Waubonsee Community College

The conquerors, directed by Darryl Rehr

eng

videorecording

The conquerors

electronic resource

911956265

directed by Darryl Rehr

52

In April 1945, Stalin was in a hurry. The Americans had recently crossed the Rhine and he was worried they might capture Berlin.To speed up his campaign, he split command between Marshal Zhukov in the center and Marshal Konev in the south triggering a race between his most senior commanders--both eager to be credited with conquest of the German capital. On April 15, Soviet forces launched one of history's most powerful artillery barrages. But the Germans had withdrawn to fortified positions on the Seelow heights further inland, having learned of the imminent Soviet attack. It took Zhukov three days to break the resistance, and his losses were devastating.Over 30,000 Soviet soldiers died compared to the 10,000 lost by the Germans. One local witness remembers how the narrow paths leading through the forest were piled high with corpses. It took the local population months to clear the site. Even today, 1,000 corpses are found each year in and around Berlin

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