How the Soviets smashed the Reich | Eastern Front, 1945

In Berlin, 1945 there was a sense of impending doom. The optimists were learning English, the pessimists Russian, as the Allies closed in on all sides. Meanwhile, Red Army soldiers, who had watched their motherland burn at German hands, were preparing to enter the lair of fascist beast and exact their revenge. The result was a human tragedy beyond comprehension. Berlin would be made to look like Stalingrad. In our previous episode we covered the end of the Second World War in the west. This time we’ll examine the final battles on the Eastern Front. Why did Germans soldiers continue to fight until the very end? How did an intervention from Stalin affect the battle? And what was the Battle for Berlin actually like? This is the story of Germany’s downfall on the Eastern Front. What you need to know about VE Day: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-ve-day What happened after VE Day: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/beyond-ve-day-the-events-of-summer-1945 How is IWM marking the end of the Second World War: https://www.iwm.org.uk/the-end-of-the-second-world-war See our objects for yourself. Plan your visit to IWM London: https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london Explore and licence the film clips used in this video from IWM Film: https://film.iwmcollections.org.uk/collections/5850 Icons created by Freepik - Flaticon Creative commons - German refugees fleeing West Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1976-072-09 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Bundesarchiv, B 285 Bild-S00-00326 / Unknown / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1996-030-01A / Höber, Brigitte / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Follow IWM on social media: https://twitter.com/I_W_M https://www.instagram.com/imperialwarmuseums https://www.facebook.com/iwm.london #WW2 #history #Germany