Who was the first to hoist the flag on the Reichstag. How the banner of victory was raised over the Reichstag

On this day in 1945, the Victory Banner was hoisted over the Reichstag. However, the well-known Yegorov and Kantaria were not at all the first to climb the dome of the Reichstag. Moreover, they fixed the banner when the battle was over.

9 banners were prepared and 9 groups, respectively, had the task of trying to install a red banner on the dome of the Reichstag. The first (at 14:25) to hoist the banner over the Reichstag was Grigory Bulatov, scout of the 674th Infantry Regiment of the 150th rifle division.

Lieutenant Rakhimzhan Koshkarbaev and Private Grigory Bulatov fought their way into the Reichstag under German fire. While the comrades were covering them, the lieutenant hoisted Bulatov, and he set up a makeshift banner on the harness of the horse of the sculptural group of William I. His face is captured in the famous photograph of the participants in the assault on the steps of the Reichstag on May 2, 1945, after the surrender of Berlin.

This event is described in the book of the Hero of the Soviet Union Klochkov I. F. "We stormed the Reichstag", which says that "Lieutenant R. Koshkarbaev was the first to attach a red flag to the column."
There is also written incorruptible evidence refuting the fact of the feat of Yegorov and Kantaria. On May 3, 1945, a note was published in the divisional newspaper "Warrior of the Motherland", in which the names of the heroes were named:
"The Motherland pronounces their names with deep respect: Provatorov, Bulatov, Sorokin ...: Soviet heroes, the best sons of the people! Glory to the heroes!"
On May 5, Komsomolskaya Pravda published the story of an eyewitness to those events, Captain Andreev:
“The way to the Reichstag lay through heaps, barricades, holes in the walls, dark underground tunnels. And everywhere there were Germans: Our fighters went on the attack for the third time and finally broke into the Reichstag, threw the Germans out of there. Then a small, snub-nosed, young soldier from the Kirov region, like a cat, climbed onto the roof of the Reichstag and did what thousands of his comrades were striving for. He fixed the red flag on the cornice and, lying on his stomach, under the bullets, shouted down to the soldiers of his company: "Well, how can everyone see?"
Bulatov was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The view says:
"On April 29, 1945, the regiment fought fierce battles on the outskirts of the Reichstag. Comrade Bulatov was one of those who were ordered, with the support of artillery and improvised means, to force the river Spree, break through to the Reichstag building and hoist the Victory Banner over it. Taking from the battle every square meter at 14 o'clock on April 30, 1945, they burst into the Reichstag building, seized the exit of one of the cellars on the move, trapping up to 300 German soldiers of the Reichstag garrison there. 25 minutes hoisted the Red Banner over the Reichstag. Worthy of being awarded the title "HERO OF THE SOVIET UNION" ".
Three days later, Marshal Zhukov handed Bulatov his photo with a dedication in memory of the accomplished feat.
However, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and other people were appointed as heroes, who then proudly talked about their outstanding feat all their lives.
By the way, it was Bulatov who was captured on the famous newsreel of Roman Carmen with a flag against the background of bronze horses on the roof of the Reichstag. This reportage was also staged and filmed three days after the events.

Later, even Kantaria, answering the questions of correspondents, said: “On the morning of April 30, we saw the Reichstag in front of us - a huge gloomy building with dirty gray columns and a dome on the roof: The first group of our scouts burst into the Reichstag: V. Provotorov, Gr. Bulatov. They reinforced the flag on the pediment. The flag was immediately noticed by the soldiers lying under enemy fire in the square. "
According to the official version, on April 19, 1973, Grigory Petrovich Bulatov committed suicide - he was found hanged. However, those who knew Bulatov are sure that he could not voluntarily leave this life. Two suspicious types in civilian clothes were spinning that day at the entrance of the plant where Gregory worked. Bulatov's grave depicts the Victory Banner over the Reichstag and his photograph from the book of Marshal Zhukov.

The country is preparing to celebrate Victory Day. However, disputes still do not stop over who nevertheless hoisted the red banner over the Reichstag. In Pskov, they are convinced that it was Mikhail Minin, whose feat remained invaluable. Perhaps that is why every year on April 30, the city celebrates his day of remembrance.

The regional council of war and labor veterans are absolutely convinced that glory bypassed Minin, although by right it should have belonged to him. Since Soviet times, the official history continues to name the names of Sergeant Mikhail Yegorov (Russian, communist) and Junior Sergeant Meliton Kantaria (Georgian, non-partisan), who hoisted the banner of the 150th Idritsa Rifle Division over the Reichstag. At the same time, evidence has survived that they themselves later admitted: they delivered their banner (and there were several!) To the Reichstag much later than other standard-bearers.

This fact was also stated by the specialists of the Institute military history The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, where it was documented that the first who hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag on April 30, 1945, was the group of Captain Makov. It also included Mikhail Minin. It all happened on April 30, 1945. For this feat and a number of other military merits, Mikhail Minin was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, while the award list was dated May 1, 1945, but the command was limited to the Order of the Red Banner (05/18/1945).

"Throughout the day and evening of April 30, Soviet units repeatedly tried to break through the enemy's defenses, but to no avail. We were four hundred meters from the Reichstag, in Himmler's house, when on April 30, in the middle of the day, we received a message about the presence of order No. 06 on the 1st Belorussian Front. about the capture of the Reichstag by Soviet troops on April 30, 1945 at 14:25. In fact, in the afternoon and evening of April 30, there was not a single Soviet warrior... On April 30, at 21:30, artillery preparation for the attack began. The assault took place at night, when the silhouette of a man was not visible ten meters away ... The attack was carried out almost blindly without the support of tanks and escort artillery ... V.N. front door, and was the first to break into the Reichstag. Paving our way with machine-gun fire and grenades, we managed to quickly reach the attic, find a giant cargo winch with a flashlight, climb to the roof on it, and here on April 30, 1945 at 22:40, hoist the first banner, about which V.N. Makov immediately radio reported to the command post to the commander of the 79th corps. At four o'clock in the morning on May 1, Egorov and Kantaria were brought to the Reichstag with sheathed banners ... "
From the memoirs of Mikhail Minin

The deputies of the Pskov Regional Assembly tried to correct historical justice. So, in May 2005, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Victory, a proposal was made to the agenda of one of the sessions to address the then Governor Mikhail Kuznetsov with a request to submit to the President of the Russian Federation a proposal for conferring the title of Hero Russian Federation the entire assault group, which planted the banner over the Reichstag. There was also the surname of Pskovich Mikhail Petrovich Minin. However, the response that came from the Defense Department was disappointing. It said that Mikhail Minin had already been awarded for his feat, and this should not be done twice.

“I don’t need to prove once again that Mikhail Petrovich Minin was and remains our national hero. Nor does it require proof that he was in fact the first to hoist the flag of Victory over the Reichstag. In memory of this legendary man, every year on his veterans, representatives of patriotic associations gather at the grave. In the city's schools there are lessons of courage dedicated to his feat. A memorial plaque is installed on the house where he lived, but I strongly do not support the idea of reburial of the hero's ashes in the center of Pskov, on the Square of the Victims of the Revolution. sleeps well, our task is to preserve a worthy memory of him. "
Boris Polozov, deputy of the regional assembly, SmartNews

In this regard, the question arises: why, then, in all official obituaries dedicated to the memory of Mikhail Minin, he is invariably considered a Hero of the Soviet Union? The answer to this delicate question was received by the SmartNews correspondent at the Pskov Regional Council of War and Labor Veterans. According to the deputy chairman of the council, Nikolai Gorbachev, several years ago, by the decree of the notorious Sazha Umalatova, the chairman of the unregistered (!) Organization Permanent Presidium of the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR, Mikhail Minin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union

“It is clear that this award does not have an official status. Although personally I am convinced that Mikhail Petrovich was worthy of it without any reservations. It is clear that he could not use any privileges as a Hero of the Soviet Union. When Mikhail Petrovich died, I proposed to bury the hero in the center of Pskov, near the monument to the victims of the revolution. In the end, Mikhail Yegorov found his last refuge in the very center of Smolensk, near the Kremlin wall, as befits a national hero. Mikhail Petrovich was worthy of no less honor, but the city authorities did not hear the call of the veterans. Now we can only regret it ... "
Nikolay Gorbachev, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Council of War and Labor Veterans, SmartNews

In addition to the above, it should be noted that several years ago the Ministry of Justice issued a warning to Ms. Umalatova “in connection with the illegal issuance of orders and medals with symbols the former USSR". This was done due to the fact that on July 1, 2002, a new Code of Administrative Offenses entered into force, which provided for responsibility for the establishment and production of signs that outwardly resemble state awards of the Russian Federation, the RSFSR and the USSR.

The example of Mikhail Petrovich Minin clearly shows how sometimes cruel and unjust fate can be towards real heroes. In all historical documents of that time, later encyclopedias, it is unequivocally confirmed that it was he, as part of Captain Makov's group, who first climbed onto the roof of the Reichstag and hoisted the banner of Victory. Moreover, the archives preserved the official submissions of the entire five to the titles of Hero of the Soviet Union. They are dated May 1, 1945. I draw your attention to such a detail that Yegorov and Kantaria were awarded this title only in 1946. After the death of Mikhail Petrovich, his entire archive was transferred to the museum. Minin was a meticulous person and all his life collected documents, eyewitness memories, which confirmed the priority of Captain Makov's group. On the other hand, if we admit this fact, then what about the officially recognized symbols of Victory? Does this mean that the banner of the 150th Idritsa division does not correspond to its status? It seems to me that the duty of the Pskovites is to immortalize the name of the hero, at least in the name of the street on which he lived. The initiative group has already made such a request to the city authorities, but this request, alas, was never heard.
(Marina Safronova - Senior Researcher, Pskov Museum-Reserve, SmartNews)

SMARTNEWS HELP
Mikhail Petrovich Minin (07/29/1922 - 01/10/2008), a native of the Palkinsky district of the Pskov region, went to the front in July 1941. He fought on the Leningrad front, was wounded. After hospitalization, he continued to serve in the artillery reconnaissance battalion. He passed the way from Leningrad to Berlin. In 1945 he took part in the capture of the Reichstag and, together with his comrades in arms, hoisted the Victory Banner on it. On the walls of the Reichstag, a record of this historical event is still preserved: "The assault group of Captain VN Makov, April 30, 1945". There are five names on the list of fighters: Makov, Zagitov, Lisimenko, Bobrov and Minin. In 1959 he graduated from the Kuibyshev Military Academy. He served in the Strategic Missile Forces. In 1969 he was demobilized due to illness. Since 1977 he lived in Pskov. Decorated with the Orders of the Red Banner, Patriotic War, Red Star, medals. In 2005, by the decision of the City Duma, he was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of Pskov". Retired lieutenant colonel. Buried in the city cemetery. Author of the book "The Difficult Roads of Victory".

9 banners were prepared and 9 groups, respectively, had the task of trying to install a red banner on the dome of the Reichstag. The first (at 14:25) to hoist the banner over the Reichstag was Grigory Bulatov, a scout of the 674th Infantry Regiment of the 150th Infantry Division.

Many dots over the "i" in the history of the Great Patriotic War have already been dotted. But white spots now and then make themselves felt. They worry the front-line soldiers, they haunt military historians. One of them is the Victory Banner. Was everything really the way it was written in school textbooks?

... On April 30, after breaking the resistance of four battalions of the Volkssturm and a select SS group (900 people), breaking reinforced concrete obstacles, water-filled anti-tank ditches and wire obstacles, units of the 171st rifle division of Colonel Negoda and the 150th rifle division of Major General Shatilov (79 Corps of the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front) almost simultaneously broke into the Reichstag. Soon, red banners appeared on the columns, on the stairs and balconies, on the first and second floors of the Reichstag - from regimental and divisional to homemade ones.
A few hours later, the first reports about “hoisting the Victory Banner” arrived at the corps headquarters. True, in the reports - not a word about the dome of the Reichstag. Hoisting time - from 13.45 to 14.25. On the southern part of the Reichstag, the battalion commanders, Captain Neustroev and Major Davydov, hoisted the Red Banner, the chief of staff of the 150th rifle division, Colonel Dyachkov, reported at 18:00 on April 30.
Zhukov, summarizing numerous and rather contradictory data, reported to Stalin that "units of the 3rd Shock Army occupied the main building of the Reichstag and raised the Soviet flag on it at 14:25 on April 30".
The time and date have been “officially” approved. Two days later, the Berlin garrison capitulated. There was very little left before the final victory. In the confusion and in anticipation of the imminent holiday, there was no time to take into account the banners. But after about a month they were remembered again. The fact is that the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army established a special form of the red banner and its official status. Such a banner, in the opinion of the Glavpurovites, could be considered a symbol of Victory and should have taken part in the Victory Parade.
The head of the political department of the 3rd Shock Army, Colonel (later Lieutenant General) Fyodor Lisitsyn, says:
Even before the start of the Berlin operation, we learned that some of our neighbors had ordered to make one red banner each for hoisting over the Reichstag - the highest organ of state power in Nazi Germany. I proposed to make not one, but nine banners - according to the number of rifle divisions of our army. The War Council approved the proposal. I summoned G. Golikov, the head of the Red Army House, for we had the great honor of sewing the future banners of Victory. What material do we have? We decided to do without excesses: to sew from ordinary kumach, but with strict observance of the size and shape of the State flag of the country ... The women took scissors, needles and threads, sewed and cut. They did not hide their tears. Perhaps at that moment many of us realized how close the end of this inhuman war was. The artist V. Buntov painted in the upper left corner, at the shaft, a hammer and sickle with a star. The projectionist S. Gabov made shafts (mainly from curtain rods) and attached panels to them.
One of these banners (red cloth measuring 188 by 82 cm) numbered five was presented to the 150th Infantry Division on 22 April. Nothing was said about such a banner in the first reports.
Nevertheless, on May 1, on the glass dome of the Reichstag on the site of the former German flag with a swastika, the “necessary” banner number five fluttered. How did it get there?
At the beginning of June, the political department of the army prepared (signed by F. Lisitsyn) a report numbered 0459 addressed to the head of the political department of the 1st BF, outlining "the last decisive blow against the Nazi troops." The following picture of the hoisting of the Victory Banner was presented on five pages of a small text:
... At dawn on April 30, the banner was transferred to the 756th Infantry Regiment, which was advancing on the Reichstag in the first echelon of the division. And in the regiment - the company of the communist senior sergeant Syanov from the battalion of Captain Neustroev. Forcing the Spree, the soldiers broke into the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (“Goebbels' house”), then through the gaps in the walls and through underground passages they went to the Reichstag and seized the stairs of the main entrance. Abkhaz ASSR, Achangeri), Red Army soldier, Russian, Komsomol member Egorov Mikhail Alekseevich (Smolensk region, Kudnyanskiy district, Bogdanovskiy village council) and deputy battalion commander for political affairs, member of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, Ukrainian, Lieutenant Aleksey Prokopyevich Berest (Sumy region ., Akhtyrsky district, Goryaystovsky village council) with a fight broke through to the dome - the highest point of the Reichstag - and at 14:25 they hoisted the Victory Banner on it. At 15:00, Captain Neustroev was appointed commandant of the Reichstag.
Immediately, the head of the political department of the 1st Belorussian Front, Lieutenant General Galadzhev, sent a laconic report to Moscow, where he clearly pointed out that the communist, lieutenant, Ukrainian Berest A. P .; Komsomol member, Red Army soldier, Russian Egorov M.A. and non-partisan, junior sergeant, Georgian Kantaria M.V. The official version was born.
Zampolitov Zhukov did not like
In November 1961, at a closed meeting at the Institute of Marxism-Leninism, a former member of the military council of the 1st Belorussian Front, Lieutenant General K. Telegin, bitterly stated that the situation related to the Victory Banner had "taken on an ugly character." What's the matter?
Let's try to figure it out, especially since some documents and evidence allow us to do this.
Before going on the final attack on the Reichstag, the soldiers tore apart the pillowcases of German featherbeds, window curtains and everything else made of red fabric. Some got a meter or more, some got a handkerchief. With these "flags and flags" they rushed to the Reichstag. Soldiers of different regiments and even divisions put their flags everywhere - in the windows, on the columns, in the center of the hall. The submissions for the title of Heroes for hoisting the Victory Banner were made accordingly.
It was April 30 - assault, battle, blood and death. A day later, there was silence: Berlin surrendered. People came to the Reichstag in a rampart - artillerymen, tankmen, signalmen, doctors, cooks ... They came on foot, came on horses and cars ... Everyone wanted to see the Reichstag, to sign on its walls. Many brought red flags and flags with them and fortified them throughout the building, many took pictures ... Correspondents and photo reporters arrived. The pictures got into the newspapers, and those who posed then demanded the title of Hero.
It took a whole year for the investigation of the political department of the 3rd Shock Army and the political department of the 1st Belorussian Front. Only officially and only in the first days of victory in May, more than a hundred people were nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for hoisting the Victory Banner. Over time, the figure increased. Only on May 8, 1946, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR appeared “On conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to the officer and sergeant staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR who hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag in Berlin” - 1. Captain Davydov V.I. 2. Sergeant Yegorov M. A 3. Junior Sergeant Kantaria MV 4. Captain Neustroev SA 5. Senior Lieutenant Samsonov N. Ya.
Lieutenant Alexei Prokofievich Berest was also nominated for the title of Hero. But instead of the Golden Star, he received the Order of the Red Banner. I deleted from the list personally comrade. Zhukov did not like political workers.
Everything? Understood? It turns out not.
Still, Makov's group
The thing is that when M. Yegorov and M. Kantaria, led by the deputy battalion commander for political affairs, Lieutenant A. Berest, climbed to the roof of the Reichstag building, they saw a fluttering red banner above the sculptural group “The Goddess of Victory”. F. Lisitsyn recalls: “From the very beginning of the battles for the Reichstag, the group of Captain V. Makov fought side by side with the soldiers of the attack aircraft of Captain S. Neustroev, who also had the task of hoisting a corps flag over the building of the fascist parliament. This group, which included scouts and volunteers of the 136th artillery brigade, senior sergeants K. Zagitov, A. Lisimenko, sergeants M. Minin and A. Bobrov made their way to the roof of the Reichstag late in the evening on April 30 and installed a red flag there in one of the holes in the sculpture. " In the official report of June 3, Lisitsyn did not even mention Captain Makov's group in passing. Maybe because its composition was already very “homogeneous”, and did not fit into the ideological parameters of the indestructible bloc of communists and non-party people and the unity of the nations and nationalities of the great Soviet Union.
To figure out how it happened that the feat of the brave warriors was in the shadows, let us return to the difficult days of the end of April 1945, when, after heavy street fighting, units of the 3rd Shock Army reached the Spree River.
An attempt by rifle battalions to seize the Reichstag on the move was unsuccessful. The troops began to prepare for a new assault. On April 27, as part of the 79th Rifle Corps, two assault groups of 25 people each were formed. The first group under the leadership of Captain V. Makov from the artillerymen of the 136th and 86th artillery brigades, the second - under the leadership of Major Bondar from other artillery units. Captain Makov's group operated in the battle formations of Captain Neustroev's battalion, which in the morning of April 30 began to storm the Reichstag in the direction of the main entrance. Fierce fighting continued throughout the day, with varying success. The Reichstag was not taken. But some fighters nevertheless entered the first floor and hung several red red coats from the broken windows. It was they who became the reason that some leaders rushed to report on command about the capture of the Reichstag and hoisting over it at 14:25 "the flag of the Soviet Union". A couple of hours later, the whole country was notified about the long-awaited event by radio, and the message was transmitted abroad.
In fact, by order of the commander of the 79th Rifle Corps, the artillery preparation for the decisive assault was started only at 21:30, and the assault itself began at 22:00 local time under cover of darkness. The first Soviet units broke into the Reichstag only at 23:00 on April 30.
After Neustroev's battalion moved to the front entrance, four from Captain Makov's group, without waiting for the main forces, immediately rushed forward along the steep stairs to the dome of the Reichstag. Paving the way with grenades and automatic bursts, she reached her goal - against the background of a fiery glow, the sculptural composition "Goddess of Victory" was noticeable. On it, despite the continuous fire of the Soviet troops, Sergeant Minin hoisted the Red Banner. On the cloth, he wrote the names of his comrades. Then Captain Makov, accompanied by Bobrov, went downstairs and immediately reported by radio to the corps commander, General Perevertkin, that at 22 hours 40 minutes his group was the first to hoist the Red Banner over the Reichstag.
On May 1, 1945, the command of the 136th artillery brigade nominated captain V.N.Makov, senior sergeants G.K. Zagitov, A.F. Lisimenko, A.P. Bobrov, sergeant M.P. Minin. Consecutively, on May 2, 3 and 6, the commander of the 79th Rifle Corps, the commander of the artillery of the 3 UA and the commander of the 3 UA, confirmed the application for the award.
And this is where the ugliest part of the story begins ...
Officially, in all textbooks on the history of Russia of the twentieth century, it is said that, accompanied by Lieutenant Alexei Berest, Sergeants Mikhail Yegorov and Meliton Kantaria hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag. It happened on April 30 at about 22:00 (Berlin time) or on May 1 (Moscow time).

But in fact, about forty banners were installed on the Reichstag. Some of them received great fame, some got on the immortal photographs of front-line correspondents and in newsreels. Some flags are remembered in memoirs. Today there is more or less specific information about 18 flags. Let's try to trace how the victorious banners got to the Reichstag and where they went later.

Banners fixed at the Reichstag by photographers.

The banner of the reconnaissance platoon of the 674th regiment.

Made by order of the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel A.D. Plekhodanov. Reconnaissance platoon commander Lieutenant S. Sorokin. Scouts: Viktor Pravotorov, Ivan Lysenko, Grigory Bulatov, Pavel Brekhovetsky, Stepan Oreshko, Mikhail Pachkovsky. The platoon commander from Davydov's battalion, Lieutenant Rakhimzhan Koshkarbaev, took part in hoisting the banner.

The banner was made at about 12.00-13.00 on April 30 and tied to the neck of a horse from the sculptural group "Germany" at 14.25 on April 30. Around 16.00-17.00 on April 30, the banner was removed by German soldiers and thrown on the roof. On May 2, between 10.00 and 11.00, the banner was found by Mikhail Yegorov, Meliton Kantaria and photographer A.P. Morozov, who made a series of famous photographs of Yegorov and Kantaria with the banner of Sorokin's reconnaissance platoon on the roof of the Reichstag.

On May 2, from 12.00 to 14.00, the scouts of Sorokin's platoon were photographed with a banner on the roof of the Reichstag. Photographers: I. Shagin, A. Kapustyansky and Y. Ryumkin. The newsreel was filmed by Roman Carmen. The scouts found in the structure of the sculptural group a special tube for attaching banners, and Sorokin and Bulatov fixed the flag in it.

From 2 pm on May 2 to May 10 inclusive, the banner was in the same place. Further traces of the banner are lost.

Photo by A.P. Morozov. Morning May 2. Yegorov and Kantaria on the roof of the Reichstag with the banner of Sorokin's scouts.

Banner of "General Berzarin".

After the signing in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst on the night of May 8-9, the act of Germany's surrender and the declaration of Victory, a large-sized “Victory banner” prepared in advance was raised over the dome of the Reichstag on the morning of May 9th.

On May 20, the banner was removed from the dome and a solemn seeing-off of the "Victory Banner" took place to the Leningrad Artillery Museum. The banner was seen off by the commandant of Berlin, the commander of the 5th Shock Army, General N.E. Berzarin, and officers of his staff. The Berlin garrison was lined up, military bands were playing. GlavPU caught on and organized the interception of the banner, after which it was delivered to the headquarters of the 1st Belorussian Front. Further traces of the banner are lost.

Banner "Berzarin". If you look closely, you can see the banner of Sorokin's scouts - a dark silhouette next to the figure of a horse.

Photo by Oleg Knorring. Seeing the "banner of Victory" to Moscow.

Banner No. 5 of the Military Council of the 3rd Shock Army.

Currently, this banner is considered the "Victory Banner". There are two different flags known as Banner # 5. The first "Banner No. 5" was erected in the suburbs of Berlin on April 22, almost simultaneously with the other eight banners of the Military Council of the 3rd Shock Army.

The second banner with the same number 5 was transferred to the 150th division on April 26, when it turned out that it was going directly to the Reichstag. On the same day, the standard-bearers were approved - Egorov and Kantaria. Both soldiers were transferred from an infantry unit to a reconnaissance platoon. The banner was hoisted on the equestrian statue of Emperor Wilhelm II already in the morning of May 1, at about 5.00. The group headed by Lieutenant A.P. Berest included M. Egorov, M. Kantaria and a platoon of scouts of the 756th regiment, 19 people in total.

On May 2, at about 11.00-12.00, the banner was removed from the sculpture of Wilhelm at the direction of the head of the political department of the 3rd ud. army of Colonel Lisitsyn to transfer the flag to the dome of the Reichstag. The banner did not appear on the dome, because another banner outstripped him. From May 2 to June 19, the banner was kept at the headquarters of the 756th regiment. Then he was transported to the headquarters of the 150th division, where they applied the first, main, inscription about the belonging of the flag of the 150th division. Shortly before leaving for Moscow, a few more letters and numbers were added, indicating the 3rd shock army and the 1st Belorussian Front.

The banner took part in the rehearsal of the Victory Parade. Standard bearers: S.A. Neustroev, M. Egorov and M. Kantaria. On the same day, the banner was removed by Zhukov from the parade and sent to the museum, where it was kept in storerooms until May 1965. On May 9, 1965, the banner was carried at the jubilee parade. Standard bearers: K. Ya. Samsonov, M. Egorov and M. Kantaria. In the same year, a special exposition was arranged for the banner in the museum, which is still in effect.

Solemn meeting of the "banner number 5" at the airport in Moscow.

Banner of the 23rd motorized rifle brigade, 3rd Panzer Army.

It was erected on the northeastern tower of the Reichstag on the morning of May 2, after the surrender of Berlin. On this day, the soldiers of the 23rd MSBR were among the first on the roof. This banner served as a prototype for the “banner of Victory” that hit the front page of Pravda on May 3rd.

Photo by Mark Redkin. Flag of the 23rd ISBR. There are no banners on the dome yet.

Photo by Evgeny Khaldei. In the foreground is the poet Dolmatovsky with a trophy. In the background, the Reichstag with the 23rd Brigade's flag on the tower.

Victor Tyomin. Original shot. Retouched see below.

"Banner of Victory" by photographer Yevgeny Khaldei.

This "Victory Banner" is the most famous in the world. The flag was made in Moscow, in April, shortly before E. Khaldei's trip to the troops storming Berlin. The banner for Chaldeus was made by a relative, a professional tailor. Evgeny Ananievich himself took an active part in the manufacture.

When Khaldei arrived at the Reichstag, the banner of the 23rd MSBR had already been erected, and the banner No. 5 had already been removed. E. Khaldei was helped to set up a personal "banner of Victory" by three fighters who met by chance: Alexei Kovalyov from Kiev, Leonid Gorychev from Minsk and Abdulkhakim Ismailov from Dagestan.

For photographs of his banner, Yevgeny Khaldei was awarded in 1995 the most honorable award in the world of arts - the title "Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature".

Photo by Evgeny Khaldei. Above with the banner A. Kovalev, below A. Ismailov. L. Gorychev is standing on the roof.

Two banners of unknown warriors.

One cameraman was shooting another, and two modest flags hit the lens. The first flag, of a very small size, was erected on the northeastern tower. And the second flag, somewhat larger, "climbed" on the dome of the Reichstag. This second flag, belonging to no one knows who, played an unexpectedly large role in Soviet history. He took the place for which the "banner number 5" claimed, leaving this banner lying at the headquarters of the 756th regiment. That, in the end, saved the future "Victory Banner" from being scrapped.

Banner of Koshkarbayev.

Rakhimzhan Koshkarbaev was filmed by Roman Karmen for his film separately from Sorokin's scouts. This was done at a different time, in a different place and with a different banner. Although, according to information available to Karmen, Koshkarbayev participated in the planting together with regimental intelligence officers. Where did Koshkarbayev get the flag without a pole? Today this question is difficult to answer. However, the flag was tied somewhere in the Reichstag and ended up in Karmen's film.

Painted flags of Viktor Tyomin.

Two famous photographs by the photographer of the newspaper "Pravda" V. Tyomin depicting the "banner of Victory" made a huge impression in their time. But the fact is that such banners never existed. The banners were simply finished with a retoucher.

In the first photo, published by the Pravda newspaper on May 3, 1945, on the front page, an unrealistically huge banner fluttered over the corner tower of the Reichstag. The flag of the 23rd ICRB, filmed from a good angle, seemed too small and not impressive to the editors. Therefore, instead of a real flag, a huge panel was added to the photograph. In the explanation for the picture, the readers were told that they were seeing the "Victory Banner."

Photo by Viktor Tyomin. A painted banner over the Reichstag tower.

The second picture showed the "Victory Banner" fluttering over the dome of the Reichstag. Viktor Tyomin flew around the Reichstag in a corn plant on the morning of May 1. There was a fight. Therefore, in the original shot of Tyomin, there was no Victory Banner on the dome of the building (since the banner was transferred to the dome of the Reichstag only on May 2), and it was only painted on before publication in newspapers; at the same time, the retoucher painter painted a flag 2-3 times larger than the real banner

Photo by Viktor Tyomin. A painted banner over the dome of the Reichstag. The picture received awards in the USSR and abroad.

Banners described in the memoirs.

Banner of the 380th regiment of the 171st division.

Unlike the 150th division, which was replenished for the expended "flag No. 5", the 171st division did not compensate for the used "flag No. 4". Maybe because this banner was already declared the first red banner to be hoisted in Berlin.

On the initiative of the battalion political officer V.N. Malinsky, the girls-medical instructors of the sanitary company made a banner, which was then presented to Grigory Savenko and Mikhail Eremin, fighters of the Samsonov battalion.

During the second assault on the Reichstag, the soldiers tied the flag to the column of the main entrance. This happened at 14.20 on April 30. Between 16.00 and 17.00 the Germans dropped the flag to the ground.

On May 2, soldiers of S. Neustroev's battalion found this flag and brought it to their commander. Further, the traces of the banner erected simultaneously with the banner of the scouts of the 674th regiment are lost.

Banner of V. N. Makov's group.

At a meeting of the participants in the storming of the Reichstag in November 1961, this banner was recognized as the very first. Recognizing the banner of Makov's group as the first, Soviet ideologists, under a far-fetched pretext, denied him the right to be called the "Victory Banner", leaving this title to "Banner No. 5" of the Military Council of the 3rd Strike Army.

The banner that Makov's group hoisted was one of two banners made in the political department of the 79th corps on April 27. The banner was erected by scouts of the 136th cannon brigade, which were part of Makov's group, at 22.40 on April 30 on the sculptural group "Germany". The scouts guarded the banner until 5 o'clock in the morning on May 1, when they were recalled to the corps headquarters.

At the final stage of the installation of the banner, the reconnaissance artillerymen took part: M. Minin, G. Zagitov, A. Bobrov and A. Lisimenko. At the headquarters of the 79th corps, the banners were issued without poles. M. Minin shoved the folded banner into his bosom. The banner of the 136th cannon brigade was already there. On the way to the roof of the Reichstag, the soldiers found a thin-walled metal tube that served as a pole.

The banner disappeared from the sculptural group in the most mysterious way in the period from 5.00 to 6.00 on May 1. Those. as soon as the scouts, vigilantly guarding their banner, left the roof of the Reichstag. Judging by circumstantial evidence, the order to remove the competing banner was given by the head of the political department of the 3rd shock army, Colonel F.Ya. Lisitsyn, "godfather" of "banner No. 5" of the Military Council. The direct perpetrators of the abduction were apparently Neustroev's trusted people: Gusev and Shcherbina.

Sergeant M.P. Minin and senior sergeants G.K. Zagitov (with an arm in a sling), A.P. Bobrov (with PPSh) and A.F. Lisimenko. The group was photographed on May 1, 1945 by a regimental photographer immediately after returning from the Reichstag building. Captain Makov was absent from the regiment at that time, therefore he is not in the picture either. All have fought since 1941, Mikhail Minin is 22, Gizi Zagitov is 23, Alexei Bobrov is 26, Alexander Lisimenko is 23, and their commander, Captain Vladimir Makov, is 23.

Scouts of Makov's group. M. Minin, G. Zagitov, A. Bobrov and A. Lisimenko. The photo was taken on the morning of May 1 at the headquarters of the 136th cannon brigade, immediately after the return of the fighters.

Banner of M.M. Bondar's group.

This was the second of the 79th Corps' two banners. Cooper's group operated in conjunction with the 380th regiment of the 171st division, i.e. attacked the Reichstag from the northern facade. The group banner was attached to the horse's rump at about 24.00 on 30 April. For completing the assignment, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to members of the group - S. I. Dokin, P. P. Kagykin, V. T. Kazantsev and posthumously V. P. Kanunnikov, V. D. Zubarev.

The banner of Cooper's group disappeared simultaneously with the banner of Makov's group. The chairman of the council of veterans of the 150th division, general (and then junior lieutenant) V.S. Ustyugov says that these banners were dropped by the Germans. However, on May 1, on a dark night, the Germans were clearly not up to any banners. German soldiers, tired after the intense fighting, slept, and the officers were preparing the morning counteroffensive to drive the Soviet troops out of the Reichstag. The Germans did not even suspect that some kind of banner had appeared on the sculpture above the main entrance. The presence of the banners of the 79th corps on the roof of the Reichstag annoyed only one person - Colonel Lisitsyn.

Pyatnitsky's banner.

It was manufactured in the Neustroev battalion shortly before the storming of the Reichstag. After the Germans dropped the first two flags and Stalin's congratulations were received on the capture of the Reichstag, the frightened command ordered to hang the flag somewhere, but on the Reichstag. Among the other soldiers who were sacrificed to the general's fear for their asses was Pyotr Pyatnitsky, sent to certain death by Neustroyev.

Pyotr Pyatnitsky managed to run to the front staircase and was killed. Like all other daredevils sent to carry out a criminal order. During the third assault on the Reichstag, Pyotr Shcherbina picked up the Pyatnitsky banner and attached it to the column. This happened at about 22.15 - 22.20 on April 30.

Banner of the 136th cannon brigade.

It was presented on April 26 to Mikhail Minin, one of the four reconnaissance artillerymen sent to the command of the 79th Corps headquarters. The scouts became part of Makov's group. The banner was attached to the wall of the Reichstag by Minin and Bobrov at about 22.10-22.15. At this time, a group of fighters knocked down the front doors.

Banner of the 86th Howitzer Brigade.

Before sending a group of scouts at the disposal of the corps headquarters, they were presented with a flag that had to be hoisted over the Reichstag. The scouts ended up in Makov's group. Together with the rest of the group, at 21.55, they jumped out of the window of the "Himmler house" and rushed to the Reichstag. The group's commander, Captain Ageenko, Sergeant Yamaltdinov, and Private Kopylov were soon wounded.

The only surviving representative of the 86th Howitzer Brigade, Sergeant B. Yaparov, Captain Ageenko ordered to follow on and attach the brigade's banner on the Reichstag. Baydemir Yaparov reached the Reichstag with the wave of the third assault and attached the brigade's banner to one of the columns. This happened at 22.20 - 22.30 on April 30.

Banner of the 525th regiment of the 171st division.

On April 21, this regiment was awarded "Banner No. 4" of the Military Council of the 3rd Shock Army. On April 22, the banner was erected on a tall building in the Berlin suburb of Pankow. Soon the building was engulfed in fire and the banner was moved to the tower. Banner # 4 is considered to be the first red banner to be installed in Berlin.

The 525th regiment did not participate directly in the storming of the Reichstag. He covered the 380th regiment from the flank, in which the 1st battalion of Captain K.Ya. Samsonov was involved in the assault. But for hoisting the flag of the regiment on the Reichstag, three fighters were allocated: Sergeant P.S. Smirnov, privates N.T. Belenkov and L.F.Somov. The banner was hoisted, apparently, during the third assault.

Lyadov's banner.

The mention of I.M. Lyadov is in the memoirs of M.M. Bondar. Apparently, Lyadov headed a group of gunners from the 40th Anti-Tank Destroyer Brigade. There is very little information about this group. Bondar only reports that Lyadov was the first of his group to plant the flag of his military unit on the Reichstag.

Banners dropped from aircraft.

On the night of May 1, the aviators of the two fighter regiments prepared a large banner with the words "Victory" and dropped them from a height of 800 meters onto the Reichstag. It was about 12:30 on May 1st. The further fate of the banners is unknown.

Other flags mentioned in passing.

Here is what S.A. Neustroev writes in his memoirs:

The colonel was interested in the banner. I tried to explain to him that there are many banners ... Pyotr Shcherbina installed the Pyatnitsky flag on the column of the front entrance, the flag of the first company Yarunov ordered to be displayed in the window overlooking the Royal Square. The flag of the third company ... In a word, I reported that the flags of the company, platoon and squads were installed in the location of their positions.

And the veteran of the 171st division I.B. Rabinovich in his book "Red Banners over Berlin" says that in addition to the main banner for the 380th regiment, nurse girls sewed small flags for each platoon that participated in the assault.

Did you like the article? Share it

Print article