The Fall of Berlin

The Fall of Berlin is a magnificent account of the last days of the Second World War and the German surrender of their nation to the Soviet Union. I just read it for a second time and think it a valuable contribution to our overall history of that horrific era. No, it is not a comprehensive tale of the Russian 1945 spring campaign, but it certainly provides readers with a dense, richly textured portrait of one of the world's most famous cities and its obliteration from bombing and invasion. Anthony Read is a fine historian and despite my being familiar with several accounts covering the exact same events, most of its stories and first-hand testimony was new to me. The Fall of Berlin is strong on fact but is also a great story...which is precisely what draws us to devouring history in the first place.

This is a superb book. I read it in a single (long!) day, found its narrative totally absorbing. So many facts, observations and recollections of life in Berlin both before and during the war. Such a book could have been a dry listing of events, but the authors do the subject credit and make it an excellent read. I remember visitng East Berlin in the late 70's and seeing the still ruined Imperial Capitol buildings. Just like the war had ended yesterday. Its all fixed up now (I assume; haven't been back there since the wall fell), but this book answered many questions I had from that time as to what life there must have been like during wartime. This book proves that good historical scholarship does not have to be boring.

This is a must read. It gives you a real feel of what is was like for Berliners. The writers take into account the stories of a lot of people who were living in Berlin and their stories of survival. As you keep reading you can almost feel the noose tightening around Berlin and it's inevitable fall to the Russians.

I think what I appreciate most about this book was that it didn't focus only on the battles of World War II or the major personalities, but it examines the lives of everyday Berliners and those who lived through the city's triumphs and tragedies. The book containes the narratives of Berliners from all walks of life; the factory workers, socialites, refugees, soldiers, Jews, etc. The book examines the War through the eyes of those who experienced it first hand, but whose voices have been muted in the presence of the big names in history. This certainly isn't an earth shattering revelation, but the book is a nice addition to anyone's historical knowledge.

Starting with the Olympics of 1936, authors Read and Fisher chronicle the history of Berlin during the years prior to World War II and ending with the Battle of Berlin. Focusing not only on the known historical players such as Hitler and Goebbels, but including excerpts from diaries of every day Berliners, the book reads almost like a novel with a cast of thousands. At first, Berliners are stunned that Hitler is able to conqueror most of continental Europe through sheer bravado alone. The general consensus seems to be that eventually the world will see Hitler and the Nazis for what they really are and sanity will once again prevail. But of course, we can now look back in hindsight and realize that the complacency of the general population and the other world leaders is precisely what led to Hitler wreaking havoc on the world. Most of the chapters are very short, no more than 3-4 pages long. This help keeps the pace of the book from bogging down into too much detail. Much information is given on the daily life of Berliners, how ration cards worked, etc. In addition, the authors do an excellent job of describing how different groups, Jews, immigrants, forced laborers, Hitler Youth, etc. reacted to the changing world as eventually Berlin spiraled into chaos. The innumerable bombings, which nightly rocked the city, are described in detail and how the city reacted, as first stunned and then eventually immune to the terror. The first 200 pages of the book cover the years from 1936 until March, 1945 while the remaining 250 pages detail the Battle of Berlin. Through complicated political considerations, the Soviets are allowed to conquer the city while the British and American troops hold back. Because the Soviet Union suffered so much during the war, especially the siege of Stalingrad, it is deemed only fitting that they make the first attempt on the city. The first wave of soldiers were professionals while the second wave of soldiers-former prisoners of the Germans, took out their hatred in raping, looting and pillaging. In the first 8 weeks after the fall of Berlin, over 90,000 German women had seen doctors due being raped by the Soviet soldiers. How many never reported this crime cannot even be estimated. I would highly recommend this book to any student of World War II history who wants a good grasp of the social and political effects of war on a major industrialized city. Well written and well documented, the book allows readers to relive one of the most horrific time periods in modern history. It also allows the reader to better understand how the Nazis maintained their power until the very end over an educated populace. Hopefully lessons such as these will not go unheeded for future generations.