On 16 April-2 May 1945, the Battle of Berlin was fought between the Russians under Georgi Zhukov and Ivan Konev and the Germans under Adolf Hitler and Karl Donitz during the Second World War.
Why did it happen?
The Allied victory at the Battle of the Bulge on 25 January 1945 marked Germany’s last chance to regain the initiative in the Second World War. While the battle was being fought in the west, the Russians began their winter offensive against German forces in Poland on 12 January. By late February, Russia had defeated German forces in Poland with only small pockets of German resistance left within the area. In late March 1945, Dwight D. Eisenhower informed Josef Stalin that he did not intend to advance on Berlin and that the Russians would have the honour of taking the city. Stalin was mistrustful of Eisenhower, however, and did not believe that he would keep his word. Subsequently, he prepared the Red Army to get there before the Allies on the Western Front could.
Who was involved?
The Russian forces at Berlin numbered 2.5 million infantry, 6,250 tanks, 16,000 artillery, and 7,500 aircraft. The Russian assault on Berlin was codenamed Operation Berlin and would involve the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Georgi Zhukov and the 1st Ukrainian Front under Ivan Konev. While Zhukov would advance from the east and north, Konev would advance from the south to surround Berlin and subject it to artillery bombardment. The German forces at Berlin numbered 750,000 infantry, 1,500 tanks, 8,600 artillery, and 4,500 aircraft. Most of the German recruits were over-age or very young and were understrength in terms of tanks and armoured vehicles. Many German tanks had little fuel to power them, and therefore German infantry relied on anti-tank missiles known as panzerfaust to take out Russian vehicles. In addition, German soldiers fought fanatically for their lives since they expected little to no mercy from the Russian soldiers who had raped thousands of German women during their advance into Germany.
What happened?
On 16 April, the Russian 1st Belorussian Front under Georgi Zhukov attacked the Seelow Heights to the east of Berlin, only for Russian forces to become stuck in a traffic jam under German fire. At the same time, the 1st Ukrainian Front under Ivan Konev made better progress toward Berlin. On 21 April, Russian forces entered the suburbs of Berlin with Georgi Zhukov being given high command to take the city. By 25 April, Russian forces had surrounded Berlin and the main assault began the following day. Under Russian artillery fire, fierce fighting developed between Russian and German soldiers with streets and houses being defended tenaciously by the Germans and many Russian tanks being destroyed by German anti-tank missiles. On 30 April, Russian forces stormed the Reichstag building, fighting up through the floors to raise the flag of the Red Army on top of the roof. At the same time, Adolf Hitler appointed Karl Donitz as his successor before committing suicide. After a couple more days of fighting, the remaining German forces under Karl Donitz surrendered to the Russians on 2 May. A total of 470,000 German prisoners of war were taken for the loss of 305,000 Russians killed or wounded.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Berlin was a decisive victory for the Russians. Following the end of the battle, the remaining German forces in Italy and Germany itself surrendered between 2-5 May before Karl Donitz’s representatives formally signed the overall surrender at Eisenhower’s HQ in Reims on 7 May. However, Stalin insisted that the Germans sign it again on 8 May in Berlin, whereby the Allies celebrated VE-Day (Victory in Europe) on that day while the Russians celebrated it the day after. Although German outposts in Czechoslovakia held out until 13 May, the Battle of Berlin marked the last major battle of the Second World War in Europe. In July 1945, the city was divided between an American-backed West Berlin and a Russian-backed East Berlin with the Berlin Wall being built to divide the two zones in 1961. This division would mark the beginning of the Cold War, which would last until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Bibliography
Antill, Peter. Berlin 1945: End of the Thousand Year Reich. Oxford, Osprey Publishing, 2005.
Beevor, Antony. Berlin: The Downfall 1945. Camberwell, Penguin Books, 2003.
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Sommerville, Donald. The Complete Illustrated History of World War II. Wigston, Hermes House, 2012.