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Rockets and People
being developed—an atomic weapon. But even we, who had access to top-secret
materials, knew virtually nothing about it until 6 August 1945, when the atomic
bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
Back then, we did not know that just a stone’s throw away, a group of specialists
from Kurchatov’s team was already preparing to search for German atomic
secrets.This team had the highest authority, for at that time the main chief of our
atomic operations was Lavrentiy Beriya himself, and other related special committees
were being directed by powerful organizers such as Vannikov and Malyshev.
We did not know that in addition to the allied armies heading toward our troops
from the west, there were also special missions being sent out to seize German
rocket technology and rocket specialists, search for nuclear physicists, and seize
everything that had been done in Germany on the new scientific frontiers—first
and foremost in the fields of guided missiles, nuclear fission, and radar.
We received “directives” and instructions thought up by God knows who, such
as: “While inspecting German factories and laboratories, don’t get carried away
with intellectual achievements, but first and foremost compile a list of the types
and number of machine tools, industrial engineering equipment, and instruments.
As far as documentation and specialists are concerned, that is a matter of our
judgement, and initiative will not be prohibited.”
from 24 through 26 april, the troops of the First Byelorussian Army Group were
breaking through the perimeter of the Berlin defensive region, practically uniting
with the troops of the First Ukrainian Army Group; they had surrounded the
entire Berlin grouping. On 25 April, we heard about the meeting of Soviet and
American troops on the Elbe in the vicinity of Torgau.
We intensively studied maps and routes for two days, and gathered the addresses
of factories and companies of interest to us in the greater Berlin area. Finally, on
28 April we began our sorties along the roads to Adlershof in Berlin.
In those days, the roads in Germany east of Berlin were overflowing with two
streams coming from opposite directions. Heading westward, toward Berlin, were
Studebakers filled with soldiers and goods, all sorts of trucks, and columns of tired,
but joyous and animated soldiers on foot. “To Berlin” was emblazoned on tanks,
trucks, and artillery pieces in all colors of paint. Eastward bound were trucks and
horse-drawn vans with red crosses evacuating the wounded to the nearest hospitals.Along
the road were many medical battalions and army hospitals.
Crowds of the liberated of all nationalities streamed in disarray toward the
oncoming army ranks.We received many shouts of greeting. French, Czechs, and
Belgians stood out in particular when they saw our jeeps carrying Soviet officers.
A woman with a French flag jumped down from a carriage being pulled by three
young lads and practically threw herself under the wheels of our car just to shake
our hands, and overflowing with the joy of freedom, she shouted,“Vive la russe!”
Our “herdsmen” were driving pedigreed black and white cows straight down
the roads. How were they going to get across Poland? There were many horse-
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