The Fall of Berlin

Before the collapse of the Western Front of German area, the Germans had kept the Soviets from crossing the Oder River. During April of 1945, however, Stalin made a quick and strong fight across the Oder in preparation for the final blow against Germany. Eight small groups were located in this small area and they were then massed into two great and powerful armies. They were send to take Berlin before the Americans could.

On April 16-17, the Soviets struck in a quick and furious way. No one in Berlin really thought that they would be able to survive this final attack. Yet they knew that if they surrendered, they would be treated like vicious war criminals. Hitler kept the specter of
unconditionally surrender going to the German people and they fought till the bitter end. As the Americans and British forces were rapidly advancing from the west, German's immensely outnumbered army fought desperately to beat back the rapidly approaching Soviet Army. It took the Red army six days to smash their way to the outskirts of Berlin. In three days, on April 25, a band of Soviet soldiers cut off the German capital from the rest of Nazi-controlled Germany.

Hitler stayed in Berlin so as to take control of the German soldiers there. Although many said this was a stupid mistake since Berlin would fall within in days but all reports say that Hitler was basically dead. Why Hitler would want to the capital of his empire just to die anyway? Hitler was stricken with with paralyses that would effect his mind and his whole nervous system was disintegrating. Hitler's last act of brutality was having his SS troops blow up a German damn and drowned thousand of citizens. As the Russian troops moved in quickly, Hitler decided that he would give the reins over power to someone else.

On April 30, Hitler transferred all power to his second-in-command. Later that day, Hitler gave poison to his wife an dog. After watching their horrible death, he decided that he should shot himself instead of taking the poison. As Hitler took his last breath, the end of the Battle for Berlin was just beginning. On May 2, 1945 Berlin had fallen to the Allied Power. On May 7, the German forces surrendered to the Allied Powers unconditionally. On May 8, Germany surrendered just to the Soviet Union. More information on the surrounded to the Soviet Union can be found at the Soviet Union pages. World War II had finished in Europe and would soon finish in the world.

The Treaty of Versailles

The Downfall of the Weimer Republic

Hitler's Rise to Power

The Nazi Olympics

Germany Prepares for War

The Annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia

The Nazi-Soviet Pact

Invasion of Poland

Operation Yellow and Weser

Operation Red

Invasion of Soviet Union

Resistance to Hitler

Beginning of the End for the Third Reich

Moving in On Berlin

Fall of Berlin

The Holocaust

Post War Germany