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  • The Fall of Berlin 1945

  • Written by: Antony Beevor
  • Narrated by: Sean Barrett
  • Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (76 ratings)

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The Fall of Berlin 1945

Written by: Antony Beevor
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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Publisher's Summary

The Red Army had much to avenge when it finally reached the frontiers of the Third Reich in January 1945. Frenzied by their terrible experiences with Wehrmacht and SS brutality, they wreaked havoc - tanks crushing refugee columns, mass rape, pillage, and unimaginable destruction. Hundreds of thousands of women and children froze to death or were massacred; more than seven million fled westward from the fury of the Red Army. It was the most terrifying example of fire and sword ever known.

Antony Beevor has reconstructed the experiences of those millions caught up in the nightmare of the Third Reich's final collapse. The Fall of Berlin is a terrible story of pride, stupidity, fanaticism, revenge, and savagery, yet it is also one of astonishing endurance, self-sacrifice, and survival against all odds.

©2002 Antony Beevor and Artemis Cooper (P)2002 Isis Audio Books
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What the critics say

"A tale drenched in drama and blood, heroism and cowardice, loyalty and betrayal." (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post)

What listeners say about The Fall of Berlin 1945

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Great book! Definitely recommend

Amazing book
Sean Barrett has a great speaking voice. If you are interested in ww2 a must listen.

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4 people found this helpful

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A good read

A good historical recount of WWII and the German Russian conflict. I recommend for history buffs.

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Excellent and thorough!

I love WWII history. This is the best book about the end of the war that I’ve ever read.

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Brutal

Well presented. Well read. I a have enjoyed most of Beevor's work for many years. I understand why he can no longer visit Russia. Too many rapes committed by Red Army, He is not the only historian who has reported such atrocities.. I would recommend all of his books. Suggest you review his lectures on YouTube for greater understanding.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Accessible - Albeit Somewhat Biased - "Textbook"

British Historian Antony Beevor clearly views the Soviet Military with disdain. Beevor exhaustively researches 'The Fall Of Berlin 1945' and informs it with carefully curated interviews, documents, and testimonials (it's doubtless precise - if not accurate).. but paints an unrelenting picture of Soviet duplicity, greed, acheive-at-all-costs geopolitical scheming, and atrocities (mass shootings, gang rape, etc.) as they took the battle to Germany in 1945.
By no means do I believe the "Selfless Liberators" narrative coming from the Russian Government since the War, but it's also hard to swallow that the entire Red Army was a horde of looters, thieves, rapists, and cold-blooded actual murderers - inflamed with propaganda and then given *wink-wink* tacit approval to commit legitimate War Crimes by single-minded politically-zealous/clinically-sadistic leadership.
That said, Beevor's vocabulary and prose are more than capable, the offensives and counter-offensives are punctilliously documented, and the descriptions of life for soldiers and civilians during the campaign are mind's-eye vivid. Beevor presents a far-from-boring chronicle that is somehow both academic *and* interesting for a casual audience.

It's unfortunate that this captivating book is paired with average narration from Sean Barrett. Don't get me wrong - Recorded Books did a creditable job casting the audiobook and provide exemplary technical support - but Barrett's performance is best characterized as "professional" (another reader could have done as good a job in my estimation).
His diction, timbre, and cadence are spot-on, but Barrett reads much too slowly (setting playback speed at 1.20X yielded the optimum experience) and he has a distinct monotone that isn't droning but renders the reading unspectacular.

Taken altogether - despite some reservations - I rate this audiobook a solid 9 stars out of 10. I got the book on sale and it was easily worth the $5.85 CDN I paid for it. If you can likewise do so, that's great - because it actually merits a Credit. Can Recommend.

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