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Berlin: The Downfall 1945 Paperback – Import, January 1, 2004
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There is a newer edition of this item:
- Print length490 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPenguin
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2004
- Dimensions4.45 x 1.38 x 7.13 inches
- ISBN-100141017473
- ISBN-13978-0141017471
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Product details
- Publisher : Penguin; Open Market Ed edition (January 1, 2004)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 490 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0141017473
- ISBN-13 : 978-0141017471
- Item Weight : 10.9 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.45 x 1.38 x 7.13 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #10,148,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10,786 in Military Strategy History (Books)
- #17,722 in Russian History (Books)
- #24,075 in German History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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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.
Photo by Bengt Oberger (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
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The book necessarily focuses on Hitler and Stalin and their Armies, as capturing Berlin had become an obsession of Stalin’s as a retribution for the Germans capturing Stalingrad. The role of the American and British Armies are antecedent here because even though Churchill recognized what the significance would mean politically and strategically to the Allies in negotiating after the war he failed to convince General Eisenhower. Ironically, Eisenhower, the General, would have to deal with the consequences of that shortsightedness only a few years later as President.
The Soviet offensive began in January of 1945. From the beginning the Soviet’s strategy was to drive for Berlin and by encircling it, both prevent any American or British attempts to reach the city first and to capture as many Germans as possible. The did this by subterfuge and lying to Eisenhower about their plans. Stalin even kept some of his own front line Generals in the dark as to his ultimate plans, and would frequently change orders at the last minute for them. Ultimately the plan worked and Hitler was caught within a plan of his own making. Even his suicide and attempt to make it impossible to identify his body failed. The Russian political authorities found it within days, but did not let the world know until years later.
Both the Germans and the Russians committed great atrocities against each others’ Armies and civilians during the war, but as this book focuses on the Soviet invasion of German territory much of the book is about the utter destruction, rape, gang rape, and annihilation of the people, villages, towns and cities on their way to Berlin. They were particularly brutal to those living in the former Prussian areas of Germany. Not only to the Germans, but the Poles and even captured Soviets used as slave labor. Both sides were brutal to their own troops as they would shoot or hang stragglers not on the front lines.
The book brings out much that did not know about the closing days of the war and the utter brutality with which it was waged. Two dictators bringing destruction to almost all countries of the world to satisfy their own egos.
Long on narrative, Antony Bevor’s The Fall of Berlin captures the chaos of German resistance, and the tragedy that befell the German people. However, one might conclude the German people invited this catastrophe upon themselves by following Hitler into self- destruction. Some other reviewers are critical of Bevor in regard to his reporting of the rape of German women that followed the occupation of Soviet troops. They write, “What about the German atrocities committed during the war”? The literature covering German atrocities could fill a small library. Bevor’s book is about Berlin and what occurred there.
One is addled by the last ditch effort put up by Germany. Opposing the overwhelming numbers of Soviet men and material were undersupplied troops, old men, and boys. The insanity of Hitler and his upper echelon of supporters are captured by Bevor, as German people and properties were laid to waste for a failed ideology. I think what grabbed my interest the most was the indignation felt by Russian troops as they began to occupy East Prussia and Germany proper when they observed the relative wealth of the German people. Why would people who had so much feel the need to invade the Soviet Union?
Bevor does a decent job at capturing the cat and mouse game that transpired between allied forces in regard to intentions of movement within Germany. Stalin is portrayed as paranoid in his obsession to capture Berlin. The loss of life among his forces seemed to mean little in terms of the goal, all the while that German defenses were collapsing like a house of cards. The Western allies in general, Eisenhower in particular, saw little reason to waste the lives of their men as they could see the sorry state of German forces and defenses. The end was near.
One small complaint about Bevor’s The Fall of Berlin is the stilted Russian translations. It’s almost as if one is reading the work of a 4th grader. In place of a literal word for word translation, why not Anglicize it just a bit? There are masterpieces of Russian literature translated into English that are a joy to read. A bit more time spent with the translation of Soviet Russian sources into a more readable, fluent English would have given Bevor’s work a much more polished finish.
Top reviews from other countries
If I had to find something to nitpick: Beevor has a tendency for foreshadowing things, sometimes dozens of pages before the event he teased earlier actually transpires.
Also one can understand the ordeal through which the Germans went.
Really a collector's copy.








