⚔️ April 25, 1945 – the #ElbeDay – a memorable date in Russia’s military history.

Around midday, by the town of Torgau on the Elbe River, Soviet troops advancing into Germany linked up for the first time with American forces.

That moment marked the high point of relations between the USSR and the US during the Second World War. The Soviet unit was led by Senior Lieutenant Grigory Goloborodko, while the American patrol that crossed the Elbe was commanded by First Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue.

🤝 The handshake between the two lieutenants made headlines around the world and became one of the defining images of the Allied #Victory over Nazism. One of the direct participants in that first meeting, US Army Private Joe Polowsky, later recalled:

“There were tears in our eyes. It was a moment of joy, but also, perhaps, a moment in which some already sensed that the future would not be without difficulties”.

The soldiers embraced and vowed never to forget that meeting. It came to symbolise what would later be known as the Spirit of the Elbe.

🎥 © Russian Military Historical Society

#Victory81 #WeWereAllies