The troops of the 1st BELARUSSIAN Front, commanded by marshal of the Soviet Union GEORGY ZHUKOV and supported by the troops of the 1st UKRAINIAN Front, completed, after stubborn block-to-block fighting, the rout of the Berlin group of Nazi troops and today, on May 2 seized the whole of the German capital city of BERLIN - the center of German imperialism and the seat Nazi aggression.

At 3 p m on May 2, the Berlin garrison, which had defended the city under the command of General of Grtillery Weidling and his staff, stopped resistance, laid down arms and surrendered.

By 9 p m on May 2, in BERLIN our troops took over 70,000 Nazi men and officers prisoner. Among them: Lieutenant-General Kurt Wetasch and Lieutenant-General Walter Schmidt-Dankwart, generals for special missions under the chief of defense of BERLIN; general headquarters representative Vice Admiral Voss; Colonel Hans von Rechauer, Chief of the Defense Staff of BERLIN; Colonel Theodor von Dufving, chief of Staff of the German 56th Tank Corps. Goebbel’s 1st deputy for propaganda and the press Fritzsche, Doctor of Philosophy and History; press chief Klick, Doctor of Philosophy and History;  governmental adviser Heinrichsdorf, Doctor of Philosophy and History, were also taken prisoner. During interrogation, Fritzsche witnessed that Hitler, Goebbels and General of Infantry Krebbs - the newly appointed Chief of the General Staff, had committed suicide.

South-west of BERLIN, the troops of the 1st BELARUSSIAN and the 1st ULKRAINIAN Fronts completed the elimination of the encircled group of Nazi troops.

In the battles fought in this area from April 24 to May 2, our troops took over 120,000 Nazi men and officers prisoner. Over this period, the Nazis lost over 60,000 in killed alone.

Among those taken prisoner were: Lieutenant-General Berngard, Deputy Commander of the 9th German Army; Lieutenant-General Eckel, Commander of the German 5th SS Corps; Lieutenant-General Marx, Commander of the German 21st SS Tank Division; Lieutenant-General Radchiy, Commander of the German 169th Infantry Division; Major-General Biel, Commander of the FRANKFURT AN DER ODER fortress; Major-General Strammer, Chief of Artillery of the German 11th SS Tank Corps; and General of Aviation Zander. Over this period, our troops captured the following trophies:  304 tanks and self-propelled guns; over 1,500 guns; 2,180 machineguns; 17,600 motor vehicles and a lot of other arms and materiel. Northwest of BERLIN, the troops of the 1st BELARUSSIAN Front, pursuing the offensive, took by force the towns of NEURUPPIN, KIRITIZ, WUSTERHAUSEN, NEUSTADT, FEHRBELLIN, FRIESAK.

On May 2, the troops of the 2nd BELARUSSIAN Front, developing the offensive, seized the cities of ROSTOK and WARNEMUNDE - large ports and important naval bases of the enemy in the Baltic Sea, the towns of  RIBNITZ, MARLOW, LAAGE, TETEROW, MIROW and the large settlements of ALTENPLEN, RECHTENBERG, FRANZBURG, TRIBSES, ZULZE, DARGUN, TURKOW, JABEL, ZECHLIN, HERZSPRUNG.

In the battles on May 1, the troops of the front took 5,450 Nazi men and officers prisoner and captured 78 aircraft and 178 guns.
The troops of the 4th UKRAINIAN Front, pursuing the offensive in the West Carpathians, took by force the large settlements of LASKOV, ORLOVA, DEMBOVEC, HORDZISOV, TURZOVKA, DLGE POLE, VELKE ROVNE, STIAVNIK, PAPRADNO, MODLATIN.

In the battles on May 1, the troops of the front took over 5,000 Nazi men and officers prisoner and captured 196 guns.

The troops of the 2nd UKRAINIAN Front, pursuing the offensive east of the town of BRNO, took by force the large settlements of BRUMOV, VALASSKE KLOBUOKY, SLAVICIN, LUGACOVICE, BRAZOVKY, UHERSKY HRADISTE, NAPAJEDLA. 

The situation did not change considerably on the other sections of the front.   

On May 1, 37 enemy tanks were disabled and destroyed on all fronts. Ten enemy aircraft were brought down in air battles or by anti-aircraft fire.