battle of berlin
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BATTLE OF BERLIN
Allied conquest of Berlin and Nazi GermanyPart of World War II – European Front
Slide by FlyHD Rafi MD
Participants
Allied (Offensive)
• Soviet Union
• 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts
• 1st Ukrainian Front
• Poland
• United Kingdom (Air raids)
• United States (Air raids)
Axis (Defensive)• Nazi Germany
• Army Group Vistula
• Army Group Centre
• Berlin Defense Area (including Volkssturm)
BASIC DETAILS
Date : 16 April – 2 May 1945
Location : Berlin and the surrounding areas
Result : Decisive Soviet Victory, Unconditional surrender of Berlin garrison in 2 May, and Germany in 8 – 9 May
Casualties : approximately 400.000
BASIC DETAILS
The Battle of Berlin is considered as a battle to decide the future of World War II, because it’s Hitler’s last stand. Conquering Berlin means conquering Nazi Germany
Over 1 million Soviet troops are poured to Berlin, with offensive kick-started by artillery barrages
Nazi’s troops are at their worst, relying on young peoples (Hitlerjugend), civilians (Volkssturm), and fixed defensive positions (ex. Flak towers)
Resistance in Berlin ends in 2nd May 1945, and the whole Wehrmacht followed on 8th May
BACKGROUND
• THE BATTLE OF BERLIN TRACES BACK TO 1943, THE FAILED GERMAN OFFENSIVE OF KURSK, SOVIET UNION
• SINCE THEN, THE SOVIETS GAIN THE INITIATIVES AND PUSHES BACK THE WEHRMACHT UNTIL THE BANK OF ODER RIVER, ONLY ABOUT 60 KM FROM BERLIN
• TO MAKE MATTERS WORST, AMERICAN, BRITISH, AND CANADIAN TROOPS LAND ON NORMANDY AND ADVANCES FROM THE WEST. NAZI GERMANY WAS COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY 2 MAJOR FORCES
GERMAN DEFENSIVE MEASURES
• Construction of 5 layers of defensive concentrations • Seelow Heights, Berlin Outer Ring, Inner Ring, Flak Towers, and canals
surrounding the Reichstag & Chancellery
• Construction of Führerbunker under the Chancellery to protect the government from Allied raids
• Hitler demands all civilians (including children) to defend Berlin at all costs
• The start of Operation Clausewitz, which evacuates all SS and Wehrmacht offices, and gives order to destroy all official documents, also set Berlin as a front line city
SOVIET OFFENSIVE MEASURES
• Assembly of 2.5 million troops, supplemented by:• 6.250 tanks• 7.500 aircraft• 41.600 artillery and mortars• 3.255 “Katyusha” rocket launchers • 95.383 vehicles
• The Soviets set up an extensive logistical network from Russia to keep their soldiers supplied
• RAF and USAAF help the Soviets by bombing Berlin to ease the way for the Soviets
• The Soviets attack using pincer movement, trapping Berlin from North, South, and East
THE BATTLE
BATTLE OF BERLIN
PART OF WORLD WAR II – EUROPEAN FRONT
SLIDE BY FLYHD RAFI MD
The Battle of Seelow Heights
• This place saw the bulk of the fighting, since it’s the first layer of defense towards Berlin
• In desperation, the Nazis dug anti-tank ditches concentrated with anti-tank weapons to delay the Soviet tanks advance
• The battle saw four days of fighting (16 April – 19 April)
• With the success in Seelow Heights, there’s nothing but dispersed German divisions to defend the “Gates to Berlin”
HITLER’S SPECIAL BIRTHDAY GIFTWITH LOVE FROM THE SOVIETS
Exactly on 20th April 1945, Hitler’s 56th birthday, the Soviets started to fire endless sorties of artillery to Berlin
This fact leads to speculations that Soviet generals deliberately chose 20th July for the artillery starting point as a birthday gift to Hitler
At the same time, 1st Belorussian & Ukrainian fronts also began pushing towards the east and north-east of Berlin
The 1st Ukrainian pushed towards the last formations of Army Group Centre and passed north to Juterbog, a much greater advances than the Elbe advance of the US Army
On 22nd April, Hitler fell to a wild rage because of his failed plans to defend Berlin, and that day he declared that the war is lost.
Berlin comes within range of Field Artillery
On 22nd April, Soviets’ field artillery can now shell the city center of Berlin
A Soviet soldier recorded the event on his diary :
On the walls of the houses we saw Goebbels' appeals, hurriedly scrawled in white paint: 'Every German will defend his capital. We shall stop the Red hordes at the walls of our Berlin.' Just try and stop them!
Steel pillboxes, barricades, mines, traps, suicide squads with grenades clutched in their hands—all are swept aside before the tidal wave.
Drizzling rain began to fall. Near Bisdorf I saw batteries preparing to open fire.
'What are the targets?' I asked the battery commander.
'Centre of Berlin, Spree bridges, and the northern and Stettin railway stations,' he answered.
Then came the tremendous words of command: 'Open fire on the capital of the Fascist Germany.'
I noted the time. It was exactly 8:30 a.m. on 22 April. Ninety-six shells fell in the centre of Berlin in the course of a few minutes.
Encirclement Complete While Soviets artillery shelled the city center, 1st Belorussian
severed the last link between German IX Army and the city
Eventually, the 1st Belorussian and Ukrainian completed the encirclement on 24th April 1945
The Battle inside Berlin After the encirclement, the Soviets investment on Berlin began to
consolidate, 1.5 million are assembled
Facing them are the scattered 45.000 soldiers of the Wehrmacht & Waffen-SS + civilian supplements
Fighting continues
The newly appointed General Weidling organized the defenses of Berlin to 8 divisions from A to H
5th Shock Army and 1st Guards Tank Army assaulted German positions north of Teltow Canal (outer ring) and taking it on the evening of 24th April
Meanwhile, on 26th April, 8th Guards Army attacked Tempelhof Airport (inner ring) and faced stiff resistance
On 29th April, the Soviets crossed the Moltke Bridge and starts to assault the government buildings
On that day also Hitler signed his political testament and married Eva Braun
BATTLE OF REICHSTAG AND HITLER'S SUICIDE• In 30th April, The Soviets began to attack the
Reichstag, the seat of legislature of Germany. In 2nd of May, the famous Victory Banner was raised here
• Below the Chancellery, Hitler, Eva Braun, and some of its top generals committed suicide and Hitler & Eva’s bodies are burned to prevent the Soviets from recovering it
• Based on the Political Testament, Karl Dönitz became the new president, and Joseph Goebbels became the new chancellor
• Finally on the May 2nd 1945, the Chancellery falls to the Soviets
Surrender of Berlin Garrison
On 2nd May 1945, 0600 hrs, General Weidling and his staff surrenders to the Soviets, ending any resistance in Berlin
He was taken to see Gen. Vasily Chuikov on 0823 hrs and with his help, Weidling signs his order of surrender and announced it publicly
REFERENCES• National Geographic Channel, “Nazi Megastructure : Fortress
Berlin”
• History Channel, “World War II from Space”
• Constantin Films, “Der Untergang”
• Vasile Iuga, “Battlefield : Battle of Berlin”
• Wikipedia, http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin
• Wikipedia, http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Seelow_Heights
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