Berlin assault operation: throw everything on the altar of Victory

One of the bloodiest, but the one that ended the Great Patriotic War. The Red Army began the Berlin offensive operation on April 16, 1945, which ended on May 8 with the Victory over fascism. The operation was led by three Marshals of the Soviet Union at once: Georgy Zhukov, Ivan Konev and Konstantin Rokossovsky. They threw everything on the altar of Victory: infantry, tanks, navy, long-range aviation.

The task of the Soviet troops - the 2nd and 1st Belorussian, 1st Ukrainian fronts, part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet, the Dnieper Flotilla and the 18th Air Army - was to defeat the German troops on the approaches to Berlin, dissect the enemy forces into parts, destroy them separately and capture Berlin.

Soviet troops defeated 70 infantry, 12 tank and 11 motorized divisions, 31 separate regiments, 12 separate battalions and 2 military schools of the Germans during the Berlin operation. Approximately 480 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were taken prisoner. More than 78 thousand soldiers of the Red Army were killed in the battles. Historians say that in terms of the intensity of losses, the Berlin offensive can be compared with the Battle of Kursk.

The Berlin offensive operation was completed with the signing in Berlin of an act of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces on May 8, 1945.

The medal "For the capture of Berlin" was awarded to almost 1 million 100 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers. 187 formations and units for the heroism and courage shown during the operation were awarded the name "Berlin".