Earlier this year I visited the Seelow Heights memorial site and museum. I learned a lot about the battle that took place there. One thing that stood out was the Russian's use of searchlights at the beginning of the battle: 

"143 searchlights were directed at the German force, with the aim of temporarily blinding them during a Soviet offensive, begun with the largest artillery bombardment the world had ever seen until that point. However, the morning fog diffused the light and silhouetted the attacking Soviet forces, making them clearly visible to the Germans."

Now I'm trying to recreate this for the new Seelow map I've been working on: