ILLUSTRATED HISTORY: RELIVE THE TIMES: Images Of War, History , WW2: Nazi Germany: The Last Days

Nazi Germany: The Last Days

A dream shattered: A German soldier sits morosely near the Reichstag

OVER A MILLION GERMANS DIED IN LAST 100 DAYS OF THE WAR ON THE OSTFRONT

Berlin operation from April 16 to May 8, '45 put 400,000 killed
Prague operation from 5 to 9 May 1945, in Prague, another 40,000 were killed.
Upper-operation (15-31 March 1945) - more than 40,000 were killed
East Prussian operation (January 13-April 25, 1945) - 150,000 killed
East Pomeranian Offensive (February 10 - April 4, 1945) - 53,000 killed.
Balaton defensive operation (March 1-15, 1945). - 39,000 killed
Moravska Ostrava operation (March 10-May 5, 1945) - more than 100,000 dead
Vienna operation (March 16-April 15, 1945) - 41,000 killed
Bratislava Brnovskaya-operation (March 25-May 5, 1945) - more than 70,000 killed
Koenigsberg operation (6-9 April 1945) - 60,000 killed.
Nizhneselezskaya offensive (8-24 February 1945) - 36,000 killed
Kurland operation (elimination boiler May 15, 1945) - 34,000 killed
Western Carpathian operation (January 12-February 18, 1945) -
Total: 1,063,000 Germans died in the last 100 days of the war.

The only man left: Field Marshal Keitel sits down to surrender

This is what remains of a German Personnel Carrier with ten barreled mortar

Brandenburg Gate, once a symbol of a proud nation lies broken as the conquerors swarm around

Berlin in May 1945: A ruined city

Broken, defeated men: Captured pilots of the Luftwaffe

Keitel walks to surrender

The guns fell silent in Berlin: Last men of the Wehrmacht to surrender

The fight is over. The remaining German soldiers who were left alive surrender to triumphant Russians

The children of Joseph Goebbels: He killed them so that they would not fall into Russian hands

The Russians start distributing food to starving people of Berlin

The skies over Berlin: Once Luftwaffe planes proudly flew; now Russian planes dominate the air over the once-proud capital of the Third Reich

Death and destruction in the East Prussian city of Pilau

"Dragon's Teeth': German fortifications to ward off the approaching Russians, west of Berlin

A column of German POWS. Once they were hailed as heroes by the people; now they get sad or indifferent stares

A Russian soldier takes over the traffic east of Berlin

Soviet tanks trundle through Berlin

Russian soldiers march into Vienna, as Austria too fell. April 1945

Berlin in April end, 1945

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Points to Ponder: Why Is China Unstable?

The aim of individuals in any society is money and power. Societies that give equal chance to all its members to get them will be the most stable. That is why democracies are more stable than other systems of governance.

China after Deng's reform gave the chance to get rich but power is in the hands of an elite; the Communist Party of China. Membership to the party is at the whims of the local party bosses. This leaves out many people who crave political power dissatisfied and disgruntled. There in lies the roots of instability. The Party suppressed these demands once at Tiananmen in 1989. But force is hardly the way to deal with things like these.

READ MORE: Tiananmen Square Massacre

Why This Interest For Waffen SS Even Today?

World War Two ended many many years ago. All the Nazi creations were destroyed. But even today there is a continuous, even a growing interest in the Waffen SS. Why?

OK, Hitler was a bad guy. He dragged the world into a destruction never seen before . Agreed, the SS leadership was evil. The millions of fighters of the Waffen SS were embued with the Nazi ideals.

But certain ideals were drilled into them which made them one of the toughest soldiers the world will ever see. A camaraderie, a fierce devotion to Germany. With a complete disregard for one's life. A purity which is rarely seen in today's world.

Herein lies the appeal......

Some articles on the Waffen SS on this site

Mass Rape Of German Women In 1945....

Mass Rape Of German Women In 1945....

One young officer coming upon a unit that had overtaken a column of German refugees fleeing westward later recalled: ‘Women, mothers and their children lie to the right and left along the route, and in front of each of them stands a raucous armada of men with their trousers down. The women who are bleeding or losing consciousness get shoved to one side, and our men shoot the ones who try to save their children.’ A group of ‘grinning’ officers was standing near by, making sure ‘that every soldier without exception would take part’.
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The End Of Nazi Germany

Zhukov stood up. 'We invite the German delegation to sign the act of capitulation,' he said in Russian. The interpreter translated, but Keitel, by an impatient gesture, signalled that he had understood and that they should bring him the papers.

Zhukov, however, pointed to the end of his table. 'Tell them to come here to sign,' he said to the interpreter. Keitel stood up and walked over. He ostentatiously removed his glove before picking upthe pen. He clearly had no idea that the senior Soviet officer looking over his shoulder ashe signed was Beria's representative, General Serov. Keitel put the glove back on, then returned to his place. Stumpff signed next, then Friedeburg.

'The German delegation may leave the hall,' Zhukov announced. The three men stood up.Keitel, 'his jowls hanging heavily like a bulldog's', raised his marshal's baton in salute,then turned on his heel.

As the door closed behind them, it was almost as if everybody inthe room exhaled in unison. The tension relaxed instantaneously. Zhukov was smiling, sowas Tedder. Everybody began to talk animatedly and shake hands. Soviet officers embraced each other in bear hugs. The party which followed went on until almost dawn,with songs and dances. Marshal Zhukov himself danced the Russkayato loud cheers fromhis generals. From inside, they could clearly hear gunfire all over the city as officers and soldiers blasted their remaining ammunition into the night sky in celebration. The war was over.

From Berlin Downfall 1945 by ANTONY BEEVOR

The War In Russia....

The German divisions advanced across immense fields of sun-flowers or corn. One of the main dangers they faced was from Red Army soldiers, cut off by the rapid advance, attacking from behind or from the flank. On many occasions, when German soldiers fired back, the Red Army soldiers fell, feigning death, and lay there without moving. When the Germans approached to investigate, the Soviet soldiers waited until almost the last moment, then 'shot them at close range'

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"I must admit that this gassing had a calming effect on me, I was always horrified of executions by firing squads. Now, I was relieved to think that we would be spared all these bloodbaths."
Rudolf Hoess..

Rudolf Hoess was responsible for the death of over one million people in his concentration camp. He was caught in March 1946, gave evidence at Nuremberg and was then handed over to Poland for trial. While awaiting trial he wrote his memoirs. He was executed at Auschwitz, the very site he commanded, and allowed others to die in.

Snippets From History

In World War II and almost every other war in United States military history, our military was very clearly threatened by a uniformed and rather easily recognizable enemy. However in Vietnam, it was quite opposite. It appeared to the American soldiers that the whole country was hostile to American forces. It was impossible to tell the difference between friendly Vietnamese and enemy Vietnamese, (Viet Cong). The Viet Cong was rarely uniformed; therefore American troops were often forced to kill women and children.

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Snippets From History: Vietnam War

From a journalist’s perspective, especially a photo-journalist, the war in Vietnam was unique. With virtually unrestricted access to the battle fields many photographers came to depict war in a way never seen before or since. Despite the technology, this was a guerrilla war with much of the fighting at close quarters, allowing intense moments to be recorded on film.

This meant risk; over 135 photographers from all sides are recorded as dead or missing. But it was also a war where images changed public opinion.