The Fall of Berlin

The Final Days of Hitler's Evil Regime

De: Anthony Tucker-Jones

Narrado por: Richard Trinder

In April 1945, Soviet forces descended on Berlin in the final phase of the war in Europe. The fighting was fierce as soldiers fanatically loyal to the Nazi party - and those afraid of the vengeance their opponents might enact - sought to stave off the end of the regime as long as possible.

Even as it became clear that defeat was inevitable, Hitler and his subordinates determined to fight to the bitter end, resulting in a bitter, brutal end to the war. As the Russian tanks crushed the remaining pockets of resistance, the city was turned into a nightmarish dystopia. Pillage, plunder, mass rape and unceasing destruction followed.

In this vivid account, the author covers both German and allied viewpoints, exploring explores the strategies, the battles, the civilian experiences and the personalities involved in this fateful the final days of the Third Reich.

©2024 Arcturus Holdings Limited (P)2024 Arcturus Publishing & ID Audio

Insightful piece of history, Excellent narration!

I've explored WW2 through books and films, but learning about it from a city's perspective is a fascinating approach and it's pretty well done in this book.

The narrator is superb, and the pacing felt balanced. The level of detail is incredible, considering the book's length, although it may be overwhelming for those who are not into historical non-fiction. I'd recommend taking breaks between chapters.

I'd love a similar book on WW1 – perhaps a companion piece? :)

Great narration!

Clear and crisp narrator. Decent story, but perhaps I’m not as much into history as I thought.

Title is a little misleading

This book is titled, "The Fall of Berlin" - yet the book spends only a portion of it's time on the battle of Berlin. I understand that there is a need to provide the context of the battle of Berlin with respect to German efforts on the other theatres of the war, but in my opinion, too much time was spent outside of Berlin itself and the immediate surrounding area. Because of this focus, the book does not provide a chronological account. Specific theatres of war are outlined chronologically, but then the next chapter will start with a different time period, which made it harder to put in context of other events.

With respect to the battle of Berlin itself, I expected more detail and more content. There was some first person accounts by higher ranks, but few made by ordinary foot soldiers and citizens.

With respect to the narrator, he did a good job, but made the curious choice of putting on various accents when quoting British and American accounts. However, German and Russian accounts were read with his usual voice. I understand and support the decision not to use German and Russian accents, if you can't do them properly. That would be really distracting, however, why do the British and American accents at all then?

In summary, the subtitle of this book, "The Final Days of Hitler's Evil Regime" would have made a better title than, "The Fall of Berlin". The book is definitely worth a listen. I learned a lot of new information from listening to the book. Other than my quips above, the narrator, did a fine job, and within chapters, the author set out cogent stories that moved along well.

disclaimer. Reviewer received a free copy of book in exchange for this review.