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Archive | April, 2021

Elbe Day: the Pinnacle of American and Russian Relations

Remembering April 25, 1945 when allies from the East and West met and Victory over Germany was weeks away.

Photo commemorating the meeting of the Soviet and American armies, 2nd Lt. William Robertson (U.S. Army) and Lt. Alexander Silvashko (Red Army) stand facing one another with hands clasped and arms around each other’s shoulders.

Elbe Day, April 25, 1945, is the day Soviet and American troops met at the Elbe River, near Torgau in Germany, marking a major step toward the end of World War II in Europe. This contact between the Soviets, advancing from the East, and the Americans, advancing from the West, meant that Germany had been divided.

First contact between American and Soviet patrols occurred near Strehla, after First Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue, an American soldier, crossed the River Elbe in a boat with three men of an intelligence and reconnaissance platoon.

April 25, 2021 launched the movement “Preserve Peace – Plant a Tree – Save the Planet” in the USA, Russia, and many other countries around the world. Please join and add your organization or individual name on Youtube chat https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=CARP9FnSnqI&feature=youtu.be

On April 25, on the day of the meeting of Soviet and American troops on the Elbe in 1945, the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly and American University in Moscow together with partners, launches the International Action “Garden of Peace” under the slogan “Keep the World – Plant a Tree – Save the Planet”. The main goal of this Action is to unit all humanity for peace, tranquillity and development of our planet. Official social media page: https://vk.com/gardenofpeace

“Preserve Peace – Plant a Tree – Save the PlanetPartners in Russia:

https://doit-together.ru

Partners in USA:

Partners in Canada:

On the east bank troops met forward elements of a Soviet Guards rifle regiment of the First Ukrainian Front, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gordeyev.

Soviet and American troops convene at the Elbe River near Strelha, Germany.

The same day, another patrol under Second Lieutenant William Robertson with Frank Huff, James McDonnell and Paul Staub met a Soviet patrol commanded by Lieutenant Alexander Silvashko on the destroyed Elbe bridge of Torgau.[1]

On April 26, the commander of the 69th Infantry Division of the First Army, Emil F. Reinhardt, and the commander of the 58th Guards Rifle Division of the 5th Guards Army, Vladimir Rusakov, met at Torgau, 100 km southwest of Berlin.[2] Arrangements were made for the formal “Handshake of Torgau” between Robertson and Silvashko in front of photographers the following day, April 27.

For years, the Soviet troops had been pushing back the Nazis all along the Eastern Front. On June 6, 1944, American and British troops opened a second front in Europe with the invasion in Normandy and began liberating Europe from the clutches of Hitler from the West. They eventually met on April 25, 1945, on the town of Torgau on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony. The war in Europe was eventually coming to an end.

American troops had arrived on the Elbe several weeks before the Soviets. But since the Allied command had abandoned plans to attack the German capital, the Americans didn’t cross the river and waited for the Soviet troops.

After the meeting of allies at the Elbe River, Soviet troops continued on to Berlin from several directions to end the war in Europe.

By the end of April 1945, the Red Army had the German capital encircled on all sides, allowing the 58th Guards Rifle Division of the Russian Army to slip past Germany’s tattered defenses and head west towards Torgau where the 69th division of the US Army was waiting for the union.

The Soviet, American, British and French governments released simultaneous statements that evening in London, Moscow, and Washington, reaffirming the determination of the three Allied powers to complete the destruction of the Third Reich.

Russian coin minted to commemorate the meeting on the Elbe River of American and Soviet troops united against Nazi Germany.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbe_Day

https://www.amusingplanet.com/2020/04/the-historic-meeting-on-elbe-river.html

https://www.rbth.com/history/330268-elbe-day-soviet-us-friendship

https://vk.com/gardenofpeace

Planting a tree for peace and climate on Elbe Day 2021
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