2014 turned out to be rich in anniversaries. After all, 70 years ago Belgrade, Bucharest, Sofia and many other cities and capitals of Europe were liberated by Soviet troops. Fraternal Serbia celebrated this anniversary especially solemnly, where to this day they remember the feat of the soldiers of the Red Army. So how did the liberation of Belgrade take place in 1944, which Soviet and Yugoslav military leaders played a decisive role in this?
Backstory
The occupation of Yugoslavia by fascist troops began after the intensive bombardment of Belgrade on April 6, 1941. Immediately after this, the formation of the partisan movement began. Moreover, initially there were two wings: monarchist and communist. It is clear that the allies decided to support the supporters of the exiled King Peter II. However, by 1943, the monarchists, or, as they were also called, the Chetniks, completely discredited themselves by ethnic cleansing of the non-Serb population of Yugoslavia, and the Soviet and British governments began to openly support the communist leaderJosip Broz Tito.
The situation at the front before the start of the Belgrade operation
Due to its geographical position, Serbia has always been a strategically important point in the Balkans. Therefore, the German command from the very first days of the occupation of this part of Yugoslavia kept significant forces there. Moreover, after the successes of the Red Army in Romania and Bulgaria and its access to the Danube, Serbia became even more important for the Wehrmacht. The fact is that on the eastern borders of this country, the Nazis were going to organize a front of defense against the advancing Soviet troops, which would allow them to withdraw troops from Greece and Macedonia and send them to defend the borders of Germany itself. Thus, it was obvious that the liberation of Belgrade (1944) would be difficult and would require good preparation.
In particular, on July 28, 1944, units of the PLA of Yugoslavia set out from Bosnia in the direction of Serbia, and in September Soviet troops began to move there. The news of the offensive of the Red Army was enthusiastically received by the inhabitants of the Yugoslav capital, for whom it was a sign that the liberation of Belgrade was close. In addition, in early autumn, the German command decided to withdraw Army Group E from the Balkans to Hungary, and the liberated Bulgaria declared war on Germany and placed the Bulgarian armies I, II and IV at the disposal of the command of the III Ukrainian Front.
Start operation
In the period from September 15 to September 21, the 17th Air Army received an order from the Soviet command to bomb bridges and other important objects, therebythereby preventing the withdrawal of German troops from the southern regions of Yugoslavia and Greece. After that, on September 28, the attack on Belgrade by the 57th Army began, which was covered from the right flank by the Danube Flotilla, forced to make its way through minefields. Soviet troops, in cooperation with units of the NOAU, in a short time broke through the enemy defenses along the border with Bulgaria and made the most difficult transition through the East Serbian mountains, constantly engaging in battles with the retreating Germans.
Liberation of Belgrade: date and main stages of the operation
On October 8, Soviet troops crossed the Morava River and captured the bridgeheads in Palanka and Velika Plana. From there, on October 12, an offensive began on Belgrade from the south, in which Bulgarian military units and 2 NOAU corps took part. At the same time, the crossing of the Danube by one of the corps of the Ukrainian Front began, which made it possible to attack the capital of Yugoslavia from the northeast.
By October 14, the following events occurred during the Belgrade operation:
- 12th NOAU Corps took control of the roads leading to the capital, located south of the Sava River;
- V Guards Mechanized Corps approached Belgrade and entered the battle on its outskirts;
- 57th Army began to advance along the Danube, trying to quickly enter Belgrade.
In addition, on October 16, the Danube Flotilla landed troops in Smederevo. Even with the involvement of such large forces, the complete liberation of Belgrade from the Nazistook place only six days after the start of the operation. The fact is that the German garrison of the city numbered more than 20,000 people, who had 170 guns and mortars, as well as 40 tanks. Moreover, judging by the secret directive of the Wehrmacht command, all these forces were going to be sacrificed in order to ensure the retreat of the thousands of army group "E".
Military units that took part in the Belgrade operation, and the losses of the SA and NOAU
From the Soviet side, the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps, the 236th Rifle, 73rd and 106th Guards Divisions, one anti-aircraft artillery division, several mortar, artillery and self-propelled artillery regiments, three separate anti-aircraft artillery regiment. In addition, one should not underestimate the role of the Yugoslav side, which provided 8 divisions, without which the liberation of Belgrade could have dragged on even longer. During the operation, the Red Army lost more than 30,000 soldiers and officers wounded, killed and missing, of which about 1,000 people died directly on the streets of the city. At the same time, the victims of NOAU during the assault amounted to 2,953 volunteers.
Military leaders who played an important role in the liberation of the capital of Yugoslavia
The liberation of Belgrade (1944) took place largely thanks to the coordinated actions of the Soviet and Yugoslav commands. As already mentioned, the main role in this was assigned to the III Ukrainian Front under the command of F. I. Tolbukhin, and specifically the 57th Army, whichthat moment was led by Lieutenant General N. A. Hagen. Among the Soviet military leaders, one should also note General Zhdanov, who commanded the IV Guards Mechanized Corps and received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and People's Hero of Yugoslavia for the Belgrade operation. As for the command of the NOAU units that stormed Belgrade, it was entrusted to Peko Dapcevic, who showed his organizational skills during the Spanish Civil War.
Medal "For the Liberation of Belgrade"
To encourage those who particularly distinguished themselves in the battles for the capital of Yugoslavia, on June 9, 1945, a special state award was established. It was the Medal "For the Liberation of Belgrade", which was received by about 70,000 people. This award is a regular circle made of brass with a diameter of 3.2 cm, connected with a ring and an eyelet to a standard pentagonal block, which is covered with a green ribbon with a black stripe in the middle. On the obverse of the medal there is a convex inscription "For the liberation of Belgrade", above which there is a five-pointed star. In addition, a laurel wreath is depicted around the circumference. As for the reverse, the day of the liberation of Belgrade is indicated there, and a miniature five-pointed star is visible above this inscription. The design of the medal was created by the artist A. I. Kuznetsov, it is prescribed to be worn on the left side of the chest.
Celebrations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade
Although traditionally parades on the occasion of the completion of the German occupation of the Serbian capital are held on 20October, in 2014, the celebrations were held four days earlier. According to the official version, this was due to the fact that on October 16, 1944, Soviet troops liberated the center of Belgrade. In addition, information appeared in the press that this was done so that Russian President Vladimir Putin would take part in the celebrations.
Parade "Winner's Step" in Belgrade
On October 16, 2014, a military parade took place in the Serbian capital for the first time since 1985. Thus, the authorities of this country decided to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade. This solemn event was attended by about 100 thousand residents, senior officials of Serbia and V. V. Putin. In addition to the passage of columns of Serbian military personnel and equipment, Russian pilots from the Strizhi group showed their skills in the sky over Belgrade.
Thus, it can be stated that attempts to rewrite the history of Europe of the last century in the case of Serbia are not successful, and the people of this country remember the feat of the Soviet soldier who expelled the fascist evil spirits and liberated Belgrade.
