Berlin, Battle of

Final battle of the European phase of World War II, 16 April–2 May 1945; Soviet forces captured Berlin, the capital of Germany and seat of government and site of most German military and administrative headquarters. Hitler committed suicide on 30 April as the Soviets closed in and General Karl Weidling surrendered the city on 2 May. Soviet casualties came to about 100,000 dead; German casualties are unknown but some 136,000 were taken prisoner and it is believed over 100,000 civilians died in the course of the fighting. After the war, Berlin was divided into four sectors – British, US, French, and Soviet – and until 1948 was under quadripartite government by the Allies.

Three Soviet Army Groups, commanded by Marshals Georgi Zhukov, Ivan Konev, and Konstantin Rokossovski, together with two tank armies, a total of some 1,595,000 troops, forced a bridgehead over the River Oder, some 70 km/45 mi east of the city, and converged on Berlin. They were confronted by the remains of the German 9th Army and the final battle opened 16 April with a barrage fired by 20,000 Soviet guns. The subsequent Soviet advance was fiercely resisted by the Germans, principally the 56th Panzer Corps. A second attack then developed from the south and the third Russian Group attacked from the north 30 April, the first Soviet shells falling in Berlin 21 April. After further heavy bombardment by massed artillery, which virtually destroyed the city, and bitter street fighting, the Soviet flag was flown from the Reichstag building 1 May.