This Soviet propaganda film recounts the events of 1945, as the Red Army resumed the offensive against the Fascist Wehrmacht, pushing the Germans out of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Poland. The film ends before the final battles in Germany, with a gaunt-looking President Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin meeting at Yalta. Notably, the film contains rare footage (at 10:06) of FDR smoking a cigarette. This was the type of material that would never have appeared in an American newsreel of the era!
Narrator: The Red Army chased the enemy off our land. The great liberating operation began in Europe, which was enslaved by the Fascists. Taking over others’ territories was not our goal. The government of the USSR stated, ‘We are not guided by revenge. Our aim is to destroy German Fascism, to rid nations of Hitler’s occupation, to provide them with freedom.’ (01.04)
On August 31, Soviet forces and Romanian Volunteer Division entered Bucharest that had been liberated. They had to fight cruel battles and eliminate a powerful group of German soldiers. (01.39)
The Red Army is entering Bulgaria. The Soviet Army had no battles on Bulgarian territory. The Bulgarian operation turned out to be a triumphant liberating campaign. Sofia is celebrating. (02.22)
Our divisions joined the Czechoslovak Corps after fierce fighting and came to the border of Czechoslovakia. In the beginning of 1945, Slovakia was liberated. The Red Army was of great help to the Yugoslav liberation movement. Fulfilling a request of Marshall Tito, Soviet forces entered Yugoslavia and began an offensive on Belgrade. Having defeated the enemy, the Red Army entered Belgrade together with the Yugoslav national liberation army. (03.53) Soviet people gave away hundreds of thousands of lives of its sons for the liberation of the European nations. Axis powers fell apart. Fascist Hungary was remaining the last ally of Germany. Hungary was a powerful stronghold at the doorstep of Germany, that is why the enemy was fighting back so fiercely. A 200,000 Fascist military group was encircled in Budapest after sanguinary battles. The battle for the Hungarian capital lasted for 49 days. Finally, Budapest was taken over. (05.40) The war was approaching the German border. The Soviet army was preparing for a winter attack. In the beginning of 1945, German army launched a powerful offensive on English-American forces near Ardennes. Churchill asked the Soviet government for help, ‘I shall be grateful if you can tell me whether we can count on a major Russian offensive on the Vistula front’. Stalin replied, ‘In view of our Allies’ position on the Western Front, GHQ of the Supreme Command have decided to complete preparations at a rapid rate and, regardless of weather, to launch large-scale offensive operations along the entire Central Front.’ The offensive began a week earlier than planned. (07.05) English-American forces were saved from a defeat. Fascists transferred large military groups from the Eastern Front to the Western. In January 1945, Soviet forces were passing by Warsaw in the north and south. The tank army hit the enemy from the back. The enemy began leaving its positions due to the threat of enclosure. (08.08) Parts of the first Belorussian front and Polish forces liberated Warsaw. Our forces came out to maneuver room. The major Vistula–Oder Offensive was developing successfully. Poland was liberated. Soviet forces approached Oder. As the result of the winter operation of 1945, they moved a few hundred kilometers forward. In February, the Crimea Conference of the heads of government of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States took place in Yalta. The plan of the final destruction of German forces was outlined, as well as conditions of its capitulation and the principles of the post-war settlement. The decisions of the conference were directed against Fascism, not against the German nation.
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held from February 4 to 11, 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Premier Joseph Stalin, respectively, for the purpose of discussing Europe’s post-war reorganization. The conference convened in the Livadia Palace near Yalta in Crimea, USSR.
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