Battle for Berlin Bashny.Net

In the editorial office of Novaya Gazeta appeared little-known, and some are likely and unpublished pictures taken in Berlin in April and early in May 1945 the Soviet military correspondents.
Authors' names are not yet known to us. Next, we were lucky. The editors sought a man whose (presumably!) Katyusha war in Berlin. Ivanihin Mark Pavlovich came into the office and saw a few hours and commented unique pictures. Comrade Colonel hands were shaking, but he said: "It's like back there." Then, taking a snapshot of Katyusha rockets, he said: "My! .. My regiment!»
Revision was shocked that reliable identification of exactly 65 years.
It happened!
Before you - a unique special report war correspondent, and Mark Ivanihina via novgaz.ru.

Mark Ivanihin:
- ... This is the infantry comes, and where, of course, I can not say. See, knapsacks, obmotochki - infantry in the windings it was. Even in the 45th. But the artillery was in boots. And Mortar Guards were given leather boots, the rest - kirzachi.





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Mark Ivanihin:
- Learn. This machine of the 79th Guards Mortar Regiment. You see - the letter "G" and the Guards sign? .. Where beat, I do not know. For example, I shot at Anhalt station, in the Reich Chancellery, the Reichstag, just go home. This is exactly the 79th Regiment, exactly. Whose battery, I can not say (in our regiment were six). Maybe mine, but I'm afraid to say because I do not remember the number of the cars.



Mark Ivanihin:
- It Reichstag. I signed on any column on the right: "I came to see you in Berlin from Moscow to you to us in Moscow with the war did not come. Mark Ivanihin, Guard Captain. " I scratched by a shell fragment. Well, how could I not sign!
I shot at the Reichstag, though not direct fire. Probably my hole there is, and maybe not, I do not know.



Mark Ivanihin:
- It is self-propelled. Therefore "fighting friend" rather than "fighting friend" - because the self-propelled gun. Record yourself and you should know that the tanks were not muzzle brake, while the self-propelled guns (see, in the trunk?) - Muzzle brake ...



Mark Ivanihin:
- It is a suburb of Berlin, Berlin itself is not. The Germans in these fortified houses strongly defended. As soon as our infantry approached, they opened heavy fire. With our advanced troops were 122-millimeter howitzers, 57- and 76-millimeter cannon. Well, they babahnut, make a hole in the wall and everything. And then we drove Katyusha for direct fire, meters 70. A guide to lower - they were high - we took with him two railroad ties. Throwing the sleepers on the ground, "Studebaker" hit them back wheels and rails become horizontal. We paddled to strengthen buildings - 16 missiles with a difference of a few seconds ... nothing from this house to do. A middle-aged woman, I know of the shelter in their returns to the destroyed house.



Mark Ivanihin:
- Unfortunately, our soldiers were taken bikes, I'll tell you exactly - were taken bikes to ride. He is from the village of the deaf, who never saw the bicycle, and he never had a bike, and suddenly he saw a bicycle. There is nothing to hide, it was that was collected bicycles, trains and throw because if the infantry, then somewhere else will move, and if it is not the infantry, then train the artillery, for example, train a bit and throw ... This is taken from the Germans a bike. Unfortunately, this was exactly ...
But here's the thing. Please note!
Men do not intercede. You see, this is the youth - they have simply changed clothes. We managed to change into civilian. It is not the local soldiers, officers, they had already changed into civilian. Why is that? Because they fought, fired, they were taken into the army, even the elderly and children were taken. This I will tell you exactly about these men, silent and dressed in civilian ...



Mark Ivanihin:
- I was here, this is the entrance to the Reich Chancellery. I'm coming down, but not far, it was disgusting - there are many corpses lay. Here, as one enters, - Right, the bodies of Goebbels, his wife Magda and their children. Their parents had been poisoned. The corpse of Hitler, too, saw he was lying on, at 50 meters, he and Eva Braun, charred, close to the dog.
In the hallway on the left and the right - the rooms. They had a lot of German officers suicide. They mass shooting. Still - a lot of broken bottles of vodka and wine. I saw it all.
It shall commander of the defense of Berlin, General Weidling.
He left the command bunker ...



- ... And the right of exit from the bunker, I saw lying in the range of six children of Goebbels and his wife, just a few meters away.

Photo: memorialis.ru



Mark Ivanihin:
- And this is our officers went to the police station. To say that this special department, you can not. They also did not have a special shape. They wore uniforms of those parts, which have served.
In our regiment had three special person. They have been with us from Stalingrad to Berlin, so we were on very good terms. But here was a case of Kursk. My sergeant Donchenko cleaning machine gun and accidentally shot himself in the shoulder. Arrives NKVD Pekanin, he says: "Mark, write report: Donchenko shot for a crossbow." I say, "Donchenko was with me from Stalingrad to Kursk Bulge. I write this report I will not. What happened, an accident. " Then the regimental commander called me: "Write a report. Donchenko shot down the line. " I said, "will not shoot because I was not going to write a report." And Donchenko dovoeval to the end, after the war, he had 4 sons were born.
And another thing: you know our PCA, they have a very lousy fuses. The commander of the liaison offices Meskhin jumped from the machine gun at the shoulder, muzzle down, flew off the guard, and bullets hit Meskhinu up.
I special department again: "Shoot for the crossbow." Again, not given. He also dovoeval to the end, and also his children were born then.
My God, how could I give its soldiers, which went under so many gunfire and bombs?
Why do I head for the stubbornness did not turn, do not know. But a couple of orders still nedodali. I got four, and could give all eight. But I thank God, I know that innocent people are not put under execution. Yes, and I drank champagne with them in Berlin.
Well then, one more digression. 1 May fighting in the city almost came to naught, and we decided to celebrate this thing. Located on the ground floor of the house survived. Apparently, there lived some very rich German - silverware, porcelain, crystal ... And a huge table. We had the carcass of a bull, a few pigs, canned food, vodka, and even champagne and wine - in the basement. I say: "Everyone wash and change" (we are still in winter uniforms were). A sergeant - before the war he worked as a cook in a restaurant - I order to prepare the gala dinner. We set the table for the rest of the battery in all 60 people. And then a messenger from the commander of the regiment: Ivanihina - on the officer's party. "No - I say. - I went with the soldiers from Stalingrad to Berlin and I will celebrate with them ».
One of my fighter, fast, very well played on the accordion, accordion abandoned had a bunch of ... In general, we have an evening otgrohali ... I had soldiers from Siberia that first locomotive saw when them to the front were taken, but suddenly ... And - champagne ... And out of this crystal, it rings. Well sat ...



Mark Ivanihin:
- And, of course, the Brandenburg Gate. I think that this car - "Opel Zexu", the sixth means. I like this was a battalion commander, but after the war.
... I'll tell you another story. Probably, April 28-29, soldiers resorted to me and say: "Comrade Captain, we found a funky car, take a look." I went to see. It should be shed, barn car. Four chaise, trimmed in red leather, very long hood, twelve-engine, three trumpets the right silver left three silver fanfare ... the machine is on the stocks. I say, "Look for the wheel." Wheels find, put gasoline poured. Well, how could I not ride on this machine ?! I am 22 years old, I'm the captain. Driving range, I think, "Not according to the order».
I called the commander of the regiment: "Comrade Colonel, is such a machine." He says: "Let is now send zampoteha." Sent zampoteha, Major Makovsky, the car he drove somewhere. And I lost track of it.
After the war, I saw a German chronicle, Hitler traveled there on such a machine, called "Stern».
And I got caught "Horch" yellow, I traveled on it per day. The commander of the regiment saw and said, "Mark, you ride on the" Horch ", and I, the regimental commander, at some" Studebaker ". And I took the "Horch". But the travel is not it more than a day, he took the car artillery commander of the army. But he had no luck, "Horch" moved artillery commander military force. And then - I do not know ... But I'm still a whole day on it went.



Mark Ivanihin:
- This German refugees returned home. You see, get out of the shelter in basements, they were told, perhaps, that somewhere there is a kitchen, feed. Our soldiers are compassionate ...
Digress lyric. I fought the war on Katyushas, ​​and they were hunted by German planes. I, for example, five times changed the material part - it broke. And the soldiers said to me once: "We'll get to Germany, the first house, where he lives a pilot, and burn all the shoot." And here we enter into one of the towns, the soldiers ask the Germans: "Where is the house of the pilot?" They show - here. The soldiers went there, and the house of Frau and four small children. Nothing they certainly did not do so permanently, breathed anger.



Mark Ivanihin:
- This Berliners get our soup. Women, children. And men, too ... And now let me digress. Bring me the boy soldiers in uniform - the German, the name Peter. He had been forced to fight, that's clear, and the end of the war. Well, I say: "Let the kitchen peeling potatoes." It is at our disposal for some time stayed, then he was dressed in civilian and released. I gave him another paper written in Russian that he worked for us.



Mark Ivanihin:
- Were such girls. This is probably about twenty years, and when I was 22 years old. Of course, we looked at them with great respect .... They are very good Handling: white flag - you can go, red - stop. When the shelling, they fled to the shelter and then returned.

The project «Novaya Gazeta»

Photos - Chronicles ITAR-TASS

The editors thank the Federal Fishery Agency for assistance in preparing the material
Recorded Vitaly Yaroshevskii



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