Battle of Berlin

(noun)

A battle, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, that was the final major offensive of the European Theater of World War II during which the Red Army breached the German front.

Related Terms

Examples of Battle of Berlin in the following topics:

  • The Collapse of Nazi Germany

    • The joined efforts culminated in the final defeat of Germany at the Battle of Berlin.
    • The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European theater.
    • Before the main battle in Berlin commenced, the Red Army encircled the city after successful battles of the Seelow Heights and Halbe.
    • Before the battle was over, German Führer Adolf Hitler and some of his followers committed suicide.
    • The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European theater.

  • The End of the War

    • The final battles of the European theatre of World War II, as well as the German surrender to the Allies, took place in late April and early May 1945.
    • By April 30, 1945, deep in his underground bunker, with the Battle of Berlin raging above him, the German dictator Adolf Hitler realized that all was lost.
    • Meanwhile, the Battle of Berlin was ending and German forces in Berlin surrendered unconditionally to the Soviet army.
    • On the same day the officers commanding the two armies of Army Group Vistula north of Berlin, General Kurt von Tippelskirch, commander of the German 21st Army and General Hasso von Manteuffel, commander of Third Panzer Army, surrendered to the western Allies.
    • After the Battle of Berlin, Soviet soldiers hoist the Soviet flag on the balcony of the Hotel Adlon in Berlin.

  • Crisis in Berlin

    • The Berlin Crisis, which concerned the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, resulted in the erection of the Berlin Wall.
    • The Berlin Crisis of 1961 (June 4–November 9, 1961) was the last major politico-military European incident of the Cold War about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of post–World War II Germany.
    • The U.S.S.R. provoked the Berlin Crisis with an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of Western armed forces from West Berlin, culminating with the city's de facto partition with the East German erection of the Berlin Wall.
    • At the end of that period, Khrushchev declared, the Soviet Union would turn over to East Germany complete control of all lines of communication with West Berlin; the western powers then would have access to West Berlin only by permission of the East German government.
    • Describe the background and escalation of the 1961 crisis in Berlin, and the erection of the Berlin Wall that followed.

  • Slowing Momentum

    • The Battle of Stalingrad and setbacks in the North Africa Campaign represented a major defeat for the Axis forces.
    • The Battle of Stalingrad and setbacks in the North Africa Campaign represented a major defeat for the Axis forces.
    • The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943, and was marked by brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties, which placed it among the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million.
    • In Libya,the Afrika Korps (the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign) failed to break through the line at First Battle of El Alamein (July 1-27 1942), having suffered repercussions from the Battle of Stalingrad .
    • In spring of 1945, the Soviet Army was at Berlin, and the United States and United Kingdom forces had conquered most of west Germany.

  • The Cold War Begins

    • The Cold War began with the formation of the Eastern Bloc, as well as the implementation of the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Blockade.
    • Shortly thereafter, Stalin instituted the Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949), one of the first major crises of the Cold War, preventing food, materials and supplies from arriving in West Berlin.
    • In response, the Western Allies organized the Berlin airlift to carry supplies to the people of West Berlin, a difficult feat given the city's population.
    • On 12 May 1949, the USSR lifted the blockade of West Berlin.
    • Berliners watch an aircraft take part in the Berlin Airlift, which was a successful attempt to circumvent the Soviet blockade of non-Soviet Berlin.

  • "The Hour of Maximum Danger"

    • Some of the most notable events that stemmed from tenets of JFK's foreign policy initiatives in regard to containing the threat of communism were the Kennedy Doctrine, the Berlin Crisis of 1961, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the ratification of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
    • Kennedy made it clear that any treaty which interfered with U.S access rights in West Berlin would be regarded as an act of war.
    • Shortly after Kennedy returned home from the Vienna Summit, the USSR announced its intention to sign a treaty with East Berlin, abrogating any third-party occupation rights in either sector of the city.
    • In the weeks immediately after the Vienna summit and the USSR treaty with East Berlin, more than 20,000 people fled from East Berlin to the western sector in reaction to statements from the USSR.
    • The following month, the Soviet Union and East Berlin began blocking any further passage of East Berliners into West Berlin and erected barbed wire fences across the city, which were quickly upgraded to the Berlin Wall.

  • The Allied Drive Toward Berlin

    • The Western Allied invasion of Germany was conducted by the Western Allies in the final months of fighting in the European theater of World War II.
    • Von Rundstedt's divisions on the west bank were cut to pieces in the 'battle of the Rhineland' (280,000 men were taken prisoner).
    • The first step of Eisenhower's plan was the eradication of the Ruhr Pocket.
    • Following the Ruhr Pocket battle, the Ninth and First American armies turned east and pushed to the Elbe river by mid-April.
    • Summarize Eisenhower's drive toward Berlin, including the crossing of the Rhine, the encirclement and reduction of the Ruhr, and the sweep to the Elbe-Mulde line and the Alps.

  • The Battle of Leyte Gulf

    • The Battle of Leyte Gulf is generally considered the largest naval battle of World War II and possibly the largest naval battle in history.
    • The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the Battles for Leyte Gulf, and formerly known as the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.
    • The Battle of Leyte Gulf consisted of four separate major engagements between the opposing forces: the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Battle of Cape Engaño, and the Battle of Samar; there were also other lesser actions.
    • Kamikaze strikes were first used by the Japanese in the Battle of Leyte Gulf
    • Identify the notable facts and the four major engagements of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

  • Converging Military Fronts

    • Germany responded by disarming Italian forces, seizing military control of Italian areas, and creating a series of defensive lines.
    • From November 1943, during the seven-week Battle of Changde, the Chinese forced Japan to fight a costly war of attrition, while awaiting Allied relief.
    • On 6 June, 1944, known as D-Day, the Allies invaded northern France, leading to the defeat of the German Army units and the liberation of Paris on 25 August .
    • In the Philippines, American forces defeated the Japanese in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and soon after scored another large victory during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history .
    • In early April, the Western Allies finally pushed forward in Italy and swept across Western Germany, while Soviet forces stormed Berlin in late April.

  • The Battle of Bull Run

    • The Battle of Bull Run, the first major battle of the Civil War, demonstrated to the public that the conflict would not be resolved quickly or easily.
    • The First Battle of Bull Run, called the "Battle of First Manassas" by the Confederacy, was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the city of Manassas.
    • It was the first major land battle of the American Civil War, but is also significant for demonstrating to the wider public the inexperience of both armies and the intractable nature of the conflict given the inability of either side to achieve a quick or decisive victory.
    • Johnston arrived from the Shenandoah Valley by railroad and the course of the battle quickly changed.
    • This figure shows the direction of Union attack and Confederate reinforcement at the First Battle of Bull Run.