In the original dustsheet. Black cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

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Does what it says on the tin!

Tony Le Tissier is arguably the finest English-language historian of the Battle of Berlin’ defence Web. The Battle of Berlin was a battle on an unprecedented scale. The Soviets massed 1.6 million troops for Operation Berlin, and Marshal Zhukov in the centre had half of them, but his initial attack floundered, lasting four days instead of one. It was so costly that he had to revise his plans for taking the city, and to revise them yet again when Stalin allowed his rival, Marshal Koniev, to intervene. The battle thus became a contest for the prize of the Reichstag. Meanwhile, Hitler and his courtiers sought to continue the struggle in the totally unrealistic atmosphere that prevailed in his bunker, while soldiers and civilians alike suffered and perished unheeded all around them. In The Battle of Berlin 1945, Tony Le Tissier brings us the definitive history of the last great battle of the Second World War – a fight to the death in the smouldering ruins of the capital of Hitler’s Third Reich.

Reviews:

• Another excellent book from such an excellent author. This book contains astounding accuracy and detail of events I have never found in another WW2 book! The author Tony Le Tissier, with great authority and intelligence, does not bore the reader with endless statistics or numbers, but commits himself to go in such detail that will leave you feeling in the midst of the final battles around and in berlin itself! Very highly recommended for any serious WW2 readers.
• In the preface of the book Tony le Tissier states “the task of putting the story together has been rather like the reconstruction of an ancient vase from an incomplete set of fragments. Fortunately, more and more pieces appeared during the course of the task, sufficient – I hope – to produce a reasonably comprehensive and rewarding pattern of events.” Has he succeeded? Well: yes and no. After reading the book I felt strangely unfulfilled. In describing the pattern of events, the author sets a very sturdy pace. This pace in combination with the broad scope never gives you the feeling you are during the desperate and destructive end battles of WW2. There are only sparse (witness)accounts of the actual fighting. A good but abstract account is given of the extensive fighting around Berlin. The fighting in Berlin itself is only a relatively small part of that total account. All in all, a scholar’s account.