broke through his defenses.

On April 20, long-range artillery fire from the 1st Belorussian Front on Berlin marked the beginning of its assault. By the evening of April 21, his shock units reached the northeastern outskirts of the city.

The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front carried out a rapid maneuver to reach Berlin from the south and west. On April 21, having advanced 95 kilometers, tank units of the front broke into the southern outskirts of the city. Taking advantage of the success of tank formations, the combined arms armies of the shock group of the 1st Ukrainian Front quickly advanced westward.

On April 25, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian Fronts united west of Berlin, completing the encirclement of the entire Berlin enemy group (500 thousand people).

The 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 firmly pinned down the 3rd German Tank Army, preventing it from being used on the approaches to Berlin.

The Nazi group in Berlin, despite the obvious doom, continued stubborn resistance. In fierce street battles on April 26-28, it was cut by Soviet troops into three isolated parts.

The fighting went on day and night. Breaking through to the center of Berlin, Soviet soldiers stormed every street and every house. On some days they managed to clear up to 300 blocks of the enemy. Hand-to-hand combat broke out in subway tunnels, underground communication structures and communication passages. The basis of the combat formations of rifle and tank units during the fighting in the city were assault detachments and groups. Most of the artillery (up to 152 mm and 203 mm guns) was assigned to rifle units for direct fire. Tanks operated as part of both rifle formations and tank corps and armies, promptly subordinate to the command of combined arms armies or operating in their own offensive zone. Attempts to use tanks independently led to heavy losses from artillery fire and faustpatrons. Due to the fact that Berlin was shrouded in smoke during the assault, the massive use of bomber aircraft was often difficult. The most powerful strikes on military targets in the city were carried out by aviation on April 25 and on the night of April 26; 2,049 aircraft took part in these strikes.

By April 28, only the central part remained in the hands of the defenders of Berlin, shot from all sides by Soviet artillery, and by the evening of the same day, units of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front reached the Reichstag area.

The Reichstag garrison numbered up to one thousand soldiers and officers, but it continued to continuously strengthen. It was armed with a large number of machine guns and faust cartridges. There were also artillery pieces. Deep ditches were dug around the building, various barriers were erected, and machine gun and artillery firing points were equipped.

On April 30, troops of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front began fighting for the Reichstag, which immediately became extremely fierce. Only in the evening, after repeated attacks, Soviet soldiers broke into the building. The Nazis put up fierce resistance. Hand-to-hand combat broke out on the stairs and in the corridors every now and then. The assault units, step by step, room by room, floor by floor, cleared the Reichstag building of the enemy. The entire path of Soviet soldiers from the main entrance to the Reichstag to the roof was marked with red flags and flags. On the night of May 1, the Victory Banner was hoisted over the building of the defeated Reichstag. The battles for the Reichstag continued until the morning of May 1, and individual groups of the enemy, holed up in basement compartments, capitulated only on the night of May 2.

In the battles for the Reichstag, the enemy lost more than 2 thousand soldiers and officers killed and wounded. Soviet troops captured over 2.6 thousand Nazis, as well as 1.8 thousand rifles and machine guns, 59 artillery pieces, 15 tanks and assault guns as trophies.

On May 1, units of the 3rd Shock Army, advancing from the north, met south of the Reichstag with units of the 8th Guards Army, advancing from the south. On the same day, two important Berlin defense centers surrendered: the Spandau citadel and the Flakturm I (Zoobunker) concrete anti-aircraft defense tower.

By 15:00 on May 2, enemy resistance had completely ceased, the remnants of the Berlin garrison surrendered with a total of more than 134 thousand people.

During the fighting, out of approximately 2 million Berliners, about 125 thousand died, and a significant part of Berlin was destroyed. Of the 250 thousand buildings in the city, about 30 thousand were completely destroyed, more than 20 thousand buildings were in a dilapidated state, more than 150 thousand buildings had moderate damage. More than a third of metro stations were flooded and destroyed, 225 bridges were blown up by Nazi troops.

The fighting with individual groups breaking through from the outskirts of Berlin to the west ended on May 5. On the night of May 9, the Act of Surrender of the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany was signed.

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

Date in history: May 2, 1945 The Red Army brought Berlin to its knees... On May 2, 1945, Soviet troops completed the defeat of the Berlin garrison and completely captured the city. The joint efforts of the troops of Marshal Zhukov and Marshal Konev successfully completed the assault on Berlin on May 2, 1945. “The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, with the assistance of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, after stubborn street fighting, completed the defeat of the Berlin Group of German Forces and today, May 2, completely captured the capital of Germany, the city of Berlin - the center of German imperialism and the center of German aggression,” the Sovinformburo reported. . According to Stalin's order, Moscow saluted with 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns in honor of the capture of Berlin. “The Berlin garrison defending the city, led by the chief of Berlin’s defense, artillery general Weidling, and his staff, ceased resistance on May 2 at 3 p.m., laid down their arms and surrendered,” the report noted. As of 21.00, “our troops captured more than 70,000 German soldiers and officers in the city of Berlin.” “Among the prisoners: generals for special assignments under the chief of defense of Berlin, Lieutenant General Kurt Wetash and Lieutenant General Walter Schmidt-Dankwart, headquarters representative Vice Admiral Voss, chief of the Berlin defense staff Colonel Hans Rehior, chief of staff of the 56th German tank corps Colonel Theodor von Diffwing,” the summary lists. Also taken prisoner were Goebbels' first deputy for propaganda and press - Doctor of Philosophy and History Fritsche, head of the press Doctor of Philosophy and History Click, government adviser Doctor of Philosophy and History Heinrichsdorf. “During a survey, Fritzsche showed that Hitler, Goebbels and the newly appointed Chief of the General Staff, Infantry General Krebs, committed suicide,” the Sovinformburo reports. Southeast of Berlin, troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts completed the liquidation of the encircled group of German troops, the report summarizes. During the Berlin operation, 60 thousand Germans were killed. “During the battles from April 24 to May 2 in this area, our troops captured more than 120,000 German soldiers and officers. During the same time, the Germans lost more than 60,000 people in killed alone,” reports the Sovinformburo. - Among the prisoners are the deputy commander of the 9th German Army, Lieutenant General Bernhard, the commander of the 5th German SS Corps, Lieutenant General Eckel, the commander of the 21st German SS Panzer Division, Lieutenant General Marx, the commander of the 169th German Infantry Division, Lieutenant General Radchiy, the commandant of the Frankfurt fortress. -Oder Major General Biel, Chief of Artillery of the 11th German SS Panzer Corps Major General Strammer and Aviation General Zander." During the same time, our troops captured the following trophies: tanks and self-propelled guns - 304, field guns - more than 1,500, machine guns - 2,180, vehicles - 17,600 and many other weapons and military equipment, the summary says. “Soviet tankers and infantrymen, with the support of artillerymen and guards mortarmen, broke the resistance of the Germans fortified in Tiergarten Park. Advancing from the north and south, our troops united on the Charlottenburger Highway, passing through the center of the park,” the Sovinformburo gives details of the battles. Fierce fighting also took place in the Friedrichs-Hain park area. The Nazis, relying on heavily fortified houses and street barricades, resisted fiercely. Soviet assault groups, reinforced with tanks and guns, persistently moved forward, knocking the Nazis out of their shelters. With skillful and decisive actions, our troops split the enemy forces into separate units isolated from each other and destroyed them. Depressed and demoralized German soldiers and officers, in groups and alone, began to throw down their weapons and surrender. The chief of defense of Berlin, artillery general Weidling, today moved to the location of our troops and announced that the Berlin garrison would capitulate. At 15 o'clock the Germans stopped resistance, laid down their arms and surrendered. Having captured the capital of Germany, Berlin, the valiant Red Army won a brilliant victory and forever glorified its battle flags. The Sovinformburo reports this. Foreign radio stations interrupt broadcasts with messages about the Russian capture of Berlin. “Today at 11 p.m. Moscow time, London radio interrupted its next broadcast, and the announcer announced that an emergency message would be transmitted. Then the announcer conveyed the order of Marshal Stalin to the Red Army and Navy regarding the capture of the German capital, Berlin, by Soviet troops.” , - reported the correspondent. TASS from London on May 2. The agency also quotes a report from an American radio transmitter in England about the fall of Berlin as the capital of the “third empire.” The content of Marshal Stalin's order in this message is called "historical." “Bucharest radio transmitted the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the Soviet Union I.V. Stalin regarding the complete capture of Berlin by Soviet troops immediately after this order was transmitted by Moscow radio,” TASS reported from Bucharest. The offensive is developing in the Baltic and in the Carpathians Troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, developing the offensive, on May 2 captured the cities of Rostock and Warnemünde - large ports and important naval bases of the Germans on the Baltic Sea, and also occupied about 15 cities and large settlements. The day before, front troops captured 5,450 German soldiers and officers and captured 78 aircraft and 178 field guns. On the night of May 2, our heavy bombers attacked German military targets in Swinemünde. As a result of this strike, many fires broke out in the shipyards and port, accompanied by strong explosions. The troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Konev, continuing the offensive in the Western Carpathians, fought to occupy 10 large settlements. In the battles of May 1, front troops captured more than 5,000 German soldiers and officers and captured 196 field guns. The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Malinovsky, continuing the offensive east of the city of Brno, fought to occupy 9 large settlements. This data is provided by the Sovinformburo.

The operation plan of the Soviet Supreme High Command was to deliver several powerful blows on a wide front, dismember the enemy’s Berlin group, encircle and destroy it piece by piece. The operation began on April 16, 1945. After powerful artillery and air preparation, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front attacked the enemy on the Oder River. At the same time, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front began to cross the Neisse River. Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, Soviet troops broke through his defenses.

On April 20, long-range artillery fire from the 1st Belorussian Front on Berlin marked the beginning of its assault. By the evening of April 21, his shock units reached the northeastern outskirts of the city.

The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front carried out a rapid maneuver to reach Berlin from the south and west. On April 21, having advanced 95 kilometers, tank units of the front broke into the southern outskirts of the city. Taking advantage of the success of tank formations, the combined arms armies of the shock group of the 1st Ukrainian Front quickly advanced westward.

On April 25, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian Fronts united west of Berlin, completing the encirclement of the entire Berlin enemy group (500 thousand people).

The 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 firmly pinned down the 3rd German Tank Army, preventing it from being used on the approaches to Berlin.

The Nazi group in Berlin, despite the obvious doom, continued stubborn resistance. In fierce street battles on April 26-28, it was cut by Soviet troops into three isolated parts.

The fighting went on day and night. Breaking through to the center of Berlin, Soviet soldiers stormed every street and every house. On some days they managed to clear up to 300 blocks of the enemy. Hand-to-hand combat broke out in subway tunnels, underground communication structures and communication passages. The basis of the combat formations of rifle and tank units during the fighting in the city were assault detachments and groups. Most of the artillery (up to 152 mm and 203 mm guns) was assigned to rifle units for direct fire. Tanks operated as part of both rifle formations and tank corps and armies, promptly subordinate to the command of combined arms armies or operating in their own offensive zone. Attempts to use tanks independently led to heavy losses from artillery fire and faustpatrons. Due to the fact that Berlin was shrouded in smoke during the assault, the massive use of bomber aircraft was often difficult. The most powerful strikes on military targets in the city were carried out by aviation on April 25 and on the night of April 26; 2,049 aircraft took part in these strikes.

By April 28, only the central part remained in the hands of the defenders of Berlin, shot from all sides by Soviet artillery, and by the evening of the same day, units of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front reached the Reichstag area.

The Reichstag garrison numbered up to one thousand soldiers and officers, but it continued to continuously strengthen. It was armed with a large number of machine guns and faust cartridges. There were also artillery pieces. Deep ditches were dug around the building, various barriers were erected, and machine gun and artillery firing points were equipped.

On April 30, troops of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front began fighting for the Reichstag, which immediately became extremely fierce. Only in the evening, after repeated attacks, Soviet soldiers broke into the building. The Nazis put up fierce resistance. Hand-to-hand combat broke out on the stairs and in the corridors every now and then. The assault units, step by step, room by room, floor by floor, cleared the Reichstag building of the enemy. The entire path of Soviet soldiers from the main entrance to the Reichstag to the roof was marked with red flags and flags. On the night of May 1, the Victory Banner was hoisted over the building of the defeated Reichstag. The battles for the Reichstag continued until the morning of May 1, and individual groups of the enemy, holed up in basement compartments, capitulated only on the night of May 2.

In the battles for the Reichstag, the enemy lost more than 2 thousand soldiers and officers killed and wounded. Soviet troops captured over 2.6 thousand Nazis, as well as 1.8 thousand rifles and machine guns, 59 artillery pieces, 15 tanks and assault guns as trophies.

On May 1, units of the 3rd Shock Army, advancing from the north, met south of the Reichstag with units of the 8th Guards Army, advancing from the south. On the same day, two important Berlin defense centers surrendered: the Spandau citadel and the Flakturm I (Zoobunker) concrete anti-aircraft defense tower.

By 15:00 on May 2, enemy resistance had completely ceased, the remnants of the Berlin garrison surrendered with a total of more than 134 thousand people.

During the fighting, out of approximately 2 million Berliners, about 125 thousand died, and a significant part of Berlin was destroyed. Of the 250 thousand buildings in the city, about 30 thousand were completely destroyed, more than 20 thousand buildings were in a dilapidated state, more than 150 thousand buildings had moderate damage. More than a third of metro stations were flooded and destroyed, 225 bridges were blown up by Nazi troops.

The fighting with individual groups breaking through from the outskirts of Berlin to the west ended on May 5. On the night of May 9, the Act of Surrender of the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany was signed.

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