May 1945

Eastern Front

Weidling surrenders the remnants of the Berlin garrison, bringing the fighting to an end. The battle cost the Germans around half a million killed and captured and 1,500 tanks, 4,500 aircraft and 8,600 arty pieces lost. However, the cost has also been high for the Soviet forces, the 2nd Belorussian losing 13,000 killed and 46,000 wounded, the 1st Belorussian 37,000 killed and 141,000 wounded and the 1st Ukrainian 27,000 killed and 86,000 wounded. Equipment losses amount to 2,156 tanks and Su's, 1,220 arty pieces and 527 aircraft.

By 1500 hours the guns have fallen silent and an eerie quiet settle over the city. Josef Goebbels poisons his 6 children and then he and his wife Magda commit suicide. Like Hitler and Eva Braun, the adults' bodies are burned but not so thoroughly. The corpses are later identified by the Russians. Gen Krebs also commits suicide but Bormann attemmpts to escape from Berlin with a small band of followers. Unconfirmed reports list Bormann as killed when the tank he was taking cover behind is destroyed.

The remnants of the Frankfurt-Guben Group continue their battle but by nightfall the buld of the force is destroyed and the 12th Army thrown back to the west. Nearly 120,000 German soldiers surrender while 60,000 have been killed in the fighting.

On the Baltic cost the 2nd Shock Army reaches Stralsund and Rostock falls to the 70th Army.