Prelude to Berlin: The Red Army’s Offensive Operations in Poland and Eastern Germany, 1945, offers a panoramic view of the Soviet strategic offensives north of the Carpathians in the winter of 1945. During the course of this offensive the Red Army broke through the German defenses in Poland and East Prussia and eventually occupied all of Germany east of the Oder River.

The book consists primarily of articles that appeared in various military journals during the first decade after the war. The General Staff’s directorate charged with studying the war experience published these studies, although there are other sources as well. A particular highlight of these is a personal memoir that offers a rare insight into Soviet strategic planning for the winter–spring 1945 campaign. Also featured are documents relating to the operational-strategic conduct of the various operations, which were compiled and published after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The book is divided into several parts, corresponding to the operations conducted. These include the Vistula–Oder operation by the First Belorussian and First Ukrainian Fronts out of their respective Vistula bridgeheads. This gigantic operation, involving over a million men and several thousand tanks, artillery and other weapons sliced through the German defenses and, in a single leap, advanced the front to the Oder River, less than 100 kilometres from Berlin, from which they launched their final assault on the Reich in April.

Equally impressive was the Second and Third Belorussian Fronts’ offensive into Germany’s East Prussian citadel. This operation helped to clear the flank further to the south and exacted a long-awaited revenge for the Russian Army’s defeat here in 1914. This effort cut off the German forces in East Prussia and concluded with an effort to clear the flanks in Pomerania and the storming of the East Prussian capital of Konigsberg in April.

The study also examines in considerable detail the First Ukrainian Front’s Upper and Lower Silesian operations of February–March 1945. These operations cleared the army’s flanks in the south and deprived Germany of one of its last major industrial and agricultural areas.

• Cover
• About The Author
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Maps
• List of Tables
• Preface to the English-language edition
• Part I How the Last Campaign for Defeating Hitler’s Germany Was Planned
  • 1 How the Last Campaign for Defeating Hitler’s Germany Was Planned
• Part II The Vistula-Oder Operation. The Defeat by Soviet Forces of the German-Fascist Troops in Poland in January 1945
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 The Military–Political Situation by the Start of the Vistula-Oder Operation. The Sides’ Situation and Plans
  • 3 The Operation’s Preparation
  • 4 The Conduct of the Operation
  • 5 The Results of the Vistula-Oder Operation and Conclusions on Military Art
  • Annex 1 List of Front and Army Commanders for the First Belorussian and First Ukrainian Fronts During the Vistula-Oder Operation
• Part III The Second and Third Belorussian Fronts’ East Prussian Operation
  • Introduction
  • 1 A Military-Geographical Description of the Operational Area
  • 2 The General Situation and the Operational Plan
  • 3 The Preparation of the Offensive Operation
  • 4 The Breakthrough of the German Defense North of Gumbinnen and along the Mlawa Direction
  • 5 The Development of the Soviet Forces’ Offensive. The Second Belorussian Front’s Arrival at the Baltic Coast and the Vistula River. The Cutting off of the Germans’ East Prussian Group of Forces. The Third Belorussian Front’s Capture of the Town of Insterburg. The Overcoming of the Fortified Lines Along the Deime and Alle Rivers
  • 6 The Battle with the Enemy’s Isolated East Prussian Group of Forces. Combat Operations in the Königsberg Area and to the South. The Repulse of the German Forces’ Attempts to Break Through to the Southwest
  • 7 The Elimination of the German Forces Southwest of Königsberg
  • 8 The Defeat of the Germans’ Königsberg Group of Forces and the Capture of the Fortress of Königsberg
  • 9 The Elimination of the German Group of Forces on the Samland Peninsula
  • 10 Overall Conclusions
  • Annex 1 The Third Belorussian Front’s Organizational Composition by the Start of the East Prussian Operation of 1945
  • Annex 2 The Second Belorussian Front’s Organizational Composition by the Start of the East Prussian Operation of 1945
  • Annex 3 Effective Strength of the Second Belorussian Front (15 January 1945)
  • Annex 4 Artillery Distribution in the Armies Along the Second Belorussian Front’s Shock Axes
  • Annex 5 The Correlation of Forces Along the Breakthrough Sectors of the Second Belorussian Front’s Shock Groups (14 January 1945)
• Part IV The Second Belorussian Front’s Combat Operations in the East Pomeranian Offensive Operation (February-March 1945)
  • Introduction
  • 1 The First Stage of the Second Belorussian Front’s Combat Operations 10-23 February 1945
  • 2 The Second Stage of the Front’s Combat Operations during 24 February-5 March 1945
  • 3 The Operation’s Third Stage. Offensive Operations by the Front’s Left Wing to the East and Northwest, 6-13 March 1945
  • 4 The Operation’s Fourth Stage. The Defeat of the Germans’ Danzig—Gdynia Group of Forces (14-30 March)
• Part V The First Ukrainian Front’s Lower Silesian Offensive Operation (8-24 February 1945)
  • Introduction
  • 1 The Operation’s Preparation
  • 2 The Conduct of the Operation
  • 3 The Results of the Lower Silesian Offensive Operation and Some Brief Conclusions
• Part VI The First Ukrainian Front’s Upper Silesian Offensive Operation (15-31 March 1945)
  • Introduction
  • 1 A Short Description of the Area of Military Operations
  • 2 The Operational Situation of the First Ukrainian Front’s Forces at the Beginning of March 1945
  • 3 The Disposition of the Enemy’s Forcces and a Description of His Defense
  • 4 The Operation’s Preparation
  • 5 The Conduct of the Operation
  • 6 The Elimination of the Enemy’s Encircled Group of Forces (19-20 March)
  • 7 The Arrival of the First Ukrainian Front’s Left-wing Armies at the Foothills of the Sudeten Mountains (22-31 March)
  • 8 Results of the Upper Silesian Operation and Brief Conclusions
• Part VII Documents