Jul 29
May 02
The Battle of Berlin was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II and was designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union.
Starting on 16 January 1945, the Red Army breached the German front as a result of the Vistula–Oder Offensive and rapidly advanced westward as fast as 30–40 kilometres a day, through East Prussia, Lower Silesia, East Pomerania, and Upper Silesia, temporarily halting on a line 60 kilometres east of Berlin along the Oder River. During the offensive, two Soviet fronts (army groups) attacked Berlin from the east and south, while a third overran German forces positioned north of Berlin. The Battle in Berlin lasted from late 20 April 1945 until the morning of 2 May and was one of the bloodiest battles in history.
Before the battle was over, German Führer Adolf Hitler and many of his followers committed suicide. The city’s defenders finally surrendered on 2 May. However, fighting continued to the north west, west and south-west of the city until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May (9 May in the Soviet Union) as German units fought westward so that they could surrender to the Western Allies rather than to the Soviets. Read full wikipedia article.
Jan 27
Werner Bischof (26 April 1916 – 16 May 1954) was a Swiss photographer and photojournalist.
His works on the devastation in post-war Europe established him as one of the foremost photojournalists of his time. In 1949, he joined Magnum Photos, which at the time was composed of just five other photographers: Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, David Seymour, and Ernst Haas. Read full wikipedia article.
