Northern Eurasia 1945: Battle of Berlin

In April, the Soviets surrounded and attacked Berlin. On the 30th, Adolf Hitler committed suicide and by May 2, resistance had been crushed. At the same time, the Western and Eastern Fronts met up on the Elbe. A few days later, the remaining German forces surrendered.

At the cost of perhaps 40 million dead, over half of them Soviet, the Second World War in Europe was over.

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Main Events

5 Apr 1945 Soviet Union denounces Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact of 1941 ▲

Soviet Union denounces Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact of 1941 in wikipedia

16 Apr–2 May 1945 Battle of Berlin ▲

In mid-April 1945 three Soviet fronts, comprising some 2.5 million men, converged on Berlin from the east, south, and north, facing a little over 766 thousand German defenders. On 20 April—Hitler’s birthday—they began bombarding the city, with the fronts completing its encirclement on the 25th. German attempts to break the siege failed and on 2 May the advancing Soviets captured the Reichstag at Berlin’s heart. Over 80,000 Soviet troops died in the offensive for German losses of up to 100,000 (including Adolf Hitler, who committed suicide on 30 April). in wikipedia

25 Apr 1945 Elbe Day ▲

On 25 April 1945 Soviet and American patrols, having advanced from the east and west of Germany respectively, met up around the destroyed Elbe bridge at Torgau. This symbolic contact meant that the two Allied nations had effectively cut Germany in two, all but assuring the destruction of the Third Reich. in wikipedia

30 Apr 1945 Death of Hitler ▲

By 26 April 1945 the Soviet Army had surrounded Berlin, and large sectors of the German military were surrendering to the Allies. Having retreated to his underground bunker in January, and reportedly suffering a mental breakdown, Hitler committed suicide on 30 April, along with his wife Eva Braun. Hitler was succeeded as President by Naval commander Karl Dönitz and as Chancellor by Joseph Goebbels (who himself committed suicide the following day). in wikipedia