Berlin’s Downfall
Image taken from geocities.com
By 1945, World War Two was in its sixth terrible year. Millions of soldiers and civilians had been killed and/or wounded. Yet, things never looked brighter. Germany had lost all hope of victory. With the Americans closing in from the western front, the Russians were advancing on the Eastern front. The Russians had forced the German army across the entire stretch of Russia right into the heart of Germany: Berlin. Stalin’s aim was to take Berlin in a swift and decisive move to claim ultimate victory for Mother Russia. So, as was done so many times during the war, millions of Russian soldiers were told no retreat and stormed the ruined city of Berlin. German citizens as well as soldiers were committed to holding the city at any cost. Many tried to flee but to no avail. Young men were forced into the German ranks and if they refused, would be shot without question.
The few people who still believed in the Nazi ideology of victory would be put to the test. Russian soldiers engaged in bitter house-to-house fighting. Combat was brutal. At times, the fight would not include guns, but teeth and hands. The Russians had no mercy on the Germans who had massacred their people. Finally, the Russians made it to the heart of the city: the Reichstag. This large building represented Hitler’s empire and atop it waved a Nazi flag. The Russian soldiers assaulted the building and claimed it for themselves. From their vantage point, all of Berlin was destroyed and/or crumbling. The mighty German empire that Hitler had once boasted about was now nothing but ruins.
