By 1944 Soviet Army had stood in Eastern Prussia, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
A special role was given to the Vistula–Oder Offensive in battles in 1945. The offensive was being performed from the 12th of January till the 3d of February 1945 by the 1st Belarus front and 1st Ukrainian front and aimed at liberation of Poland.
It took the Soviet Army 23 days to liberate major part of Poland, enter the territory of Germany and reach the Oder river, crossed it straight away and capture a range of beachheads on the right bank. Successful Soviet Army operations created favourable conditions for offensives in Pomerania, Silesia and Berlin.
Late January - early February 1945 the 1st Ukrainian front crossed the Oder river and stood 60 kilometres away from Berlin.
On the 25th of April 1945 two allied armies of Soviet Union and the USA met on the Elbe river. The meeting of the allied armies resulted in German forces split in Southern and Northern parts.