The Fall of Berlin 1945

I enjoy Beevor's style of narration, he brings to life the major personalities involved in the war in a way that reading biographical works doesn't

Following on from Stalingrad, which I found quite gripping, Berlin: The Downfall is a little less so. Events are reduced more to a straightforward description, and because of the large number of fronts, armies and battles involves this is a bit hard to follow. Initially, I felt a little cheated that we skipped from Stalingrad to the invasion of Germany. I would have appreciated some coverage of the time in between. This book has a lot more maps and photos than Stalingrad did, and the maps are more precise, but they are still lacking in landscape details (relief, swamps, forests). Likewise though there are more photos, they are not more comprehensive: there are no photos of many important people and places. Ultimately also, the outcome of this seems rather obvious from the beginning; whereas Stalingrad was a desperate battle that either side could have won, at this point in time the Russians were triumphantly sweeping the Germans away through numbers and weaponr;, even though the Germans were still an effective military force they had no hope. And of course the downfall of Hitler and the Nazis has been covered elsewhere in more detail. So all in all, while well written and about an interesting time, not as compelling as the previous book.

After reading Stalingrad, by the same author, I bought the unabridged audio cassette version of this book - about ten hours long. Like Stalingrad, it is a very vividly-written and well researched book that is both gripping and bleak. Although horrifying in parts, it is a story that cannot be repressed and is more of an epic human tragedy than any movie can portray. A compelling account of the last days of the third reich and the events that led to the start of the cold war.

I would heartily recommend this book. It is good, well researched history well written. The author has a difficult task because although its not an academic history book there is a wide range in his audience of non-academics. There are many WWII enthusiasts out there willing to pounce on the slightest error in detailed command structure or technical detail of weapons and others, like myself who know little about the subject and would have appreciated a bit more explanation on certain points.As a neophyte in this subject I would have appreciated better maps and perhaps photographs of some of the less well known characters. I know what Hitler and Goebbels and Stalin look like but pictures of Guderian, Konev, Chuikov, Wenck and Busse would have help me identify and keep track of who was who. Also a chart of the major army groups with the armies they comprised of and their commanders would have made it easy to get into. Be prepared to get the Atlas and encyclopaedias out it you want a deeper understanding of what's going on.But all in all I'm grateful for this book which was given to me for Christmas both understanding the big movements and historical events and the way it gives a voice for the ordinary people. Its gripping reading too.

Such a work as this constantly begs the question is it balanced?The story of the totalitarian Soviet state defeating the totalitarian German state is one littered with cruelty and barbarity of insane proportions, where those in charge care nothing for those that are their subordinates or for those that are their enemies. After a while the numbers senselessly killed and maimed become so huge that they are baffling. Stalin and Hitler both share the same response to any setback, which is to blame the generals and the " cowardice" of their own troops- never to blame themselves for their own tactical shortcomings or the opposition for being well placed or superior in number and formation.Stalin and Hitler and those dedicated to supporting their regimes, whether it is the SS or the NKVD are pretty much interchangeable. The bravery of the Red army and of the German army cannot be doubted and Beevor makes this fact abundantly clear. Reading negative critical reviews of this book, I see that the fact that Beevor is not black and white on the issue of the conduct of the two armies is one that some find hard to take. Beevor is accused of being unduly harsh on the Red army and easy on the German army. I think he accurately acknowledges the bravery and the brutality common to any group of people; people fight for their country whether the cause is just or not.Beevor broaches the subject of rape by the Red army. He tries to discuss it and gives reasons as to why it happened on such a vast scale. He doesn't give any definitive answers, but then I wouldn't want any, because such blanket answers cannot be given. He again and again mentions the subject, according to another reviewer it is 102 times. I would like to thank him for doing so- for bringing forth a subject that is taboo to talk about- for allowing us to talk about and think about this terrible crime openly. I find the level of negative criticism about his discussion of rape disturbing- people seem to think that the Red army should be seen purely as liberators and that any crimes that they committed should be ignored (Sounds a bit like the world of Uncle Joe there.) Beevor does not mention rapes committed by the German army in this book, that is because they were in retreat on their own soil, he certainly mentions their rapes in his book Stalingrad however.This book allows the normal person to taste the dust and to hear the deafening noise of the battles for Berlin through a series of incisive quotes and anecdotes. It grips you and makes accessible the inaccessible. How can it be possible to comprehend the scale of these battles? One gets a feeling for the breakdown of Germany and the feelings of the red army soldiers. More over it gives us an insight into the lunacy of the Nazi hierarchy- as Berlin burns all around they drink and dance and plan future glories with futile and doomed counter attacks that cost more and more lives. On the other side of the asylum we have Stalin viewing everyone through his