- Paperback: 528 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; New edition edition (3 April 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140286969
- ISBN-13: 978-0140286960
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.4 x 4.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
287,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #27 in Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > Historians > Beevor, Antony
- #45 in Books > History > Military History > World War II > Battle for Berlin
- See Complete Table of Contents
Berlin: The Downfall 1945
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Military history, even at its best, can be a cold art. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that wars involve individuals, each with their own hopes, fears and desires. Berlin: the Downfall, 1945, is Antony Beevor's account of the bloody Götterdämmerung that brought the Second World War in Europe to an end, and in which he has fused the large and the small scale effects of war. Beevor paints the broad picture of Marshals Zhukov and Konev, competing for glory and Stalin's attention, as they race their armies towards Berlin. He gives the reader a gripping account of the brutal street-by-street fighting in the German capital and provides an unforgettable portrait of the last, insane days of Hitler and his entourage in the bunker.
His attention to emotional detail is what made his previous book Stalingrad such a magnificent work, combining a sweeping hisorical narrative with a remarkable sensitivity to human drama. Yet he also highlights the small details of ordinary people caught in the nightmare of history--the sick children evacuated at the last minute from a Potsdam hospital; the Soviet soldiers shaving themselves for the first time in weeks so that they would make appropriately presentable conquerors; and the Nazi Youth teenagers peddling their bikes in despairing, last-ditch attacks against the Red Army's tanks.
The story Beevor tells is an almost unremittingly terrible one--one of death, rape, hunger and human misery--but he tells it with both an epic sweep and an alertness to individuality. The result is a masterpiece of narrative history that is as powerful as Stalingrad. --Nick Rennison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Fascinating, extraordinary, gripping (Jeremy Paxman )
This brilliant storyteller makes us feel the chaos and the fear as if every drop of blood was our own. It is much more than just a humane account; it is compellingly readable, deeply researched, and beautifully written (Simon Sebag Montefiore Spectator ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
This brilliant storyteller makes us feel the chaos and the fear as if every drop of blood was our own. It is much more than just a humane account; it is compellingly readable, deeply researched, and beautifully written (Simon Sebag Montefiore Spectator ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
67 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Antony Beevor showed in his excellent Stalingrad how to clearly and accurately portray the chaos and confusion of a vast and sprawling military engagement without losing sight of the individual experience and harrowing minutiae of enormous human tragedy. In this book, he again succeeds in portraying the staggering scale of the battle for Berlin, but also brings out the astonishing and shocking level of suffering that accompanied it.
Beevor successfully measures the human suffering against the "meat-grinder" mentality of the ideological clash of Stalinism and Nazism. He contrasts the pride and vanity of Hitler and the paranoid totalitarianism of Stalin, the meeting of which was guaranteed to result in terrible casualties as combatants, deluded and indoctrinated by continuous and insidious propaganda, fought desperately for every inch of ground.
Tales of gang rape and wanton destruction by the invading forces, particularly in East Prussia, hit heavy notes in the reading, whilst the knowledge of how deeply the Red Army operated under the prying and intolerant eyes of its Soviet masters is also clearly and compassionately portrayed; the dispassionate NKVD reports of summary execution and Gulag imprisonment of liberated Red Army prisoners for simply having surrendered fills one with anger, particularly as the Red Army had suffered over 9 million casualties by this time.
In his Stalingrad book, Beevor shifted his sympathies initially from the Russians gradually toward the Germans as the tide of battle shifted; in Berlin: The Downfall, Beevor's sympathies throughout remain in favour of the German civilians, and the German Army commanders who acted against the Nazi leadership. I found this slightly distasteful in view of the preceding four years; indeed, Beevor quotes an injured German veteran speaking out on a crowded Berlin train that if the Russians repay Germany a quarter what was done to them, then Germany would cease to exist. But this appears to be in keeping with the underlying political subtext of the book, which seems to be a demonstration of the consequences of political indoctrination of totalitarian regimes, at the expense of stifling humanity.
Beevor succeeds in delivering a hard-hitting, compassionate story of needless suffering, bravery and sacrifice woven beside unspeakable cruelty, revenge and butchery. It is by turns a clear and well-researched historical account of military operations, and a barely-disguised polemic on the evils of political extremism and the dire consequences of totalitarian expansionism.
A multilayered historical account with a heavyweight political subtext. This is a fine book which should be read by all.
83 of 85 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had read Stalingrad and was not sure that Berlin could be as gripping a story - the result of the fighting was a forgone conclusion. But its not the description of the progress of the war that really makes this book. Its the individual stories that make this book a 'must read'
What I also did not realise was the reason why the last months of the war ended as they did - ferocious defense by the Germans in the East and rolling over in the West - and the ulterior motives behind the Allies behaviour. If you read Stalingrad in conjunction with Berlin you begin to see that the Russians felt almost justified in their actions. But its the last few pages that are the classic twist in the tail - I won't spoil it but the German Army attitude to the events of the war is stunning. If you think history is a dry affair then read this and get a fresh perspective.
What I also did not realise was the reason why the last months of the war ended as they did - ferocious defense by the Germans in the East and rolling over in the West - and the ulterior motives behind the Allies behaviour. If you read Stalingrad in conjunction with Berlin you begin to see that the Russians felt almost justified in their actions. But its the last few pages that are the classic twist in the tail - I won't spoil it but the German Army attitude to the events of the war is stunning. If you think history is a dry affair then read this and get a fresh perspective.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was a resident of Berlin from the time I was born in 1941 until 1948 when I came to England.
My husband John has been writing about the life of my father who was a top entertainer and a fireman in Berlin during the 2nd world war.
The book "Berlin the downfall" was a tremendoues referance in supplying information regarding the background to those troubled times.
We have read many books on the subject but this one has to be the best. Antony made great use of information recently released from the Soviat Union and thus gave a clear veiw from another prospective, as is often said there are 2 sides to every story.
Students studying the subject would not find a more detialed account and equelly important it was easy to read.
We are in the process of reading "Stalingrad" by the same author, also purchased from Amazon.
My husband John has been writing about the life of my father who was a top entertainer and a fireman in Berlin during the 2nd world war.
The book "Berlin the downfall" was a tremendoues referance in supplying information regarding the background to those troubled times.
We have read many books on the subject but this one has to be the best. Antony made great use of information recently released from the Soviat Union and thus gave a clear veiw from another prospective, as is often said there are 2 sides to every story.
Students studying the subject would not find a more detialed account and equelly important it was easy to read.
We are in the process of reading "Stalingrad" by the same author, also purchased from Amazon.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hard times in 1945
Berlin was not a great place to be in first half 1945 - as this book makes clear. It is an illuminating and engaging account of the complex twists and turns of the fatally injured... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Andrew S
A Superb History
This is a fine work by Antony Beevor who displays all his expected craftsmanship . This is a thoroughgoing account of the fall of Berlin viewed from Russian and German viewpoints ,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Terry J
hard to follow without maps
I've got the kindle version & I was expecting some maps to be provided, but there aren't any, which makes it very difficult perhaps impossible to relate to where the German &... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ian H
The most vivid and accurate account i've read.
This account of the fall of Berlin is superbly written. Beevor's writing style is unique and thoroughly enjoyable to read. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Adam Reaney
Total war.
Outstanding story brilliantly relayed. This novel tells the story of the final death throes of Germany towards the end of WW2. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jacks
Fascinating
Excellent book. First book I've read which goes into such detail about the last days of Berlin. The last 100 or so pages about the fall of Berlin and the collapse of the leadership... Read more
Published 7 months ago by JPWilliams
Disappointing
Comparisons have been made between Cornelius Ryan's book "The Last Battle" and Antony Beevors "Berlin the Downfall 1945". Read more
Published 7 months ago by Zoya Kosmo
The Fall of Berlin
A very impressive piece of scholarship and a fantastic record of the final stages of the second world war. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Dallas Noble
An Extraordinary Book on Berlin in 1945
Being a historian I was pleased to be given the opportunity to read this extraordinary book detailing those final terrible months of world war two, culminating amidst the ruins of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by E. A. Redfearn
Epic history
Having been captivated by Stalingrad I was not at all disappointed by Berlin. My preference for historical books tends to the broad, big picture but writing of this kind brings... Read more
Published 8 months ago by PeterG
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