Battle of Berlin

The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European theatre of World War II.

Beginning on 12 January 1945, the Red Army breached the German front as a result of the Vistula–Oder Offensive and advanced westward as much as 40 kilometres (25 miles) a day through East Prussia, Lower Silesia, East Pomerania, and Upper Silesia, temporarily halting on a line 60 km (37 mi) east of Berlin along the Oder River. When the offensive resumed, two Soviet fronts (army groups) attacked Berlin from the east and south, while a third overran German forces positioned north of Berlin. The battle within the city lasted from 20 April until the morning of 2 May.

The first defensive preparations at the outskirts of Berlin were made on 20 March, when the newly appointed commander of Army Group Vistula, General Gotthard Heinrici, correctly anticipated that the main Soviet thrust would be made over the Oder River. Before the main battle in Berlin commenced, the Soviets managed to encircle the city as a result of their success in the battles of the Seelow Heights and Halbe. During 20 April 1945, the 1st Belorussian Front led by Marshal Georgy Zhukov started shelling Berlin's city centre, while Marshal Ivan Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front had pushed from the south through the last formations of Army Group Centre. The German defences were mainly led by Helmuth Weidling and consisted of several depleted, badly equipped, and disorganised Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS divisions, the latter of which included many SS foreign volunteers, as well as poorly trained Volkssturm and Hitler Youth members. Within the next few days, the Soviets rapidly advanced through the city and reached the city centre where close-quarters combat raged.

Fall of Berlin

Fall of Berlin may refer to

Berlin (TV series)

Berlin is a 2009 documentary series co-developed by the BBC and the Open University. Written and presented by Matt Frei, the series has three 60-minute episodes, each dealing with a different aspect of the history of Germany's capital city.

Episodes

Episode 1 – "Dangerous Ideas"

Using the life and posthumous legacy of Frederick the Great as its central theme, this episode covers some of the most notable political, social and cultural movements to emerge within Berlin over the past two centuries.

Episode 2 – "Ruined Visions"

From the advent of the former Berliner Stadtschloss to the Palast der Republik which for a time took its place, from the creation of the Bauakademie to that of the Olympic Stadium, and from the rise of the Fernsehturm to the rejuvenation of the Reichstag, this episode looks at the varied periods of construction, destruction and renewal seen in the architecture of the city of Berlin.

Episode 3 – "Ich bin ein Berliner"

Turning to look at the legacy which history has placed upon the people of Berlin – and that which Berliners themselves have offered in turn – this episode charts the tumultuous eras which the city has endured, for good or ill, through the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Berlin (surname)

This is a list of notable people with the surname Berlin.

Berlin (sculpture)

Berlin is the name of a sculpture on the Tauentzienstraße in western Berlin, the capital of Germany.

First conceived in 1985 and unveiled by the husband-and-wife sculpting team of Brigitte Matschinsky-Denninghoff and Martin Matschinsky in 1987, the sculpture's principal motif, a "broken chain", was meant to symbolize the severed connections between West and East Berlin due to the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Even though the Wall has since been dismantled, the sculpture was bought by the city from Mrs. Matschinsky-Denninghoff to commemorate the unfortunate chapter in German history.

History

Berlin was one of eight sculptures designed during "Skulpturenboulevard Kurfürstendamm" (Boulevard of Sculptures: Kurfürstendamm), an event commissioned by the city of West Berlin to celebrate Berlin's 750th anniversary in 1987. Of the eight sculptures unveiled, three were allowed to remain past the anniversary year (Berlin, Pyramide, and Cadillacs in Form der nackten Maja); the city and Deutsche Bank acquired Berlin after its original lease had expired.