Alexei Berest
Encyclopedia
Oleksi Prokopovich Berest (Ukrainian
: Олексій Прокопович Берест. Russified
: Алексей Прокопьевич Берест [Alexei Prokopievich Berest]; 9 March 1921, Goryaistovka, Sumy Oblast
, Soviet Union
- 4 November 1970, Rostov-on-Don
, Soviet Union) was a Soviet political officer
and one of the three Red Army
soldiers who hoisted the Victory Banner
.
, he was sent to the front once more. On March 1943, while stationed in the Volkhov Front
, Corporal Berest joined the Communist Party
. On December, he was sent to the Leningrad Military-Political School (Which at the time was located at Shuya
, after being evacuated) and trained as a commissar. After graduation at September 1944, Lieutenant Berest was assigned as Captain Stepan Neustroev
's deputy for political affairs (Zampolit) in the 1st Battalion of the 150th Rifle Division's 756th Regiment.
, the 150th Division attacked the Reichstag. On 1 May, at about 03:00, Berest and two scouts - Meliton Kantaria
and Mikhail Yegorov - hoisted one of nine Soviet flags given to the division's commanders on the building's dome, fastening it to Wilhelm I's statue. Although not the first to be placed
, the flag was eventually proclaimed as the Victory Banner. Later, impostering as a Colonel, he negotiated with the German garrison of the Reichstag on the terms of their surrender. He received the Order of Lenin
for his actions.
. For unknown reasons,The various sources cited in this article alternatively asserted that this was due to Berest's Ukrainian heritage, Marshal Georgy Zhukov
's dislike for political officers or a confrontation with a Smersh
officer several days before the battle. No conclusive data could be found on the subject. Berest did not attain the award and his part in the operation was silenced. At 1948, he was discharged from the army and began working in the regional cinema department of Rostov-on-Don
. On 1953, he was convicted of embezzlement and sent to ten years in prison, of which he served five. After being released, he was employed in the local Rostselmash
factory as a common laborer. At 3 November 1970, Berest was run over by a train as he saved a child who strayed on the railway. He died of his injuries on the early hours of the following day.
He was posthumously granted the title Hero of Ukraine
at 2005.
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
: Олексій Прокопович Берест. Russified
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Алексей Прокопьевич Берест [Alexei Prokopievich Berest]; 9 March 1921, Goryaistovka, Sumy Oblast
Sumy Oblast
Sumy Oblast is an oblast in the northeastern part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy.Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka....
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
- 4 November 1970, Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
, Soviet Union) was a Soviet political officer
Political officer
Political officer may refer to:*Political officer , Occasionally, a synonym for political commissar*Political officer , in the context of the British Empire, for a pseudo-ambassadorial role in areas bordering imperial territories...
and one of the three Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
soldiers who hoisted the Victory Banner
Victory Banner
The Soviet Banner of Victory is the banner raised by the Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin, on April 30, 1945. It was raised by three Soviet soldiers: Alexei Berest, Mikhail Yegorov, and Meliton Kantaria, from Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia respectively.The Victory Banner, made...
.
Early life
Born to an impoverished family, seven of Berest's fifteen siblings died prematurely. He was orphaned when eleven years old and raised by his older sisters. From the age of sixteen, he worked as a tractor driver. Berest volunteered into the Red Army at October 1939 and took part in the Soviet-Finnish War as a signaller. When Germany invaded the Soviet UnionOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, he was sent to the front once more. On March 1943, while stationed in the Volkhov Front
Volkhov Front
The Front was reformed on the 9 June 1942 from the Volkhov Operational Group of the Leningrad Front and served until 15 February 1944, participating in the relief of the Siege of Leningrad and taking part in other operations including:-Campaigns:...
, Corporal Berest joined the Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
. On December, he was sent to the Leningrad Military-Political School (Which at the time was located at Shuya
Shuya
Shuya is the third largest town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia; located on the Teza River. Population: -History:The first record of Shuya is dated by 1393. Since 1403, the area was held by a branch of the House of Suzdal, which got their name "Shuysky" after the town. In 1539, the town was sacked by...
, after being evacuated) and trained as a commissar. After graduation at September 1944, Lieutenant Berest was assigned as Captain Stepan Neustroev
Stepan Neustroev
Stepan Andreevich Neustroev was a Soviet officer, commander of the 1st Battalion in the 756th Regiment of the 150th Rifle Division. His unit stormed the Reichstag.Neustroev worked in the local mine as a mechanic from a young age...
's deputy for political affairs (Zampolit) in the 1st Battalion of the 150th Rifle Division's 756th Regiment.
Battle of Berlin
On 30 April 1945, after long days of street combat in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, the 150th Division attacked the Reichstag. On 1 May, at about 03:00, Berest and two scouts - Meliton Kantaria
Meliton Kantaria
Meliton Varlamovich Kantaria or Kantariya , Hero of the Soviet Union , was a Georgian sergeant of the Soviet Army credited to have together with M. A...
and Mikhail Yegorov - hoisted one of nine Soviet flags given to the division's commanders on the building's dome, fastening it to Wilhelm I's statue. Although not the first to be placed
Mikhail Minin
Mikhail Petrovich Minin was a Russian Soviet soldier who was the first to enter the Reichstag building on April 30, 1945 during the Battle of Berlin, and the first soldier to mount the flag on the Reichstag building at 10:40 pm.The iconic picture showing a Georgian soldier, Meliton Kantaria,...
, the flag was eventually proclaimed as the Victory Banner. Later, impostering as a Colonel, he negotiated with the German garrison of the Reichstag on the terms of their surrender. He received the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
for his actions.
Post-war years
On May 1946, Neustroev, Kantaria and many others who were involved in the Reichatag assault were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
. For unknown reasons,The various sources cited in this article alternatively asserted that this was due to Berest's Ukrainian heritage, Marshal Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Zhukov
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
's dislike for political officers or a confrontation with a Smersh
SMERSH
SMERSH was the counter-intelligence agency in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially founded on April 14, 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin...
officer several days before the battle. No conclusive data could be found on the subject. Berest did not attain the award and his part in the operation was silenced. At 1948, he was discharged from the army and began working in the regional cinema department of Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
. On 1953, he was convicted of embezzlement and sent to ten years in prison, of which he served five. After being released, he was employed in the local Rostselmash
Rostselmash
Rostselmash is a Russian agricultural equipment company, based in Rostov-on-Don. It was founded in 1929. It primarily produces combine harvesters. The company income in 2005 was 400 million dollars....
factory as a common laborer. At 3 November 1970, Berest was run over by a train as he saved a child who strayed on the railway. He died of his injuries on the early hours of the following day.
He was posthumously granted the title Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine is the highest state decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the Government of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as of August 25 2011 the total number of awards is 265. The award is divided into two classes of distinction:...
at 2005.
Honours and awards
- Order of the Red BannerOrder of the Red BannerThe Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
- Order of the Patriotic WarOrder of the Patriotic WarThe Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
, 1st class - Order of the Red StarOrder of the Red StarEstablished on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the...
- Order of the "Gold Star" Hero of UkraineHero of UkraineHero of Ukraine is the highest state decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the Government of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as of August 25 2011 the total number of awards is 265. The award is divided into two classes of distinction:...
- for military valour in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the personal courage and heroism displayed in the Berlin operation and installation of the Victory Banner over the Reichstag, posthumously) - Medal For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945