German civilians walk along the damaged Tangermunde Bridge during the Battle of T...HD Stock...

German civilians and soldiers were beyond desperate as they did their utmost to escape the Soviet wrath SGT John " Mac " McConnell. The Elbe River was the DMZ between Soviet forces driving westward and British, Canadian and USA forces driving eastward.
The Russians had been brutalized by the Einsatzgruppen and other SS formations which killed, pillaged and raped their way behind the advancing German armies once Operation Barbarossa was launched on Sunday 22 June 1941.
After Kursk, the Russians steadily pushed the Germans, Hungarians and Rumanians back and killed as many as they could in the progress. Once the Russians entered Germany, Hungary, Rumania, and Czechoslovakia they executed vengeance on the populations - especially the women and children.
Word spread and many civilians streamed toward the west to escape the Red menace. Nazi's and sympathizers hid in the midst which required screening of refugees.
That process could well be instituted in an update fashion for the refugees and others streaming form north Africa and Syria.
Images: 1945-04-12 U.S. soldiers reach out to shake hands with Russian troops on a broken bridge over the Elbe River; 1945-04 German soldiers walk along a precarious platform spanning a ruined bridge over the Elbe River; Final Operations - 19 April - 7 May, 1945 Map; 1945-4 Captain J. McMahon carries a child over a bridge over the river Elbe blown up
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL LTC Stephen C. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Capt Tom Brown Capt Seid Waddell CW5 Charlie Poulton SFC William Farrell SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT Robert George SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris RamseyCPL Eric Escasio SPC Margaret Higgins

THANKS FOR SHARING!

Good morning SGT John " Mac " McConnell thanks for sharing this interesting story about the 9th Army crossing the Elbe in WWII.