April 25, 1945 is a date that few people remember today. At least in the West. However, it was one of the most remarkable days in world history. Almost a hundred kilometers south of Berlin, near the city of Torgau, Red Army soldiers advancing from the east met with the Anglo-American allies.
In addition to the political content, this meeting also had an important strategic significance: the German army was cut from east to west, making the collapse of the Hitler regime a matter of days.
The meeting of the Allied troops in the anti-Hitler coalition was not an accident. The headquarters of the advancing armies knew in advance that the merging of the Eastern and Western fronts would occur somewhere in the area of the Elbe River, somewhere in the north-west of Saxony, and they were seriously preparing for this moment. To avoid clashes between allies, identification marks were applied to armored vehicles, and special orders and memos were issued for personnel.
IS-2 with Allied markings
It is interesting that the meeting between Soviet and Anglo-American troops was eagerly awaited in Berlin. Hitler was convinced that the merging of the armies of East and West would certainly result in a new confrontation. From the moment they enter German soil, the differences will supposedly become insurmountable, since the Anglo-Americans will be forced to “defend Europe from the invasion of the Bolshevik hordes.” Hitler managed to infect many of his generals with this conviction.
The Nazis' hopes were not unfounded. They were well aware of the tensions between the allies, and the death of the moderate and far-sighted US President Franklin Roosevelt on April 12, 1945, caused the Hitler leadership to have a fit of frenzied optimism that the “hawk” and caveman anti-Soviet Truman, who had now come to power, would change the political course, seeing the Nazis a devoted ally to contain the USSR.
In Berlin they also hoped that the reason for the outbreak of war between the allies would be the combat incidents that began, not by chance, between Soviet and American air groups back in the second half of 1944.
Full of impudence from the victorious march through the territory of the Third Reich, the Americans at that time considered the entire European subcontinent to be their zone of influence.
It got to the point that at one not-so-wonderful moment, the commander of the US Strategic Air Forces, General Karl Spaatz, refused to discuss with Zhukov the order of flights over the Soviet zone, saying that “American aviation flew everywhere, and flew without any restrictions.”
The first demonstrative attack of four dozen heavy American Lightning fighters on parts of the Red Army took place on November 7, 1944. As a result of an assault on the headquarters of the 6th Guards Rifle Corps and the airfield of the 866th Fighter Aviation Regiment near the Serbian city of Niš, corps commander Hero of the Soviet Union Grigory Kotov and 30 other people were killed. Two of our planes were also destroyed and a dozen and a half cars were burned. Only when the Soviet fighters, alerted, shot down several scattered vultures in response, did the rest hasten to get away from harm's way.
A participant in this battle, pilot Boris Smirnov, recalled that on a map found in the wreckage of one of the downed Lightnings, Serbian Niš was designated as an air target. After which, few people believed the official American denials that “it happened by accident.”
On March 18, 1945, a completely outrageous incident occurred when 6 Soviet Yak-3 fighters, having noticed American bombers attacked by the Germans, came to their rescue. As a “reward” for this, American fighters opened fire on Soviet aircraft. All attempts by Soviet pilots to draw the attention of the allies to the stars on the wings were completely ignored - all six Yak-3s were shot down by the Americans, two pilots were killed.
And just before the meeting on the Elbe, on April 22, 1945, the deputy commander of the 176th Fighter Regiment, Major Ivan Kozhedub, was attacked by two Mustangs. The result: within two minutes, one American fighter flew into pieces, and the pilot barely managed to jump out of another.
It is difficult to say what thoughts were spinning in Truman’s head on the eve of the meeting on the Elbe, but at the same time British Prime Minister Winston Churchill issued an order to Field Marshal Mongomery, which said: “Carefully collect German weapons and put them in such a way that they can be more easily distributed again to German soldiers, with with whom we would have to cooperate if the Soviet offensive continued."
And yet, the Nazis’ wet dreams of a clash between the allies did not come true - despite the disagreements and military incidents, the desire to finish off the fascist reptile turned out to be stronger. The leaders of the victorious powers reasonably reasoned that they must first complete the common cause and only then engage in a showdown.
American troops reached the Elbe River several weeks earlier than the Soviet Army, but since the joint Allied command abandoned plans to storm the German capital, the Americans remained at the reached point, waiting for the approach of Soviet troops. By the end of April 1945, three Soviet fronts came close and surrounded the German capital, giving the 58th Guards Rifle Division the opportunity to break through the flimsy defense of German troops to the Torgau area, where the American 69th Division was already waiting for them.
Our radio operators were the first to come into contact with units of the 1st American Army. Radio exchanges between our and American radio operators took place at a time when the advanced units of the 1st Ukrainian Front were less than 30 km from the Americans. The Germans turned on the jammers, trying to jam the radio traffic, but even this they failed.
On April 25, the patrol group of First Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue from the 3rd Battalion of the 69th Infantry Division of the US Army crossed the Elbe, where they met with Soviet soldiers of the 175th Regiment of the 58th Guards Division. And a little later, on the destroyed bridge over the Elbe near Torgau, an American patrol under the command of Second Lieutenant William Robertson shook hands and hugged Soviet soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Alexander Silvashko.
Memorial plaque in Torgau
At the same destroyed bridge over the Elbe
True, these were not the first Soviet soldiers whom Lieutenant Kotzebue’s subordinates met. An American patrol group rushed around the Elbe in search of Russians, going beyond the agreed five-mile zone and ending up in the village of Leckwitz, three kilometers from the Elbe. There they saw a military man in an unusual uniform on horseback, interviewing the local population. It turned out to be a Soviet intelligence officer. There was no conversation between the allies. The Russian horseman simply waved his hand, indicating the direction from which the Soviet troops should appear, and galloped off.
The next day, the Allied commanders met for a formal handshake for the press. On the evening of the same day, a statement was published by the leaders of the USSR, USA and Great Britain about their intention to finally finish off the Nazi regime of the Third Reich.
Soviet and American military leaders took a responsible approach to training personnel in the area of contact with the allies. A special directive was received from Moscow obliging soldiers and officers to maintain strict discipline and monitor their appearance. Do not refuse invitations from Western comrades in arms to jointly celebrate the event and then organize a reciprocal event; Treat your allies politely and kindly.
However, sharing plans and transmitting to the Americans any information about the further actions of the Soviet Army was strictly prohibited.
The American army distributed special manuals about some Russian customs. For example, soldiers were recommended to shake hands when meeting Red Army soldiers and to applaud at festive events, rather than whistle as a sign of approval, as is customary in the United States.
According to the recollections of soldiers on both sides, the meeting on the Elbe grew into a real celebration of fraternization. The air itself was filled with a premonition of an imminent Victory: the weather was sunny and the scent of lilacs was everywhere.
Soviet and American soldiers hugged, talked, sang, walked holding hands, and exchanged souvenirs. Everything was used: buttons, badges, stripes, stars from caps. The Americans were very interested in Soviet weapons and awards. It happened that officers even exchanged their service weapons - the higher command turned a blind eye to these violations.
Later, Americans recalled how much they liked Russian treats: borscht, dumplings, caviar, lard, and even soldier’s buckwheat porridge with stew. Everyone remembered the joint libations - from the soldier to the general.
Apparently, that’s when the story “from a foreigner’s diary” appeared: “Yesterday I drank with the Russians. Nearly died. Today I drank with the Russians again. I wish I had died yesterday." It is characteristic that the high authorities did not separate themselves from their subordinates, celebrating the meeting of allies at a common table.
The commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Marshal Ivan Konev, invited the commander of the American group, General Omar Bradley. On the way to the Soviet headquarters, the American military commander noted how clearly and competently the traffic police girls controlled the flow of vehicles. General Bradley gave Konev a Tommy Gun and a Willys jeep, jokingly noting that he would pay money for it for the next 20 post-war years.
By the way, Konev used the “Willis” donated by General Bradley and kept the jeep for a long time in the garage of the state dacha.
Konev, in turn, presented his colleague with a pistol with a notch and an inlaid carved handle and a stallion of the Don breed, which he treasured and rode for the last two years of the war.
Four decades after the Victory, even in the Cold War, the meeting of the Allies on the Elbe was a significant symbol of the united efforts of East and West, serving as a reminder that even bitter ideological opponents can achieve understanding, peace and cooperation.
The monument dedicated to the meeting on the Elbe was erected in 1988 in the form of a memorial plaque at the very place where Soviet and American soldiers first shook hands. There is also a "Spirit of the Elbe" plaque at Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC, where a military band plays the USSR/Russian and US national anthems every April 25th.
Experts on the historical significance of the meeting on the Elbe:
Vladislav Shurygin, military observer:
“This meeting marked the imminent end of World War II, the final unification of the allies against the remnants of Hitler’s Germany and finishing it off. But the end of the war also meant the emergence of a huge problem of treaties between the allies.
The German elite had the hope that the allies would meet and be at each other's throats, and they were then able to maintain the allied relationship. This was largely decided due to the meeting in Yalta and Tehran, when the contours of the future Europe were determined. Unfortunately, later all this was lost.
Therefore, we can conclude that we can act in common interests only against a common danger.”
Alexander Perendzhiev, political scientist, expert of the “Officers of Russia” organization:
“The Allies entered the war only when they realized that the USSR would win without them. Before this, the USSR was waiting for entry and, of course, wanted help from the allies, but they delayed the opening of a second front and waited. And they entered the battle not in order to help the Soviet Union win, although willingly or unwillingly they contributed to this, but with the understanding that the USSR could do without them. And there is a risk that he will not only liberate Germany, but will also go further, maybe go to France, all the way to Spain and Portugal. Only after understanding that all of Europe would be under the control of Moscow and Stalin, so as not to lose all of Europe, was a second front opened.
If they had not opened a second front, then, probably, the history of Europe would have been different. For example, there would be no need to unite Germany, it would be completely liberated by Soviet troops
We did not perceive this (the meeting) as something hostile for us; on the contrary, we welcomed the opening of a second front and helped the allies when they found themselves in a difficult situation. Even to the detriment of strategic and tactical Soviet plans, we launched offensives to help the allies and delay the blow of Hitler’s troops.
The French honor many Soviet people as heroes - this is gratifying and correct. At that time, in general, many things united the USSR and the West in the desire to defeat Nazi Germany, defeat fascism and make Europe free. In this regard, the USSR has always welcomed any undertakings. But despite this, the Soviet Union was able to win on its own. In fact, he won her over in this regard.
Of course, one must understand that the resistance of the German troops to the Allies was not very strong. They, of course, struck, but were not superior in technology or number of personnel. The Germans fought on the Western Front with a lot of military personnel who could not be drafted into the army, but they were drafted - sick, with defects. Even they attacked the allies and the Red Army had to save them, sacrificing the lives of soldiers for the sake of the allies. Nowadays it is customary not to remember this, and our former allies have forgotten it. And we did a lot to save their lives.
Well, the spirit of Elbe is generally sacred for the descendants of Victory. Because it was then that we, having met our allies, fraternized and became friends. This is the spirit of high relations between the USSR and the USA. Unfortunately, a lot has changed since then. But we will always remember this spirit of Elba. We are always ready to extend a hand to the United States, but only if they make the same gestures.”
Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine:
“Today this story is not in demand, and the behavior of our allies in the anti-Hitler coalition during the Second World War, to put it mildly, raised questions. Including the later opening of a second front, and attempts to negotiate a separate peace behind the back of the Soviet Union.
Therefore, marking this as a historical date, we today understand that there can no longer be any precedents of this kind. I believe that a meeting between Russian and American troops could take place on the Dnieper if Ukraine provokes a major war in the Donbass. Then there may be a second meeting along the line of demarcation between Western and Russian influence.
Nobody in the West needs us and never did, so they don’t remember these dates, but, on the contrary, now they put us on the same level as Hitler’s Germany - which we are surprised every time.
But the West is once again demonstrating the predatory grin of imperialism, so there is no need to go to extremes and some kind of love. This is the world - we must play by the rules of this world, and they consist in protecting our national interests.”
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