On May 1 at 3.00 a.m. red banner was raised on Reichstag in Berlin. A rather intersting bio of a Ukrainian who was one of three soldiers that hoisted the red banner. Born to an impoverished family, seven of Berests fifteen siblings died prematurely. He was orphaned when eleven years old, and raised by his older sisters. From the age of sixteen, he worked as a tractor driver. Berest volunteered into the Red Army in October 1939 and took part in the Soviet-Finnish War as a signaller. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, he was sent to the front once more... On 30 April 1945, after long days of street combat in Berlin, the 150th Division attacked the Reichstag. On 1 May, at about 03:00, Berest and two scouts - Meliton Kantaria and Mikhail Yegorov - hoisted one of nine Soviet flags given to the divisions commanders on the buildings dome, fastening it to Wilhelm Is statue... Later, impostering as a Colonel, he negotiated with the German garrison of the Reichstag on the terms of their surrender.... In May 1946, Neustroev, Kantaria and many others who were involved in the Reichstag assault were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. For unknown reasons, Berest did not attain the award and his part in the operation was silenced. In 1948, he was discharged from the army and began working in the regional cinema department of Rostov-on-Don. In 1953, he was convicted of embezzlement and sent to ten years in prison, of which he served five. After being released, he was employed in the local Rostselmash factory as a common laborer. On 3 November 1970, Berest was run over by a train as he saved a child who strayed on the railway. He died of his injuries in the early hours of the following day. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Berest
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:08:54 +0000
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