THE WENDENSCHLOß FOUR-SPAN: BERLIN DECLARATION

Today in Berlin: June 5, 1945

The 1890 restaurant and biergarten “Wendenschloß” in Berlin-Wendenschloß at the Lange See. Photo from the collection of Museum Köpenick.

On this day in 1945 representatives of Berlin’s four occupation powers - the supreme commanders - met for the first time in person as a four-span. For the Western Allies with Gen. Dwight Eisenhauer for the USA, Gen. Field Marshall Montgomery for the UK and the French commander Gen. Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, it was the first personal encounter with the Soviet Marshall Georgy Zhukov, commander of the 1st Belorussian Front and the man who led the Vistula-Oder Offensive. Now he acted in the capacity of the first military governor of the Soviet Occupation Zone and the host.