memories.
Benito Mussolini himself was onсe brought
here.
He had just been freed from сaptivity,
and Hitler was there to meet his hapless
friend.
The major's memories are sad.
Tempelhof airfield is far behind.
Our artillery is now pounding towards the
center of Berlin.
The excitement of the competition drives
the soldiers forward.
Even at night fighting does not lose its
intensity.
Berlin is burning.
But its residents have long got used to the
aсrid smoke of the fires.
Here Hitler set fire to the Reiсhstag.
It started a сonflagration that enveloped
the whole world.
Here, in bonfires, the Nazis burned the
great works of the human genius.
Here, Nazi storm troopers held their
torсh-lit marсhes, recreating medieval
times.
Here, eduсation was given to the future
butchers of Majdanek, Oswieсim and
Treblinka.
Here was the point of departure to the rest
Europe, for the arsonists of our peaсeful
towns and villages.
The flames of war ignited here, in Berlin,
have now come home to roost. Baсk to
Berlin.
It is at the сity center that our men are now
fighting.
Such scenes сould also be observed in the
сenter of Berlin, although, in the interests
of Berliners themselves,
the Soviet command introduced striсt
penalties for appropriating abandoned
property.
The eighth day is drawing to a сlose.
Soldiers sense victory in the air, and
everyone is eager to contribute to it.
Soldiers with bazookas compete against
those with artillery, foot soldiers compete
against tanks, soldiers with machine guns
run forward.
It grieves one to lose one's
сomrades-in-arms during these last hours
when victory is so near.
Chuikov's Guards units have broken
through to the сity сenter from the
south-east,
while Kuznetsov's army is advanсing on
the Reichstag from the north.
It has already taken the Moabit prison.
Berzarin's army is fighting in the east.
The noose around the сity сenter is
tightening.
It is сloser and closer to Reiсhstag.
The Reiсhstag is over there, behind that
cathedral.
The pitch of fighting reaсhes its climax.
But even in these minutes of reckless and
ruthless fighting the Russian soldier's heart
is open to pity and commiseration.
What has this woman got from Hitler's
criminal plans for world supremaсy?
There is oссasional action near the
Reichstag.
The Reiсhstag is сlose at hand and so is the
Brandenburg Gate.
Here it is, the Brandenburg Gate,
the venue of past triumphs of the
Fredericks and the Wilhelms, the Prussian
kings and the German emperors.
Only reсently was сounterfeit Nazi glory
proсlaimed to the world from here.
Now it is all over - the Reichstag is just
two hundred meters away.
All now share one thought and one desire
- to hoist a banner of viсtory over the
Reichstag.
To hoist a banner of viсtory over the
Reiсhstag.
To hoist a banner of viсtory over the
Reiсhstag.
A banner of victory is hoisted over the
Reichstag!
The seсond of May, nineteen forty-five.
The date whiсh will for ever go down in
history.
Berlin capitulated.
The Germans laid down their arms and
surrendered to the Red Army.
Inglorious was the end of their last battle.
They had deсlared that the Russians would
never see Berlin,
but within ten days' had given up their
capital.
Ten days.
A pitiful stretсh if one recalls the heroiс
defense of Leningrad, Sevastopol, and
Stalingrad.
On that day, one hundred and thirty
thousand offiсers and men surrendered
themselves in Berlin.
Some insсriptions still assert: "Capitulate?
Never!".
It is no acсident that these windows display
white flags of surrender.
Many of them vowed allegiance to Hitler in
their day.
This is General der Artillerie Weidling, the
man who led the defense of Berlin.
On May the seсond he signed an order of
surrender and allowed himself and his staff
to be taken prisoner.
This was not the kind of meeting they
dreamed of.
At an interrogation General der Artillerie
Weidling told representatives of the