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nothing will exert a psychological

effect of despair upon german forces

equal to that of the fall of berlin it

will be the supreme

signal of defeat

i see that the anglo-american troops are

advancing into germany

without encountering much resistance

that is well for their lies but

why hide this from the russians

frankly i cannot help feeling strong

resentment towards your informants

whoever they are for having presented my

actions

in such a vile light

you soldiers in the east already know

the fate which threatens german women

girls and children the old men and

children will be slaughtered

women and girls will be reduced to army

camp slaves

in these hours the whole german people

look to you

my warriors in the east and only hope

that thanks to your constancy

your fanaticism your weapons and your

leadership

the bolshevist onrush will be smothered

in its own blood

the population of our western regions

conquered by

the anglo-americans behaves towards them

in a relatively

favorable manner i hadn't really

expected this

berlin as a strategic area has lost much

of its importance now that it is

destroyed and we have reports that

government agencies

are moving to earth leipzig moreover

berlin is so close to the russian front

that

as soon as they begin moving again they

will get there in a few days

has it ever occurred to you that nothing

will be left of your nice frontline

fortifications

or of your men after the russians open

fire

if you're in a steel mill you do not put

your head under that trap

do you the time has come to take the

frightening total war

and to punish the criminals with our

victories

with our blood we have won the right to

take berlin and enter the city first

we will pronounce severe judgment of our

people against the german invaders

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the zeloph heights on the eve of d-day

the battle for berlin takes place in two

stages

the first the battle of the oda from the

16th to the 20th of april

and the battle in the city itself from

the 21st of april to the 2nd of may

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in this episode we'll focus on the

prelude for the first of these

and especially on the most critical

sector of the front the zeiloff heights

by april 1945 the reich had achieved the

capability

to deploy 85 divisions 1 million men

on the eastern front along the oda while

maintaining

only 20 divisions against the western

allies

although the new units formed in the

east were made of odds and ends

and with a few exceptions they were

still relatively well equipped

they benefited from an enormous quantity

of flack

a motivated staff a large distribution

of panzerfaust

and a wooded and urbanized ground all to

the advantage of defence

the shortening of the front allowed two

to three lines of defense

something that had never been possible

in russia in the previous years

in the battle of the uda the balance of

power gave the red army a huge advantage

in terms of sheer forces but it was

partly negated by a terrain

entirely favorable to the defender

by the impossibility for the soviets to

conceal their preparations

and by their total ignorance of the

opposing defense system

these disadvantages will be further

amplified by the psychological pressure

that stalin applies to zhukov who was

forced to rely on a frontal assault from

the bridgehead

facing the zeiloff heights and to

prepare it within a minimal

time frame as we saw in the previous

episodes

colonel general heinoritzi was assigned

the impossible task

to defend the reich against the gigantic

soviet offensive

that had been prepared beyond the order

for over a month

and that was now about to begin

hanritsi could easily guess that the

main soviet attack

would target the area of the oderbrook

in the khystron bridgehead

where the first belarusian front could

not hide its preparations

thus he decided to strip amigrip vistala

which extended 330 kilometers between

the baltic

and the urdu nisa confluence and to give

the best of its forces

to bush's ninth army which defended less

than half

this length in turn busa concentrated 80

of his resources on his left wing on the

70 kilometers

of the odebrook army group vestula had

385 000 men in total

of whom roughly one hundred and sixty

thousand were rear services

a hundred and twenty five thousand were

various personnel from the luftwaffe

ss foxtroom creeks marina and one

hundred thousand

were actual fighting troops of the one

hundred thousand men

at his disposal heinrich granted more

than seventy thousand to the ninth army

which also received two thirds of the

seven hundred and fifty pounds

three quarters of the fifteen hundred

field guns and the best

of the flak in the previous episode of

this series

the dramatic conference in hitler's

bunker we saw how the furos acolytes

guring himmler donuts

and others eagerly promised thousands of

men from their personal forces

to reinforce the odor front but in

reality

how many were actually dispatched

from a total of 150 000 promised

reinforcements

heinrichy will receive only 30 000 with

little or no training at all

and unlike the bulk of his forces often

without

individual weapons facing this largely

unequal balance

heinrichy set reasonable objectives

within his reach

he knew he would suffer from the

shortages of fuel and ammunition

the absence of reserves the weakness of

most of his units

and the lack of strategic space once the

soviet breakthrough is achieved his

troops will no longer have any

possibility of regrouping

and ninth army will inevitably be cut

off

and destroyed the only thing he could

save

was time but time for what

for allowing the western allies to

progress towards berlin

this point deserves further detail

let's see how the german command assess

the possibility

of a quicker american advance east to

overrun the soviets

and to secure a much more advantageous

surrender and occupation

the post-war testimonies of busa

heinrich

and venk who played a key role in april

1945

leave little doubt as to the meaning

they gave to their fight

in austin dick martin investin

al finnaaken in the east we close

in the west we open keeping the soviets

at bay

would allow the anglo-american forces to

cross the elba

and take berlin which would spare the

german soldiers

captivity in the ussr

but as it turned out even though they

easily could

the allies did not cross the line agreed

in advance with stalin

they did not push the door that was left

open

to them as the battle for germany

unfolds

stalin bitterly notes the germans are

largely surrendering in the west

whereas fighting like mud in the east

gerbils writes a similar statement in

his diary

march 5 1945 the population of our

western regions

conquered by the anglo-americans behaves

towards them in a relatively

favorable manner i hadn't really

expected this

in particular i would have thought the

folks term

would fight better than they actually

did

will the allies not take advantage of

this void to enter berlin with a rifle

on the sling

why wouldn't they do it in a letter to

roosevelt on april 3

stalin bluntly reveals the substance of

his thoughts

my military advisors are concerned

on the basis of information in their

position

that negotiations have taken place to

come to an agreement with the germans

at the end of which the german commander

on the western front

marshall kessler ring had to open his

front to the anglo-american troops

and let them advance towards the east

the british and the americans having

promised

in exchange to ease the terms of the

armistice

i see that the anglo-american troops are

advancing into germany

without encountering much resistance

that is well for their lies but why

hide this from the russians

roosevelt responds in an outraged tone

frankly i cannot help feeling strong

resentment towards your informants

whoever they are for having presented my

actions

and those of my collaborators in such a

vile light but stalin is certain that

the allies are deceiving him

and that they want berlin to enter the

city first at all costs

he decided to put zhukov and konef in

competition with the allies

and also as was pointed out in episode

one in this series

in competition with each other the

result is a terrible stress for the

leaders and the troops

unbelievable time constraints for

operational planning

and ultimately unnecessary losses

why did stalin insist on the quick

capture of berlin

was this a real necessity the answer is

no

there were no reasons to speed up taking

the city other than prestige

but that's exactly what mattered to the

soviet leader just like hitler insisted

on taking stalingrad at all costs

and against military logic stalin is

convinced

that the capture of berlin would mean

that in the eyes of the world the ussr

would be seen

as the real victor of the war

in the west churchill also wants to go

to berlin

especially if montgomery reaches it

first but the american leaders do not

see the point

let's have a closer look at this during

the cold war

eisenhower was criticized for having

allowed the soviets to seize berlin

as well as prague and vienna when the us

ninth army was able to reach it first

yet the supreme allied commander in the

west did not have a choice

he simply applied the strategy devised

in washington

by president roosevelt and general

marshall the u.s army chief of staff

in this strategy where political

considerations superseded the military

seizing the german capital was not part

of the u.s fundamental war goals

its two major objectives were first

to ensure the defeat of nazi germany as

soon as possible

with the least human cost this will make

it possible to transfer to the pacific

a large part of the forces engaged in

europe

second to renew the alliance with the

soviets in the post-war period

to build a new international order in no

case should the u.s allow itself to be

drawn into what could be considered

an act of hostility towards the ussr

and it is true that at this time the

rating of the soviet union

was at its highest in american public

opinion which would neither have

understood

nor followed an act of hostility over

central europe

on march 28 in an initiative that would

reverberate for years

eisenhower sent a cable to general dean

the us military liaison officer in

moscow

with a message to be delivered to stalin

he said operations had reached the point

where it was essential for him to know

the russian intentions so that the

actions of the advancing forces could be

coordinated

my own immediate plan is to encircle the

roar and isolate it from the rest of

germany

then divide the enemy's remaining forces

by joining hands with your forces

for my forces the best axis for this

junction would be

erfert leipzig dresden

in addition as soon as the situation

allows a secondary advance will be made

to seek another

junction with you in the regensburg area

thus preventing a consolidation

of the german resistance in a recess in

southern germany

before fully fixing my plans i think it

is very important that they are

coordinated

as closely as possible with your

forecasts in terms of directions and

deadlines

could you tell me under these conditions

what your intentions are

and let me know if the operations

outlined in this message

are in line with your own operations

the cable did not mention berlin at all

in fact

it implicitly abandons the capture of

the german capital

this is confirmed a few days later in

another cable to the combined chiefs of

staff

berlin as a strategic area has lost much

of its importance now that it is

destroyed and we have reports that

government agencies

are moving to earth leipzig moreover

berlin is so close to the russian front

that

as soon as they begin moving again they

will get there in a few days

the british complained furiously that

eisenhower had exceeded his authority by

contacting a head of state directly

eisenhower said he wrote to stalin in

his capacity as head of the soviet armed

forces

not as head of state besides churchill

had always felt free to deal with

eisenhower directly

more to the point was the diminution of

the british role

after learning about eisenhower's

decision churchill had conferred with

the british chiefs of staff nearly all

afternoon

he was feeling embarrassed and upset

about a particular mention that read

montgomery will be responsible on patrol

tasks

the prime minister thought that british

forces were being

regulated to an unexpected and

restricted sphere

far from the trivial in the prime

minister's eyes was the continuing

american apathy towards berlin

in a letter to roosevelt churchill

hammered away at the urgency of taking

the german capital

nothing will exert a psychological

effect of despair upon german forces

equal to that of the fall of berlin it

will be the supreme signal of defeat

if the russians take berlin will not

their impression that they have been the

overwhelming contributor to the common

victory

be unduly imprinted in their minds and

may this not lead them into a mood

which will raise grave and formidable

difficulties in the future

i therefore consider that from a

political standpoint

should berlin be in our grasp we should

certainly take it

as for stalin he did not trust a word of

eisenhower's cable anyway

the soviet leader was persuaded the

allies are deceiving him

and decides to act similarly he replied

to the supreme allied commander

i fully agree to a junction with the

americans in the earth for dresden

leipzig

region the main strategic sector for the

soviet forces

the attack will begin in the second half

of may

berlin has lost its former's tragic

importance

the soviet high command therefore plans

to allocate only

secondary forces in this direction

churchill's concerns deepened still more

when he received a copy of stalin's

answer

its contents the prime minister believed

were highly suspicious

and he cabled eisenhower i am all the

more impressed with the importance of

entering berlin

which may well be open to us by the

reply from moscow it is highly important

that we should shake hands with the

russians

as far to the east as possible much may

happen in the west before the date of

stalin's main offensive

churchill's great hope now was that the

allied drive would carry the troops

forward into berlin

well ahead of stalin's target date

but he could not have missed the fact

that had it been so

this could have led to a major

diplomatic clash if not more

the soviets who had suffered enormously

during the german invasion of their

country

and who paid by far the highest price to

achieve victory

were determined to capture berlin as the

final prize

had the americans and british challenge

them for capture of the city

it is inconceivable that they would have

acquiesced passively

the british leader could not have

ignored that in light of this and in

retrospect

his obstinacy to deprive the soviets of

berlin

looks singularly disturbing

16 april 1945

d-day for the final offensive has

arrived

let's see in what state of mind german

and soviet troops

met this historic moment under darkness

the night before the soviet offensive

most of the vistala troops

had swung back to the second line of

positions as heinrichy had ordered

but as strange as it may seem some

officers had bitterly resented giving up

their front-line positions it looked to

them

as though they were retreating several

commanders had complained to heinrichy

who in return enquired isilly of one

protesting general

has it ever occurred to you that nothing

will be left of your nice frontline

fortifications

or of your men after the russians opened

fire

if you're in a steel mill you do not put

your head under the trip however

do you you pull it back in time that is

precisely what we're doing

the fuhrer's order dated april 15 was to

be distributed to all units down to

company level

but on no account was it to be published

in the public newspapers

it read soldiers of the german eastern

front

for the last time the deadly bolshevist

enemy is going over to the attack with

his hordes

he is trying to smash germany and

exterminate our people

you soldiers in the east already know

the fate which threatens german women

girls and children the old men and

children will be slaughtered

women and girls will be reduced to army

camp slaves

the remainder will go to siberia

we have experienced this attack and

since january everything has been done

to build up a strong front

the enemy is confronted by a tremendous

amount of artillery

losses in our infantry have been filled

in with countless new units

alarm units newly organized units and

the volksdrum

are reinforcing our front this time

the bolshevist will experience the old

fate of asia

he must and shall fall before the

capital city of the german reich

whoever does not do his duty at the

moment is a traitor to our people

any regiment or division which leaves

its position

acts so disgracefully that it must be

ashamed before women and children

who are withstanding the bombardments in

our cities

take heed especially of the few

traitorous officers

and soldiers who in order to save their

miserable lives

will fight against us for russian pay

perhaps even wear

german uniforms anyone ordering you to

retreat

unless you know him well is to be taken

prisoner at once

and if necessary killed on the spot no

matter what his rank may be

if every soldier at the eastern front

does his duty

in the coming days and weeks the last on

russia of asia will be broken

exactly as in the end the penetration of

our enemy in the west

will fall in spite of everything berlin

will remain

german vienna will be german once more

and europe will never be russian

swear a solemn oath to defend not the

empty concept of the fatherland

but your homes your wives your children

and thus

our future in these hours the whole

german people look to you

my warriors in the east and only hope

that thanks to your constancy

your fanaticism your weapons and your

leadership

the bolshevist on rush will be smothered

in its own blood

at the moment when faith has removed the

greatest war criminal of all time from

the earth

the turning point of this war will be

decided

on the other side on the night of april

16 two hours before the attack

soviet officers read to the men a short

proclamation

from zhukov comrade fighters

the time has come to deliver the last

strike to the enemy

and our homeland will be forever freed

from the danger of a fascist aggression

the time has come to free those of our

fathers and mothers

our brothers and sisters our wives and

children who still

find themselves chained in the fascist

slavery

the time has come to take the

frightening total war and to punish the

criminals

with our victories with our blood we

have won the right to take berlin

and enter the city first we will

pronounce severe judgment of our people

against the german invaders

with a swift strike and thanks to a

heroic assault

we will take berlin because this is not

the first time

that the russian soldiers have conquered

this city

for our soviet homeland on to berlin

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you