Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
33 used & new from £3.97
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Berlin: The Downfall 1945
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Berlin: The Downfall 1945 (Paperback)

by Antony Beevor (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £5.83 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £4.16 (42%)
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, July 8? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
28 new from £4.74 5 used from £3.97
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (2nd Edition) 14 used & new from £8.95
Paperback (Open market ed) 5 used & new from £5.75
Audio CD (Unabridged) Order it used
Audio Cassette (Abridged,Audiobook) £19.56 £16.63 21 used & new from £3.00
Audio Cassette (Audiobook) Order it used
Unknown Binding Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

Berlin: The Downfall 1945 + D-Day: The Battle for Normandy + Stalingrad
Price For All Three: £24.07

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Stalingrad

Stalingrad

by Antony Beevor
4.8 out of 5 stars (11)  £5.75
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy

D-Day: The Battle for Normandy

by Antony Beevor
4.1 out of 5 stars (52)  £12.49
The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939

The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939

by Antony Beevor
4.1 out of 5 stars (22)  £7.86
Stalingrad

Stalingrad

by Antony Beevor
4.8 out of 5 stars (100) 
Armageddon: The Battle for Germany 1944-45

Armageddon: The Battle for Germany 1944-45

by Sir Max Hastings
4.6 out of 5 stars (32)  £6.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
Berlin The Downfall 1945
   www.LiteraryNation.com    £5 - Antony Beevor Buy Today & Get Fast UK Delivery 
  
 

Product Description

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.

Product Description
The Red Army had much to avenge when it finally reached the frontiers of the Reich in January 1945. Political instructors rammed home the message of Wehrmacht and SS brutality. The result was the most terrifying example of fire and sword ever known, with tanks crushing refugee columns under their tracks, mass rape, pillage and destruction. Hundreds of thousands of women and children froze to death or were massacred because Nazi Party chiefs, refusing to face defeat, had forbidden the evacuation of civilians. Over seven million fled westwards from the terror of the Red Army. Antony Beevor reconstructs the experiences of those millions caught up in the nightmare of the Third Reich's final collapse, telling a terrible story of pride, stupidity, fanatacism, revenge and savagery, but also one of astonishing endurance, self-sacrifice and survival against all odds.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 4 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Berlin: The Downfall 1945
73% buy the item featured on this page:
Berlin: The Downfall 1945 4.1 out of 5 stars (51)
£5.83
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy
18% buy
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy 4.1 out of 5 stars (52)
£12.49
Stalingrad
6% buy
Stalingrad 4.8 out of 5 stars (11)
£5.75
Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy, 1944 (Pan grand strategy series)
2% buy
Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy, 1944 (Pan grand strategy series) 4.3 out of 5 stars (13)
£5.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

51 Reviews
5 star:
 (25)
4 star:
 (13)
3 star:
 (9)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (51 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellently researched, compassionately written history, 15 Feb 2004
By Alan P "joalem" (Surrey, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Berlin: The Downfall, 1945 (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.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A brutal but gripping read, 12 May 2002
By A. J. Sudworth "tonysudworth" (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Berlin: the Downfall, 1945 (Hardcover)
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
93 of 102 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A grim and gruesome masterpiece, 28 April 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Berlin: the Downfall, 1945 (Hardcover)
This is by no means "another war book". It brings the harsh realities of totalitarianism to the fore. This is the story of the last battle of the European theatre of World War 2, a battle to the end.

It is the story not so much of the downfall of Berlin in 1945, but the crushing of the city and the brutalisation of the population.

Finishing this book you are left with a disgust of war, a disgust of mans inhumanity to man, and a digust of men's inhumanity to women.

A shocking and enthralling read, brilliantly written by a brilliant author. It is unputdownable and eclipses his earlier "Stalingrad" work.

A masterpiece.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Berlin: The Downfall
A very well written book containing excellent factual detail. Beevor brings such an epic story forward in a way which is both exhilarating and completely understandable... Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. E. Titcomb

5.0 out of 5 stars Beevor at his best
Beevor is surely one of the best historians. Ant of his books on the second world war events is guranteed to be a great read and this is no different.
Very enjoyable!
Published 5 months ago by Roger H. Thomas

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Just like the Stalingrad volume, a powerful and disturbing insight into a horrific conflict that today can only barely be imagined. Brilliantly written and a compelling read.
Published 7 months ago by M. Ward

4.0 out of 5 stars Berlin the Downfall
While I had not read Beevor's prequel to this book, Stalingrad, I nonetheless found his account of the final days of Berlin engaging. Read more
Published 9 months ago by rory kerr

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful.
An amazingly detailed account of the scope & horror of the event. For all the movies & documentaries about WWII they berely scratch the surface of the reality of warfare. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Christopher Floyd

3.0 out of 5 stars "Berlin" or "The Last Battle"?
This book is, in fact, made up of three shorter books welded together and none of them quite work.
The first is a book about the strategy of the end of the war in Europe,... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Andrew Walker

5.0 out of 5 stars The audio cd
I read this captivating yet deeply tradgic account of the catastrophic end to the German third reich, but was even more taken by the audio version. Read more
Published 17 months ago by I. A. Smith

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as it could be
Anthony Beevor's best-selling account of the death throws of the Third Reich - young boys, old men and foreign SS volunteers battle desperately for the capital against the... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Seamus Martin

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great writing
Another book magnificient writed. A little worst then "Stalingrad", but afterall the subject is not the same. Antony Beevor is undoubtedly an excellent writer.
Published 19 months ago by Luis Miguel Vale

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
As a great fan of War History books, especially Russian front WWII, I started this title with great expectations and was not disappointed. Read more
Published 20 months ago by vikingraider

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject














i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

More From Antony Beevor

D-Day: The Battle...

D-Day: The Battle for Normandy

The Normandy Landings that took place on D-Day involved by far the... Read more
£25.00 £12.49

 

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Braun Oral-B Professional Care 6000 Rechargeable Toothbrush - Pack of 2
Put a sparkle in your smile with up to 50% off selected Oral-B and Philips rechargeable toothbrushes.

›Up to 50% off power toothbrushes

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates