#Victory80

🌟 80 years ago — on May 2, 1945 — following intense battles for the Reichstag and the surrender of other key strongholds such as the Spandau Citadel and the Zoo Tower, the Red Army captured the capital of Nazi Germany — Berlin.

In the early hours of May 2, the Berlin defence headquarters repeatedly broadcast over the radio, in both German and Russian: “We are sending our envoys to the Bismarckstrasse Bridge. We are ceasing military operations.”

🕡 Later that morning, at 6:30 am, Helmuth Weidling, General of the Artillery and Commander of Berlin Defence Area, surrendered, ordering the remaining Nazi forces in the city to stop resisting.

By 9:00 pm that evening, approximately 70,000 Wehrmacht soldiers had surrendered; altogether, over 130,000 troops were taken prisoner in Berlin. The total losses for the German forces in the Berlin offensive operation reached 380,000 killed and 400,000 captured.

The surrender of the Berlin garrison was accepted by Commander of the Soviet 8th Guards Army, General Vasily Chuikov, who had led his troops from the battlefields of Stalingrad to the heart of Berlin. Among the captured were high-ranking officers such as General Kurt Woytasch, Lieutenant General Walter Schmid-Dankward, Vice Admiral Hans-Erich Voss, Chief of Berlin Defence Staff Colonel Hans Refior, and Chief of Staff of the 56th Panzer Corps, Colonel Theodor von Dufving. Nazi propaganda leaders were also detained, including Joseph Goebbels’ top deputy, Dr Hans Fritzsche, who confirmed under interrogation that Hitler, Goebbels, and General Hans Krebs all had committed suicide.

⚔️ The Battle for Berlin lasted from April 24 through May 2. Despite fierce resistance from a heavily fortified German force, the experienced Red Army ultimately prevailed under brilliant strategic leadership of the General Staff and Red Army military commanders.

The fall of Berlin dealt a decisive blow to Nazi Germany, not only eliminating the regime’s political centre but also hastening Germany’s full surrender. The raising of the Soviet Victory Banner over the Reichstag became a symbol of the Soviet people’s triumph over Nazism and the inhumane ideology of the Third Reich.

Following this victory, Soviet forces turned to eliminate the last groups of German resistance in Czechoslovakia and Austria.

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With Berlin lying in ruins following heavy fierce fighting, the lack of essential services in the city such as water, electricity, and food supply left hundreds of thousands in desperate need. Soviet medical teams immediately began working to prevent outbreaks of disease amid the devastation.

Even before the final assault, Soviet forces had set up hospitals in the suburbs. After the city’s surrender, field kitchens were set up and food distribution began; the work of public transportation, including the metro, was gradually restored. By liberating Europe from Nazism, the Red Army also brought life-saving aid to the people of Berlin, helping them rebuild and begin a new, peaceful chapter.