"There is only victory or annihilation. Know no bounds in your love of your people, as you know no bounds in your hatred of the enemy. It is your duty to watch when others tire, to stand when others weaken. Your greatest honour is your unshakeable fidelity to Adolf Hitler." Artur Axmann, State Youth Leader addressing the Hitlerjugend in early 1945
» The Battle of Berlin & World War II Tour
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After dreadful years in which the Nazi war machine killed over 10 million Soviet soldiers and over 11 million civilians, the Red Army reached the banks of the Oder River, 50 kilometres east of Berlin. In early April 1945, 1.3 million Soviet Soldiers found a severely weakened Nazi defence, consisting mainly of demoralized and poorly equipped soldiers, old men of the Volkssturm (Home Guard) and young boys of the Hitler Youth. They descended upon Berlin for what Marshall Georgy K. Zukhov called their ”final hour of vengeance.” |
The Battle of Berlin Tour follows the crucial events and details of the battle, including troop movements, the master strategies of leading generals, and the experiences of infantry soldiers and Berlin civilians. |Prices & Booking |
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» Tour Options: Duration and Means of Transport
What is the optimal tour duration?
To visit all the sites described below one would need 8-12 hours. If you would like to see them all please book a two day tour. Otherwise, let us know what you would like to see most and we will prepare a tour according to your interests. To have enough time for discussion and to get a good overview, we recommend at least 6 hours. If you don’t have much time, we recommend a walking tour of about 3-4 hours around the Reichstag or in the neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg.
Walking tour, bike tour, van or bus tour?
To cover the long distances between the crucial sites we recommend a private bus or van tour. Alternatively, we can do a walking tour and use public transportation as needed.
Price for our sightseeing tours
Our private guided tours cost 45-75 Euros per hour for a walking tour, depending on group size and duration. For more Information see Prices & Booking
”We were very happy with all the arrangements and your attention to detail. The guide was excellent and his tours were superb. His passion for his subject was obvious and the students and staff were very impressed by his preparation and delivery…Thank you once again!“ Tours: Wars and Politics: "Battles of Frederick the Great" and "the Final Fighting in Berlin 1945". P Flynn, Lt Col, Command and Staff School... read more guests comments
» Major Sights: The Battle of Berlin & World War II Tour
Soviet War Memorial at Treptower Park: Actually a cemetery peppered with Stalin quotes. Between the massive and utterly impressive monument of a Soviet soldier on one end of the memorial and the statue of Rodina (Mother Russia) at the other end, 5,000 soviet soldiers who died capturing the area are buried. The quotations need to be translated and explained, and there are many other details to discover. Is it true that the huge Soviet soldier depicted in the statue is carrying a German child he has rescued?
The Reichstag: Soviet propaganda made the former German parliament building into the symbol of the Nazi state, so Soviet soldiers fought with particular ferociousness to get credit for the decisive capture of the building. When they had seized the building it was their ambitious aim to put the Soviet flag on top. This done, they took a picture for the press at home, but then noticed that the soldier holding the flag was wearing three watches. Why?
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Russian-German War Museum: This museum provides excellent background knowledge on the war between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, the Non-Aggression Pact of 1939, which included the division of Poland and details of Operation Barbarossa, and the Nazi surprise attack in 1941. The museum contains a model of the city of Berlin which we use to describe the final attack. Final surrender was signed here on the 8th of May; the room used has remained unchanged. |
Flak tower: The Nazis built Flak towers in Vienna, Hamburg and Berlin. The three massive anti-aircraft flak towers in Berlin, considered invulnerable to attack, served as air raid shelters for tens of thousands of people. Art treasures were also hidden here, often taken later as loot by the Soviets. Only after final surrender did the towers give up: the Soviets never overpowered them. Two of the three towers have been covered by hills: the third can still be seen. |
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Prenzlauer Berg: In autumn 1945 a teacher at an elementary school in the Berlin district Prenzlauer Berg asked students to write an essay about the last few days of the war at their houses. Our walk through the district will follow the resulting narratives, which are highly personal reports full of small but shattering details. What did the Germans think of the Russians, and what was their experience with the soldiers?
Hitler’s Bunker: Female Soviet soldiers found Hitler’s Bunker in May 1945. They searched for his burned body but only found uniforms and medals scattered on the ground. This site is in the centre of the last area of Berlin held by the Germans at the end of the war. Hitler’s last orders were issued here. Until the end Hitler, believed he had troops under his command and made delusional military analyses and plans. Here the guide will use maps to explain the lines of the last battlefront in the battle of Berlin. |
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