Book Review: Images of War – The Fall of Berlin: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives

Archives

by Ian Baxter

Barnsley, Eng.: Pen & Sword / Philadelphia: Casemate, 2019. Pp. 122. Illus, append.. $22.95 paper. ISBN: 1526737876

Photo-documents of the Final Act of the Russo-German War

Baxter, author of a number of excellent photo collections on the Second World War, including several in the series “Images of War”, has gathered an impressive group of images from the Eastern Front, covering events from the Vistula-Oder Operation in January of 1945 through the fall of Berlin and the end of the war in May. He divides these into four chapters.

Each of the chapters covers one of the major phases of the campaign for Berlin, the Soviet Vistula-Oder offensive, the defense of the Oder line, the breaching of the Oder in the Battle of Halbe, and the final capture of Berling. Each chapter has a short narrative, which gives the reader a good idea of how the events unfolded, bringing about the final act of the Russo-German war.

The images are well chosen. In fact, this reviewer cannot recall having seen virtually any of them before. Baxter adds to the value of these image by pointing out important details, from weaponry to terrain to the appearance of the troops and the civilians.

Although there are rather more images from the German side than the Soviet, Images of War – The Fall of Berlin is an interesting and informative use of pictures to further our understanding of the events.

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Note: Images of War – The Fall of Berlin is also available in several e-editions.

 

StrategyPage reviews are published in cooperation with The New York Military Affairs Symposium

Reviewer: A. A. Nofi, Review Editor   


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