Elbe Day
Meeting of advancing Soviet and American troops on 25 April 1945 near Torgau, Germany
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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.
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Elbe Day has never been observed as an official holiday in any country. In the years following 1945, however, the memory of the American–Soviet link-up acquired renewed significance within the context of the emerging Cold War.
The legacy of Elbe Day reflects its evolution from a tactical military event into a broader, though complex, symbol of international cooperation. The “handshake at the Elbe,” which occurred near Torgau on a destroyed bridge, marked the junction of Allied forces and underscored the impending defeat of Nazi Germany. The longer-term significance, however, has been associated with what participants and later commentators have termed the “Spirit of the Elbe.”
The “Spirit of the Elbe” refers to the brief period of cooperation and mutual recognition between American and Soviet forces at the time of their meeting on 25 April 1945. It has been used to characterize the ability of individuals from opposing political and ideological systems to identify shared purpose in the defeat of Nazi Germany.
In contrast to the geopolitical tensions that soon followed, contemporary accounts describe spontaneous celebrations, the exchange of insignia and personal items, and a widespread perception among front-line soldiers that the war in Europe was nearing its conclusion. As such, the encounter has often been interpreted as a moment in which cooperation between future Cold War adversaries was not only possible, but concretely realized.
History
The first contact between American and Soviet patrols occurred at 11:30am on April 25 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 first met a Soviet horse rider, belonging to 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.
Among those photographed at the iconic moment, specifically on the destroyed bridge, reaching out to shake hands were Soviet Lieutenant Charles Thau and U.S. Army Technician Fifth Grade (aka PFC) Bernard Kirschenbaum.
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.[3][4][5]
Commemorations
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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.[6]
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.[7] Also in 2010, the U.S. and Russian presidents for the first time issued a joint statement on April 25 commemorating Elbe Day.[8]
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, 1995
