The Last German Victory

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Bautzen 1945

Author : Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez
Publisher : Soldiershop Publishing
ISBN 13 : 8893277212
Total Pages : 222 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (932 download)

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Book Synopsis Bautzen 1945 by : Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez

Download or read book Bautzen 1945 written by Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez and published by Soldiershop Publishing. This book was released on 2021-02-26 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last clear German victory in World War II occurred in the last days of April 1945 during the defense, loss and subsequent recovery of the Saxon city of Bautzen. On that occasion, when all was lost, the remnants of once powerful German units, such as the Panzer Divions Hermann Göring, Brandeburg or Grossdeutschland, inflicted a total defeat on the proud Soviet-Polish units, more robust and better armed, that supported the Red Army advance towards the capital of the Reich. This text tells the story of the events that took place in that city, the capital of Upper Lusatia, just south of the German capital. The high efficiency of the German soldiers made the difference with a real state of an army by then in decay and with no more fuel, showing how the fighting spirit was kept high until the end thanks to the concrete possibility of stopping the Soviets, even if only for a few hours or days, in their overwhelming advance to allow the evacuation of the greatest number of Germans people towards the West of the country. An innovative work this one by Gil Martínez, that will certainly occupy, together with the previous one already published in Breslau 1945, a special place in the library of all those who are interested in the military history of the last terrible world conflict.

The Last German Victory

Author : Aaron Bates
Publisher : Pen & Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 9781399000765
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last German Victory by : Aaron Bates

Download or read book The Last German Victory written by Aaron Bates and published by Pen & Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-10 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Operation Market Garden - the Allied airborne invasion of German-occupied Holland in September 1944 - is one of the most famous and controversial Allied failures of the Second World War. Many books have been written on the subject seeking to explain the defeat. Historians have generally focused on the mistakes made by senior commanders as they organized the operation. The choice of landing zones has been criticized, as has the structure of the airlift plan. But little attention has been paid to the influence that combat doctrine and training had upon the relative performance of the forces involved. And it is this aspect that Aaron Bates emphasizes in this perceptive, closely argued, and absorbing reevaluation of the battle. As he describes each phase of the fighting he shows how German training, which gave their units a high degree of independence of action, better equipped them to cope with the confusion created by the surprise Allied attack. In contrast, the British forces were hampered by their rigid and centralized approach which made it more difficult for them to adapt to the chaotic situation. Aaron Bates's thought-provoking study sheds fresh light on the course of the fighting around Arnhem and should lead to a deeper understanding of one of the most remarkable episodes in the final stage of the Second World War in western Europe.

The Last Battle

Author : Cornelius Ryan
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1439127018
Total Pages : 749 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (391 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last Battle by : Cornelius Ryan

Download or read book The Last Battle written by Cornelius Ryan and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-02-16 with total page 749 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic account of the final offensive against Hitler’s Third Reich. The Battle for Berlin was the culminating struggle of World War II in the European theater, the last offensive against Hitler’s Third Reich, which devastated one of Europe’s historic capitals and marked the final defeat of Nazi Germany. It was also one of the war’s bloodiest and most pivotal battles, whose outcome would shape international politics for decades to come. The Last Battle is Cornelius Ryan’s compelling account of this final battle, a story of brutal extremes, of stunning military triumph alongside the stark conditions that the civilians of Berlin experienced in the face of the Allied assault. As always, Ryan delves beneath the military and political forces that were dictating events to explore the more immediate imperatives of survival, where, as the author describes it, “to eat had become more important than to love, to burrow more dignified than to fight, to exist more militarily correct than to win.” The Last Battle is the story of ordinary people, both soldiers and civilians, caught up in the despair, frustration, and terror of defeat. It is history at its best, a masterful illumination of the effects of war on the lives of individuals, and one of the enduring works on World War II.

The Wehrmacht Retreats

Author : Robert M. Citino
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700623434
Total Pages : 440 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis The Wehrmacht Retreats by : Robert M. Citino

Download or read book The Wehrmacht Retreats written by Robert M. Citino and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2016-09-16 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout 1943, the German army, heirs to a military tradition that demanded and perfected relentless offensive operations, succumbed to the realities of its own overreach and the demands of twentieth-century industrialized warfare. In his new study, prizewinning author Robert Citino chronicles this weakening Wehrmacht, now fighting desperately on the defensive but still remarkably dangerous and lethal. Drawing on his impeccable command of German-language sources, Citino offers fresh, vivid, and detailed treatments of key campaigns during this fateful year: the Allied landings in North Africa, General von Manstein's great counterstroke in front of Kharkov, the German attack at Kasserine Pass, the titanic engagement of tanks and men at Kursk, the Soviet counteroffensives at Orel and Belgorod, and the Allied landings in Sicily and Italy. Through these events, he reveals how a military establishment historically configured for violent aggression reacted when the tables were turned; how German commanders viewed their newest enemy, the U.S. Army, after brutal fighting against the British and Soviets; and why, despite their superiority in materiel and manpower, the Allies were unable to turn 1943 into a much more decisive year. Applying the keen operational analysis for which he is so highly regarded, Citino contends that virtually every flawed German decision-to defend Tunis, to attack at Kursk and then call off the offensive, to abandon Sicily, to defend Italy high up the boot and then down much closer to the toe-had strong supporters among the army's officer corps. He looks at all of these engagements from the perspective of each combatant nation and also establishes beyond a shadow of a doubt the synergistic interplay between the fronts. Ultimately, Citino produces a grim portrait of the German officer corps, dispelling the longstanding tendency to blame every bad decision on Hitler. Filled with telling vignettes and sharp portraits and copiously documented, The Wehrmacht Retreats is a dramatic and fast-paced narrative that will engage military historians and general readers alike.

The Last German Victory

Author : Aaron Bates
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 1399000772
Total Pages : 254 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last German Victory by : Aaron Bates

Download or read book The Last German Victory written by Aaron Bates and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-12-22 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Operation Market Garden – the Allied airborne invasion of German-occupied Holland in September 1944 – is one of the most famous and controversial Allied failures of the Second World War. Many books have been written on the subject seeking to explain the defeat. Historians have generally focused on the mistakes made by senior commanders as they organized the operation. The choice of landing zones has been criticized, as has the structure of the airlift plan. But little attention has been paid to the influence that combat doctrine and training had upon the relative performance of the forces involved. And it is this aspect that Aaron Bates emphasizes in this perceptive, closely argued and absorbing re-evaluation of the battle. As he describes each phase of the fighting he shows how German training, which gave their units a high degree of independence of action, better equipped them to cope with the confusion created by the surprise Allied attack. In contrast, the British forces were hampered by their rigid and centralized approach which made it more difficult for them to adapt to the chaotic situation. Aaron Bates’s thought-provoking study sheds fresh light on the course of the fighting around Arnhem and should lead to a deeper understanding of one of the most remarkable episodes in the final stage of the Second World War in western Europe.

World War II: A Very Short Introduction

Author : Gerhard L. Weinberg
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191008761
Total Pages : 153 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis World War II: A Very Short Introduction by : Gerhard L. Weinberg

Download or read book World War II: A Very Short Introduction written by Gerhard L. Weinberg and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2014-11-13 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The enormous loss of life and physical destruction caused by the First World War led people to hope that there would never be another such catastrophe. How then did it come about that there was a Second World War causing twice the 30 million deaths and many times more destruction as had been caused in the previous conflict? In this Very Short Introduction, Gerhard L. Weinberg provides an introduction to the origins, course, and impact of the war on those who fought and the ordinary citizens who lived through it. Starting by looking at the inter-war years and the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, he examines how the war progressed by examining a number of key events, including the war in the West in 1940, Barbarossa, The German Invasion of the Soviet Union, the expansion of Japan's war with China, developments on the home front, and the Allied victory from 1944-45. Exploring the costs and effects of the war, Weinberg concludes by considering the long-lasting mark World War II has left on society today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Stalingrad

Author : David M. Glantz
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700628797
Total Pages : 640 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalingrad by : David M. Glantz

Download or read book Stalingrad written by David M. Glantz and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2019-07-13 with total page 640 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The long awaited one-volume campaign history from the leading experts of the decisive clash of Nazi and Soviet forces at Stalingrad; an abridged edition of the five volume Stalingrad Trilogy. Stalingrad offers a sweeping synthesis of this massive confrontation, how it impacted the war, and why it matters today.

The Wehrmacht's Last Stand

Author : Robert M. Citino
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700630384
Total Pages : 632 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis The Wehrmacht's Last Stand by : Robert M. Citino

Download or read book The Wehrmacht's Last Stand written by Robert M. Citino and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2020-07-09 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By 1943, the war was lost, and most German officers knew it. Three quarters of a century later, the question persists: What kept the German army going in an increasingly hopeless situation? Where some historians have found explanations in the power of Hitler or the role of ideology, Robert M. Citino, the world’s leading scholar on the subject, posits a more straightforward solution: Bewegungskrieg, the way of war cultivated by the Germans over the course of history. In this gripping account of German military campaigns during the final phase of World War II, Citino charts the inevitable path by which Bewegungskrieg, or a “war of movement,” inexorably led to Nazi Germany’s defeat. The Wehrmacht’s Last Stand analyzes the German Totenritt, or “death ride,” from January 1944—with simultaneous Allied offensives at Anzio and Ukraine—until May 1945, the collapse of the Wehrmacht in the field, and the Soviet storming of Berlin. In clear and compelling prose, and bringing extensive reading of the German-language literature to bear, Citino focuses on the German view of these campaigns. Often very different from the Allied perspective, this approach allows for a more nuanced and far-reaching understanding of the last battles of the Wehrmacht than any now available. With Citino’s previous volumes, Death of the Wehrmacht and The Wehrmacht Retreats, The Wehrmacht’s Last Stand completes a uniquely comprehensive picture of the German army’s strategy, operations, and performance against the Allies in World War II.

Fighting the People's War

Author : Jonathan Fennell
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107030951
Total Pages : 967 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis Fighting the People's War by : Jonathan Fennell

Download or read book Fighting the People's War written by Jonathan Fennell and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-24 with total page 967 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jonathan Fennell captures for the first time the true wartime experience of the ordinary soldiers from across the empire who made up the British and Commonwealth armies. He analyses why the great battles were won and lost and how the men that fought went on to change the world.

How the War Was Won

Author : Phillips Payson O'Brien
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107014751
Total Pages : 655 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis How the War Was Won by : Phillips Payson O'Brien

Download or read book How the War Was Won written by Phillips Payson O'Brien and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-02-12 with total page 655 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An important new history of air and sea power in World War II and its decisive role in Allied victory.

Last Victory in Russia

Author : George M. Nipe
Publisher : Schiffer Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9780764311864
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (118 download)

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Book Synopsis Last Victory in Russia by : George M. Nipe

Download or read book Last Victory in Russia written by George M. Nipe and published by Schiffer Publishing. This book was released on 2000 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first detailed and comprehensive account of the Kharkov counteroffensive, the operations of the SS divisions and the supporting actions of Armeeabteilung Fretter-Pico and 1. Panzerarmee, and is supported by over 210 photographs and maps. By the end of January of 1943, Hitler's armies had been dealt a series of defeats by the Russians, beginning with the disaster at Stalingrad. Successive Soviet offensives had destroyed the German 6. Armee and annihilated the armies of Germany's Axis allies, Italy, Rumania and Hungary. Germany teetered on the brink of defeat in World War II because the Soviet advance threatened to drive to the Dnepr River and encircle the remaining Germans armies in southern Russia. Stalin and the Russian high command believed that the war could be won with just one more great effort. Accordingly, they planned and launched two offensives, designated Operations "Star" and "Gallop." The focal points of the two offensives included the recapture of Kharkov, the industrial heart of the Ukraine and the destruction of Armeeabteilung Hollidt, 4. Panzerarmee and 2. Armee. Feldmarschall Erich von Manstein entered the picture in late 1942 when he was appointed commander of Heeresgruppe Don. Beginning in February he engineered a remarkable operation that changed the course of the war in Russia. Manstein's counteroffensive destroyed or severely damaged four Russian armies and regained much of the territory lost in January. The troops that played the most important role in the offensive were three divisions of the Waffen-SS. "Leibstandarte," "Das Reich" and "Totenkopf" were combined for the first time into a corps, which was commanded by SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Paul Hausser, the senior commander of the Waffen-SS. "Leibstandarte" and "Das Reich" participated in the defense of Kharkov, along with the elite Army division "Grossdeutschland" supported by three weak infantry divisions. This handful of divisions was attacked by four Soviet armies, but under command of Armeeabteilung Lanz, was able to hold the city for two weeks. On 14 February, 1943 the SS-Panzerkorps and the rest of Armeeabteilung Lanz withdrew from Kharkov under disputed circumstances that involved Hausser and his violation of a direct order from Hitler. Almost exactly a month later, the Germans had recaptured Kharkov and destroyed or crippled the four Soviet armies that had driven them out of the city in February. The divisions that played the key role in Manstein's counteroffensive were the three divisions of the Waffen-SS. While "Leibstandarte" defended the supply base of the SS-Panzerkorps from the entire Soviet 3rd Tank Army, "Das Reich" and "Totenkopf" conducted a complex series of operations that began with a 100 kilometer thrust to the south which saved the Dnepr bridges, thus securing supply lines for the armies of Heeresgruppe Don/Sud. Subsequent operations by the SS divisions drove the Russians away from the rail net south of Kharkov and wrested Kharkov from the Russians once again. During the recapture of the city, there was controversy regarding Hausser's command decisions. Hausser has been accused of disregarding his instructions from superior officers and throwing his divisions into costly combat in the city for reasons of personal and SS prestige, in order to regain Hitler's favor. This study has found that the records of the SS-Panzerkorps and 4. Panzerarmee provide a different explanation for Hausser's actions.

The Last Battle

Author : Stephen Harding
Publisher : Da Capo Press
ISBN 13 : 0306822091
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (68 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last Battle by : Stephen Harding

Download or read book The Last Battle written by Stephen Harding and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2013-05-07 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The incredible story of the unlikeliest battle of World War II, when a small group of American soldiers joined forces with German soldiers to fight off fanatical SS troops May, 1945. Hitler is dead, the Third Reich is little more than smoking rubble, and no GI wants to be the last man killed in action against the Nazis. The Last Battle tells the nearly unbelievable story of the unlikeliest battle of the war, when a small group of American tankers, led by Captain Lee, joined forces with German soldiers to fight off fanatical SS troops seeking to capture Castle Itter and execute the stronghold's VIP prisoners. It is a tale of unlikely allies, startling bravery, jittery suspense, and desperate combat between implacable enemies.

Stalingrad

Author : Antony Beevor
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101153563
Total Pages : 560 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalingrad by : Antony Beevor

Download or read book Stalingrad written by Antony Beevor and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1999-05-01 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Battle of Stalingrad was not only the psychological turning point of World War II: it also changed the face of modern warfare. From Antony Beevor, the internationally bestselling author of D-Day and The Battle of Arnhem. In August 1942, Hitler's huge Sixth Army reached the city that bore Stalin's name. In the five-month siege that followed, the Russians fought to hold Stalingrad at any cost; then, in an astonishing reversal, encircled and trapped their Nazi enemy. This battle for the ruins of a city cost more than a million lives. Stalingrad conveys the experience of soldiers on both sides, fighting in inhuman conditions, and of civilians trapped on an urban battlefield. Antony Beevor has itnerviewed survivors and discovered completely new material in a wide range of German and Soviet archives, including prisoner interrogations and reports of desertions and executions. As a story of cruelty, courage, and human suffering, Stalingrad is unprecedented and unforgettable. Historians and reviewers worldwide have hailed Antony Beevor's magisterial Stalingrad as the definitive account of World War II's most harrowing battle.

Victory at Gallipoli, 1915

Author : Klaus Wolf
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 1526768178
Total Pages : 683 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis Victory at Gallipoli, 1915 by : Klaus Wolf

Download or read book Victory at Gallipoli, 1915 written by Klaus Wolf and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-04-30 with total page 683 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The author delivers in fine detail, supported by excellent appendices and notes, the role of officers and men in the defense of the Dardanelles.” —Michael McCarthy, Battlefield Guide The German contribution in a famous Turkish victory at Gallipoli has been overshadowed by the Mustafa Kemal legend. The commanding presence of German General Liman von Sanders in the operations is well known. But relatively little is known about the background of German military intervention in Ottoman affairs. Klaus Wolf fills this gap as a result of extensive research in the German records and the published literature. He examines the military assistance offered by the German Empire in the years preceding 1914 and the German involvement in ensuring that the Ottomans fought on the side of the Central Powers and that they made best use of the German military and naval missions. He highlights the fundamental reforms that were required after the battering the Turks received in various Balkan wars, particularly in the Turkish Army, and the challenges that faced the members of the German missions. When the allied invasion of Gallipoli was launched, German officers became a vital part of a robust Turkish defense—be it at sea or on land, at senior command level or commanding units of infantry and artillery. In due course German aviators were to be, in effect, founding fathers of the Turkish air arm; while junior ranks played an important part as, for example, machine gunners. This book is not only their missing memorial but a missing link in understanding the tragedy that was Gallipoli. “A great addition to any Gallipoli library.” —The Western Front Association

1815, the Waterloo Campaign : the German Victory

Author : Peter Hofschröer
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis 1815, the Waterloo Campaign : the German Victory by : Peter Hofschröer

Download or read book 1815, the Waterloo Campaign : the German Victory written by Peter Hofschröer and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: -- Demonstrates the decisive German contribution to victory at Waterloo -- Unpublished German eyewitness accounts and regimental reports -- Covers the battles of Waterloo, Wavre and the taking of Paris Peter Hofschroer, in this second volume of his masterly study of 1815, challenges the accepted version of events at the battle of Waterloo. He demonstrates convincingly that Allied victory was due not to steadfast British infantry repelling the French, but to the timely arrival of Prussian troops who stole victory from Napoleon and sealed the fate of the last Grande Armee. Drawing on previously unpublished accounts, Hofschroer gives not only the Prussian perspective of their march to Waterloo and decisive attack on Napoleon's flank, but also details of the actions fought by some of the 25,000 Germans in Wellington's 'British' army -- more than a third of the Duke's force. A gripping narrative of astonishing detail captures such key episodes of Waterloo as La Haye Sainte, Papelotte, Hougoumont and the Prussian struggle with the Imperial Guard for Plancenoit. In addition, Hofschroer examines the battle at Wavre, the Allied offensive into France, the taking of Paris and the sieges across northern France. 1815: The Waterloo Campaign-The German Victory is a definitive work on an epic confrontation by one of today's leading military writers.

The Day the War Ended

Author : Martin Gilbert
Publisher : Holt Paperbacks
ISBN 13 : 1429900377
Total Pages : 527 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

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Book Synopsis The Day the War Ended by : Martin Gilbert

Download or read book The Day the War Ended written by Martin Gilbert and published by Holt Paperbacks. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 527 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of Britain's most acclaimed historians presents the experiences and ramifications of the last day of World War II in Europe May 8, 1945, 23:30 hours: With war still raging in the Pacific, peace comes at last to Europe as the German High Command in Berlin signs the final instrument of surrender. After five years and eight months, the war in Europe is officially over. This is the story of that single day and of the days leading up to it. Hour by hour, place by place, this masterly history recounts the final spasms of a continent in turmoil. Here are the stories of combat soldiers and ordinary civilians, collaborators and resistance fighters, statesmen and war criminals, all recounted in vivid, dramatic detail. But this is more than a moment-by-moment account, for Sir Martin Gilbert uses every event as a point of departure, linking each to its long-term consequences over the following half century. In our attempts to understand the world we inherited in 1945, there is no better starting point than The Day the War Ended.

Berlin: Victory in Europe

Author : Nik Cornish
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 1783038314
Total Pages : 277 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (83 download)

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Book Synopsis Berlin: Victory in Europe by : Nik Cornish

Download or read book Berlin: Victory in Europe written by Nik Cornish and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2010-06-15 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In April and May 1945 the city of Berlin was the site of the final destructive act of the Second World War in Europe. The German capital became a battleground. After three weeks of ruthless fighting against a desperate, sometimes suicidal, defense, the Red Army took the city and crushed the last remaining German armies in the East. This momentous battle and the elaborate preparations for it were recorded in graphic detail by photographers whose images have come down to us today. These images, which give us an unforgettable glimpse into the grim reality of mid-twentieth-century warfare, are the raw material of Nik Cornishs evocative book.Using a rich selection of rare photographs from the Russian archives as well as images from German sources, most of which have not been published before, he traces the course of the entire campaign. The battles fought in East Prussia, eastern Germany and Hungary in particular the assault on Budapest are covered. But the body of his book is devoted to the battle for Berlin itself—the monstrous onslaught launched by Zhukovs armies on the Seelow Heights, the bitter street fighting through the suburbs, then the ultimate confrontation, the merciless room-by-room struggle for the center of the city and the Reichstag.