. . . or click on the link here for Audio Player – Radio Moscow – 30 Anniversary, Celebration of Meet-Up on The Elbe – April 27, 1975 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection.
To commemorate the historic meeting of the Russian and Anglo-American Armies at The Elbe River, and the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany, Radio Moscow put together a series of broadcasts on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of VE Day in May of 1975, and included a special program regarding the link-up and effective splitting of Germany in half during the last days of the War in Europe.
Featuring interviews and eyewitness accounts from the Russian side of things, this series of broadcasts probably wasn’t aired in the U.S., even though it was distributed to Public Radio outlets all over the country. We were, after all in the middle of the Cold War. And even though there were celebrations going on, there was still time in this broadcast to talk about Nuclear Arms reduction and the proposals of Leonid Brezhnev with a subtle dig that the Russians wanted peace, how about the U.S.?
Regardless of the intentions, this is an interesting glimpse of the Russian version of World War 2 and the simple fact that Russia lost a few million as the result of that war.
Here is the Elbe River segment of Radio Moscow’s VE 30th Anniversary celebrations broadcast. From May of 1975.
