On April 16, 1945, the Red Army concentrated 2.5 million troops, 42,000 artillery pieces, 6,250 tanks and more than 7,500 aircraft in a final general offensive against the German capital, Berlin, the lair of Hitler's fascists. After fierce fighting, the Soviet army took the German capital Berlin at a cost of 300,000 casualties, the German army in the city of Berlin surrendered to the Soviet army on May 2, Hitler committed suicide, and the German fascists were legally destroyed.
Above_ Soviet forces invading Berlin, Germany
However, the Battle of Berlin was not the last battle of the Soviet-German War.
On May 6, 1945, after the surrender of the German army in Berlin, the Soviet army concentrated the 1st Ukrainian Front, the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the 4th Ukrainian Front, a total of 20 combined arms of the army group, 3 tank army groups, 3 air force groups, 1 cavalry campaign group, 1 independent army, 5 independent tank army, 1 mechanized army and 1 cavalry army, a total of 2 million troops, as well as the armies of the Soviet Confederate countries such as Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia, at 30,500 artillery pieces. Supported by 2,000 tanks and 3,000 aircraft, a fierce attack was launched against the German army stationed in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia. By 11 May, the Soviets had annihilated 800,000 German troops in Czechoslovakia.
So, since the capital had been occupied by the Soviets, the Germans in the city of Berlin surrendered to the Soviets on May 2, and the German fascists had signed the Allies and the Soviet Union on May 8, why did the Battle of Prague not end until May 11, the third day after Germany's surrender? Why did the Battle of Prague become the last battle fought by the Red Army during the Soviet-German War? Could it be that the German troops stationed in Czechoslovakia refused to ignore the German government's orders of surrender and had to resist the Soviets to the end?
Berlin was surrendered and Germany signed the instrument of unconditional surrender
First, Hitler's misjudgment on the eve of the occupation of Berlin by the Soviets strengthened the strength of the German Army Group Center to defend Prague and laid the groundwork for the Battle of Prague.
Throughout World War II, Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia, was not a key area for German defense, and Soviet and German operations were fought within the Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe. By the eve of Germany's demise, the capital Berlin was the focus of German defense, and it was less important to defend Prague.
At a critical moment when the German army of a million troops was preparing to die in Berlin, Hitler made an important judgment in March 1945, before the Battle of Berlin. Hitler believed that Berlin was not the focus of the Soviet offensive, and that Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia, was the focus of the Soviet offensive.
In order to defend Germany's "fragile south", Hitler ordered the main force of the German Army Group Center to march a total of 900,000 people into Czechoslovakia, thus weakening the defenses of Berlin, a strategic command blunder made by Hitler on the eve of the end of World War II. If the 900,000-strong German Army Group Center had followed other Germans in defending Berlin, the Soviets would have suffered far more casualties than 300,000.
Helmott Otto Ludwig Weidling (2 November 1891 – 17 November 1955) was a German artillery officer during World War II
Second, the German High Command's "Little Ninety-Nine" before the formal surrender objectively encouraged the German Army Group Center to continue fighting with the Soviet Army.
The German commander in the Berlin district, Admiral Weidling, surrendered to the Soviets on 2 May 1945, and the Soviets continued to clear the small and recalcitrant German forces in the berlin area.
It must be noted that although on May 2, 1945, the German Garrison Command berlin surrendered to the Soviets, it was only the surrender of the German combat forces defending the city of Berlin, not the surrender of the German government. The German High Command, and indeed the German government and the Nazi Party, did not formally surrender to the Soviet Union and the Anglo-American and French allies until 8 May 1945.
That is to say, between May 2 and May 8, 1945, the German High Command was still able to mobilize German troops outside Berlin to resist the Soviets on the condition that the German garrison in Berlin surrendered, and from May 2 to May 8, 1945, Germany was still in a state of war with the Soviet Union under international law.
Above_ German forces in World War II
So, what was the German High Command doing in the last days of the "state of war" from May 2 to May 8, before Germany's formal surrender? Did they fantasize about expelling the Soviets and allies and salving the defeat? From the time germany itself was occupied by Soviet and Allied forces, the battle to expel the Soviets and allies to save the situation was only wishful thinking.
At this time, the German High Command had its own small ninety-nine: it was only a matter of time before Germany surrendered, but even if Germany surrendered, it would be "decent" to surrender. Specifically, the Germans surrendered unilaterally to the British and American allies, while continuing to fight with the Soviets.
Heinrich Louisbode Himmler (7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a fascist war criminal in Nazi Germany
Why did the Germans have the idea of unilaterally surrendering to Britain and the United States? Ideologically, the ideology of Nazi Germany had something in common with Britain and the United States, and Britain and the United States were ideologically opposed to the Soviet Union, and Germany was also ideologically opposed to the Soviet Union. Therefore, Nazi Germany hoped that Britain and the United States would be able to ally with Germany alone against the Soviet Union through ideological considerations. After the German capital Berlin was occupied by the Soviet military, the German High Command also made a small calculation of "surrendering to Britain and the United States alone" before the final surrender.
Of course, from the "little ninety-nine" before Germany's surrender, it can be seen that the germ of the Cold War has quietly sprouted before the end of World War II.
Since the German government wanted to continue to resist the Red Army, the German Army Group Center would choose to continue fighting with the Soviets. Even if Berlin were to fall, the German Army Group Center would not voluntarily lay down its weapons.
Above: German troops in the Battle of Berlin
Third, during the Battle of Berlin, the Soviets did not allow the Continent to have a large-scale German combat unit. In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the Battle of Berlin, completely eliminate the German combat troops, force Germany to surrender to the Allies without losing all combat troops, and completely consolidate the achievements of the European battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War, the Soviet army concentrated 2 million troops to launch a final general offensive against the German army in Czechoslovakia.
During the Soviet attack on Berlin, the German Army Group Center stationed in Czechoslovakia had 900,000 troops, 1,000 aircraft and 1,500 tanks, and more than 10,000 artillery pieces, and its deployment in Czechoslovakia south of Berlin posed a great threat to the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front army attacking Berlin. The Soviets had to remove the threat from German Army Group Center in order to successfully take Berlin and consolidate the victory in the Battle of Berlin. For the Soviets attacking Berlin, if the German Army Group Center was not eliminated, this German combat unit would most likely counterattack the Soviet troops stationed in Berlin. Berlin would be lost to the Soviets.
Therefore, the Soviets had to eliminate the last mobile combat corps of the German army, Army Group Center, stationed in Prague.
The Battle of Prague was held from May 6 to 11, 1945
Moreover, Czechoslovakia's geographical location in Europe is extremely important. On the map, Czechoslovakia happens to be in the south of Germany, an important strategic hub in Europe. By taking Czechoslovakia, the Soviets would have more initiative in the "Cold War Showdown" in Europe after World War II.
With the occupation of the city of Berlin by the Soviets, the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts and the 4th Ukrainian Front, which had just completed the Battle of Berlin, concentrated 2 million troops and launched a general offensive against the German Army Group Center in Czechoslovakia.
On May 6, the Soviet army launched the Battle of Prague, the units of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the Polish 2nd Army marched in tandem, liberating the cities of Dresden, Bautzen, and Görlitz, and the Ukrainian 2nd Front occupied the three cities of Znojmo, Miloslav, and Yarodzyce, attacking Prague from the southeast. The 4th Ukrainian Front liberated Olomouc on 8 May and made peace with the 2nd Ukrainian Front on 9 May.
The Soviet offensive went relatively smoothly, with the 1st Ukrainian Front advancing 40 kilometers in a single day on 10 May, leaving 80,000 German troops to lay down their arms. On 9 May, Soviet troops, together with the 1st Tank Brigade of the Czechoslovak People's Army, liberated the Czechoslovak capital of Prague, and by 11 May, the German Army Group Center was completely annihilated by the Soviet Front, and the last battle in The European theater of World War II, and the last battle of the Soviet-German War, the Battle of Prague, ended with the victory of the Soviet Army.
Edward Beneš (28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czechoslovak politician
Fourth, before the Battle of Prague began, an armed uprising broke out among the anti-fascists in Czechoslovakia. The German Army Group Center had the potential to suppress the uprising. In order to cooperate with the anti-fascist forces in Czechoslovakia in liberating the country, the Soviet 3rd Front launched an offensive against the German Army Group Center.
After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, President Beneš fled to England to organize a government-in-exile to lead the country's anti-fascist movement. However, due to Czechoslovakia's proximity to Germany, German intelligence organizations were extremely tightly defensive of Czechoslovakia, and the anti-fascist movement in Czechoslovakia remained at a low ebb. On the eve of Germany's surrender, the Red political forces in Czechoslovakia, with the support of the Soviet Union, formed a national coalition government and launched an armed uprising against the Germans on May 1.
The rebel attack was quickly suppressed by the Germans, and the Soviet 3 fronts quickly moved into action to support the Czechoslovak rebel army. With the cooperation of Czechoslovak soldiers and civilians and Soviet troops, the Soviets liberated the capital Prague on May 9 and annihilated the formed combat units of the German Army Group Center.
By 1948, Gotthwald had become the new leader of Czechoslovakia, and the Czechoslovak Republic had completely turned diplomatically and ideologically, economically, to the Soviet Union until it joined the Warsaw Pact.
Author: Military Handsome Guy Correction/Editor: Lilith
Resources:
[1] "The Eastern Front- The Overthrow of the Central Army Group", Zhu Shiwei, Chongqing Publishing House
[2] "Painting the Soviet-German War of World War II" Xu Yan Machinery Industry Publishing House
The text was created by the History University Hall team, and the picture originated from the Internet and the copyright belongs to the original author