Europe At War: A WW2 Podcast

April 1945: American forces, led by US V Corps, advance across central Germany, seeking to crush the Third Reich once and for all. With Leipzig now clearly within the crosshairs of the Americans, the city's military and civil leadership panic over how exactly to defend Leipzig from the impending American attack… Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/europeatwar  If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com Cover photo: AP-Wirephoto

An introduction to the Battle of Leipzig, including an overview of the importance of the city to the Third Reich’s war effort. In this episode I also outline the military situation facing the Americans in Germany in 1945 - and how that directly impacted the subsequent American decision to assault (and capture) Leipzig.   Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Battle Of The Nations monument).  Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/europeatwar  If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com Cover photo: AP-Wirephoto

With defeat now inevitable for the Germans and the Soviet capture of Berlin all but complete, General Weidling enters into final surrender negotiations with the Soviets. In the meantime, the breakout groups continue in their attempt to fight their way out of the capital. Epilogue: Once the fighting ends, the victors, the defeated, and the people of Berlin, all take stock after the battle. Berliners who survived the battle, are now subjected to a new struggle, as their city lies in ruins. And from the rubble, a new Berlin will arise… Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Map: Here is a map showing the route taken by Mohnke’s breakout group. (Source: akg-images / Peter Palm). Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com Sources used for the series: Anonymous, A Woman In Berlin, Virago, 2011. Anthony Beevor, Berlin: The Downfall 1945, Viking Penguin, 2002. Tony Le Tissier, The Battle of Berlin, The History Press Ltd, 2008. Roger Moorhouse, Berlin At War, Vintage, 2011. Cornelius Ryan, The Last Battle, Simon & Schuster, 1966. Volker Ulrich, 8 Days In May, Penguin, 2022.

With the rapidly diminishing Berlin garrison forces trapped in an ever-decreasing pocket in the centre of the city, Goebbels, as the new Chancellor, decides to start negotiating with the Soviets. But rather than delivering a quick-end to the fighting, these negotiations quickly descend into farce. Meanwhile, breakout groups launch desperate attempts to escape Berlin, before the city is handed over to the Soviets… Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

The Red Army launches its long-awaited assault on the Reichstag. But all Stalin wants to know is whether or not the building will be captured before May Day… Meanwhile, in the bunker, Hitler bites the bullet.  Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Map: Here is a map of the Soviet assault on the Reichstag. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

Red Army forces brave fire and fury as they launch their assault across the Landwehr Canal, whilst Soviet riflemen establish a foothold in the Diplomatic Quarter after successfully crossing the Moltkebridge. The Reichstag now lies within touching distance for the Soviets… For the Berlin garrison forces, it seems the only thing holding back the Soviet advance are the foreign SS volunteers, who are determined to hold their ground to the last man. Meanwhile, General Wenck contacts OKW with some bombshell news… Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Map: Here is a map of the Soviet assault on the Reichstag. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

With the Berlin garrison forces unable to stop the Soviet advance, the Red Army stands poised to launch a three-pronged assault on the Zitadelle district. The rivalry between Marshal Zhukov and Marshal Konev is also brought to a head when Moscow issues a new demarcation line between the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts in Berlin. Meanwhile, Hitler is treated to a new round of betrayal, when news reaches the bunker regarding Himmler’s negotiations with the West… Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Map: Here is a map of the Soviet assault on the Reichstag. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com You can also support me on Patreon via https://patreon.com/europeatwar

Rumours circulate amongst the Berlin garrison forces regarding the possibility of General Wenck’s 12th Army coming to save the city. In the meantime, the Soviets creep ever closer to the centre of Berlin. Plus, in this week’s episode, we take a closer look at how the women of Berlin suffered during the battle. Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

In a desperate attempt to resupply the beleaguered Berlin garrison, an airstrip is constructed in the Tiergarten park. However the airstrip fails to live up to expectations… Meanwhile, the Red Army drives deeper into Moabit and Neukölln, whilst also launching a renewed assault on the Tempelhof airport. Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

Fighting rages throughout the city as the Berlin garrison struggles to counter the combined forces of two Red Army Fronts. The Soviets then lay siege to Tempelhof Airport… Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

The Berlin garrison is bolstered by the deployment of the 56th Panzer Corps around the city, whilst more badly-needed reinforcements arrive in the city in the form of French SS volunteers. In the meantime, Marshal Konev launches his assault on the Teltow canal in the south of Berlin, plus units from Konev and Zhukov’s fronts link-up in the south-east of the capital… Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

With the Berlin garrison unable to halt the Soviet advance, a new pie-in-the-sky counterattack plan to save Berlin is formulated involving General Wenck’s 12th Army. Meanwhile, General Weidling is “promoted” to Commander of the Berlin Defence Area… Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

Marshal Zhukov sends some of his forces on a flanking manoeuvre to the north of Berlin in order to encircle the capital, unaware that Marshal Konev’s 1st Ukrainian Front is rapidly approaching Berlin from the south. Meanwhile, the Führerbunker eagerly awaits news of “Army Detachment Steiner’s” counterattack. Plus, General Weidling’s 56th Panzer Corps is pushed by the Red Army’s advance into the south-east of Berlin… Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

The battle of Berlin begins in earnest when 1st Belorussian Front forces advance into the northern and eastern outskirts of the capital. In a desperate ploy to save Berlin, Hitler comes up with a preposterous counterattack plan involving Steiner’s forces to the north of the city. Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

The Führer’s birthday celebrations are interrupted by a huge Allied bombing raid on the capital. Plus, Marshal Zhukov’s 1st Belorussian Front launches their first artillery barrages on Berlin from their positions just outside the city. Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

An in-depth look at Berlin in 1945, with a focus on how the city prepared itself physically and mentally for the impending Soviet assault. Plus, an outline of the Berlin defence strategy, the Berlin garrison forces, and the attacking Soviet forces. Map: Here is an overview of the German and Soviet forces on the eve of the assault on Berlin, including the various major offensives which are launched as part of ‘Operation Berlin’. Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com

The fighting has ended, but who won? Plus, a look at how the legacy of the battle is still hotly-contested to this day. Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important towns, cities, and locations featured in the series.  Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com Sources used for the series: Eberhard Berndt, Bautzen im April 1945, PDS, 1990. Eberhard Berndt, Die Kämpfe um Weißenberg und Bautzen im April 1945, Dörfler Verlag GmbH, 2012. Eberhard Berndt, Auf ein letztes Wort, Helios, 2020. Stefan Maximillian Brenner, Ein bedeutungsloser Sieg Die Kämpfe um Bautzen und Weißenberg, Militär Geschichte Magazin, 2024. Eduardo Gil Martinez, Bautzen 1945: The Last Victory of the Third Reich, Luca Cristini Editore (Soldiershop), 2021. Cover photo: picture alliance/ZB/Deutsche Fotothek

The Germans have lifted the siege of Bautzen, and are now poised to take the fight to the Polish-Soviet forces with the intention of driving them out of Saxony completely. However, a rapidly-strengthened Polish-Soviet defence line seeks to halt the German advance. Dates covered: April 25th-onwards. Map: Here is an overview of the German, Polish, and Soviet forces, during the final days of fighting.  Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important towns, cities, and locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com Cover photo: picture alliance/ZB/Deutsche Fotothek

The Germans launch their counterattack, hoping to recapture Weißenberg, lift the siege of Bautzen, and potentially threaten the entire Soviet assault on Berlin. Meanwhile, the Bautzen garrison awaits rescue. Dates covered: April 22nd - April 24th. Map: Here is an overview of the German counterattack in Saxony. Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important towns, cities, and locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com Cover photo: picture alliance/ZB/Deutsche Fotothek

The Soviet vanguard forces launch their assault on Bautzen, leading to deadly street battles and house-to-house fighting between the Soviet attackers and the German defenders. Meanwhile, the fragility of the Polish-Soviet advance is exposed, offering the Germans a chance to re-take the initiative and break through the enemy lines. Dates covered: April 19th - April 21st. Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important towns, cities, and locations featured in the series. Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeatwar If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com Cover photo: picture alliance/ZB/Deutsche Fotothek