Berlin 45

What would have happen if all the women of Berlin were given hand guns to protect themselves during the battle of Berlin?

 

Even more would have died.

 

True with out doubt.

This was an idea someone I know bought up his thinking was the women of Berlin stood a very high chance of being rapped, so give them all a hand gun each. This next bit he said I think is a bit wild, he predicted one million soviet troops would had been killed. I think that is way to high forecast.

 

I think quite alot more would have shot themselves than would have fought. It´s quite a tragedy to read how people drowned their little kids or sunk themselves into the rivers because they feared so much. And not without a reason.

 

Yeah... the battle for Berlin was possibly one of the nastiest battles of the entire war- in Europe, anyway.
And really, by that point, there wasn't anything I can see the germans doing that would have had any significant effect on the battle. The russian commanders didn't really care at that point about casualties (Zhukov and Konev racing for the "glory")- so even if an idea as far-fetched as arming the women did happen, it simply- like redcoat suggested- would have resulted in more people on both sides being killed.

Something the russians didn't much care about, and the germans certainly didn't need.

 

I have a full length interview of one of my accounts whom was a child-teenager during the fall of Berlin. She can attest the civilian population did everything they could to survive and get the heck out of Berlin, Soviets or no. She told me of some terrible visual stuff, mothers giving themselves after their husbands were brutally murdered in front of the children, the mother doing what she could so her younger duaghters would not be next in line for a chain group of drunken scum. It was the usual case for the Soviets to shoot the whole familie once they were done with them as it was un-necessary baggage to take the civilians to the rear lines, besides the result of taking their agressions out on un-armed folk as revenge for the lighting attack into Russia in 41. Yes this woman has seen her former neighbors ravaged, burned alive, nearly beheaded, taken out into the street and m.gunned down for sport. One of here families tricks was a lookout: the brother who was about 7-8 yrs and he would give the signal for the young children to get up high in the multi story rafters cover themselves with soot and sit on charred beams while mom/dad would hide underneath the multi stoied building in a hidden basement, the kids would cover the trap door with their throw rung and table which was busted up from previous Soviet exploits and then up high about 45 feet . The soviets never found the familie, even after the battle was over they hid for almost 2 weeks picking up meagre provisions till they slowly made it out west

her story is almost unreal

E

 

If I may dare comment upon this subject, whatever the Germans did in Soviet Russia (and a lot they did) is no excuse for this kind of behaviour. In my ethics, an eye for an eye does not apply.

Atrocities are atrocities.

 

Erich, I found your post very interesting and moving, one of hundred accounts’ of the shocking last days of the war in Europe and the aftermath.

Za Rodinu, Atrocities are atrocities true civilians on both sides paid the price for a war with out rules. The first casualties of war are civilians.

As for my view of arming all the women of Berlin, most likely even a greater bloodbath.

 

I mention one particular incident, and this in breif as when she told me she started crying. the Soviets took on elderly gentlemen from the area : it was a former built up multi-storied complex till leveled in short by Soviet artillery...........

the gent was taken out into the middle of the street and run over by a T-34 with the locals watching. From the familie they said he was questioned about harboring W-SS truppen in the area and that he knew of where they were. Was this just one example of the brutal warfare or revenge warfare the Soviets claimed ? hardly. the Soviets lost between several hundred thousand and 1 million troops in taking Berlin and the environs over the months of 45 and the Soviet armies took it to the local population as German military resistance was stout

 

What can I say I think it says it all.