Battle of Berlin Map

    The Battle of Berlin all but marked the end of WWII. This battle was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of WWII. What made this battle so bloody was the amount of people who fought in this battle. By the time the Red Army reached Berlin, Germany and Russia's forces had markedly increased on both sides. The fear of the Russians in Berlin was such that both young and old were put into the front line. Nazi propaganda had demonised the Russians and many Berliners saw the forthcoming battle as simply a fight to the death. 45,000 of Berlin's defenders were either children or old age pensioners. The Red Army surrounded the German capital and come at the German forces at full speed, resulting in a fierce and bloody 3 weeks of fighting. The Russia victory in the Battle for Berlin saw the end of Hitler's Third Reich and the fall of the German Army. This battle ultimately led to Germany's Hitler committing suicide.

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Germany's Strengths:
1,000,000 soldiers (also children and elderly)
10,400 artillery
1,500 tanks
3,300 aircraft

Casualties and Losses:
Exact losses unknown
Estimate: 400,000 killed or wounded
500,000 POW

Soviet's Strengths:
2,500,000 soldiers
41,600 artillery
6,250 tanks
7,500 aircraft

Casualties and Losses:
360,000 dead or missing
1,997 tanks
2,108 artillery pieces
917 aircraft