The Vienna operation was led by Marshal Tolbukhin, as the most experienced liberator of capital cities. By the time of the Vienna campaign, his soldiers had already liberated Bucharest, Sofia, Belgrade and Budapest. The 80th Infantry Division took Vienna. It included the 171st Guards Artillery Regiment, in which served in the 5th battery Sankov Vasily Fedorovich,

Vienna, located on both banks of the Danube, is connected by bridges. The Nazis preparing to fight for Vienna mined everything that was possible to mine, and blew up all the bridges except the Imperial Bridge, the most beautiful one, leaving themselves the possibility of retreat. It was decided to land on the Imperial Bridge to cut off the Nazi retreat and eliminate them prior to leaving the bridge.

The air landing party was not large, about 100 men of the rifle squad with 45-millimeter cannon and 4 machine guns. The landing force was to be covered by army artillerymen. The Soviet landing force trying to retain the Imperial Bridge was continuously bombarded by Nazi fire and their endless attacks. The bloody battle for the Imperial Bridge, which became the key battle for Vienna, lasted for three days.

The Soviet command tried to prevent unnecessary casualties among the civilian population, the destruction of the city during the assault and to preserve the beautiful city and its historic neighborhoods. On April 5, Marshal Tolbukhin appealed to the population of the Austrian capital to stay in their homes thus helping the Soviet soldiers and preventing the Nazis from destroying the city.

In honor of the next brilliant victory of the Soviet troops on April 13, 1945 at 21.00 in the USSR capital, Moscow, a victory salute was given by 24 artillery salvos from 324 guns. By April 15, 1945 Vienna was completely cleared of fascists.

The citizens of Vienna greeted our soldiers as liberators, not like the Poles or Czechs, but in the Viennese way, intelligently, with warm smiles and no loud words.

Our soldiers were mesmerized by the architecture of Vienna, especially St. Stephen's Cathedral and the music of the organ.

Vasily Sankov met Victory Day in Vienna at the age of 21. Every spare minute him and his comrades-in-arms devoted to seeing the city, studying and admiring it. Music was playing in many windows and people were dancing in the squares.