THE SOVIET BATTLE FOR BERLIN 1945

1-246950

In April 1945, the Red Army launched fierce offensives to encircle and assault Berlin amidst desperate German resistance. In the spring of 1945, simultaneously with the battle of the Seelow Heights, powerful Red Army spearheads launched three sub-offensive operations to clear German resistance for the Berlin operation. Russian planners divided the frontal and pincer parts of the battle for Berlin in phases. Once the 1st Belorussian Front and 1st Ukrainian Front completely encircled the city, over one million Russian soldiers began attacking into the suburbs towards the center. They faced some 45,000 soldiers in several severely depleted Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS divisions. These divisions were supplemented by the Berlin Police force, Hitlerjugend, and Volkssturm. Contains 100+ illustrations.