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.
Berlin: The Downfall 1945
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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
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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
88 of 90 people found the following review helpful
By A. J. Sudworth
VINE™ VOICE
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.
75 of 77 people found the following review helpful
By Alan P
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.
... Read more ›5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By HBH
Format:Paperback
Berlin by Antony Beevor is a wonderful book in the style of his work on Stalingrad. It mixes the personal with the bigger picture and provides a thrilling and very readable book on the final destruction of the Nazi regime.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a superb book and it was so readable and interesting that I finished it within three days of Amazon delivering it to my door. The battle for Berlin is often overlooked since it took place when there war was all but won and no western nations were involved. However like D-Day or Stalingrad it was an event of huge significance and much suffering. In his book Beevor manages to get the balance between military, political and human stories just right so interest is maintained throughout. Excellent!
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By "macka316"
Format:Hardcover
As soon as you start to read Berlin it becomes clear that Beevor has researched the subject material in immaculate depth. This book doesn't read like a normal book on the war in so far as it feels more like you are reading a fictional work. This feeling is mainly created by Beevor's use of tales from individual perspectives rather than reeling off a list of facts and statistics as so many other books do.
A superb read, even for those with no interest in the period under scrutiny, Some parts will truely shock you.
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By Peter Groome
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The author has written two books simultaneously. One is a dry military history, packed with details about units, bridge crossings, hardware etc. The other is an account of a massive, humanitarian catastrophe, brought vividly to life by the authoritative use of eyewitness accounts.
The first suffers from a lack of detailed maps and diagrams, which renders half the text virtually impenetrable, as endless accounts of tank units and bridgeheads trundle past without a context. The second is by far the most successful, carrying the whole. It offers insights into the psychology and culture of 20th century europe which are essential, yet previously overlooked, probably because of the 'difficult' nature of the story.
The first suffers from a lack of detailed maps and diagrams, which renders half the text virtually impenetrable, as endless accounts of tank units and bridgeheads trundle past without a context. The second is by far the most successful, carrying the whole. It offers insights into the psychology and culture of 20th century europe which are essential, yet previously overlooked, probably because of the 'difficult' nature of the story.
I would have liked to have been able to follow the military story of units fighting across europe on a usable map, and to have been able to decypher the individual accounts of tactics by reference to diagrams and graphics. The author could really have made a decision as to his audience, and published two, separate, companion volumes, each of which would have been much better.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
As a total effort Beevor's book sheds light to hitherto somewhat obscure part of the WWII, as generally 1945 is regarded as a swift downfall of Germany. It is not often remembered what kind of resistance Germany still came up with despite being on the run in every direction. However, the broad picture contains some slightly irritating bits. I had trouble following the various routes of the Red Army referred to by only their commanders, i.e. Konov, Zhukov, Zhuikov, and some remarks to their earlier fame in Stalingrad (Mr Beevor's earlier book is next on my to read list.) Worse, I had to check the maps when it was mentioned that some troops were approaching berlin from the West, and my suspicions got even worse when it was stated that someone went to Soviet embassy to declare war on june 22. 1942. However, these were just irritating pebbles on a well-built road.
One point worth noting is the hurry of the Red Army to capture the German uranium stockpile from the southwest part of Berlin and the effect this had on the agreements with the americans. Maybe the US was duped worse than they still have realised? For this information alone Mr Beevor deserves all his fame. This book may not be exact history nor a novel, but it certainly is a well-packed treasury of information to us amateurs on WWII
One point worth noting is the hurry of the Red Army to capture the German uranium stockpile from the southwest part of Berlin and the effect this had on the agreements with the americans. Maybe the US was duped worse than they still have realised? For this information alone Mr Beevor deserves all his fame. This book may not be exact history nor a novel, but it certainly is a well-packed treasury of information to us amateurs on WWII
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Berlin the downfall
Don't like it because Adolf lost the war, now look at the bloody state of europe, do you have any books where Hitler won the war
Published 29 days ago by Mr Branch
5.0 out of 5 stars
Berlin the downfall 1945
Very interesting book to read . I have read other such books but this was more in depth and more factual
Published 1 month ago by Frank Fellows
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anthony beevor does it again!
I have read several books on this subject over the years, and I feel that this one is, with its all encompassing narrative, is one, if not THE best of those. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cerberus
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb
An utterly gripping and tragic account of Germany's final death throes in WWII. Reads like a work of fiction. This will stay with me for a long time.
Published 1 month ago by Nick
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read.
The flavour of the downfall of Berlin is rich within this book. The beliefs of Hitler, even at the end are madness incorporated. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. J. Docherty
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sad story...
...but true. The fall of the Berlin is not just a simple history book, Beevor makes it personal by telling stories of ordinary soldiers, their fight for their survival, and he... Read more
Published 2 months ago by mzprx
4.0 out of 5 stars
How evil were the Soviet forces?
I found the book interesting, though I would have liked to see more insight into the day-to-day experiences of the Western Allies as they fought their way towards Berlin. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kevin Phillips-Bong
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another brilliant descent in to the dark heart of European madness
Anthony Beevor's superb follow-up to his epic Stalingrad continues his style of high-level strategy with a sharp eye for the human detail. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. Tristan Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is classic
Antony Beevor, no wasted space, no fancy language, captivating! Everyone knows the story, at least how it ends, but this is the story behind the story. Another 'must read'!
Published 2 months ago by GALT
4.0 out of 5 stars
great author
history made enjoyable very detailed could not put the book down,told from the accounts of people who lived through the conflict.
Published 3 months ago by Christopher G. Jones
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