“Our 11th guards tank corps marked the 1st of May, 1945, by destroying the enemy in the Berlin Zoo, which was our last combat operation. And from early in the morning of the next day, 2nd May, I had the happiest and most long-awaited day in my life. In the streets and courts soldiers and officers danced to the music of accordions and sang chastushkas of all sorts, including those with obscene language. It was a sunny and fine day. No shooting, just smoldering debris after the 1st May bombing raids and fighting. I stood next to the heap of weapons of all kinds and watched German soldiers and officers pass by with their heads low. They got out of basements and walked to the prisoners of war rallying point. The Berlin dwellers put up white flags or bed sheets on their windows. The whole Berlin garrison capitulated. We were carried away by the feeling of indescribable joy. We celebrated the triumph of good over evil and, of course, the fact that we remained alive.

<…> On 4 May, our 9th reconnaissance battalion got stationed outside Berlin. On 8 May, we started celebrating the Victory without awaiting the signing of the act of capitulation. We were in a good, festive mood. For lunch we had more meet than usual thanks to the shipments of canned stewed meat from the U.S. <…> In celebration of the Victory we were entitled to a 100 g of vodka, but got no more than 75 – 80 g, as a matter of fact. Although such negligible amount of vodka couldn’t possibly make our soldiers drunk, nearly everyone got drunk: my comrades-in-arms were jubilant, sang songs, danced and began shooting at random into the air. Our commander yelled and ran from one gunner to another telling to stop shooting, but it was too late. In this makeshift artillery salute soldiers fired a fair amount of their ammunition. I fired some 30 – 35 single shots from a machine pistol. Although everyone participated in this shooting, it was me and two more soldiers like me to whom punishment was administered.”