October 20 Red Army liberates Belgrade

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🗓 On October 20, 1944, the Red Army and the Yugoslav Partisans liberated Belgrade from the Nazi invaders.

The Hitlerites attacked Yugoslavia on April 6, 1941, on April 12 they captured Belgrade. During the three and a half years of occupation, the country suffered catastrophic destruction: 6,500 libraries, 1,500 schools, over 50 Orthodox churches and monasteries, 19 museums, and seven theaters were destroyed. A significant part of Serbia's cultural heritage was looted and taken to the Third Reich. During the war years, Belgrade was regularly subjected to massive air bombardments.

The Belgrade Strategic Offensive began on September 28, 1944, with combat actions to liberate Belgrade commencing on October 14. Soviet and Yugoslav forces, following a powerful artillery preparation, broke through the outer defensive ring. Subsequent battles took on a protracted character, as the aim was to liberate the capital of Yugoslavia without unnecessary casualties and destruction, avoiding the use of heavy bombing and artillery strikes.

By October 20, Belgrade and the larger part of Serbia were completely cleared of the enemy and the residents of the capital welcomed the liberators.

🎖 The people of Yugoslavia highly appreciated the feat of the Red Army. For the bravery and courage shown in the battles for Belgrade, the Presidium of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia awarded orders and medals to over 2,000 Soviet soldiers and officers.

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On October 22, 1944, the Red Army commenced the liberation of the Norway's northern regions (Eastern Finnmark) from the Nazi invaders.

While fleeing, the Germans burned and destroyed houses, bridges, and forcibly moved the civilian population to the west. Those who refused "evacuation" went into hiding. Not far from Kirkenes, Soviet soldiers saved 3,500 innocent civilians who had sought refuge in a mine, that the Nazis had planned to detonate upon discovery.

On the liberated territories, the Red Army provided assistance to the civilian population, which ended up in an incredibly difficult situation due to the devastation caused by the German invaders. Soviet soldiers did not occupy surviving buildings, instead offering them to Norwegians who lost their homes. They allocated provisions from the Red Army's warehouses, opened hospitals, and provided locals with medical care.

The military operation resulted in Germany losing a crucial source of strategic resources. The Kriegsmarine on northern communications were also severely limited.

The defeat of the Nazis in the Arctic region marked the beginning of the liberation of the rest of Norway from German invaders, encouraged the Norwegian resistance to fight the enemy, doing so with the support of the Soviet operational command.

The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany ended on May 8, 1945.

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