| Original caption: “Meeting At The Elbe – Infantrymen of the United States First Army (left) extend hands to Russian troops (right) on a broken bridge over the Elbe River as the soldiers from the two allied nations meet at Torgau, Germany, to cut the Reich in two.” In 1 of several exposures by photographer W. Allan Jackson (February 1, 1915 – July 25, 1995), United States Army soldiers Private 1st janClass John A. Metzger (September 13, 1918 – December 27, 2006), Private 1st Class Delbert E. Philpott (September 24, 1923 – December 11, 2005) and Private Thomas B. Summers (December 24, 1925 – July 23, 1971) from A Company, 271st Infantry Regiment, 69th Infantry Division, meet unidentified Soviet Red Army 58th Guards Infantry Division soldiers at the Elbe River near Torgau on April 25, 1945. Jackson and Ann Stringer (December 9, 1918 – January 10, 1990) flew to Torgau in Stinson L-5 Sentinel liaison aircraft. Private 1st Class Philpott thought the approaching column were Nazi Germans at 1st. He thought they were firing at his men when he heard distant sounds of shooting. He then looked at them through binoculars, and recognized the distinctive Soviet Red Army helmets. Jackson later recalled, “I took a brief walk back up the road they traveled to reach Torgau and saw beat up trucks and even horse-drawn vehicles. Some of the 1st contacts our troops made were Russians riding horses. I even saw an old cloth-winged biplane they must have used for observation. Those of us at the meeting at Torgau were impressed by the friendly manner of the troops. We laughed and sang, drank vodka, called each other “Tovarch” and ate the delicious picnic lunch the Soviet troops provided. We were told that the Soviets lived off the land and did not haul their own food supplies, as did the American troops. If so, they were living well at the time we met them. I don’t think any of us at Torgau thought that in the years to come those friendly troops would become our number 1 enemy. However, we should have seen the handwriting on the wall when within 2 weeks the friendly troops were withdrawn and replaced with NKVD troops. They did not fraternize and put an end to the friendly exchange that had existed with the Ukrainian Guards troops.” Jackson directed the Soviets and Americans to pose for a photograph on a damaged bridge. Stringer flew to another grass strip with a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, which took her to Paris, where she filed her story and posted this photo, which was internationally syndicated. The men in the photo continued with the war, and didn’t learn about the photo until several years later. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0859.jpg |
| Image Size | 475.95 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2485 x 2444 |
| Photographer | Allan Jackson |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 25, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | Torgau |
| State or Province | Saxony |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 286-MP-GER-3203 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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