Berlin: Red Vengeance Campaign ETO (id:#57809)

Heat of Battle (Berlin: Red Vengeance ID: BRV CG 1)   [next]   [previous]

Berlin, Germany 1945-04-28 (32 others)

Overview:

The battle for the Reichstag building was a n isolated battle within the greater battle for Berlin. The Reichstag was the great prize for the Russian Army's conquest over Germany. The Soviet command considered the Reichstag t o b e the equivalent of the Kremlin in its political prestige. Stalin deliberately placed the boundry for two Army Fronts along the main road running just south o f the Reichstag (the Charlettenburg Chaussee in the hope that his two most popular army commanders would sully themselves for a chance to take the 'lair of the beast'. In between these two powerful Russian forces stood the last remnants of the once vaunted German war machine, survivors of six years o f total war. The defenders ranged from veteran S S units t o the heroic paratroopers o f Cassino t o the children and grandfathers o f the s o called "master race." Marshall Zhukov beat out Marshall Koniev for the chance t o take the symbolic building. His third Shock Army broke into Berlin from the north. One last river and the Reichstag would b e his, and the Nazi's would finally be destroyed. But first, the 79th Corps had to cross the Spree River and dig the Germans out.

Defender: German (SS) (Defense Sector "Z" (Citadel) and the 11th SS Freiwillinge Panzergrenadier Division 'Nordland')  

Errata (source)