Elbe Day: Looking Back on Soviet and US Troops' Joyous Meeting Ahead of WWII Victory
On April 25, 1945, allied Soviet and US troops met at the Elbe River in Germany, marking a pivotal step toward the end of World War II on the European continent. The glorious day, despite its obvious historical significance, has been hushed up and swept under the rug to serve ongoing Russophobic sentiments.
SputnikUS authorities have not authorized Russian diplomats to hold a wreath-laying ceremony at the “Spirit of the Elbe” plaque at the Arlington cemetery in Washington, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov has said.
The ambassador reminded that though the Soviet Union and the United States had "polar opposite conceptions of life", the two nations managed to overcome "resentments and complexes" when the world was threatened by Nazism.
"I want to believe that sooner or later Washington will remember the legacy of the heroic generation and realize the importance of the ‘Spirit of the Elbe’ as a foundation for equal and mutually beneficial relations," the diplomat summed up.
Take a look at these historic pictures that immortalized the WWII milestone!
1 / 14
Residents of the city of Torgau (Germany) greeting Allied troops at a solemn meeting dedicated to the link up allied troops at the Elbe river, 1945.
2 / 14
Soviet troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front met with American troops of the 1st US Army.
3 / 14
Soviet Army Colonel General Gleb Baklanov (right) welcomes US Major General William B. Kean (left) during the meeting of the Allied troops on the banks of the Elbe River near Torgau.
4 / 14
Lieutenant General Nikolai Oslikovsky, commander of the Guards Cavalry Corps, meets the troops 13th American Infantry and Tank Corps led by US General Gill, May 4, 1945.
5 / 14
Soviet and US officers at a solemn meeting celebrating the link up of the Allied forces.
6 / 14
Soviet nurse Lyubov Kazichenko gives flowers to American soldier Carl Robinson.
7 / 14
Soviet and American soldiers posing shoulder to shoulder for a celebratory picture, April 25, 1945.
8 / 14
The Hero of the Soviet Union, Commander 28th Guards Cavalry Regiment of the 6th Guards Division, Captain Yakov Neumoev (left) exchanges autographs with the commander of the 333rd Regiment of the 13th Corps of the US Army, Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd Gomes (second to the right).
9 / 14
Reception celebrating Allied troops on the Elbe Day. Sitting at the table are Ivan Konev, marshal of the Soviet Union (4th on the left), and Omar Nelson Bradley, general of the US Army (standing).
10 / 14
Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev presenting a 1st Rank Suvorov military order to US General Omar Nelson Bradley.
11 / 14
Soviet and British sentries on the Elbe River.
12 / 14
American, Soviet and British soldiers enjoying Camel cigarettes together.
13 / 14
US and Soviet soldiers link up near the town of Torgau on the Elbe river.
14 / 14
2nd Lt. William Robertson and Lt. Alexander Sylvashko standing in front of a sign that reads "East Meets West" symbolizing the historic meeting of the Soviet and US Armies.
.jpg){kind=link}