Into the Reich: The Red Army’s Advance to the Oder in 1945

by Prit Buttar

Enriched by extraordinary first-hand accounts, this is a fascinating history of the dying days of the Third Reich as the Stalin sought to consolidate his own empire.

In January 1945, the Red Army launched a powerful offensive across the Vistula River to drive the Wehrmacht out of Poland, with the intention of securing a start line for an operation that would ultimately result in the capture of Berlin and the end of the war. But, as Prit Buttar expertly reveals, there were other issues at play. Stalin was determined to push the boundaries of the Soviet Union further west, restoring land lost by the tsars and securing vast industrial and mineral wealth. While negotiations took place between the Allied powers regarding the fate of Poland, the Red Army burst through the German lines liberating Auschwitz even as the SS drove concentration camp inmates onto frozen roads in a series of death marches.

The Wehrmacht staged a desperate fight back with their last major armoured offensive on the Eastern Front. Launched in February 1945 from the German-Polish border, it forced a halt to the Soviet forces on the banks of the Oder before the rush to Berlin. Written by an acknowledged expert on the Eastern Front and packed with first-hand accounts, this is the definitive account of the strategic goals, both military and political, of Stalin, his generals, and their armies as they raced into the Reich and of the German forces who stood in the way.

Genres: History, World War II

448 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 2025

About the author

Prit Buttar studied medicine at Oxford and London before joining the British Army as a doctor. After leaving the army, he has worked as a GP, first near Bristol and now in Abingdon. He is extensively involved in medical politics, both at local and national level, and served on the GPs’ Committee of the British Medical Association. He appears from time to time on local and national TV and radio, speaking on a variety of medical issues. He contributes regularly to the medical press. He is an established expert on the Eastern Front in 20th century military history.

Reviews

[Darya Silman · Rating 4 out of 5]

INTO THE REICH: THE RED ARMY’S ADVANCE TO THE ODER IN 1945 by Prit Buttar describes the disintegration of the Wehrmacht in the face of the numerical and materiel superiority of the Red Army and exhausting war on two fronts. The Red Army operation that started on January 12, 1945, on the Vistula River ended, officially, on February 2 on the German territory and was followed by further advances. Prit Buttar shows that the Stavka (Stalin) had learned during the previous war years, specifically in delegating decision-making to lower-level commanders. Zhukov, Konev, and Rokossovsky, and their subordinates, could operate more independently, thus practicing flexibility in the always-volatile war arena. The close cooperation between infantrymen, artillery units, and tank formations resembled the one that had brought victory to Germany across Europe in previous years. More attention was paid to logistics. Instead of tight encirclements of the enemy, the Red Army’s spearheads practiced leaving the hottest spots/fortresses to the second echelon in order to advance swiftly.

On the contrary, Hitler stiffened the control over the Wehrmacht after the July 1944 plot. In his mind, the fanaticism could substitute for the absence of ammunition and reserves. (This highly resembles Stalin with his “Not one step back.”) The near end of the war intensified the fight for power among Hitler’s inner circle, as if there had been a possibility that the Allies would have left a Nazi lead Germany.

Thoroughly researched yet narrowly focused on the movements of the armies, INTO THE REICH can be read as a standalone and as a continuation of ‘Bagration 1944: The Great Soviet Offensive.’ Both above-mentioned books demonstrate the bend toward readers who want to see history more accessible and less academic (or I just got used to the author’s style after reading several of his books almost in a row). I craved more (than the book offered) of an overall frame of the decision-making on the higher levels: what was happening in the Stavka and around Hitler, what negotiations were going on behind the scenes besides the Yalta Conference.

As with many newly published books, this one needs a little bit more work. The repetition of one phrase twice within one paragraph wasn’t a problem, but just a nuance (not a reason to take 1 star down) :

“Repeated clashes with small groups of Soviet anti-tank guns slowed the pace of the ADVANCE as the day progressed, it became clear that substantial Soviet forces were in position beyond the eastern flank of the German ADVANCE.”

“In mid-February, sufficient supplies had reached the besieging forces for Soviet gunners to INCREASE THEIR ACTIVITY. The road bridge across the Warthe was badly damaged, limiting movement across the river, and there was also INCREASED SOVIET AIR ACTIVITY.”

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this complex and fascinating exploration of the last days of the Third Reich and the Soviet advance on Berlin, Prit Buttar brings the last five months of the war to life in fascinating detail. Drawing on first-hand accounts starting at the Vistula offensive of January 1945, the book tracks the larger motivations behind the end of the Second World War and the Soviet Union’s role in liberating Auschwitz and capturing Berlin. Including the Wehrmacht’s response (their last major armored offensive on the Eastern Front) and the stalling of the Soviet advance at the Oder River, this book is a fascinatingly comprehensive account of Stalin and the Soviet army’s agendas and goals at the end of World War II. The attention to detail and depth of historical research is absolutely staggering, and readers will really appreciate the hard work and minute details that Buttar has included in this detailed and comprehensive exploration of the Eastern front in 1945. With enough context to help readers understand the book and the larger implications of the Soviet advance on Berlin, this book is great for academics and casual World War II aficionados alike, and Buttar has done a fantastic job bringing this new release to life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Osprey Publishing for the advance copy.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) Buttar continues his series of works looking at the Russian/German conflicts of the 20th century. This one is the final year of World War II on the Eastern Front when the USSR is advancing out of the Western USSR spaces and into German territory. It is no less brutal than the other years of World War II on that front, only now, it is the Nazis facing the existential threat of annihilation. The Nazi forces are but a shell of their previous glory and while they fight a desperate war of defense, time and material are not on their side. The failures of the Nazi high command are just as much a threat to German survival as the Soviets, and caught in the middle are the German people. The forced migration of millions of Germans throws logistics into chaos, and for those Germans who do get caught under the Soviet flag, it does not go well for them. Buttar does recount the atrocities of the Soviet forces, especially the campaigns of mass rape and pillaging. Not that the Germans are without sin here. Buttar recounts the final attempts to conceal/destroy traces of the Nazi Holocaust, as well as the balance between trying to save Germany but also fulfilling Hitler’s wish to leave nothing of Germany if the Allies win.

The writing and analysis are like the other Buttar works, so the focus on military action, but also throwing in personal accounts. In some respects, Buttar does not uncover new material from other works, so it does weaken the impact, but if you’ve read his other works, you’ll end up reading this one. For the American reader, this offers insight into a theater that they probably don’t know near as much about. That is probably the biggest selling point.