On February 1 of 1943, an angry Soviet colonel collared a group of emaciated German prisoners in the rubble of Stalingrad. “That’s how Berlin is going to look!” he yelled, pointing to the ruined buildings all around.
>During the march on Berlin, the Red Army followed a dreadfully simple procedure in the eastern lands of the Reich: its men raped German women and seized German men (and some women) for labor. The behavior continued as the soldiers reached Berlin. Red Army soldiers had also raped women in Poland, and in Hungary, and even in Yugoslavia, where a communist revolution would make the country a Soviet ally. Yugoslav communists complained to Stalin about the behavior of Soviet soldiers, *who gave them a little lecture about soldiers and “fun.”*
>Whatever the motivations, the outburst of violence against German women was extraordinary. Men who tried to defend daughters or wives were beaten and sometimes killed. The women had few men to protect them. In some villages, every single female was raped, whatever her age. Gang rapes were very common. Many women died as a result of wounds sustained during successive rapes.
>Germans fleeing by land were often caught, quite literally, in the crossfire of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht. Over and over again, Soviet tank units crashed into columns of German civilians and their horse carts. Eva Jahntz recalled what happened then: “The few men were shot, the women raped, and the children beaten and separated from their mothers.” Grass, who saw such a scene as a Waffen-SS soldier, “saw a woman scream, but could not hear her scream.”
* Timothy Snyder, Bloodlands, on Red Army behavior and atrocities in Eastern Europe
Over 100,000 women were victims of sexual violence in Berlin. The atrocities were even worse in Pomerania, Silesia, and especially East Prussia, where mass rapes spread through both urban areas and countryside. In addition, Polish women were assaulted, as were Hungarians, Yugoslavians, and later Chinese women in the August invasion of Manchuria. Even Soviet women deported as forced labourers were not safe, for many experienced assaults of their own.
These are incredible. Thank you!
78,291 Soviet soldiers fell in the last battle. Another 274,184 were wounded.
Some 250,000 German soldiers perished, many of which happened while attempting to break out and surrender to the Western Allies.
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On February 1 of 1943, an angry Soviet colonel collared a group of emaciated German prisoners in the rubble of Stalingrad. “That’s how Berlin is going to look!” he yelled, pointing to the ruined buildings all around.
Two years later, the Red Army made [good on that promise](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uSG353wMIxE/WAxOoDSeY0I/AAAAAAAALnk/jWrXY6j7V2U2mYf_gAbDh_8tfz_1ebpKQCLcB/s1600/Berlin%2Bin%2B1945%2B1.jpg).
It would take decades for the physical wounds to heal. The psychological wounds have not.
[“If the German people are not prepared to stand up for their own preservation, fine. Let them perish.” A young German hanged for not participating in the battle.](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fthe-battle-of-berlin-v0-kihsvbllmqtd1.png%3Fwidth%3D640%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dbd0c441ce7e702afc918a226198ace8b8352daf1)
[Berliners navigate the burning streets of their home.](https://preview.redd.it/the-battle-of-berlin-v0-x2fbjuscqqtd1.png?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=ba0caeb544528e935c011b3762ffb2e2389b6854)
[The Reich’s last defenders.](https://i.redd.it/unbxpotpntp51.jpg)
[Berlin after the battle, seen from above.](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BeZPw8HB2d0/UyYHKs_4ksI/AAAAAAAAIzc/fRlkJbjAo5Y/s1600/Berlin+in+1945+5.jpg)
>During the march on Berlin, the Red Army followed a dreadfully simple procedure in the eastern lands of the Reich: its men raped German women and seized German men (and some women) for labor. The behavior continued as the soldiers reached Berlin. Red Army soldiers had also raped women in Poland, and in Hungary, and even in Yugoslavia, where a communist revolution would make the country a Soviet ally. Yugoslav communists complained to Stalin about the behavior of Soviet soldiers, *who gave them a little lecture about soldiers and “fun.”*
>Whatever the motivations, the outburst of violence against German women was extraordinary. Men who tried to defend daughters or wives were beaten and sometimes killed. The women had few men to protect them. In some villages, every single female was raped, whatever her age. Gang rapes were very common. Many women died as a result of wounds sustained during successive rapes.
>Germans fleeing by land were often caught, quite literally, in the crossfire of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht. Over and over again, Soviet tank units crashed into columns of German civilians and their horse carts. Eva Jahntz recalled what happened then: “The few men were shot, the women raped, and the children beaten and separated from their mothers.” Grass, who saw such a scene as a Waffen-SS soldier, “saw a woman scream, but could not hear her scream.”
* Timothy Snyder, Bloodlands, on Red Army behavior and atrocities in Eastern Europe
Over 100,000 women were victims of sexual violence in Berlin. The atrocities were even worse in Pomerania, Silesia, and especially East Prussia, where mass rapes spread through both urban areas and countryside. In addition, Polish women were assaulted, as were Hungarians, Yugoslavians, and later Chinese women in the August invasion of Manchuria. Even Soviet women deported as forced labourers were not safe, for many experienced assaults of their own.
These are incredible. Thank you!
78,291 Soviet soldiers fell in the last battle. Another 274,184 were wounded.
Some 250,000 German soldiers perished, many of which happened while attempting to break out and surrender to the Western Allies.
125,000 civilians died in the German capital.
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