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markhartshorn's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding book. Not only did it describe the events of the Battle for Berlin as they unfolded, but Beevor's reporting actually made me feel pity for the average German caught in the throws of the battle. His access to Russian archives have brought a wealth of information to the surface. And his scholarship has helped to prove some of the long told horror stories.
krism's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent! Probably the best book I've read this year. First, the author interlaces facts with excerpts from diaries, letters, and legal depositions. I learned and FELT what was happening. No wonder his books have won so many awards. Second, I've not read as much about the war on the eastern front. The book takes you into Hitler's bunker and covers the lasts days of all those were there. While the book focuses on Berlin, there's a lot about the battles leading up to it, the desperation felt on all sides, and why the Germans and Russians despise one another. I learned a lot about Stalin and the millions of his own people he starved, killed, imprisoned, and silenced. I thought about Putin and can see many parallels. I learned more about Poland and Ukraine, both before and after the war, and how it impacts the present day tensions between those countries and Russia. I'll be reading more by Sir Anthony Beevor!
radbear76's review against another edition
3.0
Not an easy read. The author does a great job of describing the brutality of the Red Army and outlining how common rape was perpetrated against women regardless of nationality. He also demonstrates the naivety of the US in trusting Stalin. All of this made me think several times that at the very least the US shouldn't have allied ourselves with Soviets, and quite possibly it would have been better if we'd attacked the Soviets. But then I remembered this would put us on the side of the Nazis. So maybe we should have just nuked Moscow and the Soviet armies after they occupied eastern Germany. Maybe someone will use that as a plot of an alternate history novel.
ms_dzt's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic history into a tragic and confusing time. I'm not one for all the military strategy but the details of the lives of Berliners was very well done.
jillx27's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled with this as I did with Stalingrad. I do love history, I really do but I don't think I'm so keen on war. And this is all about war - or the last months of the war. It seemed to me to be all tactics and detail. I began to really not want to know but in saying that, this is a well-written, well-researched book.
krism's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent! Probably the best book I've read this year. First, the author interlaces facts with excerpts from diaries, letters, and legal depositions. I learned and FELT what was happening. No wonder his books have won so many awards. Second, I've not read as much about the war on the eastern front. The book takes you into Hitler's bunker and covers the lasts days of all those were there. While the book focuses on Berlin, there's a lot about the battles leading up to it, the desperation felt on all sides, and why the Germans and Russians despise one another. I learned a lot about Stalin and the millions of his own people he starved, killed, imprisoned, and silenced. I thought about Putin and can see many parallels. I learned more about Poland and Ukraine, both before and after the war, and how it impacts the present day tensions between those countries and Russia. I'll be reading more by Sir Anthony Beevor!
nelson_123456's review against another edition
4.0
Dos vários livros sobre a 2ª Guerra Mundial que Antony Beevor escreveu, este é particularmente doloroso de ser lido.
Este livro abarca os meses finais da guerra na Europa durante o ano de 1945, quando já se sabia que a Alemanha Nazi estava derrotada e os futuros vencedores (União Soviética, EUA, Inglaterra) já discutiam o pós-guerra.
É angustiante passar pelas paginas deste livro e perceber que a Alemanha de Hitler lutou até ao fim, nunca aceitando uma rendição. As principais vitimas foram os jovens de 14-16 anos, recrutados à ultima da hora, porque já não existiam soldados suficientes, e enviados para a morte para lutar quase sem meios, contra o poder dos tanques soviéticos.
Outras grandes vitimas da não rendição foram os 3-4 milhões de mulheres alemãs que foram violadas no final da guerra, numa demonstração de selvajaria humana pura, mesmo levando em conta as atrocidades cometidas pelos alemães. O fanatismo ideológico Hitler levou a que centenas de milhar de pessoas (soldados e civis) tivessem de morrer num período em que a derrota era inevitável
Do lado soviético ficamos a perceber a indiferença dos seus generais pelas vidas dos seus soldados. Stalin fomentou a concorrência entre os seus comandantes, oferendo-lhes a honra de serem os primeiros a conquistar Berlim. Os resultados foram erros militares grosseiros (e muitas situações de fogo "amigo"), com custos desnecessários em vidas. Foram quase 100 mil mortos os custos da conquista de Berlim, algo que no inicio desta batalha final da 2ª guerra Mundial na Europa, parecia inimaginável.
Como nota final deste livro ficamos a saber que mesmo após o suicido de Hitler, continuou-se a combater durante mais uma semana, e estas últimas mortes em combate de ambos os lados, são um símbolo do absurdo do que foi o prolongamento de guerra, que até à batalha de Berlim já tinha causado 6 milhões de mortos aos alemães e mais 20 milhões às nações na antiga União Soviética
lakecake's review against another edition
3.0
Really battle heavy in the details, which was confusing because I don't understand all the weaponry terminology AND the names are all Russian and hard to remember. I wanted more of an inside look at what was happening in Berlin, and less of the outside battle details.
So good for what it is, but not what I expected.
So good for what it is, but not what I expected.