Berlin: The Downfall 1945 [Hardcover]

Antony Beevor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2002

The advance on Berlin - which was to be the largest battle in history - began at exactly 4am on 16 April, 1945. Along the Oder Neisse front, two and a half million Soviet troops attacked one million Germans. The panic induced in the German civilian population is easy to imagine. Hitler had sworn that Germany would never be invaded, yet now overwhelming Soviet armies were advancing on Berlin. The utterly deranged Hitler ensconced deep in his concrete bunker, could only scream at his military staff. Denouncing the cowardice of the Wehrmacht, he had become convinced that Germany's defeat proved that its people were not worthy of him - that they deserved to die. This book reconstitutes the experience of those millions caught up in the nightmare crescendo of the Third Reich's final defeat - a story encompassing the realities of those who suffered to the end from folly, cruelty and the exercise of naked power. The battle for Berlin is revealed as a terrifying example of fire and sword, pillage, mass rape, and murder.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Antony Beevor's remarkable Stalingrad won the Samuel Johnson prize in 1999, along with a slew of other awards. Berlin; The Downfall 1945 depicts the most terrifying example of fire and sword ever known when Soviet soldiers reached the frontiers of the Reich in January 1945. It is an unforgettable story of those men, women and children who suffered from a naked exercise of power on a scale that is almost incomprehensible. Accompanied by a major national press campaign and a BBC series that is to air just after publication. Look for this one to do quite as well as its predecessor.

About the Author

Antony Beevor began his career as a professional officer in the 11th Hussars. He is the author of several books, including THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR and CRETE. With his wife, Artemis Cooper, he wrote PARIS AFTER THE LIBERATION but he is best known for his book STALINGRAD (Viking, 1999), the international No 1 bestseller, and winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize, Wolfson Price and Hawthornden Prize. He lives in London SW6 and Kent.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Penguin UK (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670886955
• ISBN-13: 978-0670886951
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #952,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A regular in the 11th Hussars, Antony Beevor served in Germany and England. He has had a number of books published and his book Stalingrad was awarded the Samuel Johnson Prize, the Wolfson History Prize and the Hawthornden Prize. Among the many prestigious posts he holds, he is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History well written and compelling, April 29, 2004

By 

Mr Peter D Johns (Greenwood, Western Australia Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berlin: The Downfall 1945 (Hardcover)

I would heartily recommend this book. It is good, well researched history well written. The author has a difficult task because although its not an academic history book there is a wide range in his audience of non-academics. There are many WWII enthusiasts out there willing to pounce on the slightest error in detailed command structure or technical detail of weapons and others, like myself who know little about the subject and would have appreciated a bit more explanation on certain points.

As a neophyte in this subject I would have appreciated better maps and perhaps photographs of some of the less well known characters. I know what Hitler and Goebbels and Stalin look like but pictures of Guderian, Konev, Chuikov, Wenck and Busse would have help me identify and keep track of who was who. Also a chart of the major army groups with the armies they comprised of and their commanders would have made it easy to get into. Be prepared to get the Atlas and encyclopaedias out it you want a deeper understanding of what's going on.

But all in all I'm grateful for this book which was given to me for Christmas both understanding the big movements and historical events and the way it gives a voice for the ordinary people. Its gripping reading too.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An historical narrative, nothing more, nothing less, December 20, 2003

By 

Gerard Willemsen (Auckland New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berlin: The Downfall 1945 (Hardcover)

This book is a step by step account detailing events from the Russian invasion of East Prussia to the fall of Berlin in 1945. It reads like a descriptive list of events with precious little interpretation or commentary. There are pages upon pages that read like "... and the next day, some troops moved three feet to the left....." and so on. It also doesn't distinguish between key influential events of the battle and those that were ultimately inconsequential. Also, for a book whose primary focus is miltary logistics, it is woefully lacking in good quality maps.

It does a sobering portrayal of the brutality of invading Soviets towards the German popluace, and I think it is this that will remain the book's enduring contribution. But I think given the richness of history that this book has to work with as its core material, the prose could've been so much better.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Modern Gothic History, March 11, 2005

By 

Sun Tzu (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berlin: The Downfall 1945 (Hardcover)

After reading Stalingrad, by the same author, I bought the unabridged audio cassette version of this book - about ten hours long.
Like Stalingrad, it is a very vividly-written and well researched book that is both gripping and bleak.
Although horrifying in parts, it is a story that cannot be repressed and is more of an epic human tragedy than any movie can portray.
A compelling account of the last days of the third reich and the events that led to the start of the cold war.