Fallen Eagle: The Last Days of the Third Reich

After more than four years of total war the armies of Europe were exhausted.The Allies were determined to bring the war in Europe to an end as quickly as possible and with the minimum amount of bloodshed. But the Germans, although they could see the war was lost, were by no means prepared to yield. Indeed, the fighting during 1945 was to be some of the bitterest of the war.In the East, Stalin’s mighty war machine began a crushing offensive. Beginning in swirling fog and snow, the Soviet steamroller crashed through the German lines on the Vistula, 125 miles south of Warsaw. Soon Russian armoured columns were driving across the Polish plain towards the Oder, Germany’s historic frontier with the East, creating panic in East Prussia. In the West, Eisenhower and Montgomery joined the race to destroy the heart of Nazi Germany and defend Europe against Stalin’s vaulting ambition. So began one of the most crucial years in the history of the world which was to climax in the desperate battle for Berlin. Fallen Eagle is the gripping story of the final days of the Third Reich told in graphic detail – the unfolding drama revealed through the eyes of soldier and civilian, private, general and refugee.Robin Cross has written extensively on many aspects of 20th century military history, including the British home front in World War 2, the Soviet contribution to Allied victory in the war against Hitler and the strategic and tactical roles of the bomber.

Offering a vivid and detailed account of this crucial period, Fallen Eagle recounts the bitter last days of World War II, when the exhausted Fatherland was determined to fight to the bitter end. Panoramic in sweep, this unforgettable portrait of a world in chaos encompasses the broad view of battle as related by an accomplished military historian, as well as the intimate experiences of soldiers and civilians, privates, generals, and refugees. Recounts major events on both the Eastern and Western fronts. Includes one of the most vivid accounts yet of Hitler's last days.