Saxony-Anhalt (1945–1952) follows Province of Saxony-Anhalt
The State of Saxony-Anhalt (German: Land Sachsen-Anhalt) was a subdivision of the Soviet occupation zone (until 1949) and state of East Germany (from 1949) which corresponds widely to the present-day German state Saxony-Anhalt. After the retreat of the US troops from the Western parts - following the agreements of the Yalta Conference - it was formed as administrative division called Province of Saxony (German: Provinz Sachsen) by the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SMAD) in July 1945. The province was a re-establishment of the Province of Saxony which existed in Prussia from 1816 to 1944. On 1 July 1944, the Province of Saxony was divided along the lines of its three government districts of Halle-Merseburg (became province), Magdeburg (became province) and Erfurt (became part of Thuringia). The two provinces became part of the new state including small parts of Thuringia (Allstedt) and Soviet-occupied parts of Anhalt (Dessau) and Brunswick (surrounding areas of Calvörde and Blankenburg). Following the first election for the Landtag in October 1946, the state was renamed to Province of Saxony-Anhalt (German: Provinz Sachsen-Anhalt) on the same day. With the abolition of Prussia in February 1947, it was named State of Saxony-Anhalt. Compared to the administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, it comprised the Gaue Magdeburg-Anhalt, Halle-Merseburg and small parts of Southern Hanover-Brunswick and Thuringia.