photos of Berlin after the fall

[Lime]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,693452,00.html

[Rolo Tomassi]

Fascinating. One has to wonder how much of that devastation could have been avoided had the Germans, in the final days, moved their western armies to the east in order to hold off the Soviets, thereby allowing U.S. and British forces to take Berlin unopposed. Many in the German hierarchy, deathly afraid of Soviet retaliation and occupation, wanted to do exactly that.

[drbutkus]

Fascinating. One has to wonder how much of that devastation could have been avoided had the Germans, in the final days, moved their western armies to the east in order to hold off the Soviets, thereby allowing U.S. and British forces to take Berlin unopposed. Many in the German hierarchy, deathly afraid of Soviet retaliation and occupation, wanted to do exactly that.


They pretty much did exactly that. Wenck tried to relocate the XII army when it became clear that the Allies were not going to advance to Berlin.

There was nothing that Berlin could do to avoid surrender to the Russians. The Allies would not accept a unilateral surrender, and it was a forgone conclusion that Berlin would be in the Soviet sphere of influence. Roosevelt's, and Ike's, acceptance of this drove Churchill nuts.

[Rolo Tomassi]

Fascinating. One has to wonder how much of that devastation could have been avoided had the Germans, in the final days, moved their western armies to the east in order to hold off the Soviets, thereby allowing U.S. and British forces to take Berlin unopposed. Many in the German hierarchy, deathly afraid of Soviet retaliation and occupation, wanted to do exactly that.


They pretty much did exactly that. Wenck tried to relocate the XII army when it became clear that the Allies were not going to advance to Berlin.

There was nothing that Berlin could do to avoid surrender to the Russians. The Allies would not accept a unilateral surrender, and it was a forgone conclusion that Berlin would be in the Soviet sphere of influence. Roosevelt's, and Ike's, acceptance of this drove Churchill nuts.


You are correct. We pretty much allowed the Soviets to take Berlin. Ike could've argued with FDR about that decision, but he chose not to.