Victory in Europe Day: 7 important Allied victories against the Nazis
The Battle of Berlin – April 16 to May 2, 1945
The last official battle of the war in Europe and one of the largest battles in military history, Red Army forces delivered the final blow to Nazi Germany when they took Berlin.
Around 1 million German defenders, occupied by many old men and young boys, struggled to fend off a Soviet force of around 2.5 million that gradually took over the city by constant attack.
Adolf Hitler, chancellor of the Third Reich, would die by suicide. Shortly after that, the remaining defensive forces surrendered to the onslaught.
"Hitler's suicide on April 30 gave the garrison commander, General Helmuth Weidling, the chance to surrender. SS troops were doomed if captured, but some still tried to fight on; others committed suicide. Most were thankful that the ordeal was over," noted Britannica.
"The general surrender of German forces was completed five days later. In the end, the Red Army suffered some 350,000 casualties, with at least 450,000 German military casualties and an estimated 300,000 civilians killed or wounded."
