A historical meeting on the Elbe River took place 7️⃣8️⃣ years ago – on April 25, 1945. The Red Army’s First Ukrainian Front troops under the command of Marshal Ivan Konev met the 69th and 104th infantry divisions of the First US Army under the command of General Omar Bradley.

This event is important not only historically but also symbolically. It became a prelude for the defeat of Nazi Germany and marked the peak of the allied struggle waged by the anti-Hitler coalition against Nazism. A spirit of unity against a common enemy, which came to be called the Elbe spirit, opened prospects for postwar cooperation at a new level.

📻 Although rank-and-file soldiers and their command on both sides of the Elbe River intercepted each other’s signals, they did not know how far away their allies were. They were only too happy to meet friendly troops instead of retreating Nazis.

Having forgotten about cultural differences and the language barrier, comrades-in-arms exchanged patches, signs of distinction, household items and even valuables. Later, the celebrations continued at the Soviet command headquarters on the eastern bank of the Elbe River where Omar Bradley came to meet Ivan Konev.

This is how first-hand witnesses described the historical moment. They became world famous owing to a photo by Bill Robertson (left), a reporter for US Life magazine. He said the meeting with the Soviet military created the impression that the world was one. Alexander Silvashko, depicted next to him (right) often said that if American and Soviet soldiers could maintain their comradely relations, “the world could become a better place.”

🤝 In the joint statement on the 75th anniversary of the meeting on the Elbe, the presidents of Russia and the US expressed the same feelings as their compatriots in 1945. “The meeting on the Elbe is the culmination of enormous efforts by many countries and peoples. The Elbe spirit shows how our countries can put aside their differences and cooperate in the name of a common goal”

#WeWereAllies
#Victory78

📅 #OTD in 1944, Soviet forces launched Operation Bagration, one of the largest and most successful military operations in history. In two months, they liberated the Belarusian SSR, part of the Lithuanian and Latvian SSRs and eastern Poland.

🔻 By the summer of 1944, the Red Army had succeeded in pushing German forces back from Leningrad, liberating Crimea and Ukraine and reaching the border with Romania. However, enemy forces continued to occupy the territory of Belarus. A salient controlled by the Wehrmacht’s Army Group Centre was established there. During the three-year occupation, Nazi troops had burned hundreds of local communities and killed over 2 million prisoners of war and civilians.

🔻 The Soviet forces simultaneously breached the defensive positions of the Wehrmacht’s Army Group Centre in six sectors, encircled and defeated the Vitebsk and Bobruisk formations, as well as the Orsha and Mogilyov formations. They launched several powerful strikes towards Minsk, entered Poland and approached the borders of East Prussia.

🔻 As a result of this operation, Soviet forces routed the Army Group Centre, one of the most powerful enemy formations. They crossed three large rivers, the Berezina, the Niemen and the Vistula, and seized vital bridgeheads on their western banks. They liberated Belarus, part of the Baltic republics, eastern Poland and opened the road to Berlin. The front was pushed back 550 to 600 km to the west.

🎖 Soviet soldiers displayed mass heroism and impressive fighting prowess, while liberating Belarus. Over 1,500 members of various Soviet ethnicities were made Heroes of the Soviet Union.

#Victory78 #WeRemember