Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin was the final major offensive of World War II in Europe, commencing on April 16, 1945, with a massive Soviet bombardment led by Marshal Georgy Zhukov. The assault involved around 2.5 million Soviet troops supported by extensive armored vehicles and aircraft, against a German defense that faced severe shortages in resources and manpower. As Soviet forces advanced, they surrounded Berlin within two weeks, leading to intense urban combat characterized by block-by-block fighting. The battle resulted in heavy casualties, with estimates of over 100,000 civilians and soldiers from both sides losing their lives. Key events during the battle included the suicide of Adolf Hitler on April 30 and the eventual surrender of German forces on May 2. This confrontation marked a pivotal moment in history, directly contributing to the conclusion of World War II in Europe and the subsequent geopolitical landscape. The battle also had tragic consequences for civilians, including widespread violence and assaults, underscoring the complex and painful legacy of this conflict.
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Battle of Berlin
Type of action: Ground battle in World War II
Date: April 19-May 2, 1945
Location: Between the river Oder and Berlin, and within the city
Combatants: 482,000 Germans vs. 2.5 million Russians
Principal commanders:German, Colonel General Gotthard Heinrici; Soviet, Marshal Georgy Zhukov (1896–1974), Marshal Ivan Konev (1897–1973)
Result: Destruction and capture of Berlin by the Russian army and the end of World War II in Europe
The final Soviet offensive of World War II began at 4 a.m. on April 16, 1945, when 20,000 guns of Marshal Georgy Zhukov’s First Belorussian Front bombarded German positions thirty-eight miles east of Berlin along the river Oder. When Marshal Ivan Konev’s First Ukranian Front joined the attack a few hours later, Colonel General Gotthard Heinrici’s Army Group Vistula was confronted by 2.5 million men, 6,250 armored vehicles, and 7,500 aircraft. Facing critical shortages of fuel, ammunition, and replacements, the Germans had little chance to do more than delay the inevitable, and in less than two weeks, Berlin was surrounded.
Although the city was declared a fortress in the spring of 1945, few prepared defenses existed, and German troops were forced to defend the city block by block. Street fighting took an enormous toll in casualties on both sides even after German leader Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30 and ended only when German forces surrendered on May 2. More than 100,000 civilians, 100,000 Russians, and an unknown number of German soldiers died in the fighting, and between 20,000 and 100,000 German women were raped by rear echelon Russian troops before the war ended.
Significance
The battle was extraordinarily significant because it led directly to Hitler’s suicide, the surrender of Germany, and the end of World War II in Europe.
Bibliography
Le Tissier, Tony. Race for the Reichstag: The 1945 Battle for Berlin. London: Frank Cass, 1999.
Read, Anthony, and David Fisher. The Fall of Berlin. New York: W. W. Norton, 1993.
Ryan, Cornelius. The Last Battle. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.
The War in Europe. The War Chronicles: World War II series. Documentary. A&E Home Video, 1983.