The direction of the main blow
the events of spring 1945, replete with triumphs: our army is constantly conducting successful offensive operations, free European capital.
Soviet soldiers-liberators 75 years ago embarked on the Austrian land
it Creates a feeling of lightness: the enemy suffers defeat after defeat, splitting, agonizing. All true, but the ease of combing. The Germans resisted desperately, sometimes fanatically.
the Capital of Slovakia, the German and Slovak Nazis turned the fortress: stone houses were equipped with fire points, streets blocked by rubble. On the outskirts of the city – anti-tank ditches and minefields. Garrison wisely used the geography to the North, the city covered powerful defensive lines in the Small Carpathians, South – Danube. But cunning garrison is always a tool with a screw. Troops under the command of Rodion Malinovsky made a diversion, and stated about “the direction of the main blow”, bypassed the city from the Northwest. Breaking through the defense.
the Sad reality: brotherly Slovakia fought on Hitler’s side. But tens of thousands of Slovaks fought against Germany. Paradox? Yes, but the story is woven out of paradoxes. After the Munich agreement, Hitler seized most of Czechoslovakia. Is Czech Republic in Europe arose “Imperial protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia”. Slovak Catholic priest Jozef Tiso seized power in Bratislava and with the permission of Hitler has created a formally independent state. And with Hitler went to war against the East: at first sent his army into Poland, and on June 23, 1941 Slovakia declared war on the Soviet Union. In November 1941, the head of Slovakia came in occupied Kiev.
What plans did the Nazis in regard to the Baltic
But of the 36 thousand Slovak soldiers sent to war against the Soviet Union, 27 thousand quickly surrendered we captured. And fought in the red Army against Hitler.
And in the summer of 1944, the Slovak uprising broke out: our scouts helped the rebels with our aircraft-fascists have dropped the weapon.
on the other hand, to help the Slovak Nazis came German, and then Ukrainian. To suppress the uprising threw even the infamous Grenadier division SS “Galichina”.
Fatal Galicia
If in the autumn of 1944 the insurgent managed to throw the fascist Tiso, in April 1945, our soldiers would not have to die storming Bratislava.
But Tiso in 1944, alas, remained sitting on bayonets. During the First world war, Jozef Tiso was a chaplain in the Austro-Hungarian army, his regiment was defeated in battle in Galicia (Galicia), had to skedaddle.
In 1944 he was more fortunate: the Nazis and the SS “Galicia” was able to suppress the national uprising. Although the victory was not complete, thousands of the rebels retreated into the mountains. In addition, part of Slovakia had already been cleared of fascists advancing units of the red army.
But controlled by the Nazis in the Slovak territory on the victory train with a parade. And in half a year, during the assault on Bratislava, Tiso fled to Germany. Hid in a Bavarian monastery, where he found the military police of the United States. The Americans gave it to the Czechs, who in may 1947, Tiso was hanged.
the Nazis from the Bratislava garrison tried in the fighting on 2-4 April 1945, use of natural obstacles: Small Danube and Danube. It did not help. Photo: RIA Novotski why
Hitler knew his fate, and was terrified that Stalin put him in celland put up close to the monkeys in the Moscow zoo. And then – executes. So Hitler’s suicide did not surprise anyone.
the Chancellor of Germany, became 47-year-old Paul Joseph Goebbels. Reich he rules all day. Then, too, committed suicide together with his wife, who previously poisoned their six children.
In April in many European capitals swept the suicides. On such resources, as waralbum.ru can find the eerie footage of the time. For example, the shooting of the legendary Soviet photographer, Yevgeny khaldei. We these photos are not print, to watch or not to watch – you decide.
“RG” exposed the damaging myths about the Second world war
let me Emphasize: not we killed the families of the Nazis – they were killed by fear. Shooting wives and children, they committed suicide. And so did high-ranking Nazis. And that’s their choice. But why was dead simple soldiers? In the spring of 1945 everyone knew that Germany had lost the war. Why not just give up? What fanatically to defend Budapest and Bratislava? It is only in Slovak the ground is 60 thousand of our soldiers, from them 7 thousand – in Bratislava.
the answer gives the Marshal of the Soviet Union Matvei Zakharov in his memoirs: “the Germans expected to sit out until the moment when, according to them, there supposed to be a clash between Soviet and Anglo-American troops.”
the Chief of staff of the 2nd Ukrainian front Matvei Zakharov writes: “to maintain the spirit of warriors, Goebbels propaganda shouted in those days about the new miracle weapons that de will change the course of war.”
a wonderful weapon – Wunderwaffe – which really existed, we will tell in the nearest numbers “RG”.
a question – could the true hope of the Nazis at a military collisionance of the USSR, USA and great Britain – Marshal Zakharov says: “the Black plans of the Nazis did not come true. The Soviet government strongly warned the allies about the need to deliver on their commitments, and they had to heed the warning.”
We warned – we listened… of Course, the story of the final battles of the Second world war is not so simple. But the bottom line is it did: the Soviet Union found arguments for their allies, and they suppressed his temptation to conclude a separate peace with Germany. What arguments – that’s another story. Important: we then heard.
Our ancestors were able to be very persuasive.
Centretoronto April 1945
April 4 – the capture of Bratislava;
April 9 – Red Army beats the Nazis from Konigsberg;
13 APR – storming takes a vein;
22 April – Soviet troops occupied the suburbs of Berlin;
April 30, Hitler commits suicide. To the great victory of the 9 days.
Staticroutes translation
Bratislava, not just changing names: was a Roman settlement of Gerulata, Istropolis, the Preshporkom Pogonu, Pressburg.
was the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom, the First Slovak Republic, the Slovak secretpolice and Slovak Republic within Czechoslovakia. Since 1993 the capital of Slovakia.
