Capture of Prague 1945. Book of memory and glory - Prague offensive operation

The last strategic operation of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War, during which the city of Prague was liberated.

Army Group Center, numbering up to a million people, under the command of Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner, following Hitler's order, intended to defend in the Prague region and in the city itself, turning it into a "second Berlin".

The course of hostilities

The approach of Soviet and American troops intensified the resistance movement in the Czech Republic. In April 1945, 120 partisan detachments operated there, the total number of which did not exceed 7.5 thousand people. The activity of the partisans was of a defensive nature, which was explained primarily by the lack of weapons and the lack of experienced personnel. In addition, the Czech partisan movement was fragmented, did not have a single leading center. The connection of individual detachments with the Soviet command was episodic or absent altogether. Only at the end of April was the creation of the Czech National Council (CNC) completed with difficulty. It consisted of various political organizations, although the Communists played an important role in it. The CNS was headed by Professor of the Prague University A. Prazhak. In domestic policy, this body was guided by "the broadest democracy", and in foreign policy - by "closest cooperation" with the USSR and "friendly relations" with the Western allies. However, deep internal contradictions and weak communication with the leaders of the Resistance on the ground reduced the leading role of the CHNS.

The immediate start of an uprising against the Nazi occupiers was not included in the calculations of either the CHNS, or the Communists, or the illegal Central Council of Trade Unions. The uprising in Prague was prepared by former Czechoslovak military personnel led by General K. Kutyavasr, who acted independently of the ChNS. In early May, their leadership came into contact with the commander of the 1st division of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA), General S. K. Bunyachenko. Formed by the traitor of the motherland, General A. A. Vlasov, from Soviet soldiers and officers captured by the Germans, this army was moving west, intending to surrender to the Americans. At the moment when representatives of "Bartos" (Kutyavashr's organization) arrived at it, the 1st division of the Vlasovites was 50 km southwest of Prague. Bunyachenko and almost the entire command of the division, counting on political asylum in Czechoslovakia, agreed to an alliance with the Czechs in the fight against "Nazism and Bolshevism." Vlasov himself did not believe in the success of the uprising, but gave the division commander complete freedom of action.

On May 1, the commander of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front received an order no later than May 4 to transfer the line along the Elbe River to the 1st Belorussian Front, and to transfer the released forces to the Prague direction. On the same day, the troops of the right wing and the center of the 1st Ukrainian Front, operating in the 650-km zone from Potsdam to Levenberg (3rd and 5th Guards, 13, 28, 52nd combined arms, 3rd and 4th I Guards Tank Armies, 2nd Army of the Polish Army, 4th Guards, 25th and 1st Polish Tank, 7th Guards Mechanized and 1st Guards Cavalry Corps), began regrouping in a southerly direction and preparing for the offensive to Prague. The troops of the left wing (31st, 2nd, 59th armies) continued to occupy the defense on the line west of Levenberg, north of Krnov. The 6th Army (Lieutenant General V. A. Gluzdovsky) blocked the garrison of the Breslau fortress. The actions of the ground forces of the front were supported by the 2nd Air Army.

The 4th Ukrainian Front (60th, 38th, 1st Guards and 18th Armies, 31st Tank Corps), operating in a 220 km wide strip from Krnov to Vsetin, completed the Moravian-Ostrava operation. The 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps was part of the 18th Army. The ground forces of the front were supported by the 8th Air Army (Lieutenant General of Aviation V.N. Zhdanov), which also included the 1st Czechoslovak Mixed Aviation Division.

From Vsetin to Korneiburg, in a strip of 350 km, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front (40, 53, 7th Guards, 46th combined arms, 6th Guards Tank Armies, 1st and 4th Romanian armies, 1st Guards Cavalry Mechanized Group). Its right wing advanced towards Olomouc towards the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front. The armies of the center and the left wing temporarily went on the defensive. The 23rd Panzer Corps was in the reserve of the front. The ground forces of the front were supported by the 5th Air Army (Colonel-General of Aviation S. K. Goryunov).

Thus, by the beginning of May, 20 combined arms (including two Romanian and Polish), 3 tank and 3 air armies, a horse-mechanized group (comprising a mechanized and two cavalry corps), 5 tank, mechanized and cavalry separate corps. The total number of the grouping of Soviet troops involved in the Prague operation was 2 million 28 thousand people. It was armed with about 30.5 thousand guns and mortars, up to 2 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 3 thousand aircraft. The Soviet troops outnumbered the enemy in people by more than 2 times, and the number of tanks was equal. Our superiority in artillery and aviation was threefold. The favorable general military-political situation and advantageous operational position allowed the Soviet troops to quickly complete the task of defeating the opposing enemy grouping and completing the liberation of Czechoslovakia, which began as early as September 1944.

The idea of ​​the Prague operation was to encircle, dismember and in a short time defeat the main forces of the Nazi troops on the territory of Czechoslovakia by delivering several blows in converging directions to Prague, to prevent their retreat to the west. The main attacks on the flanks of Army Group Center were delivered by the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front from the area northwest of Dresden and the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front from the area south of Brno. In accordance with this plan, on May 1-2, the Headquarters of the Supreme Command gave the necessary orders to the fronts to conduct an offensive operation. In addition, the 2nd Ukrainian Front was reinforced by the 9th Guards Army, which had previously been part of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. She received the task of advancing in the general direction of Pilsen.

The preparation of the Prague operation was associated with major regroupings of troops on the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts. The 1st Ukrainian Front completed them on May 6, while the 2nd Ukrainian Front did not have time to complete them completely. Meanwhile, the situation in Czechoslovakia required the Soviet command to speed up the start of the operation, originally scheduled for May 7th.

On May 5, Prague spontaneously rebelled. Wanting to save their city from destruction, tens of thousands of its inhabitants took to the streets. They not only built hundreds of barricades, but also seized the central post office, telegraph, railway stations, bridges over the Vltava, a number of military depots, disarmed several small units stationed in Prague, and established control over a significant part of the city. The CHNS tried to take over the leadership of the uprising. However, he still did not seek to coordinate his actions with the Soviet command and did not even establish contact with them. This Council, about which practically nothing was known, was not trusted either by the Soviet command, which saw in it a protege of the émigré government in London, or by the Czechoslovak government operating in the liberated territory of the country.

The commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal F. Scherner, ordered the suppression of the uprising, which cut off the main withdrawal route for his troops to the west. On May 6, German troops, using tanks, artillery and aircraft against the rebels, entered Prague and captured a significant part of the city. The rebels, having suffered heavy losses, turned over the radio to the allies for help. In this regard, Marshal I. S. Konev ordered the troops of his shock group to launch an offensive on the morning of May 6.

Caught in a hopeless situation and not knowing whether military assistance from the Allies would soon arrive, the ChNS, to which the Bartosz command was now subordinate, turned to the Vlasovites for help. On May 6, Bunyachenko's division entered Prague. The Vlasovites went into battle against their yesterday's allies under the slogans: "Death to Hitler!", "Death to Stalin!".

By evening, they captured the western part of the city, knocking out the Germans from there. The next day, parts of the division crossed to the right bank of the Vltava River and cut the enemy troops into two parts.

In relation to the new allies, there was no unity in the leadership of the uprising. The CHNS, after certain hesitation and under pressure from the communists, refused further negotiations with the Vlasovites and from their help, realizing that such an alliance could be negatively perceived by the Soviet side. Representatives of the ChNS, who arrived at Bunyachenko's headquarters, brought a letter of thanks to General Vlasov for the assistance provided and informed the decision of the Council to refuse the services of his army.

Bunyachenko was ready to act against the Germans and separately from the ChNS. Now he asked the Czechs to broadcast his memorandum on the radio, explaining why he ended up in the ROA, why he came to the aid of Prague and now will continue to fight against the Nazis. Representatives of the CHNS refused to comply with this demand. Realizing that the Americans were not going to attack Prague, and the troops of the Red Army would enter it, Bunyachenko's division on the evening of May 7 began to leave the fighting city, now leaving to the west, to the Americans. The Vlasovites did not heed the requests of the rebels to leave them weapons. Part of the fighters of the division remained in Prague and continued to fight. Undoubtedly, among the Vlasovites there were people who sincerely wanted to fight the Nazis and thereby earn the forgiveness of the Motherland. In total, about 300 Vlasovites died in the battles for the city, according to some sources. With the departure of the Vlasov division from Prague, the Germans again became masters of the situation in it.

The 1st Ukrainian Front attacked Prague from the north through the Ore Mountains. In the early morning of May 6, reconnaissance established that the enemy did not have time to create a continuous defense. In the afternoon, after a short but powerful artillery preparation, the troops of the 13th and 3rd Guards Armies, operating in their lanes, the 25th and 4th Guards Tank Corps, as well as formations of the 3rd and 4th guards tank armies. By evening, the 5th Guards Army also joined the offensive. Simultaneous introduction of combined arms and tank armies in the same lanes is the main distinguishing feature of the Prague offensive operation. “This immediately ensured the maximum power of the strike, the rapid destruction of the enemy’s defenses and further movement forward without the usual time spent on bringing tanks into the breakthrough,” wrote Marshal I. S. Konev. The most successful was the offensive of the 4th Guards Tank and 13th Armies, whose troops advanced 23 km by the end of the day, having completed the task of the first day of the operation. This success was achieved despite heavy rains making it difficult to drive on wet roads. On this day, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front completed the liquidation of more than 40,000-strong grouping of Nazi troops in Breslau. Recognizing the futility of further resistance, she capitulated.

The offensive of the shock group continued at an increasing pace. On May 7, the 4th Guards Tank and 13th Armies advanced another 45 km and reached the northern slopes of the Ore Mountains. The 3rd Guards Army captured the city of Meissen, and the troops of the 3rd Guards Tank and 5th Guards Combined Arms Armies began fighting for Dresden. On this day, the offensive of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front unfolded in a strip of more than 400 km. On May 7, the 2nd Ukrainian Front also launched an offensive against Prague. His 7th Guards Army immediately broke the enemy's resistance and advanced to a depth of 12 km in a day. Using its success, the commander of the front forces the next day brought into battle the 6th Guards Tank Army, which rushed to the capital of Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile, the position of the rebels in Prague has seriously deteriorated. German troops advanced towards the city center. At the slightest suspicion, they mercilessly dealt with the inhabitants. The rebels had an acute shortage of weapons and ammunition. Among some of the rebels, capitulation began to appear, many officers of the former Czechoslovak army left the barricades.

On the afternoon of May 7, the commander of Army Group Center received on the radio an order from Field Marshal V. Keitel about the surrender of German troops on all fronts, but did not bring him to his subordinates. On the contrary, he gave the troops his order, in which he stated that the rumors of surrender were false, they were being spread by Anglo-American and Soviet propaganda. Scherner assured the troops that "the war against the Soviet Union will continue."

May 7 was the most difficult day for the insurgents in Prague. American officers arrived at the headquarters of General Kutyavashr, who announced the surrender of Germany and advised to stop the fighting in Prague. At night it became known that the head of the German garrison in Prague, General R. Toussaint, was ready to enter into negotiations with the leadership of the rebels about surrender. They began at 10 o'clock on May 8 in the building where the CNS was located. At 4 p.m., an act of surrender was signed by the German garrison. Under its terms, German troops received the right to freely withdraw to the west, leaving heavy weapons at the exit from the city. By agreeing to such conditions, which bore little resemblance to surrender, the leaders of the rebels simply sought to get rid of the occupiers as quickly as possible.

May 8 and 9 became the decisive days of the Soviet offensive against Prague. On May 8, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front captured the city of Olomouc and launched an offensive against Prague. By the end of May 8, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front advanced to a depth of 40 km, broke the enemy’s resistance at the passes through the Ore Mountains and entered the territory of Czechoslovakia. The forward detachments of the tank armies were located 70-80 km from Prague. Tankers of the 4th Guards Tank Army defeated the headquarters of Field Marshal Scherner, who was heading to Karlovy Vary, where the Americans were already. The control of the troops of the Army Group "Center" was violated.

The troops of the 5th Guards Army by the end of May 8 completely captured Dresden. In its vicinity, Soviet soldiers discovered and rescued the most valuable works of world art from the famous Dresden Art Gallery hidden by the Nazis in the caves. The troops of the center and the left wing of the front proceeded to pursue the enemy, who had begun a general withdrawal in the entire offensive zone of these armies. The 2nd Army of the Polish Army occupied the city of Bautzen, and the 52nd Army - Görlitz. On the same day, the Czech cities of Teplice, Bilica, Most and others were liberated. The 2nd Air Army provided effective assistance to the ground forces: during that day alone, its pilots made 2,800 sorties.

The population of Czechoslovakia greeted the Soviet soldiers-liberators with great joy. Residents of many settlements greeted them with red banners and flowers, as they invited dear guests to their homes. Toasts in honor of the great Soviet Union and its army were distributed everywhere in Czech and Russian. On the evening of May 8, the fascist German troops received an appeal from the Soviet command demanding their unconditional surrender and were asked to lay down their arms by 23:00. However, the command of Army Group Center did not even respond to the appeal. As the prisoners later testified, although on that day the surrender of Germany was announced to the German troops, it was immediately indicated that it was necessary to speed up the retreat to the west in order to surrender to the Americans. An officer of the German General Staff, Colonel Mayer-Detring, arrived at the headquarters of Army Group Center, who explained the “surrender order” to Scherner in this way: “... continue the fight against the Soviet troops as long as possible, because only under this condition will numerous parts of the German army be able to gain time to break through to the west.

On the night of May 9, the 4th and 3rd Guards Tank Armies made an 80-km throw, and at dawn their advanced units entered Prague, followed by the advanced units of the 3rd Guards and 13th Armies on the morning of May 9 . On the same day at 10 a.m. from the east, the advanced units of the front-line mobile group of the 4th Ukrainian Front entered the capital of Czechoslovakia - the 302nd rifle division (Colonel A. Ya. Klimenko) in vehicles, the 1st Czechoslovak tank brigade from 60 Colonel-General P. A. Kurochkin and the advance detachment of the mobile group of the 38th Army, Colonel-General K. S. Moskalenko.

At 1300, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front entered Prague from the south: the 6th Guards Tank Army and the infantry of the 24th Rifle Corps mounted on vehicles. Later, the 7th mechanized corps (Major General F. G. Katkov) from the cavalry mechanized group of General Pliev came to Prague. The actions of the ground forces of this front were supported not only by their own 5th Air Army, but also by part of the forces of the 17th Air Army (Colonel General of Aviation V. A. Sudets) of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

With the active support of the population and the fighting squads of the rebels, on May 9, Soviet troops cleared Prague of the Nazis. The possible retreat of the main forces of Army Group Center to the west and southwest with the capture of Prague by Soviet troops was cut off. Outside the encirclement were only a few German divisions, located on the flanks of the grouping and cut off from its main forces. On May 10, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command ordered the fronts to develop an offensive to the west in order to link up with the allies. On the same day, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front came into contact with the Americans on the Chemnitz-Rokytsany line. On May 11, Soviet units occupied a ledge south of Rokytsani. The left-flank formations of the 2nd Ukrainian Front went to the Ceske Budejovice area, where they also met with the allied forces. The main forces of the Army Group "Center" were in the "bag" east of Prague.

On May 10-11, they capitulated and were captured by Soviet troops. This was the end of the last major German fascist grouping. Field Marshal Scherner, leaving his subordinate troops to the mercy of fate, on the eve of their surrender, fled by plane from the "cauldron", intending to move to the location of the allied forces. However, the field marshal was not lucky: on the way to southern Germany, his plane made an emergency landing. Scherner tried to escape, but was identified and detained by the Germans themselves, and then extradited by them to the Americans.

During the Prague operation, about 860 thousand enemy soldiers and officers and 35 generals were captured, 9.5 thousand guns and mortars, 1.8 thousand tanks and assault guns, 1.1 thousand aircraft, as well as a large number of other weapons and military equipment.

Finally, the line of contact between the Soviet troops and the Americans was established by the end of May 11 along the line of Chemnitz, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Ceske Budejovice and further south to the Austrian border (all settlements, except for Pilsen, were in the Soviet zone). Advancing to the Klatovy area (40 km south of Pilsen), the scouts of the 25th Panzer Corps established that Bunyachenko's division was retreating to the west, along with Vlasov. To capture the traitor, the corps commander, General E. I. Fominykh, assigned a group of scouts led by Captain M. I. Yakushev. On May 12, they completed their task by capturing Vlasov. An American passport in his name, an old party card and a copy of his order to the troops to lay down their arms and surrender to the Red Army were found on him. Bunyachenko's division, which approached the line occupied by the Americans, was not allowed by the Allied command into its zone. Its commander, having learned about this, tore off the shoulder straps of the German major general and disbanded the division. Some soldiers and officers, after this order was brought to them, immediately shot themselves, others listlessly sank to the side of the road, others headed east, towards the Soviet troops. On May 13-14, up to 20 thousand Vlasovites surrendered to Soviet troops in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe city of Pilsen. Vlasov himself and other leaders of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) were awaiting trial in Moscow.

Losses

The losses of Soviet troops during the Prague operation amounted to about 50 thousand people (including over 11 thousand - irretrievable losses), over 370 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1 thousand guns and mortars, 80 aircraft. In addition, the Polish troops lost about 1 thousand people, the Romanian - over 1.7 thousand and the Czechoslovak - over 500 people. In total, more than 140 thousand Soviet soldiers fell in the battles for the liberation of Czechoslovakia. The Prague operation was another clear evidence of the high military skill of the Soviet military leaders and the combat skills of the soldiers of the Red Army. For courage and heroism shown during the operation, many soldiers received orders and medals, and the most distinguished were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. About 260 units and formations were awarded orders, and more than 50 were given honorary titles.

• Personnel
• 11,997 irretrievable
• 40,501 wounded and sick
• Total 52,498
• Material losses
• 373 tanks and self-propelled guns
• 1,006 artillery pieces
• 80 aircraft

Losses of the German side

Surrender of Army Group Center, almost all personnel killed, wounded or capitulated (~850,000 people).

Outcome

To commemorate the victory, the medal "For the Liberation of Prague" was established, which was awarded to 390 thousand people, including more than 40 thousand citizens of Czechoslovakia. After the liberation of Czechoslovakia, in gratitude to the soldiers who died for its freedom and independence, numerous monuments were erected. Streets and squares in different cities and villages are named after Soviet soldiers. One of the squares in Prague, on which a Soviet tank was installed in memory of those unforgettable days, is called the Square of Soviet Tankmen. The day of the entry of Soviet troops into Prague - May 9 - became the national holiday of the peoples of Czechoslovakia - Liberation Day.

The last strategic operation carried out by the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War was the Prague Offensive (May 5-12, 1945), during which the capital of Czechoslovakia, the ancient city of Prague, was liberated and the last major Wehrmacht grouping, Army Group Center, was defeated .

After the defeat of the enemy in the Berlin direction and the capitulation of the Berlin garrison on May 2, the only force of the Wehrmacht that could still resist the Red Army was the Army Group Center (commander Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner) in Czechoslovakia and part of the Austrian Army Group (commander Lothar Rendulich). Schörner, after the encirclement of Berlin, received Hitler's order to withdraw troops to the region of the capital of Czechoslovakia and turn Prague into a "second Berlin". Rendulich also refused to capitulate and withdrew troops to the west. Schörner had up to a million people, about 10 thousand guns, about 1900 and 1000 aircraft.

Units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front (Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky), the 4th Ukrainian Front (General of the Army A.I. Eremenko) fought against this group, they, having completed the liberation of Slovakia, liberated the territory of the Czech Republic. Parts of the 1st Ukrainian Front were located from the north, most of its troops were in the Berlin area in early May, the remaining units took up defense on a 400 km front in the foothills of the Ore Mountains and the Sudetenland. From the west, the 3rd American Army (General D. Patton) was moving towards the border of the Czech Republic, it had the task of occupying the České Budějovice, Pilsen, Karlovy Vary line agreed in advance with the Soviet command.

Beginning of the operation in Czechoslovakia

As Germany was defeated in Czechoslovakia, local resistance, which had previously been very imperceptible, intensified. In April, about 120 partisan detachments were already operating, although their total number was small - 7.5 thousand people. There was no single leading center, constant communication with the Soviet command, the activity was of a defensive nature. At the end of April, they were able to create the Czech National Council (CNC), it consisted of representatives of various political forces, headed by A. Prazhak, a professor at the University of Prague. The CHNS was not going to immediately start an uprising, since there were no serious forces for this.

But on May 5, a popular uprising began in Prague, it was prepared by the former military of the Czechoslovak army, led by General K. Kutyavashr (organization "Bartosh"). In early May, they made contact with the Russian Liberation Army (ROA), with the commander of the 1st division, General S.K. Bunyachenko. The ROA went west, hoping to surrender to the Americans, Bunyachenko and his commanders hoped for political asylum in Czechoslovakia and on the 4th agreed to support the uprising. Vlasov did not believe in success, but did not interfere either. But already on the night of the 8th, most of the Vlasovites began to leave Prague, without receiving guarantees about their allied status. Schörner was forced to withdraw troops to Prague in order to crush the uprising.

Soviet forces, plan of operation

On May 1, I. S. Konev received an order to transfer the line along the Elbe River to the 1st Belorussian Front by May 4, and to transfer the released forces to the Prague direction. The regrouping of forces and preparations for the strike began. From the air, the front was supported by the 2nd Air Army, the 6th Army (Lieutenant General V. A. Gluzdovsky) surrounded the Breslau garrison. He was supported by the 4th Ukrainian and 2nd Ukrainian fronts.

By the beginning of the operation, the 3rd Ukrainian Fronts had: 20 combined arms armies (including two Romanian and one Polish army), 3 tank armies and 3 air armies, one horse-mechanized group, 5 tank, 1st mechanized and one cavalry separate corps . Their total number was more than 2 million people with about 30.5 thousand guns and mortars, up to 2 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts, 3 thousand aircraft. Our forces outnumbered the enemy in manpower almost twice, in artillery and in three, in armored vehicles the forces were almost equal.

They planned to inflict several blows on the flanks of the enemy, the main blows were delivered by the 1st Ukrainian, he hit from the area northwest of Dresden, and the 2nd Ukrainian, he hit from the area south of Brno. Wehrmacht forces wanted to dismember, surround and defeat.

Operation progress

The strike was planned for the 7th, but the events in Prague forced the strike earlier, without completing the regrouping of forces. The rebels were able to capture most of the city, capturing the rocks with weapons, disarming several small parts of the enemy. Field Marshal General ordered to suppress the uprising, as the rebels blocked the escape route to the west. On the 6th, the Wehrmacht captured most of the city, using artillery, aircraft and tanks, on the same day Bunyachenko's division came out on the side of the Czechs. Russian soldiers of the ROA drove the Wehrmacht out of the western part of the city. On the 7th, the ROA crossed the Vltava River and cut the positions of the Wehrmacht into two parts. But the CNS, after some hesitation, thanked the Vlasovites and refused to help. Bunyachenko was ready to stay if the Czechs at least broadcast a message on the radio about the reasons for joining the Wehrmacht, about their actions at the present time, about their readiness to continue to fight with the Nazis, but the Czechs refused. In the evening of the 7th part of the ROA began to retreat to the west, only part of the fighters remained with the Czechs. After the departure of the ROA division, the Wehrmacht again became the master of the situation in the city.

Therefore, Marshal Konev gave the order to march on the morning of the 6th. The 13th and 3rd Guards Armies, together with the 25th and 4th Guards Tank Corps, as well as units of the 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies advanced through the Ore Mountains. By evening, the 5th Guards Army also joined them. This was a feature of the Prague offensive operation - the simultaneous introduction of combined arms and tank armies into the offensive zone. On the same day, the German group in Breslau capitulated. On May 7, the most successful advancing 4th Guards Tank and 13th Armies reached the northern slopes of the mountains, units of the 3rd Guards Tank and 5th Guards Combined Arms Armies began fighting for Dresden.

On May 7, the 4th Ukrainian Front also hit, the 7th Guards Army broke through the enemy defenses on the move, on the 8th the 6th Guards Tank Army, which was advancing on Prague, was introduced into the gap.

The position of the rebels in Prague worsened, the Wehrmacht mercilessly suppressed resistance, advanced to the city center, some of the rebels, in a panic, abandoned the defensive structures. The rebels also experienced shortages of ammunition. On the afternoon of May 7, Schörner received Keitel's order to surrender, but did not bring him to the troops, on the contrary, he ordered to toughen resistance. On the same day, American officers arrived at the headquarters of the rebels. They announced the surrender of Germany and advised to stop the fight in Prague. Negotiations began with the head of the German garrison - R. Toussaint, he agreed to hand over heavy weapons when leaving the city, if the Germans were not prevented from withdrawing troops.

The 8th part of the 4th Ukrainian Front captured the city of Olomouc and launched an attack on Prague; The 1st Ukrainian entered the territory of Czechoslovakia, units of the 4th Guards Tank Army destroyed Schörner's headquarters, depriving Army Group Center of coordination. By the end of May 8, the 5th Guards Army captured Dresden, and several more cities were liberated on the same day.

The Czechs welcomed the Soviet soldiers with joy, many decorated their houses and squares with red banners, invited them to their homes, gave flowers, expressed their joy in every possible way.

On the evening of the 8th, the Soviet command offered the Wehrmacht to capitulate, but there was no answer. The Germans wanted to surrender to the Americans and hastened their retreat. On the night of the 9th Soviet tank units (4th and 3rd Guards Tank Armies) made a 90-km throw, and in the morning the first tanks entered Prague. Behind them, other units entered the city - the 302nd Rifle Division (Colonel A. Ya. Klimenko) in vehicles, the 1st Czechoslovak Tank Brigade from the 60th Army and the forward detachment of the mobile group of the 38th Army, Colonel General K. S. Moskalenko. At lunchtime, units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front entered the city from the south: the 6th Guards Tank Army and the infantry of the 24th Rifle Corps mounted on vehicles, later the 7th Mechanized Corps. With the support of the inhabitants of Prague, the Soviet units "cleaned up" the city from the Nazis. The retreat routes of Army Group Center to the west and south were cut, only a few divisions were out of encirclement, most of the German forces were in the "boiler" east of Prague. On the 10th, our units met with the Americans, on May 10-11 the Germans capitulated, so the last strong grouping of the Wehrmacht ended the war. Shooting continued in the vicinity of Prague until the 12th.

Results

Approximately 860 thousand people were taken prisoner, about 40 thousand fell in battle and were wounded. A large number of equipment and weapons were captured: 9.5 thousand guns and mortars, 1.8 thousand tanks and assault guns, and so on. Our losses: approximately 12,000 dead and missing, about 40,000 wounded and ill. During the liberation of the city itself, about a thousand Red Army soldiers died.

In total, for the liberation of all of Czechoslovakia, the Red Army paid the "price" of 140 thousand dead soldiers.

The Prague offensive once again demonstrated to the whole world the high skill of the Red Army and its commanders, the defense was broken in the shortest possible time, significant enemy forces were surrounded and captured. In the Great Patriotic War, a victorious point was set. The medal "For the Liberation of Prague" was awarded to 390 thousand people.

The Americans did not let the Vlasovites into their zone, some of them, having learned about this, shot themselves. Most surrendered to the Soviet units. Vlasov and other leaders of the ROA were awaiting trial in Moscow.

Sources:
For the liberation of Czechoslovakia, M., 1965.
Konev I.S. Notes of the Front Commander. 1943-1945. M., 1982.
Konev I.S. Forty-fifth. M., 1970.
Pliev I. A. Roads of war. M., 1985.

Prague operation 1945 — offensive operation of the troops of the 1st, 2nd and 4th Ukrainian fronts, carried out on May 6-11, 1945 with the aim of destroying the German military group on the territory of Czechoslovakia during the Great Patriotic War.

At the final stage of the war, both W. Churchill and the commander of British troops in Europe, B. Montgomery, seriously considered the option of capturing Berlin, Vienna and Prague by the Western allies before the Soviet armies. The resistance of the Germans on the western front actually collapsed, while by the beginning of May in Czechoslovakia and Northern Austria, the Soviet troops continued to resist the Army Group "Center" and part of the forces of the Army Group "Austria" - over 900 thousand people, about 10 thousand guns and mortars , over 2200 tanks and assault guns, about 1000 aircraft. After Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, according to the plan of the new government of Nazi Germany, led by K. Doenitz, the Army Group Center was to hold the areas of the western and central Czech Republic in order to gain time and withdraw to the west for surrender to American troops. The Soviet command provided for the delivery of several powerful strikes by the 1st, 2nd and 4th Ukrainian fronts (over 1 million people, over 23 thousand guns and mortars, about 1800 tanks and self-propelled guns and over 4 thousand aircraft) on converging directions to Prague with the aim of encircling and dismembering the main enemy forces.

On May 1, a popular uprising began in the Czech Republic, and on May 5 it also swept Prague. On the night of May 6, the Prague rebels turned on the radio to the Soviet command with a request for help. By the end of May 7, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front reached the slopes of the Ore Mountains and started fighting for Dresden. After that, the offensive of the armies of the 4th Ukrainian Front unfolded.

There is a myth that the retreating units of the 1st division of the so-called. The "Russian Liberation Army" of the traitor A. Vlasov, who had previously fought on the side of Germany, actively supported the Prague uprising on their way to Austria. Indeed, after the appeal of the insurgents of Prague on the radio with a request for help, the Vlasovites, who were then in the suburbs of the capital of Czechoslovakia, occupied a number of city blocks of Prague without a fight. Thus, the command of the ROA sought to attract the attention of the Western allies. The withdrawal of Vlasov units from the Czechoslovak capital (troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front were approaching it) was not so peaceful. Czechoslovak patriots saw them as direct accomplices of the Nazis. The Vlasovites had to fight off the rebels, using the fire support of the German SS units.

But the Vlasov collaborators failed to escape retribution for their betrayal. Part of the personnel of the ROA was captured by the Red Army on its way to Austria. Vlasov himself was captured on May 12, 1945 in Czechoslovakia by a reconnaissance group of the Soviet 25th tank corps. The former general was found in the cab of a passenger car, hiding between bags of clothes and provisions. After some time, A. Vlasov, along with other leaders of the so-called. The ROA was tried by a military tribunal and executed.

On May 8, the German command signed an act of unconditional surrender, but Army Group Center continued to resist. Rescuing the insurgents of Prague, the 3rd and 4th tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front on the night of May 9 made a swift 80-kilometer throw and entered Prague on the morning of May 9. On the same day, advanced units of the 2nd and 4th Ukrainian fronts approached Prague. On May 10-11, the main forces of the enemy troops began to surrender, and in total, 860 thousand Nazi soldiers and officers were captured during the operation. At the same time, our troops came into contact with the 3rd American Army, thus completing the battles to destroy the German troops on the territory of Czechoslovakia. In total, more than 140 thousand Soviet soldiers died for the liberation of this country. This was the last operation of the Soviet troops in Europe during the Second World War.

Kulkov E.N., Myagkov M.Yu., Rzheshevsky O.A. War 1941-1945. Facts and documents. M., 2004.

FROM THE MEMORIES OF FIELD MARSHAL MONTGOMERY

THE END OF THE WAR IN EUROPE

One day [in the spring of 1945], when our troops were on the Rhine, I began to discuss future operational plans with Eisenhower. We met with him several times. I have always considered taking Berlin a priority, because Berlin is a political center, and if we managed to get ahead of the Russians, it would be easier for us to talk to them in the post-war years ... In his letter to me, dated September 15, 1944, Eisenhower agreed with me that the German capital is of great importance, and wrote the following: “It is clear that Berlin is the main prize. There is no doubt that we must concentrate all our energy and resources on a rapid advance on Berlin." But now there was no agreement between us. His last point of view was expressed in a message he sent to me on March 31, 1945, which ended as follows: “... As for me, I believe that Berlin is becoming nothing more than a geographical name, and I no longer interested in it. My goal is to crush the enemy's forces and crush his ability to resist."

It was useless for me to insist on my own. We had so many arguments on the main issue, but anyway it was too late...

Consequently, our main task after the defeat of Germany was to establish a balance of power in Europe acceptable to us and the Western nations, which would help win peace. This meant that we must take possession of the political centers of Europe, especially Vienna, Prague and Berlin, before the Russians. If the political leaders of the West had given high directives properly and given suitable instructions to the High Command, we would have captured all these three capitals before the Russians. But what happened? We lost the opportunity to take Vienna when it was decided to land our forces in southern France (Operation Dragoon). The troops for this operation were taken from Field Marshal Alexander in Italy, and this slowed down his operation ...

As for Prague, the American Third Army was halted on the eastern front of Czechoslovakia at the end of April for reasons that are not entirely clear to me. When at last they were allowed to cross the front in early May, Bradley writes in his Notes of a Soldier, they were ordered not to advance beyond Pilsen, "because Czechoslovakia was already destined for the Red Army to liberate." He added that if Allied High Command Europe withdrew its order, Patton "maybe could be in Prague in 24 hours."

The Americans could not understand that it was of little use that we would win the war strategically if we lost it politically. Because of their strange position, we were damaged on the eve of Victory Day in Europe, and we still continue to suffer certain losses from this. War is a political tool...

Leaving the Rhine behind, we rushed to the Baltic. My goal was to be there before the Russians made every effort to enter Denmark, and thereby gain control of the Baltic coast ... As we moved east, the Prime Minister and Eisenhower became more and more concerned about whether I can prevent the Russians from invading Schleswig-Gostein and then occupying Denmark. They both sent me messages about it...

MontgomeryB.L. The Memoirs of Field-marshal the Vicount Montgomery of Alamein, K.G. L., 1958.

LELYUSHENKO'S REPORT TO THE FRONT COMMANDER

At 4.00 am on 9.5.45, the 10th Guards Tank Corps entered the city of Prague and reached its northeastern outskirts, eastern and southeastern outskirts. 6th Guards Mechanized Corps - to the southern and southwestern outskirts of Prague. 5th Guards Mechanized Corps - to the western outskirts. Many prisoners and trophies were captured. Those who resisted were destroyed. Communication with the rebels through Brigadier General Veder. There are no American troops. There are no neighbors. I am conducting reconnaissance in the northeastern part, in a southerly direction. I am tidying up. I'm with a task force on the western outskirts of Prague.

Lelyushenko

(D.D. Lelyushenko - commander of the 4th Guards Tank Army).

Who does not know the history of the liberation of Prague? On May 5, 1945, the citizens of Prague raised an uprising, Soviet troops came to the aid of the rebels, and on May 9, Prague was liberated.

But everything was a little different, or to be more precise, it was not at all like that. In May, in Prague, parts of the German garrison really fought bloody battles. Only their main opponents were not the rebellious Czechs, but the fighters of the 1st division of the ROA (Vlasovites).

Czech Republic - a reliable industrial rearIII Reich

Czechoslovakia, as an independent state, disappeared from the political map of Europe even before the outbreak of World War II. First, in April 1938, under pressure from Great Britain, France and Italy, Czechoslovakia abandoned the Sudetenland in favor of Germany (the so-called Munich Agreement).

Then, less than a year later (March 14, 1939), Hitler summoned President Hacha to Berlin and offered to sign a document on the voluntary acceptance of German "patronage" by Czechoslovakia. Haha signed. The country did not resist even a day.

Only in the city of Mistek did the company of Captain Pavlik meet foreign soldiers with rifle fire. This single fight lasted 30 minutes. The loss of independence cost Czechoslovakia 6 wounded soldiers. The Czech Republic became a protectorate, Slovakia - an independent state, a loyal ally of Hitler.

For 6 years, the Czech Republic was a reliable industrial rear of Nazi Germany. Wehrmacht soldiers fired from carbines made at Czech factories, Czech tanks mutilated the fields of Poland, France and Ukraine with their tracks. Separate actions of underground fighters and partisans (like the assassination of Heydrich) did not change the overall picture: neither a strong underground like in Poland, nor a broad partisan movement like in Yugoslavia, in the Czech Republic did not exist.

May 1945 - time to start resistance

In April 1945, when the outcome of the war was no longer in doubt, Czech politicians began to think about the future of the country and their own. They did not want to be listed as German accomplices at the end of World War II. It was decided to start the fight.

In Prague, there were several centers of resistance that acted absolutely independently. "Commandant's Office Bartosz" focused on Britain and the United States, the Czech National Council - on the USSR.

By the end of April 1945, both groups decided that the time had finally come for resistance. Both the "Commandant's Office Bartosz" and the ChNS planned in this way to rehabilitate themselves in the eyes (some of the West, others of the USSR) and end the war in the ranks of the fighters against fascism. There was only one catch: the German garrison stationed in Prague.

The balance of power before the uprising

The garrison was not that great. At the disposal of the commandant (General Rudolf Toussaint) there were about 10 thousand soldiers stationed directly in the city and about 5 thousand in the vicinity. But these were military units that had combat experience.

The Czechs could only oppose them with civilian rebels armed with revolvers and hunting rifles. In this scenario, the uprising was doomed to failure, unless someone came to the rescue.

But the Americans (parts of General Patton) were 80 km from Prague in the Pilsen region, and the nearest Russian units (troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front) were even further away - 150 km, in the Dresden region.

Help came from where no one expected it. On April 29, 50 km northwest of Prague, the 1st Infantry Division of the ROA appeared under the command of Major General Bunyachenko (Vlasovites).

Deserted division

Division formed in November 1944, April 15, 1945. arbitrarily withdrew from the front and marched southwest on foot to surrender to the Americans. There were about 18 thousand fighters in the division, in addition to light small arms, the Vlasovites were armed with machine guns, light and heavy artillery, anti-aircraft guns, mortars, anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft guns, self-propelled guns and even 10 tanks.

The commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal Scherner, issued an order to stop and return the division to the front (in extreme cases, disarm it), but for some reason there were no people willing to stop and disarm this heavily armed Russian horde.

On April 30, representatives of the "Commandant's Office Bartosz" came to Bunyachenko and asked him to support the armed uprising in Prague. The auction began, which lasted until May 4. In exchange for support, the future rebels promised the Vlasovites after the victory the status of allies and political protection.

Prague in exchange for political asylum

On the evening of May 4, Bunyachenko summoned the commanders of regiments and individual battalions to discuss the proposal. Bunyachenko expressed the idea not only to enter into an alliance with the Czechs, but also to play his own game: to capture the city, present it to the Americans on a plate with a blue border, and at the same time surrender. It was assumed that the Americans, in gratitude, would provide political asylum to all who surrendered. Only the commander of the first regiment Arkhipov was against it, all the rest were in favor.

On the morning of May 5, representatives of the command of the 1st division of the ROA and representatives of the "Commandant's Office Bartosh" signed a document "On the joint struggle against fascism and Bolshevism." By betting on both the Czechs and the Americans at the same time, the Vlasovites hoped that at least one bet would turn out to be winning.

Let's start an uprising, the Russians will help us!

Having received guarantees of support, the leaders of the "Commandant's Office Bartosz" on May 5 at about 11 am began an uprising. The other resistance groups had no choice but to join. By 2 pm, about 1,600 barricades had been built in the city, and calls for help were on the air.

The Soviet command planned the liberation of Prague on May 11th. Because of the uprising, the plans urgently had to be adjusted. On May 6, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front began to move towards Prague. But it was almost 150 km before it, while Bunyachenko's division entered the village on May 4th. Sukhomasty, from where less than 20 km remained to Prague.

On the morning of May 6, the advanced units of Bunyachenko's division entered the city. With the advent of the Russian division, the actions of the rebels went uphill sharply. If even on the 5th their situation was regarded as catastrophic, then during May 6-7, the Vlasovites occupied the entire western part of Prague and cut the city into 2 parts. The surrender of the German garrison was simply a matter of time.

All plans go to hell

Meanwhile, significant changes took place among the rebels and the situation for the Vlasovites became not just bad, but very bad. The uprising was led by the Czech National Council, oriented towards the USSR.

The leaders of the CHNS did not want to “dirty” themselves with cooperation with the Vlasovites and stated that they did not recognize the agreements concluded with the Komedatura Bartosz, were not going to fulfill them, and advised the soldiers of the division to surrender to the Red Army.

Following the Czechs, the Americans "planted a pig" as well. On the evening of May 7, reconnaissance from the 16th American armored division arrived in the city. To the proposal to take the almost liberated Prague, the American officer replied: “No!”

By May 1945, the victorious countries had already divided Europe into zones of "responsibility". Prague was to become Soviet. General Patton might not mind remaining in history as the liberator of Prague, but the commander-in-chief of the combined Anglo-American armed forces in Europe, Eisenhower, already thought not only as a military man, but also as a politician. He categorically forbade movement east of the line Karlovy Vary - Pilsen - Ceske Budejovice. Patton could only watch from the sidelines as events unfolded.

For the Vlasovites, it was a blow. Participation in the uprising lost all meaning for them. On the evening of May 7, Bunyachenko gave the order to stop hostilities and leave Prague. On the morning of the next day, the 1st division of the ROA left the city.

The pendulum swung back. The Nazis went on the offensive, the territory controlled by the rebels began to rapidly shrink, and it was time for the Czechs, not the Germans, to think about the terms of surrender.

The so-called "surrender"

The commandant of Prague, General Toussaint, was neither a fanatic nor a fool. Germany is defeated, Berlin has fallen. Americans or Russians (and most likely Russians) will take the city anyway. In this situation, the general decided not to bother with the already senseless defense, but to save the lives of the last soldiers remaining under his command.

A truce was sent to the rebel-controlled island, and the leaders of the ChNS were surprised to learn that they had won and the Germans were ready to surrender Prague to them. May 8 at 16:00 General Toussaint signed the act of surrender. The capitulation was more like a settlement agreement: leaving heavy weapons in the city, the German troops went west to surrender to the Americans, the Czechs pledged not to interfere with them.

Early on the morning of May 9, troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front entered Prague, abandoned by the Germans, losing 30 soldiers killed and wounded in skirmishes with SS fanatics who had settled in the city.

So who liberated Prague?

437 Soviet soldiers and officers are buried at the Olshansky cemetery in Prague. Dates of death May 9, May 10, 12th, up to July and August. These are Red Army soldiers who died after the Victory from wounds in a Prague military hospital. They are the true liberators of Prague. If there had been no Stalingrad and Kursk, Leningrad would not have survived and Berlin would not have fallen, if in May 1945 the victorious Red Army had not stood 150 km away. from Prague, the Czechs would not even think of raising an uprising, and the Germans would “surrender” to them. Is not it?

In the Soviet decades, lies and hypocrisy played an indispensable role in political governance. Thanks to them, stable myths and fictions were created, with the help of which the authorities manipulated public consciousness and behavior. The collapse of the Soviet Union, which took place in a completely ordinary way and without any heroic pathos, was the result of the inevitable destruction of false values ​​and social relations based on many years of deceit and self-deception. However, the false dogma of the coercive state ideology was quickly replaced by proud triumphalism. Many of our compatriots today temptingly take it for patriotism. In fact, triumphalism hides an indifferent attitude to the national tragedy of one's own country. Obviously, the cause of new moral metamorphoses is often old historical illiteracy, which is based on mossy myths and preserved stereotypes. The danger of such a situation cannot but be disturbing, since a big lie inevitably gives rise to outright cynicism.
The interest in the question of under what circumstances the liberation of Prague took place in May 1945 is quite understandable, especially in connection with the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the victory of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition over Nazism. The intrigue is connected with the clarification of the true role played in the dramatic Prague events by the military personnel of the 1st Infantry Division of the troops of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (ROA) and the Red Army. At the same time, it is sad that almost twenty years after the disappearance of Soviet power, instead of honest answers to the questions posed, our contemporaries are offered completely false versions of past events, born sixty years ago in the depths of Stalin's agitprop. Amateurs, whose knowledge of the history of the Prague Uprising does not stand up to scrutiny, zealously act as specialists and connoisseurs today.
What role did the Vlasovites really play in the dramatic Prague events of May 5-8?

The 1st Infantry Division of the KONR troops, Major General Sergei Bunyachenko, left the operational subordination of the German command and began a march to Bohemia from the Oder Front on April 15. Kinschak called Bunyachenko "a graduate of the Military Academy of the Russian General Staff" - an educational institution that never existed in the system of military educational institutions of the USSR. In fact, Bunyachenko graduated from the special faculty of the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze in 1936 with an overall rating of “good”.
Bunyachenko, despite threats from the command of Army Group Center, stubbornly led his strong division south to join General Trukhin's South Group. By April 29, the division (five infantry regiments, seven T-34 tanks, 10 Jaeger PzKpfw-38 (t) self-propelled guns, 54 guns and other heavy weapons) reached the city of Louny, 50-55 km northwest of Prague.
From that moment on, the command of the division was in contact with representatives of the military wing of the Czech Resistance - the delegation of the underground Czech commandant's office "Bartosh" General Karel Kultvasr and Colonel Frantisek Burger. It was this commandant's office that was preparing an armed uprising in Prague. However, there was no talk of the intervention of the 1st division in the uprising. Everything was decided by an unforeseen incident, to which the NKGB detachment "Hurricane" and personally Pyotr Savelyev had nothing to do.

On May 2, General Bunyachenko received a sharp ultimatum from the commandant of Prague, General Rudolf Toussaint. This document is stored in Bunyachenko's investigative materials in the Central Archive of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in Moscow, and was published by the author of these lines back in 1998. Toussaint demanded that Bunyachenko proceed to the front section near Brno, following the order of the command of Army Group Center. In case of deviating from the prescribed route, Toussaint threatened to use the armed forces of the Prague garrison, including aviation, against the Vlasovites.
Thus, the division was in the position of the attacked side. And Bunyachenko decided to conclude a military-political agreement with the commandant's office "Bartosh", hoping to gain not only allies in the inevitable clash with the Prague garrison, but also possible political dividends. By the way, Vlasov was against the intervention of the 1st division in the uprising, because, firstly, he was afraid of German reprisals against other Vlasov units, worse armed than the 1st division, and secondly, he believed that the division would lose time and will not have time to go into the zone of responsibility of the US Army. Later, Vlasov's last fear was fully confirmed.
On May 4, the 1st division arrived at Sukhomasty, 25-30 km southwest of Prague. On May 5, General Bunyachenko, the chief of staff of the division, Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Nikolaev, and the commander of the 4th regiment, Colonel Igor Sakharov, signed a written agreement with representatives of the military wing of the Resistance "On the joint struggle against fascism and Bolshevism." Naturally, the NKGB Uragan group had nothing to do with this event.
Already in the afternoon, Bunyachenko sent Major Boris Kostenko's reconnaissance division to Prague to help the rebels, and the next day, the 1st regiment of Colonel Andrey Arkhipov, a member of the White movement and an officer of the Markovsky Infantry Regiment. A number of officers of the Russian Army, Lieutenant General Pyotr Wrangel, who participated in the Vlasov movement since 1943, served in the 1st regiment.
On May 6, Bunyachenko delivered a response ultimatum to the Prague garrison, whose scattered forces, including SS units, numbered no more than 10,000 troops. The commander of the 1st division demanded that Toussaint lay down his arms - this document from the Central Archive of the FSB was also published by the author of these lines in 1998.

From the night of the sixth to the morning of the eighth of May, units of the 1st division conducted active hostilities against the Wehrmacht and SS troops in the southern quarters of Prague and the central regions adjacent to them. A member of the Czech National Council, Dr. Makhotka, many years later, recalled: “The Vlasovites fought courageously and selflessly, many, without hiding, went straight to the middle of the street and shot at the windows and hatches on the roofs from which the Germans fired. It seemed that they deliberately went to their death, just not to fall into the hands of the Red Army.
The soldiers of the 1st Regiment freed several hundred prisoners, including Jews, from the Pankrac prison, took about 3.5 thousand prisoners and captured up to 70 armored vehicles. Soldiers of the 2nd Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Artemiev actively fought in the area of ​​Slivinets and Zbraslav. Several dozen killed Vlasovites from this regiment were buried in the cemetery in Lagovichki. The 3rd Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Ryabtsev (Aleksandrov) fought a stubborn battle for the airfield in Ruzin, and then in the western part of Prague. Soldiers and officers of the 4th regiment fought with the enemy on Smichov and near the Strahov Monastery. The 5th Infantry Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Pyotr Maksakov remained in Bunyachenko's reserve. The artillery regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Zhukovsky fired on German batteries on Petrin. It is interesting that Arkhipov was a hero of the First World War, and Nikolaev and Artemyev in the Red Army deserved the Order of the Red Banner of Battle for their bravery - Nikolaev in July 1941, and Artemyev in October 1943.
During the fighting, the 1st division lost more than three hundred soldiers and officers killed, 198 seriously wounded, as well as two T-34 tanks. The losses of the insurgents and the population of the Czech capital, only killed and died from wounds, amounted to 1694 people during the days of the uprising, more than 1.6 thousand Praguers were injured. The losses of the Prague garrison are estimated at a thousand people only killed.
In the early morning of May 8, Bunyachenko led the division out of the city and marched southwest to Pilsen. By that time, the command of the division was convinced that the troops of the 3rd US Army would not occupy Prague, and the approach of the Soviet armies threatened the Vlasovites with death.
The further fate of the doomed Vlasov division is a topic for a separate discussion. After Bunyachenko's division left, the Prague garrison continued to exist for another 8-10 hours. At 4 pm on May 8, General Toussaint signed the protocol of surrender of all the forces of the Prague garrison, which was accepted by the Czech National Council. At 18 o'clock in the Czech capital, the armed confrontation between the Germans and the rebels finally ceased, and the German garrison ceased to exist.

Only 12 hours after the signing of the protocol of surrender, at about four in the morning, on May 9, the first Soviet armored vehicles of the 62nd, 63rd and 70th brigades of the 4th Guards Tank Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front appeared in Prague, as evidenced by documents of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in Podolsk. Soviet troops successfully occupied Prague, but there was no one to liberate it from anyone. Interestingly, in the very first days of peace, the Soviet command imposed a categorical ban on the admission of American war correspondents to Prague, fearing the spread of news and rumors about the participation in the battles of the Vlasovites and the mass executions of those servicemen of the Bunyachenko division who, for various reasons, remained in the city.

So whose troops liberated the Czech capital?..
As paradoxical as it sounds, but in all likelihood - draws. The talented Czech historian Stanislav Auski also wrote about this. During the days of the uprising in Prague and its environs, there were indeed separate groups of American military personnel and Soviet paratroopers. These groups performed different tasks. But it is inappropriate to attribute the liberation of the city to them. The Vlasovites left Prague before the end of the uprising and the capitulation of the Prague garrison. The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front appeared in Prague after the end of the events and, even more so, after the signing of the main act of the general surrender of the German Armed Forces.
However, in our opinion, the soldiers and officers of the 1st division of the KONR troops (ROA) objectively played an outstanding role during the uprising. In the midst of the fighting on May 6-7, with its active actions, Bunyachenko's division diverted most of the forces of the Prague garrison, cut the city into northern and southern parts, preventing the invasion of the capital by the Wehrmacht and SS troops located outside of Prague.

As a result of the blockade and capture of the Ruzinsky airfield, the Germans were unable to use aircraft against the Czech insurgents. Thanks to the intervention of the Vlasovites, the losses of the rebels and the townspeople turned out to be much less than they could have been in a different situation. This is the historical truth.
The fate of the mentioned Vlasov generals and officers developed dramatically. Zhukovsky and Nikolaev were shot in 1945 in the USSR. Ryabtsev shot himself after the division was dissolved on 12 May. Generals Vlasov, Bunyachenko, Maltsev, Trukhin were hanged in Moscow on August 1, 1946 by decision of the Stalinist Politburo. Maksakov served 10 years in the camps and was released in 1955. He lived and died in the Soviet Union. Artemiev, Arkhipov, Sakharov and Turkul escaped forced extradition and died in exile. The history of the Prague Uprising really deserves the most serious attention of honest and professional historians.

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I will immediately make an important reservation that I am not a fan and apologist of the ROA, but I consider Vlasov a banal selfish, careerist and opportunist (this conclusion can be drawn even from reading many Provlasov historical books and memoirs), not deserving even a gram of respect.
The history of KONR and ROA was extremely ambiguous, controversial, and generally rather inglorious. There were definitely more negative and even shameful moments in it than positive and bright ones.
Perhaps the participation of the 1st division of the ROA in the Prague uprising was the only truly noble act of this military-political formation, the only truly independent action, the first and last feat.

I have no task to give my detailed historical, political, moral and ethical assessment of this formation in a commentary on Aleksandrov's article, so I will be brief.

A lot of people who talk about "collaborators-traitors", or, on the contrary, about "anti-Bolshevik heroes", do not know the real history of this military formation at all. For example, the fact that in the entire short history of its existence (about six months, if you count from the moment the Prague manifesto was announced and the preparations for the creation of two divisions began), the 1st division of the ROA fought only two battles: with the Soviet army on April 13-15, 1945 (which she blew it with a bang), and with the Germans on May 6-7 of the same year, in the last days of the war (except for the battle on February 9 against the Red Army of a small detachment of Sakharov, who later became part of the 1st division of the ROA). The second division of the ROA did not conduct a single battle in its entire history at all.

Two divisions of the ROA were hastily formed from the merger of the remnants of the RONA Kaminsky, which made up about 25% of its original personnel (subsequently it grew greatly due to the massive influx into the division of people who fled from prisoner of war camps and forced labor camps, or liberated from there by the ROA troops, and who joined to her) and several eastern volunteer battalions, that is, Russian collaborationist battalions under German command, who fought on the eastern and western fronts (that is, including against the countries of the west on the side of the Nazis).
Also, the two divisions of the ROA included a certain percentage of people recruited directly from the prisoner of war camps already in the autumn of 1944 (these people had not fought for the Germans before, and their biography in this regard is quite clean), but they made up an insignificant percentage of the total number two divisions.
Subsequently, several dozen anti-Soviet Red Army soldiers went over to the side of the ROA, already during its inclusion in the battles (mainly during the battle on February 9, to the side of the Russian detachment under the command of Igor Sakharov), but they made up a very insignificant percentage of its total number.
Also, the first division, during its march to the Czech Republic on April 15-30, was joined by a significant number of prisoners of war and "Ostarbeiters", as a result of which the division increased from 18 to 23 thousand. In the bulk, they entered the 5th reserve regiment of Maksakov, and did not participate in the battles for Prague.

ROA, with all the ambiguous attitude to this formation in modern Russian society, is part of our history. This part of our history must be given a fair and unbiased assessment, free from the political clichés of the past and the historical speculations of the present.
That is why, as a person who is not a fan of this formation, I am often annoyed by lies and lies on state television, in various historical materials and documentaries that talk about "the liberation of Prague by the Soviet army."
Whereas, in fact, units of the Red Army entered Prague, already practically liberated from the Nazis, having carried out several small battles with individual SS underdogs.

It is impossible to build this or that concept of national history on a lie. In order to create and build a free nation as a full-fledged political and historical subject, the new generations of the Russian people must know the real truth about all the bitter, tragic and ambiguous pages of Russian history in all their diversity, and not false myths and stories concocted by order of the authorities by various "state thinking" historians and propagandists to turn the Russian people into "obedient cattle for the Great Multinational Empire".
Therefore, the truth about who actually made the main and key contribution to the liberation of Prague, saved its architectural appearance from destruction, and thousands of Prague residents from death, must be told and conveyed to the general public.

Not a single sane person will belittle the role of the Red Army in the liberation of many European countries from Nazi occupation, and the liberation of millions of people from concentration camps.
However, another Russian army played a key role in the liberation of Prague. Far from sinless, with its rather short and tragic history.
For this act, they are forgiven a lot.

Photo of ROA soldiers in Prague