Eighty years ago today, January 13, 1945 (November 30, 1944 in the lunar calendar), the Soviet army began to launch an offensive in Silesia during World War II. In 1944, the Soviet Army launched a strategic general counterattack. Through 10 attacks on the German army, they recovered all the occupied land and shifted military operations to the territory of Germany and its vassal states, forcing Finland, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary to withdraw from the war and turn against Germany. At the beginning of 1945, the Soviet Army launched a powerful offensive, invading Poland and Slovakia, and occupying East Prussia and Silesia. On May 2, 1945, the Soviet army captured Berlin and forced Germany to surrender unconditionally on May 8.