Feldgrau.net

Have read a deal about the last months of fighting in and around Berlin. Does anybody know of books with details about the fighting and defence inside Berlin ? Especially regarding foreign troops defending the city.

You probably should start with "The Last Battle" by Cornelius Ryan or "The Fall of Berlin 1945" by Antony Beevor.

This is a very interesting thread but if you want suggestion of books you are on the wrong section but don't worry the moderator of this site seems to have disapear... Anyway, it is really amazing the fact that the city of Berlin was defended in the last days by foreigners and not Germans. The Nordland Division was the most effective in the Battle of Berlin.

Regards

Hi Richard,
I'd like to recommend:

Berlin Dance of Death - Helmut Altner - ISBN: 0971170940

An incredibly memorable first hand account from one young man thrown into the debacle.

Regards
MG

Take a look at With Our Backs to Berlin. I'll have to get back with you for the rest of the info you'll need, but you may be able to find it with just that.

There were also Latvians and some French From SS Charlemagne in the defense of Berlin.

The foreigners must have been really worried - no obvious chance of winning and not much chance of surviving if captured.

cheers
Reb

The 15th fusilier battalion of Waffen-SS 15. division (Latvian 1) got dragooned into the defence while trying to retreat far west enough to surrender to the western allies (the rest of the division succeeded in doing so).

There were survivors of this final battle, who succeeded in getting out and surrendering to the western allies. They more or less hid the truth after the war for many years, only came out of obscurity fairly recently.

There is a new Latvian language book published on the experiences of the Latvians defending Berlin - embarrasingly, it was made known to me by an english speaker from the US who wanted translation help . It seems the author has 'dug out' the first hand accounts from survivors. Very interesting. I'll pick up a copy week after next and look at posting some translations on the forum somewhere.

AAA

I'd be very interested in seeing what you come up with - those are certainly men who have stared into the abyss - I'd be glad to hear their stories.

cheers
Reb

As someone esle has stated i would highly recommend Anthony Beevors 'Berlin' which i read a litle over 2 weeks ago. Its a highly acclaimed book, well read and extrely intresting.

Aparently the security detail of the Croatian (NDH) embassy in Berlin defended the building against the advancing Red Army. A handful of the Croatian soldiers surrendered after a lengthy battle, and one of them, the Military Attache, survived being a POW in the Soviet Union after the war (his name escapes me, and I don't have my books handy).

Regards!

croat wrote:Aparently the security detail of the Croatian (NDH) embassy in Berlin defended the building against the advancing Red Army. A handful of the Croatian soldiers surrendered after a lengthy battle, and one of them, the Military Attache, survived being a POW in the Soviet Union after the war (his name escapes me, and I don't have my books handy).

Regards!

PLEASE! Give us more info on this...I have never heard this before!!!!!!!

Croat

"It is the inherent right of every nation to have its own nation state."

Always glad to meet another Southern sympathizer!

Deo Vindice
Reb

FactsO'plenty wrote:

croat wrote:Aparently the security detail of the Croatian (NDH) embassy in Berlin defended the building against the advancing Red Army. A handful of the Croatian soldiers surrendered after a lengthy battle, and one of them, the Military Attache, survived being a POW in the Soviet Union after the war (his name escapes me, and I don't have my books handy).

Regards!

PLEASE! Give us more info on this...I have never heard this before!!!!!!!

Hello:

The Croatian (NDH) Military Attache in Berlin was General Milan Desovic, and he held this post from 1943. His deputy, in charge of weapons procurement for the Croatian state, was General Djuro Dragicevic. The embassy building was protected by a security detachment consisting of Poglavnik Bodyguard Division (Ustasa) and regular Army (Domobranstvo) soldiers, as well a Flak unit of the Croatian Airforce (as of November 1944 the Ustasa forces and the regular forces were amalgamated into the Croatian Armed Forces, which affected the embassy detail only on paper). General Dragicevic survived the seige of Berlin and subsequent imprisonment by the Soviets (served 9 years in a prison camp). Upon his release he described the defense of the embassy building by the security detachment, which for several hours held the Soviets at bay - aparently, rumours of massacres in Berlin at the hands of Soviet soldiers convinced the Croatians that they had nothing to lose by going down fighting. Other than General Dragicevic, there are no other known survivors.

Best regards.

I understand that some of the hardcore members of the Spanish Volunteer 250 Division "Blue Division" who had stayed on (and joined a small Spanish SS unit) fought to the bitter end in Berlin.

Any knolwedge or comments on this?

I am new here, was searching in general for info on both my grandads involvement.

One of them was part of some russian unit, then defecting and joining a Latvian SS unit (he was born in siberia Latvian community). I know he retreated back to germany with this unit and hence met his wife. But interested in finding out more. I dont know exactly what unit he was in, I just have a latvian flag badge, which supposedly was worn by Latvian SS units.

The other I am having trouble finding info on, as he was part of the german unit that got annihilated at the Bridge of Remagen. He was meant to fight there aswell, but he had to have his small finger amputated, and thus escaped death. All I know is that he was a sharpshooter, and talking to him about anything is impossible, I think the trauma of it all still deeply affects him. Anyone know what unit(/s) defended the bridge?

Any info on the units and where I can get the book (AAA?) would be appreciated. Yes, I can also speak/read Latvian, so its not a problem.