The Fall of Berlin

Read and Fisher ( Kristallnacht ) present a vivid verbal panorama of conditions in the German capital from the staging of the 1936 Olympics early in the Hitler era to the Nazi surrender in 1945. Significant events such as the Reichstag fire and the Kristallnacht pogrom are examined in detail, but the focus remains largely on the resourceful, resilient Berliners themselves as they deal with increasing hardship and danger. In the background of the narrative, one can virtually hear the almost incessant--and alarmingly effective--propaganda broadcasts by the Nazi minister of information, Joseph Goebbels. The authors relate the unfolding events in Hitler's underground headquarters, where his lieutenants continued to jockey for position even as old men and boys were rounded up in the streets above for a last-ditch stand against the approaching Soviet army. Finally, Read and Fisher describe the orgy of rape that began when the Red Army breached the city's defenses, the scope of which is conveyed by the statistics: more than 90,000 women and girls sought medical treatment for rape in Berlin in 1945. Photos. (Apr.)