U.S. Forces enter Berlin. American "fireworks"by the M-8 self-propelled guns of the Second U.S.

U.S. Forces enter Berlin. American "fireworks"by the M-8 self-propelled guns of the Second U.S. Armered Division mark the celebration of American Independence Day and the official occupation of the American zone of Berlin July 4, 1945. The guns fired a 48-gun salute as the U.S. Stars and Stripes rose over the Hitler Barracks beside the Russian Hammer and Sickle to signify the official entry of the American troops into the city, completing the joint occupation of Germany's capital by the Allies. The Second Armored Division took over the southwestern section of the city, all of which had been occupied by Soviet forces since May 2, 1945, when Marshal Joseph Stalin proclaimed the fall of the world's fifth largest city. The American occupation zone covers approximately 75 square miles and is largely residential.