68 Years Ago: Soviet Soldiers Raised the Flag of Victory over the Reichstag in Berlin2 photos

68 years ago
Soviet soldiers raised the Flag of Victory over the Reichstag in Berlin

On June 24, 1945, a parade was held in Moscow on Red Square to celebrate victory over Germany in World War II.

It was decided to bring back from Berlin the Red Flag that had been raised over the Reichstag on April 30, 1945, by soldiers of the 150th Infantry Division—Egorov and Kantaria. The bullet-pierced, blood-stained flag became a sacred relic.

Photos of the burning Reichstag with the Flag of Victory flying over it were published in the Moscow newspaper "Pravda" on May 3, 1945. However, battles were still ongoing in Berlin, and the photos served as a historical record.

The idea to raise the Red Flag over the capital of defeated Germany was proposed by Stalin at a solemn meeting on November 6, 1944. The Army’s Military Council supported this idea. Everyone agreed that the flag symbolized the ultimate defeat of Nazism. Nine flags were quickly made, one for each of the divisions in the 3rd Shock Army.

The Flag of Victory was carried by a group of three soldiers led by Senior Sergeant Ivanov, who was fatally wounded during the attack. However, Sergeant Egorov and Junior Sergeant Kantaria managed to raise the flag over the Reichstag roof.

In the late evening of April 30, 1945, the red flag fluttered above the Reichstag, followed by the raising of two more flags.