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Soviet Conquest: Berlin 1945
How did top Red Army commanders see the assault on Berlin in 1945 – what was their experience of the last, terrible battle of the Second World War in Europe? Personal accounts by the most famous generals involved – Zhukov, Koniev and Chuikov – have been published in English, but the recollections of their principal subordinates haven’t been available in the west before, and it is their role in the final Soviet offensive that is the focus of Tony Le Tissier’s fascinating book. These were the officers who were responsible for the execution of the Red Army’s plan for the assault, in immediate touch with the troops on the front line of the advance. They saw most clearly where the operation succeeded and where it failed. Their recollections, publication of which was long banned in the Soviet Union, throw a new light on the course of battle and on the inner workings of the Red Army command in the final phase of the conflict.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2014
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February 28, 2015
Soviet Conquest – Berlin 1945
We all know that the war ended in Europe in 1945 with triumph for the successful Allies but for some do not regard that war to have ended until 1989 when the Soviet Army finally left their country. Tony Le Tissier has written and translated from firsthand accounts the Soviet Conquest of Berlin in 1945 and tells the story of how Stalin set Marshal against Marshal and did not allow the personal accounts to be published which finally happened almost twenty years after his death.
The Battle for Berlin was not only bloody and the Soviets had to fight street to street, house to house in the battle but also they were racing against the Western Allies to get to Berlin and plant their flag over as much of Berlin as possible.
We are reminded from the accounts that Berlin and the surrounding areas were to be defended by nearly a million soldiers of all ages, with 10,000 guns and missiles, 1,500 tanks and self propelled guns and 2,200 aircraft, so the defence would be strong. We find out that the Soviets has over 6,200 tanks over 42,000 guns and over 2.5million soldiers so they had the overwhelming numbers. They may have had the numbers but the Nazis had built many pillboxes and Berlin had been built in to a solid defensive area.
It is wonderful to read Zhukov record of how the events unfolded in the Battle for Berlin with maps and the challenges that he faced. He also records the declaration of defeat that had been prepared for the Germans to sign and how it was announced over loudspeakers to the German population and soldiers.
I found one of the more interesting accounts of the Battle from the records of Marshal Chartshenko who was Marshal of the Engineers who was charged with overcoming the obstacle that would be presented in the Battle of Berlin. Berlin especially by the Oder was surrounded by marshlands that would not be kind to the tanks and would have to build the bridgeheads to allow easier access to Berlin. He outlines some of the battles that took place as well as the use of the sappers in battle which makes interesting reading.
Soviet Conquest – Berlin 1945 is a fascinating account of the Battle from the perspective of the Soviet Army leaders so there is no mention of the violence and terror that was rained down up on the citizens of Berlin and especially the rape of the women. It is an interesting and important account of the final battle of the Second World War and seeing an account from the Russian perspective is important to broaden ones view of the war.
We all know that the war ended in Europe in 1945 with triumph for the successful Allies but for some do not regard that war to have ended until 1989 when the Soviet Army finally left their country. Tony Le Tissier has written and translated from firsthand accounts the Soviet Conquest of Berlin in 1945 and tells the story of how Stalin set Marshal against Marshal and did not allow the personal accounts to be published which finally happened almost twenty years after his death.
The Battle for Berlin was not only bloody and the Soviets had to fight street to street, house to house in the battle but also they were racing against the Western Allies to get to Berlin and plant their flag over as much of Berlin as possible.
We are reminded from the accounts that Berlin and the surrounding areas were to be defended by nearly a million soldiers of all ages, with 10,000 guns and missiles, 1,500 tanks and self propelled guns and 2,200 aircraft, so the defence would be strong. We find out that the Soviets has over 6,200 tanks over 42,000 guns and over 2.5million soldiers so they had the overwhelming numbers. They may have had the numbers but the Nazis had built many pillboxes and Berlin had been built in to a solid defensive area.
It is wonderful to read Zhukov record of how the events unfolded in the Battle for Berlin with maps and the challenges that he faced. He also records the declaration of defeat that had been prepared for the Germans to sign and how it was announced over loudspeakers to the German population and soldiers.
I found one of the more interesting accounts of the Battle from the records of Marshal Chartshenko who was Marshal of the Engineers who was charged with overcoming the obstacle that would be presented in the Battle of Berlin. Berlin especially by the Oder was surrounded by marshlands that would not be kind to the tanks and would have to build the bridgeheads to allow easier access to Berlin. He outlines some of the battles that took place as well as the use of the sappers in battle which makes interesting reading.
Soviet Conquest – Berlin 1945 is a fascinating account of the Battle from the perspective of the Soviet Army leaders so there is no mention of the violence and terror that was rained down up on the citizens of Berlin and especially the rape of the women. It is an interesting and important account of the final battle of the Second World War and seeing an account from the Russian perspective is important to broaden ones view of the war.
May 2, 2020
English translations from soviet war memoirs as they relate to the battle for Berlin in 1945. An interesting perspective on the final battles of the war, seldom seen by English readers, and therefore represents a valuable addition to the historiography of this period. However, they universally provide a propagandists perspective from soviet Russian, a fact acknowledged by the author in his introduction. What is barely delivered though is any critical challenge to the perspectives presented. Universally the contributors refer to the evilness of the fascists (not in doubt), but also praise the soviet soldiers for their compassion to civilians and prisoners of war. The author briefly acknowledges this in the final page in a short paragraph, but this book would have benefited from some analysis to place the memoirs in context, likewise the oft made suggestion around allied duplicity with the Nazi forces, goes unremarked and unchallenged.
What does come across well is the difficulty of employing tank armies in urban environments, from all of the accounts, the sense of a crowded battlefront is ever present, advances only as broad as the street and a tank, as well as the fighting for the u-bahn stations, which allowed the German forces to pop up behind the soviet lines. A chaotic climax to the war.
An interesting read, but to be read with due caution to its context.
What does come across well is the difficulty of employing tank armies in urban environments, from all of the accounts, the sense of a crowded battlefront is ever present, advances only as broad as the street and a tank, as well as the fighting for the u-bahn stations, which allowed the German forces to pop up behind the soviet lines. A chaotic climax to the war.
An interesting read, but to be read with due caution to its context.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews