The Last Battle

De: Cornelius Ryan

Narrado por: Simon Vance

The classic account of the final offensive against Hitler’s Third Reich.

The Battle for Berlin was the culminating struggle of World War II in the European theater. The last offensive against Hitler’s Third Reich, it devastated one of Europe’s historic capitals and marked the final defeat of Nazi Germany. It was also one of the war’s bloodiest and most pivotal battles, whose outcome would shape international politics for decades to come.

The Last Battle is Cornelius Ryan’s compelling account of this final battle, a story of brutal extremes, of stunning military triumph alongside the stark conditions that the civilians of Berlin experienced in the face of the Allied assault. As always, Ryan delves beneath the military and political forces that were dictating events to explore the more immediate imperatives of survival, where, as the author describes it, “to eat had become more important than to love, to burrow more dignified than to fight, to endure more militarily correct than to win.”

The Last Battle is the story of ordinary people, both soldiers and civilians, caught up in the despair, frustration, and terror of defeat. It is history at its best, a masterful illumination of the effects of war on the lives of individuals, and one of the enduring works on World War II.

©1966 Cornelius Ryan; 1994 by Victoria Ryan Bida and Geoffrey J. M. Ryan (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A rare accomplishment…Will be of interest to generations to come.” (James A. Michener, Pulitzer Prize–winning author)

Masterful Work

Somehow, "The Last Battle" is probably Cornelius Ryan's lesser known work on WWII, after his very famous books "The Longest Day" and "A Bridge Too Far" (yes, both prominent WWII films are based on his material).

If you've seen "The Longest Day" film, you have some idea what this book's narrative is going to be like. It covers the events from as many perspectives as possible...from high-ranking commanders to infantrymen to civilians...many of whom were interviewed by Ryan himself in the 1960's. In fact, many of the most poigiant moments of "The Last Battle" are told from the perspective of German civilians, who attempt to go about their daily lives as the Third Reich collapses in flames all around them.

Essentially, "The Last Battle" covers the invasion of Germany proper, on both the Western and Eastern Fronts, and the titular Battle of Berlin.

But, the heft of this work is in the individual stories. German commanders describe to Ryan how Hitler reacted to his own lunacy coming full circle in the last days of the war. Soviet generals compete to see which Russian army will seize the city first. American pilots reveal how the last aerial dogfight in WWII involved US scout flyers shooting down a opposing German observation plane with Colt .45 1911 pistols. In Berlin, Zoo keepers desperately try to save the animals they were charged with caring for. Nuns struggle to prepare their maternity ward for the worst once Soviet rear-eschelon troops, drunk and prone to rape, arrive to exact revenge for atrocities commited aganist the USSR.

This book is a powerful, moving, and highly informative work.

Educational

The Last Battle was one of the first audiobooks I have read and set the bar VERY high for any future listening. Simon Vance does a brilliant job narrating a part of history that is seldom touched upon and fully conveys the increasingly desperate situation of Nazi Germany during WW2 from the perspective of multiple countries.

What a complex web, spun and woven to decimation..

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The author takes the complexities and inhumanity of German nationalist society at the time, as well as the inhumanity of its' supporters during the war, and weaves together these facts from first hand accounts. These are then interwoven with other examples of humanity and courage, driving toward what we all know is the inevitable conclusion, the Fall of Berlin. The surprises along the way provided a great depth of learning for me that make this one of the most remarkable historical accounts of WWII that I have ever read.

A wonderful horrific history

It's hard to imagine the research that Ryan had to do to put together such a gripping and detailed account of the final months and days of the Nazi regime. It moves quickly telling stories from all kinds of different perspectives - civilian life, the various military forces involved, and the politics of the different nations involved. And by far, it's a story about lots of good people dealing with the horror of war and unimaginable evil.

Incredible Book

So well researched and told from so many points of view. This is going into my top 10 favorite books about WWII. I literally couldn’t put it down.

Outstanding

The presentation was extremely well done. I spent time in Weisbaden, Frankfurt and Berlin in 1963 and 1986. My first visit was as an OSI agent stationed in Turkey and second time as the Disaster Preparedness Officer subbing for the permanent officer who was on leave to the States. My maternal grandparents were from Pomerania .

Very interesting, start to finish

Where does The Last Battle rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

If only the history books in school were as well written as this one. A good read/listen from the beginning all the way through. No matter what you thought you knew about the Battle for Berlin, you will know more after listening to this book.

a fascinating account you'll never find elsewhere

loved it, an account from the inside and leaving no stone unturned and not speculative.

bookgirl

a great read but very unsettling. A well written account of a horrible battle. Really brings home the suffering of civilians. Berlin reaped what Hitler sowed. German's supported a monster who did not care at all about his people, only his ego.

excellent coverage of the battle of Berlin

I very much enjoyed the story of the red army and the United States racing to capture Berlin excellent stories of individual soldiers and civilian. the narrator is a little monotone but it doesn't detract. this is a great listing for a fan of history or military experience.