Fall of Berlin

The Fall of Berlin, known as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviets, was one of the last major offensives of the European Theatre. It wasn’t the last battle but it certainly was the one that marked the end of the war in Europe.

The Americans had recently crossed the Rhine and Stalin was concerned that they might capture Berlin before him. To avoid this, he divided the command of the Berlin operation between Marshal Zhukov in the center and Marshal Konev in the south. This division of the operation effectively created a race between his two front commanders, as both Zhukov and Konev were eager to take credit for capturing the German capital.

The battle took a heavy toll on both sides. Around 81,000 Soviet Union soldiers were killed and another 280,000 were wounded. Up to 100,000 German soldiers were killed, another 220,000 wounded, and nearly half a million were captured. The city of Berlin was reduced to a pile of rubble with 22,000 German civilians were killed and over a million were homeless. The Battle of Berlin resulted in the surrender of the German army and the death of Adolf Hitler. It was a resounding victory for the Soviet Union and the Allies.