6. Taking of Berlin, 1945 (1.3 million casualties)
This was the end in the final series of events leading to the ultimate downfall of Hitler and Nazi Germany. It began on April 16, 1945, when 20 army troop regiments, 8,500 aircrafts, and 6,300 tanks were unleashed by the Russian dictator Josef Stalin. They were sent with the ultimate goal of crushing the German forces and capturing Berlin. The German forces put up stiff resistance, they were no match for the determined Russian forces who had surrounded the city of Berlin by April 24th. Street-to-street and house-by-house battles ensued, resulting in a massive bloodbath that claimed almost 1.3 million lives by the time all was said and done. Eventually, the Russian troops came out victorious, and the ‘Fuhrer’, knowing his end was near, married his long time mistress in his underground bunker after which time they both ended their lives by committing suicide. The Russians’ arrival and taking of Berlin before the Americans could arrive would have a huge geopolitical impact in the US-USSR Cold War in the decades to follow.
Add Comment