The Fall of Berlin 1945

By: Antony Beevor

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

The Red Army had much to avenge when it finally reached the frontiers of the Third Reich in January 1945. Frenzied by their terrible experiences with Wehrmacht and SS brutality, they wreaked havoc - tanks crushing refugee columns, mass rape, pillage, and unimaginable destruction. Hundreds of thousands of women and children froze to death or were massacred; more than seven million fled westward from the fury of the Red Army. It was the most terrifying example of fire and sword ever known.

Antony Beevor has reconstructed the experiences of those millions caught up in the nightmare of the Third Reich's final collapse. The Fall of Berlin is a terrible story of pride, stupidity, fanaticism, revenge, and savagery, yet it is also one of astonishing endurance, self-sacrifice, and survival against all odds.

©2002 Antony Beevor and Artemis Cooper (P)2002 Isis Audio Books

Critic reviews

"A tale drenched in drama and blood, heroism and cowardice, loyalty and betrayal." (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post)

Excellent history!

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and narration. I highly recommend it to the WW2 buff.

Excellent !!

Exceptional detail, very interesting, great narration. Story is told on all levels and from both sides.

Don't invade unless prepared for retribution and r

this was the end of the Nazi empire, on one side, the Red Army, firing million artillery and rocket salvos at Berlin. life in the surface was impossible, the U.S. Air Force bombing by day and the Russians blasting away at fierce Nazi resistance, who feared as written before, revenge and retribution for invading Russia under a peace treaty

Beever weaves the plot

Excellent detail in yet another great history put together with remarkable detail and human interest by Anthony Beever. The narrator, Sean Barrett is excellent in his matter of fact but still lilting voice.

interesting

good book but felt he focused on the rape of women to an uncomfortable and disturbing portion of the book

Not unbiased, but could be worse

Beevor acknowledges the brutality and genocidal intentions of the Germans when they started the war with the Soviet Union. He acknowledges that not ALL Soviet soldiers partook in rape and plunder, and closes the first chapter with an acknowledgment that the Soviets could be humane. He acknowledges that the Nazi higher-ups (and even common German soldiers) played a role in the atrocities, such as leaving large supplies of alcohol behind for Soviet soldiers to ingest; or stalling evacuations out of fanaticism, spite, cowardice, or all three. He's not bashing the Soviets here, but with that said, he should have gone a bit further in emphasizing that they were RIGHT to want revenge, considering all the Germans had done and planned to do. Overall, a good book.

horrifying but necessary read

I read a lot of World War II books, but a lot of them focus on America and their involvement. This is one of the first I've read that mainly focuses on the Russian army and the German army. It's a true eye-opening read and it does not pull back any punches.

great book

a true must read for any fan of military history or the eastern front. it really immerses you in the experience of the last great battle of world war 2.

amazing book performed by an amazing narrator

this book is amazingly written and amazingly performed, I'll definitely be starting it again in the near future. There's so much information to be overlooked.

Superior to The Last Battle

A spectacular, detailed, thorough recounting of both Russian and German side of this battle. I enjoyed this much more than the other book on Audible covering the last battle of the European war. This book covers extensively the German and Russian sides of this battle and has a balance between what is happening on the political stage, the military fighting, and the plight of civilians caught in the fray.

Thankfully the Western Allies were only briefly covered when it was relevant where as other works have focused on why Eisenhower decided not to take Berlin, the political fallouts, and only briefly describing Soviet contribution. This is why this now my go to book regarding the Battle of Berlin.