This is a pair of Russian soldiers long-handled barbed wire cutters, used by a soldier of the 3rd Shock Army. The cutters are near complete but have rusted solid and are non-functional. They are in relic yet solid condition and have been lightly cleaned, making them perfect for display or any collection. Measuring 25 inches, they were recovered from a pit of buried Russian equipment cleared after the battle in the area of Wandlitz, north of the Pankow district in North Berlin. This area was captured by the 3rd Shock Army on their advance to Pankow on 23 April 1945 during the final days of the Battle for Berlin and the collapse of the Third Reich.
The 3rd Shock Army took Pankow on 23 April 1945. A week later, two regiments of the 150th Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps, raised the famous victory banners over the Reichstag on 30 April 1945. The Red Army crossed Germanys border on 12 January 1945 and forced the German 9th Army to retreat along the front to the Oder River. Three formations of the 9th Army were assigned to defend the Seelow Heights, the last defensible line before Berlin. By this time, the 9th Army was reduced to approximately 100,000 men with 800 tanks and assault guns, facing over 1,000,000 Soviet soldiers and 10,000 tanks and assault guns. The Battle of the Seelow Heights began on 16 April 1945, when Marshal Georgy Zhukovs 1st Belorussian Front attacked across the Oder.
This is a pair of Russian soldiers long-handled barbed wire cutters, used by a soldier of the 3rd Shock Army. The cutters are near complete but have rusted solid and are non-functional. They are in relic yet solid condition and have been lightly cleaned, making them perfect for display or any collection. Measuring 25 inches, they were recovered from a pit of buried Russian equipment cleared after the battle in the area of Wandlitz, north of the Pankow district in North Berlin. This area was captured by the 3rd Shock Army on their advance to Pankow on 23 April 1945 during the final days of the Battle for Berlin and the collapse of the Third Reich.
The 3rd Shock Army took Pankow on 23 April 1945. A week later, two regiments of the 150th Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps, raised the famous victory banners over the Reichstag on 30 April 1945. The Red Army crossed Germanys border on 12 January 1945 and forced the German 9th Army to retreat along the front to the Oder River. Three formations of the 9th Army were assigned to defend the Seelow Heights, the last defensible line before Berlin. By this time, the 9th Army was reduced to approximately 100,000 men with 800 tanks and assault guns, facing over 1,000,000 Soviet soldiers and 10,000 tanks and assault guns. The Battle of the Seelow Heights began on 16 April 1945, when Marshal Georgy Zhukovs 1st Belorussian Front attacked across the Oder.
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