Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding history of last days of war in Europe
Review: Ryan's previous books, Longest Day and A Bridge
too Far, along with The Final Battle, put the
overwhelming and sweeping events of WWII in a
human perspective. Traces not only the generals
and leaders of each nation, but brings out the
life and death struggles of ordinary people with
unfailing humanity. Best book of a remarkably
overlooked period in the War.
Rating:
Summary: The End of the Reich and Start of Cold War
Review: The Last Battle, the second book of Cornelius Ryan's World War II trilogy, is a vivid and haunting account of the last days of Hitler's Third Reich and the fall of Berlin. As in The Longest Day (1959) and A Bridge Too Far (1974), Ryan weaves his narrative tapestry with meticulous research and eyewitness accounts of military and civilians on all sides who were caught up in the cataclysmic events of that terrible spring of 1945.It is April, 1945, and Germany is tottering at the edge of defeat. On the Western Front, General Dwight D. Eisenhower's Allied armies have crossed the Rhine, the Reich's last natural defense against invasion from the west. Now, sensing that victory is near, American, British, Canadian and other Allied divisions are racing for the Elbe River and beyond - with Berlin as the long expected prize. In the East, millions of Soviet soldiers have swept into Germany from the Baltic states and Poland, storming into the Nazi heartland with blood and fire. Urged on by their thirst for revenge and the orders of Red dictator Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Army also races west toward the German capital. Here the dying Third Reich will stand or die in its last battle. Ryan deals here not only with the fall of Berlin, but he also explores in detail the very complicated political and military issues behind Eisenhower's most controversial decision of the War: the Western Allies would not cross beyond the Elbe River to capture Hitler's capital. Though Ryan's tone is impartial and he delves deeply into the wrangling between President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Stalin, the reader is still left with the impression that the plans dealing with Germany's postwar fate sowed the seeds of the Cold War which followed V-E Day. The Last Battle, although longer and far more complex than The Longest Day, is a very human story that keeps the reader involved. One feels the suspense of the frantic Allied advance eastward, cheering the "Amis" (as the Germans nicknamed the Americans) on even though it will be the Red Army that gets to Berlin first. The German participants, military and civilian alike, are depicted fairly and without the expected "victor's triumphal" tone that would have painted all the Germans as Nazi villains. Indeed, one can feel sympathy for Berliners who - with the exception of Hitler and his most loyal followers - would rather be at the mercy of the British and Americans rather than fall to the feared Russians. It must be said, however, that although Ryan wrote this book during the Cold War, he is fair and balanced in his reporting of the Soviet advance to Berlin.
Rating:
Summary: The End of the Reich and Start of Cold War
Review: The Last Battle, the second book of Cornelius Ryan's World War II trilogy, is a vivid and haunting account of the last days of Hitler's Third Reich and the fall of Berlin. As in The Longest Day (1959) and A Bridge Too Far (1974), Ryan weaves his narrative tapestry with meticulous research and eyewitness accounts of military and civilians on all sides who were caught up in the cataclysmic events of that terrible spring of 1945. It is April, 1945, and Germany is tottering at the edge of defeat. On the Western Front, General Dwight D. Eisenhower's Allied armies have crossed the Rhine, the Reich's last natural defense against invasion from the west. Now, sensing that victory is near, American, British, Canadian and other Allied divisions are racing for the Elbe River and beyond - with Berlin as the long expected prize. In the East, millions of Soviet soldiers have swept into Germany from the Baltic states and Poland, storming into the Nazi heartland with blood and fire. Urged on by their thirst for revenge and the orders of Red dictator Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Army also races west toward the German capital. Here the dying Third Reich will stand or die in its last battle. Ryan deals here not only with the fall of Berlin, but he also explores in detail the very complicated political and military issues behind Eisenhower's most controversial decision of the War: the Western Allies would not cross beyond the Elbe River to capture Hitler's capital. Though Ryan's tone is impartial and he delves deeply into the wrangling between President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Stalin, the reader is still left with the impression that the plans dealing with Germany's postwar fate sowed the seeds of the Cold War which followed V-E Day. The Last Battle, although longer and far more complex than The Longest Day, is a very human story that keeps the reader involved. One feels the suspense of the frantic Allied advance eastward, cheering the "Amis" (as the Germans nicknamed the Americans) on even though it will be the Red Army that gets to Berlin first. The German participants, military and civilian alike, are depicted fairly and without the expected "victor's triumphal" tone that would have painted all the Germans as Nazi villains. Indeed, one can feel sympathy for Berliners who - with the exception of Hitler and his most loyal followers - would rather be at the mercy of the British and Americans rather than fall to the feared Russians. It must be said, however, that although Ryan wrote this book during the Cold War, he is fair and balanced in his reporting of the Soviet advance to Berlin.
Rating: 
Summary: A Riveting Account of the Death of a City
Review: The late Cornelius Ryan, author of the justifiably famous "A Bridge Too Far" and "The Longest Day", mastered the art of the historical narrative. Ryan combined the meticulous research of the historian, the nose for rooting out the story of a journalist, and the plot and pacing of a novelist into a package heretofore unequaled. Having read both of the above works (and seen the movies, along with most of America), I prefer "The Last Battle." This account of the fall of Berlin shows Ryan at the top of his gain as he weaves together disparate tales of struggle amidst the ashes of the Thousand Year Reich into a sweeping narrative of survival. Most of the work is told from the point of view of the encircled Germans, from the general charged with the impossible mission of defending the Nazi capitol with nothing more than teenagers and grit to the women who vowed to take cyanide rather than endure rape at the hands of the conquering Russians. Through it all, Ryan succeeds in recreating the dense atmosphere of dread which descended over Berlin in the closing days of the war, making all the more poignant our realization of the terrible tidal wave of suffering unleashed by the Nazi madmen who initiated the conflict. This is not merely a tale of good and evil, however, and the Allies do not come off very well. Aside from the plundering savages amidst the Soviet rank-and-file, readers may be surprised at the depiction of top American and British commanders' indifference to the fate of German civilians. (Although given the lingering shock at the Nazi atrocities uncovered mere weeks before at Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, and other death camps, one should not be too surprised). Particularly damning is Ryan's assertion that, despite all the talk of the Allies' planning the partition of Germany and Berlin at Yalta, there was no agreement to any line of partition between the Allies at the time of this battle. No one had given much thought to the shape of the postwar world in the West; millions of people were sacrificed to the Soviets as an afterthought. If you prefer your military history at the trench level, drenched in blood and chromite, this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great book about true history at the end of WW II
Review: This book also has the true history of the final days of World War II as does the great book " Conquer : Story of the Ninth Army" that is not documented in videos or televised versions of History. Video Tapes of WW II have dredfully slated versions of true history about the final days of WW II. The 2nd Armored Division crossed the Elbe River at Magdeburg and established a Bridgehead but had to withdraw due to great german defenses. The 83rd Inf. Division took Barby after bitter fighting, we crossed the Elbe River on Friday the 13, April, 1945 and established our bridgehead and other troops that stopped on the west side of the Elbe helped to reinforce it. I was there, 1st machine gun squad, "I" Co. 3rd Bn. of the 83rd Inf. Div. You will not regret the purchase of this great book also. These books rank more than 5 stars. I have them both and they do document the final days of WW II as it was.
Rating:
Summary: War is about real people, not news reels ...
Review: This book betrays everything we were taught (or not ) in high school. The old news reels and documentaries portray the world in the same black and white as they were made.
" The Last Battle " shows us that there were real people involved; ordinary people like ourselves, some who committed extra-ordinary feats of will. We like to think that all Germans were Nazis when that couldn't be further from the truth. WW II saw some of the most brutal acts in modern history but we forget that the people who suffered most are not clips of film. This book brings to life the gritty reality of the era and teaches us the real truth of the matter. It's also enlightening to read that not all officers in the German armed forces were Nazis. Just like the citizenry, most were not. It would be negligent of me to say there aren't those types included in these chapters. Of course there are. They were the ones who ultimately brought about the destruction of an otherwise civilized nation, one not unlike our own.
I found this to be well written and interesting, factual without being boring, accurate without being one sided or preaching. It's the story of the people who fought and died, and fought to live in the embattled city of Berlin. It depicts the frightening details of just getting by and trying to stay alive as the war raged about. It shows us there is no glamour or romance about war. It brings to mind that we in the US are the lucky ones. The bombings of the World Trade Center are a tragedy to be sure but pale by comparison to the misery that these people endured. For as horrific as this war was, I wished that the book was longer. It's an excellent story.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best war books ever
Review: This book has so much information from Hitlers bunker that is very exciting and sometimes laughable at the lunacy of Third Reich in its final hours.Covers almost everything you would want to know about the fall of berlin. Excellent!
Rating:
Summary: Horrifyingly real
Review: This book is easily one of the best books on any subject I have EVER read. Ryan brings many different lives and stories together in one horrid account of the collapse of the Reich. It's almost like reading about your neighbors as you follow these people through to the end. Ryan does not hesitate to give us all the details as the citizens of Berlin came under the heel of the conquering Russians. The pictures in this 50th anniversary addition are stunning. As important as the best Hitler biographies and Shirer's RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICH. Essential reading.
Rating:
Summary: Insight to the final days of Germany in WWII
Review: This is truly a great book on many different levels. If you're a WWII novice this book will have great appeal since it's not filled with lingo and an excess of military "stuff." However, as a big WWII buff I thought this book was fantastic because it has a great "human" side that proved enlightening to me. You can't go wrong with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Classic...
Review: Until about 20 years ago I didn't even know Russia had but a miniscule role in WWII. This book opened my eyes to the real "WWII", and I've been enthralled in it ever since. If you want to know what "the deal is" in our current decadent world, start here, and then open your mind and move on to the "real" WWII, the pathetic fate of western civilization.
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