Elbe Day, April 25, 1945, is the day Soviet and American troops met at the Elbe River, near Torgau in Germany, marking an important 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 the two powers had effectively cut Germany in two.
In an arranged 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. In the background are two flags and a poster.
Elbe Day has never been an official holiday in any country, but in the years after 1945 the memory of this friendly encounter gained new significance in the context of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
The 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. On the east bank they met forward elements of a Soviet Guards rifle regiment of the First Ukrainian Front, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gordeyev. 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]
The Soviet, American, British and French governments released simultaneous statements that evening in London, Moscow, and Washington, reaffirming the determination of the Allied powers to complete the destruction of the Third Reich.
At the 2015 commemoration of Elbe Day, Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak bows his head after laying a wreath at the Spirit of the Elbe marker in Arlington National Cemetery.
During the Cold War the meeting of the two armies was often recalled as a symbol of peace and friendship between the people of the two antagonistic superpowers. For example, in 1961 the popular Russian song "Do the Russians Want War?" evoked the memory of American and Soviet soldiers embracing at the Elbe River.
Joseph Polowsky, an American soldier who met Soviet troops on Elbe Day, was deeply affected by the experience and devoted much of his life to opposing war. He commemorated Elbe Day each year in his hometown of Chicago and unsuccessfully petitioned the United Nations to make April 25 a "World Day of Peace". His remains are buried in a cemetery in Torgau.
American singer-songwriter Fred Small commemorated Joseph Polowsky and Elbe Day in his song "At The Elbe".
In 1988 a plaque titled "Der Geist der Elbe" ("Spirit of the Elbe") was mounted on a stone near Torgau at the site of the encounter between troops of the U.S. 69th Infantry and the Soviet Guards.
In 1995 the Russian Federation issued a three-ruble coin commemorating the 50th anniversary of Elbe Day.[3]
By 2010, the 65th anniversary of the event, Elbe Day events in Torgau were held annually on the weekend closest to April 25, attracting tourists to the city.[4] Also in 2010, the U.S. and Russian presidents for the first time issued a joint statement on April 25 commemorating Elbe Day.[5]
The meeting at the Elbe is represented in the war strategy game R.U.S.E., released in 2010 and 2011 and based loosely on World War II events.
Monument to the meeting of Allied forces, Torgau, Germany
Russian inscription on Torgau monument
German and English inscriptions on the Torgau monument
Memorial stone for the refugees and civilians killed at the very first meeting spot in Lorenzkirch, Germany
^"3Rubles The Liberation of Europe from Fascism. The Meeting on the Elbe". numista.com.
^Vetter, Rene (2010). "Elbe Day - English". Retrieved June 15, 2013.
^Magnúsdóttir, Rósa (March 17, 2018). "Celebrating the Spirit of the Elbe: From the 1950s Revival of Soviet-American Relations to the Reset of the 2010s". zeitgeschichte-online.de. from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
References
MacDonald, Charles B. (1973). The Last Offensive. United States Army in World War II: European Theater of Operations. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Chief of Military History. OCLC 963582.
Nora FitzGerald, Elbe Day commemorated 26 April 2010, Russia Beyond the Headlines, article with photos slideshow.
"Remembering War" simulcast between US and USSR / Satellite Linkup to Reunite Soviet and American WW II Vets - UCSD press release April 29, 1985
January 08, 2023
elbe, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, april, 2017, learn, w. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Elbe Day news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Elbe Day April 25 1945 is the day Soviet and American troops met at the Elbe River near Torgau in Germany marking an important 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 the two powers had effectively cut Germany in two In an arranged 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 In the background are two flags and a poster Elbe Day has never been an official holiday in any country but in the years after 1945 the memory of this friendly encounter gained new significance in the context of the Cold War between the U S and the Soviet Union Contents 1 History 2 Commemorations 3 See also 4 Citations 5 References 6 External linksHistory EditThe 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 On the east bank they met forward elements of a Soviet Guards rifle regiment of the First Ukrainian Front under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gordeyev 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 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 The Soviet American British and French governments released simultaneous statements that evening in London Moscow and Washington reaffirming the determination of the Allied powers to complete the destruction of the Third Reich Commemorations Edit General Nikolay Makarov with Admiral Mike Mullen and Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak at Arlington National Cemetery during the Elbe Day commemorations in 2010 At the 2015 commemoration of Elbe Day Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak bows his head after laying a wreath at the Spirit of the Elbe marker in Arlington National Cemetery Monuments at Torgau Lorenzkirch and Bad Liebenwerda commemorate the first encounters between U S and Soviet troops on Elbe Day In the United States a Spirit of the Elbe plaque at Arlington National Cemetery commemorates the day In 1949 the Soviet film studio Mosfilm commemorated Elbe Day in the black and white film Encounter at the Elbe During the Cold War the meeting of the two armies was often recalled as a symbol of peace and friendship between the people of the two antagonistic superpowers For example in 1961 the popular Russian song Do the Russians Want War evoked the memory of American and Soviet soldiers embracing at the Elbe River Joseph Polowsky an American soldier who met Soviet troops on Elbe Day was deeply affected by the experience and devoted much of his life to opposing war He commemorated Elbe Day each year in his hometown of Chicago and unsuccessfully petitioned the United Nations to make April 25 a World Day of Peace His remains are buried in a cemetery in Torgau American singer songwriter Fred Small commemorated Joseph Polowsky and Elbe Day in his song At The Elbe In 1988 a plaque titled Der Geist der Elbe Spirit of the Elbe was mounted on a stone near Torgau at the site of the encounter between troops of the U S 69th Infantry and the Soviet Guards In 1995 the Russian Federation issued a three ruble coin commemorating the 50th anniversary of Elbe Day 3 By 2010 the 65th anniversary of the event Elbe Day events in Torgau were held annually on the weekend closest to April 25 attracting tourists to the city 4 Also in 2010 the U S and Russian presidents for the first time issued a joint statement on April 25 commemorating Elbe Day 5 The meeting at the Elbe is represented in the war strategy game R U S E released in 2010 and 2011 and based loosely on World War II events Monument to the meeting of Allied forces Torgau Germany Russian inscription on Torgau monument German and English inscriptions on the Torgau monument Memorial stone for the refugees and civilians killed at the very first meeting spot in Lorenzkirch Germany Stele with roses at Bad Liebenwerda Germany Memorial stone with Spirit of the Elbe plaque Spirit of the Elbe plaque Arlington National Cemetery Russian commemorative coin 1995See also EditJoseph Polowsky Line of contactCitations Edit Davidson Spencer Kohan John May 6 1985 East Germany Elbe Meeting Time Archived from the original on February 10 2009 MacDonald 1973 p 456 3Rubles The Liberation of Europe from Fascism The Meeting on the Elbe numista com Vetter Rene 2010 Elbe Day English Retrieved June 15 2013 Magnusdottir Rosa March 17 2018 Celebrating the Spirit of the Elbe From the 1950s Revival of Soviet American Relations to the Reset of the 2010s zeitgeschichte online de Archived from the original on September 30 2020 Retrieved January 18 2022 References EditMacDonald Charles B 1973 The Last Offensive United States Army in World War II European Theater of Operations Washington D C Office of the Chief of Military History OCLC 963582 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elbe Day The War is Over American and Russian troops meet at the Elbe A People At War U S National Archives and Records Administration Nora FitzGerald Elbe Day commemorated 26 April 2010 Russia Beyond the Headlines article with photos slideshow Remembering War simulcast between US and USSR Satellite Linkup to Reunite Soviet and American WW II Vets UCSD press release April 29 1985 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elbe Day amp oldid 1115667478, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
