Berlin: The Downfall 1945

I like history and just visited Berlin I wanted to know it's recent history. I looked at the reviews and this book seemed to gain a good write up. Easy to read and absorb historical information without it being a 'text book ' Written in an easy to understand format without being to heavy. I used a tourist map and could identify with locations on the map as well as where I had visited. A great absorbing read

This is a very interesting read, but it is primarily focused on the military history of the fall of Berlin. I personally prefer reading about social and political history and those parts of the book were really wonderful. However, the reason I gave this four stars is that, despite its heavy stress on battles and army movements, Antony Beevor is a great writer. I know it sounds cliche, but through his descriptions of the last days of the Third Reich, you really feel the allies closing in and the dying of an inglorious empire. As more and more of Germany falls to the allies, you feel what it must have been like for the Nazi leadership to know that their empire was slowly shrinking and closing in. You vividly picture the armies moving. It was a very moving book.And through the military conquest of Berlin, Beevor actually details another important story, the history of the beginnings of the Cold War. The battles and movements of the Soviet, British, and American army were extremely significant to understanding how the Cold War developed in those early years. Worth reading just for this.One little annoyance was his constant repetition (I didn't take an exact account, but it was at least more than ten times) that the Russians were afraid the Americans would reach Berlin first. I think after the first few times, the readers has got that theme clear!And an extremely annoying part is his belief that the Soviets really did find Hitler's body. I am pretty sure most historians don't agree with that. Since 2002, anyway the BBC has shown a program in which they tested the "supposed" jaws of Hitler held by the Soviets, and they were not his.But these little things shouldn't put anyone off from reading this truly thrilling book. Better than a movie.

I read this account of the fall of Berlin after reading Vasily Grossman's account of the 1941 invasion and the hellish Siege of Stalingrad. I also read Svetlana Alexievich's Last Witnesses which recounts in personal testimonies the Russian children's memories of invasion, murder, vile tortures, starvation and loss of parents, families and friends.All of these three books have the same remorseless, driving intensity. On top of all the noise, destruction and bloodshed, both the Germans (SS, Waffen SS) and the Soviets (NKVD, SMERSH) had political fanatics filling their lives even more full of dread of instant execution and extreme punishments.The Soviet push to Berlin was dictated by Stalin - all other subordinate Generals had to get agreement from him before taking action. His paranoia and ego pushed him to play games with his senior commanders, sometimes to the detriment of campaign progress. Some of Stalin's ideas succeeded but others caused huge numbers of unnecessary casualties for no result.Hitler behaved in a very similar way - pessimism followed by manic optimism informed his decision-making - Anthony Beevor's Berlin is extremely insightful on Adolf's state of mind.The battle is very lucidly laid out, especially considering the vast forces in motion and the complexity involved in not just entering Berlin, but encircling it, so that the Allies couldn't claim any glory - the prize had to belong exclusively to Comrade Stalin.The final collapse was every bit as anarchic as you might expect.Having behaved disgustingly and sadistically in Russia, German forces were keen to cross Berlin in order to surrender to the more civilised Americans and British. This didn't help German women who were brutally gangraped in revenge for their men's appalling atrocities in Russia.It was commonplace, when I was growing up, for the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe to pass the blame onto their SS and Gestapo comrades. Between these three volumes, the myth of military innocence is discredited forever.The aftermath of the peace in Europe contained no joy, bonuses or improvements for Soviet soldiers. Stalin's Terror reasserted itself even before the last shots were fired. Huge numbers spent upwards of a decade in Siberian gulags for suspicions of idealogical impurity or fear of Western cultural contamination. Or being Jewish, despite Soviet Jews' part in victory. Anthony Beevor covers this last act with barely contained fury. Quite right too.

This book will take you places that if you were there probably would make you crawl into a hole and hope the world goes away. So much detail about the fighting and the plight of the people, civilians just terrible. I feel this is in some ways a reflection of what is happening in Ukraine 🇺🇦 now. Would recommend this book to all lots to learn.

Having read Stalingrad by Beevor earlier, I knew what I was in for. Like Walter Issacson, and David McCullough, Beevor’s books tend to be long and you think they will never end. But when they do, you’ve been exposed to the history they cover in a way that makes you feel like you understand what it was like to be there. And you’re both relieved and disappointed that you’ve completed the book. This book was no different. The story focuses on the period between Christmas, 1942 when rumors were first heard of the German troops surrounded in Stalingrad by the Russians and the Christmas of 1944, when circumstances had changed so much and the Russians were on the borders of Germany. The book necessarily focuses on Hitler and Stalin and their Armies, as capturing Berlin had become an obsession of Stalin’s as a retribution for the Germans capturing Stalingrad. The role of the American and British Armies are antecedent here because even though Churchill recognized what the significance would mean politically and strategically to the Allies in negotiating after the war he failed to convince General Eisenhower. Ironically, Eisenhower, the General, would have to deal with the consequences of that shortsightedness only a few years later as President. The Soviet offensive began in January of 1945. From the beginning the Soviet’s strategy was to drive for Berlin and by encircling it, both prevent any American or British attempts to reach the city first and to capture as many Germans as possible. The did this by subterfuge and lying to Eisenhower about their plans. Stalin even kept some of his own front line Generals in the dark as to his ultimate plans, and would frequently change orders at the last minute for them. Ultimately the plan worked and Hitler was caught within a plan of his own making. Even his suicide and attempt to make it impossible to identify his body failed. The Russian political authorities found it within days, but did not let the world know until years later. Both the Germans and the Russians committed great atrocities against each others’ Armies and civilians during the war, but as this book focuses on the Soviet invasion of German territory much of the book is about the utter destruction, rape, gang rape, and annihilation of the people, villages, towns and cities on their way to Berlin. They were particularly brutal to those living in the former Prussian areas of Germany. Not only to the Germans, but the Poles and even captured Soviets used as slave labor. Both sides were brutal to their own troops as they would shoot or hang stragglers not on the front lines. The book brings out much that did not know about the closing days of the war and the utter brutality with which it was waged. Two dictators bringing destruction to almost all countries of the world to satisfy their own egos.

This book by Beevor is the most interesting and gripping account of all the events which transpired since the time the Germans lost at Stalingrad and went on the defensive.It details the brutal war, the brutal conditions during the war, the brutal toll it took on civilians Germans and refugees.It also details, in a heartbreaking manner, the rape of Berlin, literally and metaphorically.All WW2 history buffs must read it for the details, and for setting the context correctly in any discussion.Anyone else should read it because it describes the absolute worst that can happen to a power which wages a war without motivation and material-manpower to win it.

This book will give you all the details you require. Also gives you the wider context of the battle and manages to skilfully interweave the events inside and outside of the bunker. I have read quite a few books about this topic, but found many things in "Berlin" that I hadn't heard elsewhere.If I had to find something to nitpick: Beevor has a tendency for foreshadowing things, sometimes dozens of pages before the event he teased earlier actually transpires.

Very interesting read. I found it difficult to follow the different names of the generals and locations of the battles. This is the disadvantage of an Eletronic book: you can't just flick to the front of the book to review a map. Notwithstanding, it is a fascinating read. Very well worth the time.