"Fording the Oder River," 1944
"Ogonyok" magazine stamp on verso
Gelatin silver print
Image size:10 x 19 inches
By late 1944 the Red Army had repelled the Germans from Soviet soil. The Soviets took the offensive, driving the Germans across Poland in a final push toward Berlin and German surrender, a goal they attained within six months. The crossing of the Oder, the major river on the way to Berlin, was as symbolic as the American photo of U.S. soldiers planting the flag on Iwo Jima.