Today 16 April 2015. On this day in the war years:
In 1941:
Stalin on the table lay report with the data of the Soviet intelligence: "Continuing the movement of troops, the accumulation of ammunition and fuel on the Western border of the USSR".
The British foreign Secretary Anthony Eden in his conversation with the Soviet Ambassador in London Ivan Maisky said: "we believe that Germany's military aspirations unlimited and include the attack on the Soviet Union or currently, or a few months later... there is plenty of evidence of his (Hitler's) determination to destroy the Soviet Union...".
According to the Directive of people's Commissariat of defense of the far Eastern front to the West sent the management of the 18th and the 31st infantry corps, the 21st and 66th infantry divisions, 211-212 and I-I airborne brigades and some special units. Many historians believe that this movement of the airborne divisions was a sure sign of the preparation of Joseph Stalin to attack. Incidentally, 212 brigade was the favorite team of Georgy Zhukov. That's what he threw at crucial moments in August 1939го during the fighting against the Japanese in Mongolia, and it brought him victory in the Halkin-Gol.
In 1942:
German and Italian troops led offensive against the main forces of the Yugoslav partisans in Eastern Bosnia, Montenegro and Herzegovina, where a large territory was under the control of the guerrillas. The guerrillas, fighting erupted in Western Bosnia and was released there in June a few areas, but suffered heavy losses.
Japanese forces captured the Philippine island of Panay.
In 1943:
Parts of our aircraft on that day on different parts of the front destroyed or damaged at least 6 German tanks, 40 trucks with troops and cargo, exploded ammunition, the suppressed fire 8 artillery and mortar batteries of the enemy.
The provocateur was issued to the Germans, the Lithuanian Communist Juozas Vitas, Walunas, Chairman of the Vilnius city Executive Committee, headed the city Committee of the underground Communist party of Lithuania. Under the terrible torture he did not betray anyone. May 8, 1965 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.
In 1944:
On the night of April 16, our aircraft again made a RAID on the railway station and the port of Sevastopol.
The black sea fleet ships attacked vessels, which the Germans tried to get out of the Crimea. In this day sunk 4 self-propelled barges with infantry.
In 1945:
Winning Berlin began operation troops of the 1st Belorussian (commander Georgy Zhukov), the 2nd Belorussian (commander Konstantin Rokossovsky) and 1st Ukrainian (commander Ivan Konev) fronts. Grouping of troops consisted of 2.5 million people, 6 250 tanks and self-propelled guns, 7 500 combat aircraft. From the German side opposed to about 1 million 1 3 500 tanks and 300 combat aircraft. For the first time in the history of the war before the beginning of the offensive, our troops simultaneously included 150 powerful anti-aircraft searchlights, illuminating the battlefield.
In the fighting on the approaches to Berlin's 24-year-old platoon leader of battery management 142 th cannon artillery brigade (1st Belorussian front) Magsumovich Kudaibergen Suraganov, correcting the fire of the batteries, helped the small units in the output to the channel Oder-spree. For this feat was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The newspaper "Pravda" published a front line "to Increase the production of consumer goods": Should be aware of that when planning the production of consumer goods should be taken into consideration those products, particularly where customers are looking for. 1st mechanical plant Moscow Moskvoretsky trust has received an order for beds, spoons, locks, bowls, flints for lighters, but the Director went the easy way: 75 percent plan performs at the expense of the least troublesome and time-consuming production of silicon. There are also cases of marriage at the individual enterprises: the Tula team, for example, produced black dresses sewn with white thread, and the gang in Saratov – shoes, of which pair one yellow and the other brown.
