EducationHistory

Medal "For the capture of Berlin": the reward for freedom

The greatest test that fell to the share of the Soviet Union - its people and the Armed Forces - the Great Patriotic War. Four years passed, heavy for all Soviet people, before the war ended and a complete victory over fascism was achieved.

The consequences of this war were of historical significance and had an impact on the post-war development of all mankind. Soviet troops not only cleared the captured territory of the fascist troops, but also helped the peoples of Europe to get rid of the German invaders.

The situation at the front in May 1945

We must understand that the medal "For the capture of Berlin" had a huge symbolic and historical significance.

By the time the decision to storm Berlin was ripe, Soviet intelligence was reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief about the start of secret talks between the intelligence chief of the CIA, Allen Dulles and Hitler's Germany.

With the participation of Italian and Swiss mediators, the head of US intelligence A. Dulles began such negotiations. On March 8, 1945, he met in Zurich with the representative of the German command, General SS W. Wolfe.

Thanks to the actions of Soviet intelligence and the intervention of the leadership of the Soviet Union, these negotiations were thwarted. But before the command of the Soviet troops the question arose about the beginning of preparations for the assault on the capital of Germany - the city of Berlin.

Defensive structures

The command of the Hitlerite troops was aware that the fall of Berlin could put an end to the power of the fascists in Germany.

In order to keep the city as long as possible, powerful protective structures were built on the borders. For this purpose, not only profitable relief (rivers, lakes, canals) was used, but also every building and stone buildings.

A difficult obstacle was the water obstacles on the front line of defense, which took place on the banks of the Oder and Neisse rivers. The width of the river reached 250 meters.

The city was surrounded by a triple ring of defensive structures, and inside it was built 400 long-term firing points made of reinforced concrete. The largest of these facilities are six-story underground bunkers with military units up to a thousand fighters.

As part of the Berlin garrison, there were 200 thousand people.

Fights for Berlin

Medals of the Great Patriotic War were issued for large and significant events.

Such events undoubtedly include the military actions of the Soviet group of troops in April-May 1945.

The storming of the Berlin grouping of troops began on the night of April 16. Before the offensive was the most powerful artillery and aviation training. And under the illumination of powerful searchlights Soviet tanks and infantry launched an attack from the Kiustin bridgehead.

Stalin, possessing intelligence on the enemy's intentions on the situation in Zurich, sent an urgent telegram to the Military Council of the Front on April 17 that it was urgent to put an end to this web of lies. For this, Berlin must be taken by Soviet troops.

As expected, the fighting was extremely difficult. Hitler's soldiers fought in defense with the despair of the doomed. Particularly fierce fighting was in the area of Seelow Heights.

After the fighting, troops by April 21 came to Berlin, and by April 22 Soviet soldiers broke through to the streets of Berlin.

By April 25, the troops of the Byelorussian and Ukrainian fronts had united, having closed the ring around Berlin, thus dismembering the enemies into two parts.

Taking the Reichstag

The whole of Berlin was already on fire. And on the morning of April 30, fighting began for the capture of the Reichstag, in which at that time there was a garrison of elite SS forces.

After fierce fighting in the Reichstag building on the night of May 1, the Victory Banner was hoisted on the pediment of this huge building .

But the fights of the belligerent units in the city did not cease, only on the morning of May 2 they requested the surrender of the remnants of the defending SS men in the Reichstag building.

It was at this moment in the battle battles that a turning point came, which ended with the complete victory of the Soviet troops. And this reminds us of military medals.

Work on the project of the medal

By the time of the award for participation in the assault on Berlin, medals of the Great Patriotic War had already been issued more than once.

In the competition for the appearance of the medal "For the capture of Berlin", which began on 19.04.1945, 116 sketches participated. And by May 3, the first samples in the metal were minted.

The final form of the medal "For the capture of Berlin" was acquired through the sketch of the artist AI. Kuznetsov. The diameter is 32 mm. Material - brass.

On the front side in the center of the medal is the inscription "For the capture of Berlin." Bottom of the inscription is a drawing of an oak half-wagon curled with a ribbon. Above the inscription "For the capture of Berlin" a five-pointed star is minted.

The reverse side is adorned with the text "2 May 1945" and at the bottom under the date - a five-pointed star.

A Million Heroes

The medal "For the capture of Berlin" was awarded to servicemen on the basis of documents that confirmed participation in the assault and capture of Berlin in the interval from 22.04 to 02.05.1945. It was received by people whom we and you owe your life and freedom.

For the entire period of the post-war life, servicemen awarded with the medal "For the capture of Berlin" amounted to over a million people. And even many years after the end of the war, awards continue to find their owners, mostly from those who, at the time of the award, were in hospital in serious condition.

Among the million awarded:

  • Soviet pilot-as, three times the hero of the Soviet Union - Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin.
  • Soviet commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union - Georgy Zhukov.

And after the death or the death of such an award, the medal "For the capture of Berlin", together with the documents for it, remained in the family of the recipient of the award for preservation in memory of the relative-hero. And to this day specialists of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation are searching for those who could not get their medal.

Similar articles

 

 

 

 

Trending Now

 

 

 

 

Newest

Copyright © 2018 en.birmiss.com. Theme powered by WordPress.