How the Russian army first took Berlin

Capture of Berlin Soviet troops in 1945 put a victorious point in the Great Patriotic War. The red flag over the Reichstag, even decades later, remains the most striking symbol of Victory. But the Soviet soldiers marching on Berlin were not pioneers. Their ancestors first entered the streets of the capitulated German capital two centuries earlier...

The Seven Years' War, which began in 1756, became the first full-scale European conflict in which Russia was drawn into.

The rapid strengthening of Prussia under the rule of the warlike King Frederick II worried the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna and forced her to join the anti-Prussian coalition of Austria and France.

Frederick II, not inclined to diplomacy, called this coalition “the alliance of three women,” referring to Elizabeth, the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa and the favorite French king Marquise de Pompadour.

War with caution

Russia's entry into the war in 1757 was quite cautious and hesitant.

The second reason The reason why Russian military leaders did not seek to force events was the deteriorating health of the empress. It was known that the heir to the throne, Pyotr Fedorovich, was an ardent admirer of the Prussian king and a categorical opponent of the war with him.

Frederick II the Great

The first major battle between the Russians and the Prussians, which took place at Gross-Jägersdorf in 1757, to the great surprise of Frederick II, it ended in victory for the Russian army. This success, however, was offset by the fact that the commander of the Russian army, Field Marshal General Stepan Apraksin, ordered a retreat after the victorious battle.

This step was explained by the news about the serious illness of the empress, and Apraksin was afraid of angering the new emperor, who was about to take the throne.

But Elizaveta Petrovna recovered, Apraksin was removed from his post and sent to prison, where he soon died.

Miracle for the King

The war continued, increasingly turning into a struggle of attrition, which was disadvantageous to Prussia - The country's resources were significantly inferior to those of the enemy, and even the financial support of the allied England could not compensate for this difference.

In August 1759, at the Battle of Kunersdorf, the allied Russian-Austrian forces utterly defeated the army of Frederick II.

Alexander Kotzebue. "Battle of Kunersdorf" (1848)

The king's condition was close to despair.“The truth is, I believe that all is lost. I will not survive the death of my Fatherland. Goodbye forever",- Frederick wrote to his minister.

The road to Berlin was open, but a conflict arose between the Russians and the Austrians, as a result of which the moment to capture the Prussian capital and end the war was missed. Frederick II, taking advantage of the sudden respite, managed to gather a new army and continue the war. He called the Allied delay, which saved him, “the miracle of the House of Brandenburg.”

Throughout 1760, Frederick II managed to resist the superior forces of the Allies, which were hampered by inconsistency. At the Battle of Liegnitz, the Prussians defeated the Austrians.

Failed assault

The French and Austrians, concerned about the situation, called on the Russian army to step up its actions. Berlin was proposed as a target.

The capital of Prussia was not a powerful fortress. Weak walls, turning into a wooden palisade - the Prussian kings did not expect that they would have to fight in their own capital.

Frederick himself was distracted by the fight against Austrian troops in Silesia, where he had excellent chances of success. Under these conditions, at the request of the allies, the Russian army was given a directive to conduct a raid on Berlin.

The 20,000-strong Russian corps of Lieutenant General Zakhar Chernyshev advanced to the Prussian capital with the support of the 17,000-strong Austrian corps of Franz von Lassi.

Count Gottlob Kurt Heinrich von Totleben

The Russian vanguard was commanded by Gottlob Totleben, a born German who lived in Berlin for a long time and dreamed of the sole glory of the conqueror of the Prussian capital.

Totleben's troops arrived to Berlin before the main forces. In Berlin they hesitated as to whether to hold the line, but under the influence of Friedrich Seydlitz, the commander of Friedrich's cavalry, who was undergoing treatment in the city after being wounded, they decided to give battle.

The first assault attempt ended in failure. The fires that started in the city after the shelling by the Russian army were quickly extinguished; of the three attacking columns, only one managed to break through directly to the city, but they also had to retreat due to the desperate resistance of the defenders.

Victory with scandal

Following this, the Prussian corps of Prince Eugene of Württemberg came to the aid of Berlin, which forced Totleben to retreat.

The capital of Prussia rejoiced early - the main forces of the Allies approached Berlin. General Chernyshev began to prepare a decisive assault.

On the evening of September 27, a military council met in Berlin, at which it was decided to surrender the city due to the complete superiority of the enemy. At the same time, the envoys were sent to the ambitious Totleben, believing that it would be easier to come to an agreement with a German than with a Russian or Austrian.

Totleben really went towards the besieged, allowing the capitulated Prussian garrison to leave the city.

At the moment when Totleben entered the city, he met with Lieutenant Colonel Rzhevsky, who arrived to negotiate with the Berliners on the terms of surrender on behalf of General Chernyshev. Totleben told the lieutenant colonel to tell him: he had already taken the city and received symbolic keys from it.

Chernyshev arrived in the city beside himself with rage - Totleben’s initiative, supported, as it later turned out, by a bribe from the Berlin authorities, categorically did not suit him. The general gave the order to begin the pursuit of the departing Prussian troops. The Russian cavalry overtook the units retreating to Spandau and defeated them.

“If Berlin is destined to be busy, then let it be the Russians”

The population of Berlin was horrified by the appearance of the Russians, who were described as absolute savages, but, to the surprise of the townspeople, the soldiers of the Russian army behaved with dignity, without committing atrocities against civilians.

But the Austrians, who had personal scores to settle with the Prussians, did not restrain themselves - they robbed houses, passers-by on the streets, and destroyed everything they could reach. It got to the point that Russian patrols had to use weapons to reason with their allies. The stay of the Russian army in Berlin lasted six days

. Frederick II, having learned about the fall of the capital, immediately moved an army from Silesia to help the main city of the country. Chernyshev’s plans did not include a battle with the main forces of the Prussian army - he completed his task of distracting Friedrich. Having collected trophies, the Russian army left the city.

Russians in Berlin. Engraving by Daniel Chodowiecki. The King of Prussia, having received a report of minimal destruction in the capital, remarked:“Thank you to the Russians, they saved Berlin from the horrors with which the Austrians threatened my capital.”

But these words of Friedrich were intended only for his immediate circle. The monarch, who highly valued the power of propaganda, ordered that his subjects be informed about the monstrous atrocities of the Russians in Berlin. “We had a visit here which would have been extremely pleasant under other circumstances. However, I always wished that if Berlin were ever destined to be occupied by foreign troops, then let it be the Russians ... "

What is salvation for Frederick is death for Peter

The departure of the Russians from Berlin was a pleasant event for Frederick, but it was not of key importance for the outcome of the war. By the end of 1760, he completely lost the opportunity to qualitatively replenish the army, driving prisoners of war into its ranks, who very often defected to the enemy’s side. The army could not conduct offensive operations, and the king increasingly thought about abdicating the throne.

The Russian army took full control of East Prussia, whose population had already sworn allegiance to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

At this very moment, Frederick II was helped by the “second miracle of the House of Brandenburg” - the death of the Russian Empress. Peter III, who replaced her on the throne, not only immediately made peace with his idol and returned to him all the territories conquered by Russia, but also provided troops for the war with yesterday’s allies.

Peter III

What turned out to be happiness for Frederick cost Peter III himself dearly. The Russian army and, first of all, the guard did not appreciate the broad gesture, considering it offensive. As a result, the coup, soon organized by the emperor’s wife Ekaterina Alekseevna, went off like clockwork. Following this, the deposed emperor died under circumstances that were not fully clarified.

But the Russian army firmly remembered the road to Berlin, laid in 1760, so that it could return whenever necessary.

Do you know that our troops took Berlin three times?! 1760 - 1813 - 1945.

Even without going back centuries, when the Prussians and Russians sang, prayed and cursed in the same (or very similar) language, we will find that in the campaign of 1760, during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), the commander-in-chief, General Field Marshal Pyotr Semenovich Saltykov captured Berlin, at that time just the capital of Prussia.

Austria had just quarreled with its northern neighbor and called for help from its powerful eastern neighbor - Russia. When the Austrians were friends with the Prussians, they fought together with the Russians.

This was the time of gallant conquering kings, the heroic image of Charles XII had not yet been forgotten, and Frederick II was already trying to outdo him. And he, like Karl, was not always lucky... The march on Berlin required only 23 thousand people: the corps of General Zakhar Grigoryevich Chernyshev with the attached Don Cossacks of Krasnoshchekov, Totleben’s cavalry and the Austrian allies under the command of General Lassi.

The Berlin garrison, numbering 14 thousand bayonets, was protected by the natural border of the Spree River, Kopenick Castle, flushes and palisades. But, not counting on his charges, the city commandant decided to immediately “make his feet” and, if not for the warlike commanders Lewald, Seydlitz and Knobloch, the battle would not have happened at all.

Ours tried to cross the Spree, but the Prussians forced them to drink some water, and they were unable to seize a bridgehead for the assault on the move. But soon the tenacity of the attackers was rewarded: three hundred Russian grenadiers - renowned masters of bayonet fighting - burst into the Gali and Cottbus gates. But, not receiving reinforcements in time, they lost 92 people killed and were forced to retreat from the Berlin Wall. The second assault detachment, commanded by Major Patkul, retreated without any losses.

TO Berlin Wall Troops from both sides flocked: the regiments of Chernyshev and the Prince of Wirtenberg. The Prussian cuirassiers of General Gulsen - armored vehicles of the eighteenth century - wanted to set out from Potsdam and crush the Russians near the town of Lichtenberg. Ours met them with shrapnel volleys from horse artillery - the prototype of the Katyusha. Not expecting anything like this, the heavy cavalry wavered and was overturned by Russian hussars and cuirassiers.

The morale of the troops was very high. This factor was valued in those days when they fought exclusively on fresh air. General Panin's division, having covered 75 versts in two days with only knapsacks on their backs and without ammunition or carts, was in in full force from generals to privates is full of desire to “carry out this attack in the most perfect way.”

It is difficult to say what would have happened to the Berlin garrison, but even the most militant of the Prussian generals decided not to risk it and evacuate from the capital under cover of darkness. They chose Totleben, who was eager to fight less than others, and surrendered to him. Without consulting Chernyshev, Totleben accepted the surrender and let the Prussians pass through his positions. It is interesting that on the Russian side this surrender, not unconditional, but quite acceptable for the Germans, was accepted by Messrs. Totleben, Brink and Bachmann. With the German side, negotiations were conducted by Messrs. Wigner and Bachmann, our namesake.

One can imagine how Commander-in-Chief Chernyshev felt when he learned that the Prussians had “capitulated” and he had been deprived of his valiant victory. He rushed in pursuit of the slowly and culturally retreating enemy columns and began to crumble their orderly ranks into cabbage.

They established secret surveillance over Totleben and soon received irrefutable evidence that he was connected with the enemy. They wanted to shoot the high-ranking double-dealer, but Catherine took pity on Totleben, who had been lured by Friedrich. Our own people. The surname Totlebenov did not end in Rus', during Crimean War military engineer Totleben built excellent fortifications around Sevastopol.

STORM NAMED AFTER BENKENDORFF

The next Berlin operation took place when the Russians drove Napoleon’s army from under the walls of Moscow, the fire victim. We did not call the Patriotic War of 1812 the Great, but the Russians nevertheless visited the capital of Prussia.

The commander of the Berlin direction in the campaign of 1813 was Lieutenant General Pyotr Christianovich Wittgenstein, but the surname Chernyshev could not be avoided here either: Cossack partisans under the command of Major General Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev on February 6 raided Berlin, defended by French troops under the command of Marshal Augereau.

A few words about the attackers. At one time, military historians made an average portrait of an officer who took part in the Battle of Borodino. He turned out to be: age - thirty-one, not married, since it is difficult to feed a family on one salary, in the army - more than ten years, participant in four battles, knows two European languages, cannot read and write.

At the forefront of the main troops was Alexander Benckendorff, the future gendarmerie chief and oppressor of free-thinking writers. He did not know then and hardly thought about it later, that only thanks to writers will pictures of peaceful life and battles be preserved in the memory of the people.

The unpretentious Russians drove the “cultured” enemy with an indecent speed for the latter. The Berlin garrison outnumbered the 1760 garrison by a thousand men, but the French were even less willing to defend the Prussian capital. They retreated to Leipzig, where Napoleon was gathering his troops for a decisive battle. The Berliners opened the gates, the townspeople welcomed the Russian liberator soldiers. http://vk.com/rus_improvisation Their actions contradicted the French convention they had concluded with the Berlin police, who were obliged to inform the Russians about the enemy’s retreat no earlier than ten o’clock in the morning the next day after the retreat.

The campaign of the thirteenth year had its own May 9th. Let us quote once again “Letters of a Russian Officer” by F.N. Glinka:

"On May 9 we had a big common battle, about which detailed description You will read in newspapers and then in a magazine about the actions of a large army, when it is composed. I will not even go into detail in describing the excellent actions of the left flank, which covered itself with the most brilliant glory that day, commanded by the commander Count Miloradovich... At the beginning of the matter, Count Miloradovich, going around the regiments, told the soldiers: remember that you are fighting on St. Nicholas Day! This saint of God has always given victories to the Russians and now looks down on you from heaven!..”

VICTORY BANNER IN WOMEN'S HANDS

It is unlikely that in the spring of 1945 many in the warring armies knew that the Russians had already been near Berlin. But since they acted there in a completely businesslike manner, the thought comes that genetic memory generations still exist.

The Allies hurried as best they could to the “Berlin pie”; against their powerful eighty German divisions there were only sixty German divisions on the Western Front. But the allies failed to participate in the capture of the “lair”; the Red Army surrounded it and took it on their own.

The operation began with thirty-two detachments being sent to the city for reconnaissance in force. Then, when the operational situation was more or less clarified, the guns thundered and 7 million shells rained down on the enemy. “In the first seconds, several machine-gun bursts crackled from the enemy’s side, and then everything became quiet. It seemed as if there was no living creature left on the enemy’s side,” wrote one of the participants in the battle.

But it only seemed so. Entrenched in a defense in depth, the Germans resisted stubbornly. The Seelow Heights were especially difficult for our units; Zhukov promised Stalin to capture them on April 17, but they took them only on the 18th. There were some mistakes; after the war, critics agreed that it would be better to storm the city with a narrower front, perhaps one reinforced Belorussian one.

But be that as it may, by April 20, long-range artillery began shelling the city. And four days later the Red Army broke into the suburbs. It was not so difficult to get through them; the Germans were not preparing to fight here, but in the old part of the city the enemy again came to his senses and began to desperately resist.

When the Red Army soldiers found themselves on the banks of the Spree, the Soviet command had already appointed a commandant of the dilapidated Reichstag, and the battle was still going on. We must pay tribute to the selected SS units who fought for real and to the last...

And soon the banner of the winner’s colors soared over the Reich Chancellery. Many people know about Egorov and Kantaria, but for some reason they have not previously written about the one who raised the banner over the last stronghold of resisting fascism - the imperial chancellery, and this person turned out to be a woman - an instructor in the political department of the 9th Rifle Corps, Anna Vladimirovna Nikulina.

Everyone remembers the sacramental phrase of Ivan the Terrible from the comedy film: “Kazan - he took, Astrakhan - he took!” In fact, starting from the 16th century, the Moscow state began to declare itself with loud military victories. And at the same time, it was by no means limited to successes in the eastern lands. Very soon the tread of Russian regiments began to sound in Europe. Which European capitals witnessed the victories of Russian weapons?

Baltics

The Northern War ended with the victory of Russia and allowed Peter I to annex the lands of the Baltic states to the possessions of the Russian crown. In 1710, after a long siege, Riga was taken, and then Revel (Tallinn). At the same time, Russian troops captured the then capital of Finland, Abo.

Stockholm

For the first time, Russian troops appeared in the area of ​​the Swedish capital during Northern War. In 1719, the Russian fleet carried out landings and raids on the suburbs of Stockholm. The next time Stockholm saw the Russian flag was during the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809. The Swedish capital was taken as a result of a unique operation - a forced march across the frozen sea. The army under the command of Bagration covered 250 kilometers on ice, on foot, in a snowstorm. This required five night marches.

The Swedes were confident that they were not in danger, because Russia was separated from them by the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. As a result, when Russian troops appeared, real panic began in the Swedish capital. This war finally ended all disputes between Russia and Sweden and forever removed Sweden from among the leading European powers. At the same time, the Russians occupied Turku, the then capital of Finland, and Finland became part of Russian Empire.

Berlin

The Russians took the capital of Prussia and then Germany twice. The first time was in 1760, during the Seven Years' War. The city was taken after a vigorous raid by combined Russian-Austrian troops. Each of the allies, understandably, was in a hurry to get ahead of the other, since the laurels of the winner would go to the one who managed to come first. The Russian army turned out to be more agile.

Berlin was surrendered practically without any resistance. The residents of Berlin froze in horror, expecting the appearance of the “Russian barbarians,” however, as it soon became clear, they should have been wary of the Austrians, who had long-standing scores to settle with the Prussians.

Austrian troops committed robbery and pogroms in Berlin, so the Russians had to reason with them using weapons. It is said that Frederick the Great, upon learning that the destruction in Berlin was minimal, said: “Thank you to the Russians, they saved Berlin from the horrors with which the Austrians threatened my capital!” However, official propaganda, at the behest of the same Friedrich, did not skimp on descriptions of the horrors that the “Russian savages” committed. Berlin was captured for the second time in the spring of 1945, ending the bloodiest war in Russian history.

Bucharest

Russian troops occupied the capital of Romania during Russian-Turkish war 1806-1812. The Sultan tried to recapture the city, but the Russian army, numbering less than five thousand bayonets, opposed the thirteen thousand-strong Turkish corps and completely defeated it. In this battle, the Turks lost more than 3 thousand, and the Russians - 300 people.

The Turkish army retreated beyond the Danube, and the Sultan was forced to leave Bucharest. Our troops took Bucharest in 1944, during the Iasi-Chisinau operation, which is recognized as one of the most successful and effective military operations of the Second World War. An uprising against the fascist regime began in Bucharest, Soviet troops supported the rebels, and were greeted on the streets of Bucharest with flowers and general rejoicing.

Belgrade

Belgrade was first taken by Russian troops during the same Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812. An uprising against the Ottoman Empire broke out in Serbia, supported by the Russians. Belgrade was taken, our troops were enthusiastically greeted, and Serbia came under Russian protectorate. Subsequently, Serbia had to be liberated from the Turks once again, since the peace terms were violated Ottoman Empire, and with the connivance of European states, the Turks again began to oppress Christians. Our troops entered the streets of Belgrade as liberators in 1944.

In 1798, Russia, as part of an anti-French coalition, began to fight Napoleon, who had seized the lands of Italy. General Ushakov landed near Naples, and taking this city, moved towards Rome, where the French garrison was located. The French hastily retreated. On October 11, 1799, Russian troops entered the “eternal city.” This is how Lieutenant Balabin wrote to Ushakov about this: “Yesterday, with our small corps, we entered the city of Rome.

The delight with which the residents greeted us brings the greatest honor and glory to the Russians. From the very gates of St. John to the soldiers' apartments, both sides of the streets were dotted with inhabitants of both sexes. Our troops could even pass through with difficulty.

"Vivat Pavlo Primo! Viva Moskovito!” - was proclaimed everywhere with applause. The joy of the Romans is explained by the fact that by the time the Russians arrived, bandits and marauders had already begun to rule the city. The appearance of disciplined Russian troops saved Rome from real plunder.

Warsaw

The Russians took this European capital, perhaps, most often. 1794 There was an uprising in Poland, and Suvorov was sent to suppress it. Warsaw was taken, and the assault was accompanied by the notorious “Prague Massacre” (Prague is the name of a suburb of Warsaw). The cruelties of Russian soldiers towards the civilian population, although they occurred, were nevertheless greatly exaggerated.

The next time Warsaw was taken was in 1831, also during a military campaign to suppress the uprising. The battle for the city was very fierce, both sides showed miracles of courage. Finally, our troops took Warsaw in 1944. The assault on the city was also preceded by an uprising, although this time the Poles rebelled not against the Russians, but against the Germans. Warsaw was liberated and saved from destruction by the Nazis.

Sofia

Our troops also had to fight for this city more than once. Sofia was first occupied by the Russians in 1878, during the Russo-Turkish War. The liberation of the ancient capital of Bulgaria from the Turks was preceded by fierce fighting in the Balkans.

When the Russians entered Sofia, they were enthusiastically greeted by the city's residents. This is how the St. Petersburg newspapers wrote about it: “Our troops, with music, songs and waving banners, entered Sofia with the general rejoicing of the people.” In 1944, Sofia was liberated by Soviet troops from the Nazis, and the “Russian brothers” were again greeted with flowers and tears of joy.

Amsterdam

This city was liberated by the Russians from the French garrison during the foreign campaign of the Russian army of 1813-15. The Dutch began an uprising against the Napoleonic occupation of the country and were supported by Cossack units commanded by none other than General Benckendorff. The Cossacks made such a strong impression on the residents of Amsterdam that in memory of the liberation of their city from Napoleon they for a long time celebrated a special holiday - Cossack Day.

Paris

The capture of Paris was a brilliant conclusion to the foreign campaign. The Parisians did not at all perceive the Russians as liberators, and in fear they expected the appearance of barbarian hordes, terrible bearded Cossacks and Kalmyks. However, very soon fear gave way to curiosity, and then sincere sympathy. The rank and file behaved very disciplined in Paris, and the officers all spoke French and were very gallant and educated people.

Cossacks quickly became fashionable in Paris; whole groups walked around to watch them bathe themselves and bathe their horses in the Seine. Officers were invited to the most fashionable Parisian salons. They say that Alexander I, having visited the Louvre, was very surprised not to see some of the paintings. They explained to him that in anticipation of the arrival of the “terrible Russians,” the evacuation of works of art had begun. The Emperor just shrugged his shoulders. And when the French set out to demolish the statue of Napoleon, the Russian Tsar ordered armed guards to be assigned to the monument. So, who protected the heritage of France from vandalism is still a question.

The capture of Berlin in the spring of 1945 will forever go down in the history of our army as a unique and bloody military operation. But few people remember that the Russians took Berlin not only in 1945.

"TWO-DEALER" TOTLEBEN

Even without going back centuries, when the Prussians and Russians sang, prayed and cursed in the same (or very similar) language, we will find that in the campaign of 1760, during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), the commander-in-chief, General Field Marshal Pyotr Semenovich Saltykov captured Berlin, at that time just the capital of Prussia.

Austria had just quarreled with its northern neighbor and called for help from its powerful eastern neighbor - Russia. When the Austrians were friends with the Prussians, they fought together with the Russians.

This was the time of gallant conquering kings, the heroic image of Charles XII had not yet been forgotten, and Frederick II was already trying to outdo him. And he, like Karl, was not always lucky... The march on Berlin required only 23 thousand people: the corps of General Zakhar Grigoryevich Chernyshev with the attached Don Cossacks of Krasnoshchekov, Totleben’s cavalry and the Austrian allies under the command of General Lassi.

The Berlin garrison, numbering 14 thousand bayonets, was protected by the natural border of the Spree River, Kopenick Castle, flushes and palisades. But, not counting on his charges, the city commandant decided to immediately “make his feet” and, if not for the warlike commanders Lewald, Seydlitz and Knobloch, the battle would not have happened at all.

Ours tried to cross the Spree, but the Prussians forced them to drink some water, and they were unable to seize a bridgehead for the assault on the move. But soon the tenacity of the attackers was rewarded: three hundred Russian grenadiers - renowned masters of bayonet fighting - burst into the Gali and Cottbus gates. But, not receiving reinforcements in time, they lost 92 people killed and were forced to retreat from the Berlin Wall. The second assault detachment, commanded by Major Patkul, retreated without any losses.

Troops from both sides flocked to the Berlin Wall: the regiments of Chernyshev and the Prince of Wirtenberg. The Prussian cuirassiers of General Gulsen - armored vehicles of the eighteenth century - wanted to set out from Potsdam and crush the Russians near the town of Lichtenberg. Ours met them with shrapnel volleys from horse artillery - the prototype of the Katyusha. Not expecting anything like this, the heavy cavalry wavered and was overturned by Russian hussars and cuirassiers.

The morale of the troops was very high. This factor was valued in those days when they fought exclusively in the fresh air. General Panin's division, having covered 75 versts in two days with only knapsacks on their backs and without ammunition or convoys, was in full force, from generals to privates, full of the desire to “carry out this attack in the most perfect way.”

It is difficult to say what would have happened to the Berlin garrison, but even the most militant of the Prussian generals decided not to risk it and evacuate from the capital under cover of darkness. They chose Totleben, who was eager to fight less than others, and surrendered to him. Without consulting Chernyshev, Totleben accepted the surrender and let the Prussians pass through his positions. It is interesting that on the Russian side this surrender, not unconditional, but quite acceptable for the Germans, was accepted by Messrs. Totleben, Brink and Bachmann. With the German side, negotiations were conducted by Messrs. Wigner and Bachmann, our namesake.


Introduction Russians troops V Berlin. Painting by A. Kotzebue.

One can imagine how Commander-in-Chief Chernyshev felt when he learned that the Prussians had “capitulated” and he had been deprived of his valiant victory. He rushed in pursuit of the slowly and culturally retreating enemy columns and began to crumble their orderly ranks into cabbage.

They established secret surveillance over Totleben and soon received irrefutable evidence that he was connected with the enemy. They wanted to shoot the high-ranking double-dealer, but Catherine took pity on Totleben, who had been lured by Friedrich. Our own people. The Totlebenov surname did not end in Rus'; during the Crimean War, the military engineer Totleben built beautiful fortifications around Sevastopol.

STORM NAMED AFTER BENKENDORFF

The next Berlin operation took place when the Russians drove Napoleon’s army from under the walls of Moscow, the fire victim. We did not call the Patriotic War of 1812 the Great, but the Russians nevertheless visited the capital of Prussia.

The commander of the Berlin direction in the campaign of 1813 was Lieutenant General Pyotr Christianovich Wittgenstein, but the surname Chernyshev could not be avoided here either: Cossack partisans under the command of Major General Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev on February 6 raided Berlin, defended by French troops under the command of Marshal Augereau.


Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev

A few words about the attackers. At one time, military historians made an average portrait of an officer who took part in the Battle of Borodino. He turned out to be: age - thirty-one, not married, since it is difficult to feed a family on one salary, in the army - more than ten years, participant in four battles, knows two European languages, cannot read and write.

At the forefront of the main troops was Alexander Benckendorff, the future gendarmerie chief and oppressor of free-thinking writers. He did not know then and hardly thought about it later, that only thanks to writers will pictures of peaceful life and battles be preserved in the memory of the people.

The unpretentious Russians drove the “cultured” enemy with an indecent speed for the latter. The Berlin garrison outnumbered the 1760 garrison by a thousand men, but the French were even less willing to defend the Prussian capital. They retreated to Leipzig, where Napoleon was gathering his troops for a decisive battle. The Berliners opened the gates, the townspeople welcomed the Russian liberator soldiers. Their actions contradicted the French convention they had concluded with the Berlin police, who were obliged to inform the Russians about the enemy’s retreat no earlier than ten o’clock in the morning the next day after the retreat.

The campaign of the thirteenth year had its own May 9th. Let us quote once again “Letters of a Russian Officer” by F.N. Glinka:

“On May 9 we had a common big battle, about which you will read a detailed description in the newspapers and then in the magazine about the actions of a large army, when it is written. I do not even go into detail in describing the excellent actions of the leftist who covered himself that day with the most brilliant glory flank, commanded by the commander Count Miloradovich... At the beginning of the case, Count Miloradovich, going around the regiments, told the soldiers: remember that you are fighting on the day of St. Nicholas! This saint of God has always given the Russians victories and is now looking at you from heaven!..”

VICTORY BANNER IN WOMEN'S HANDS

It is unlikely that in the spring of 1945 many in the warring armies knew that the Russians had already been near Berlin. But since they acted there in a completely businesslike manner, the idea comes that the genetic memory of generations still exists.

The Allies hurried as best they could to the “Berlin pie”; against their powerful eighty German divisions there were only sixty German divisions on the Western Front. But the allies failed to participate in the capture of the “lair”; the Red Army surrounded it and took it on their own.

The operation began with thirty-two detachments being sent to the city for reconnaissance in force. Then, when the operational situation was more or less clarified, the guns thundered and 7 million shells rained down on the enemy. “In the first seconds, several machine-gun bursts crackled from the enemy’s side, and then everything became quiet. It seemed as if there was no living creature left on the enemy’s side,” wrote one of the participants in the battle.

But it only seemed so. Entrenched in a defense in depth, the Germans resisted stubbornly. The Seelow Heights were especially difficult for our units; Zhukov promised Stalin to capture them on April 17, but they took them only on the 18th. There were some mistakes; after the war, critics agreed that it would be better to storm the city with a narrower front, perhaps one reinforced Belorussian one.

But be that as it may, by April 20, long-range artillery began shelling the city. And four days later the Red Army broke into the suburbs. It was not so difficult to get through them; the Germans were not preparing to fight here, but in the old part of the city the enemy again came to his senses and began to desperately resist.

When the Red Army soldiers found themselves on the banks of the Spree, the Soviet command had already appointed a commandant of the dilapidated Reichstag, and the battle was still going on. We must pay tribute to the selected SS units who fought for real and to the last...

And soon the banner of the winner’s colors soared over the Reich Chancellery. Many people know about Egorov and Kantaria, but for some reason they haven’t written before about the one who raised the banner over the last stronghold of resisting fascism - the imperial chancellery, and this person turned out to be a woman - an instructor in the political department of the 9th Rifle Corps, Anna Vladimirovna Nikulina.

Anna Vladimirovna Nikulina

How the Russian army first took Berlin

The capture of Berlin by Soviet troops in 1945 marked the victory point in the Great Patriotic War. The red flag over the Reichstag, even decades later, remains the most striking symbol of Victory. But the Soviet soldiers marching on Berlin were not pioneers. Their ancestors first entered the streets of the capitulated German capital two centuries earlier...

The Seven Years' War, which began in 1756, became the first full-scale European conflict in which Russia was drawn into.

The rapid strengthening of Prussia under the rule of the warlike King Frederick II worried the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna and forced her to join the anti-Prussian coalition of Austria and France.

Frederick II, not inclined to diplomacy, called this coalition “the alliance of three women,” referring to Elizabeth, the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa and the favorite of the French king, the Marquise de Pompadour.

War with caution

Russia's entry into the war in 1757 was quite cautious and hesitant.

The second reason The reason why Russian military leaders did not seek to force events was the deteriorating health of the empress. It was known that the heir to the throne, Pyotr Fedorovich, was an ardent admirer of the Prussian king and a categorical opponent of the war with him.

Frederick II the Great

The first major battle between the Russians and the Prussians, which took place at Gross-Jägersdorf in 1757, to the great surprise of Frederick II, it ended in victory for the Russian army. This success, however, was offset by the fact that the commander of the Russian army, Field Marshal General Stepan Apraksin, ordered a retreat after the victorious battle.

This step was explained by the news about the serious illness of the empress, and Apraksin was afraid of angering the new emperor, who was about to take the throne.

But Elizaveta Petrovna recovered, Apraksin was removed from his post and sent to prison, where he soon died.

Miracle for the King

The war continued, increasingly turning into a struggle of attrition, which was disadvantageous to Prussia - The country's resources were significantly inferior to those of the enemy, and even the financial support of the allied England could not compensate for this difference.

In August 1759, at the Battle of Kunersdorf, the allied Russian-Austrian forces utterly defeated the army of Frederick II.

Alexander Kotzebue. "Battle of Kunersdorf" (1848)

The king's condition was close to despair.“The truth is, I believe that all is lost. I will not survive the death of my Fatherland. Goodbye forever",- Frederick wrote to his minister.

The road to Berlin was open, but a conflict arose between the Russians and the Austrians, as a result of which the moment to capture the Prussian capital and end the war was missed. Frederick II, taking advantage of the sudden respite, managed to gather a new army and continue the war. He called the Allied delay, which saved him, “the miracle of the House of Brandenburg.”

Throughout 1760, Frederick II managed to resist the superior forces of the Allies, which were hampered by inconsistency. At the Battle of Liegnitz, the Prussians defeated the Austrians.

Failed assault

The French and Austrians, concerned about the situation, called on the Russian army to step up its actions. Berlin was proposed as a target.

The capital of Prussia was not a powerful fortress. Weak walls, turning into a wooden palisade - the Prussian kings did not expect that they would have to fight in their own capital.

Frederick himself was distracted by the fight against Austrian troops in Silesia, where he had excellent chances of success. Under these conditions, at the request of the allies, the Russian army was given a directive to conduct a raid on Berlin.

The 20,000-strong Russian corps of Lieutenant General Zakhar Chernyshev advanced to the Prussian capital with the support of the 17,000-strong Austrian corps of Franz von Lassi.

Count Gottlob Kurt Heinrich von Totleben

The Russian vanguard was commanded by Gottlob Totleben, a born German who lived in Berlin for a long time and dreamed of the sole glory of the conqueror of the Prussian capital.

Totleben's troops arrived to Berlin before the main forces. In Berlin they hesitated as to whether to hold the line, but under the influence of Friedrich Seydlitz, the commander of Friedrich's cavalry, who was undergoing treatment in the city after being wounded, they decided to give battle.

The first assault attempt ended in failure. The fires that started in the city after the shelling by the Russian army were quickly extinguished; of the three attacking columns, only one managed to break through directly to the city, but they also had to retreat due to the desperate resistance of the defenders.

Victory with scandal

Following this, the Prussian corps of Prince Eugene of Württemberg came to the aid of Berlin, which forced Totleben to retreat.

The capital of Prussia rejoiced early - the main forces of the Allies approached Berlin. General Chernyshev began to prepare a decisive assault.

On the evening of September 27, a military council met in Berlin, at which it was decided to surrender the city due to the complete superiority of the enemy. At the same time, the envoys were sent to the ambitious Totleben, believing that it would be easier to come to an agreement with a German than with a Russian or Austrian.

Totleben really went towards the besieged, allowing the capitulated Prussian garrison to leave the city.

At the moment when Totleben entered the city, he met with Lieutenant Colonel Rzhevsky, who arrived to negotiate with the Berliners on the terms of surrender on behalf of General Chernyshev. Totleben told the lieutenant colonel to tell him: he had already taken the city and received symbolic keys from it.

Chernyshev arrived in the city beside himself with rage - Totleben’s initiative, supported, as it later turned out, by a bribe from the Berlin authorities, categorically did not suit him. The general gave the order to begin the pursuit of the departing Prussian troops. The Russian cavalry overtook the units retreating to Spandau and defeated them.

“If Berlin is destined to be busy, then let it be the Russians”

The population of Berlin was horrified by the appearance of the Russians, who were described as absolute savages, but, to the surprise of the townspeople, the soldiers of the Russian army behaved with dignity, without committing atrocities against civilians.

But the Austrians, who had personal scores to settle with the Prussians, did not restrain themselves - they robbed houses, passers-by on the streets, and destroyed everything they could reach. It got to the point that Russian patrols had to use weapons to reason with their allies. The stay of the Russian army in Berlin lasted six days

. Frederick II, having learned about the fall of the capital, immediately moved an army from Silesia to help the main city of the country. Chernyshev’s plans did not include a battle with the main forces of the Prussian army - he completed his task of distracting Friedrich. Having collected trophies, the Russian army left the city.

Russians in Berlin. Engraving by Daniel Chodowiecki. The King of Prussia, having received a report of minimal destruction in the capital, remarked:“Thank you to the Russians, they saved Berlin from the horrors with which the Austrians threatened my capital.”

But these words of Friedrich were intended only for his immediate circle. The monarch, who highly valued the power of propaganda, ordered that his subjects be informed about the monstrous atrocities of the Russians in Berlin. “We had a visit here which would have been extremely pleasant under other circumstances. However, I always wished that if Berlin were ever destined to be occupied by foreign troops, then let it be the Russians ... "

What is salvation for Frederick is death for Peter

The departure of the Russians from Berlin was a pleasant event for Frederick, but it was not of key importance for the outcome of the war. By the end of 1760, he completely lost the opportunity to qualitatively replenish the army, driving prisoners of war into its ranks, who very often defected to the enemy’s side. The army could not conduct offensive operations, and the king increasingly thought about abdicating the throne.

The Russian army took full control of East Prussia, whose population had already sworn allegiance to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

At this very moment, Frederick II was helped by the “second miracle of the House of Brandenburg” - the death of the Russian Empress. Peter III, who replaced her on the throne, not only immediately made peace with his idol and returned to him all the territories conquered by Russia, but also provided troops for the war with yesterday’s allies.

Peter III

What turned out to be happiness for Frederick cost Peter III himself dearly. The Russian army and, first of all, the guard did not appreciate the broad gesture, considering it offensive. As a result, the coup, soon organized by the emperor’s wife Ekaterina Alekseevna, went off like clockwork. Following this, the deposed emperor died under circumstances that were not fully clarified.

But the Russian army firmly remembered the road to Berlin, laid in 1760, so that it could return whenever necessary.