BERLIN 1945: THE FINAL OPERATION

April 16: The Oder Line The operation began at 03:00 with an artillery preparation from 22,000 guns. During the assault on the Seelow Heights, 143 searchlights were used to illuminate German positions. The German 9th Army was destroyed in its defensive zone, but the breakthrough resulted in heavy Soviet casualties during the opening hours. By the end of the day, the outer defense perimeter was breached.

April 25: Encirclement Berlin was completely surrounded. The garrison consisted of depleted Wehrmacht and SS units, supplemented by the Volkssturm and Hitler Youth. Combat moved into the streets. Soviet IS-2 tanks and heavy artillery were used for direct fire against fortified buildings, while German infantry used Panzerfausts from basements. Fighting took place for every city block.

May 2: Capitulation The assault focused on the government district and the Reichstag. After several days of close-quarters combat inside the building, the Soviet flag was raised. On May 2, General Weidling ordered the Berlin garrison to cease resistance. The city surrendered.

Statistics The 17-day operation resulted in 81,000 Soviet personnel killed. German military losses in the Berlin area are estimated at 100,000 killed and 150,000 captured. Civilian casualties reached several tens of thousands.

The fighting in Europe ended. The city remained in ruins.

Inventory number 14066

Members of the Bulgarian special units for anti-partisan warfare, which committed many crimes against civilians in the Vranje district.

Courtesy of Museum of Yugoslavia.

Hello folks, Im currently starting a force of the British 14th Army in Burma for Bolt Action, and am wanting to focus on the Indian and West African elements of the force (I feel they're largely forgotten about in the UK and want to help represent their contribution on the tabletop).

Aside from forming large parts of the infantry that fought in Burma im struggling to find information about the make up/existence/prevelence of Indian/WA artillery and tank crews (I know there were Indian Artillerymen and Armoured units, but I haven't yet been able to find out if they were British Soldiers assigned to the Indian army or actual Indian soldiers).

Does anyone have any sources or knowledge that might be able to help me?

My grandpa fought in the battle of Hong Kong and was captured on Christmas Day 1941. He spent 4 years of hell in various pow camps before being liberated by the Americans in 45.

The pipe he actually got from a Japanese guard. He over heard my grandpa talking about baseball. Knowing how the Japanese love there baseball and idolized babe Ruth. My grandpa goes in to tell a story of how he knew babe Ruth and had first met him growing up in an orphanage babe Ruth visited and they became friends. Since that was his favourite player he knew his bio and all the stats. For a few weeks he got some supplies to help his comrades along with this pipe.

The uniform I found cleaning up one day. It also has the shuffle bag and backpack pack. The thing is made of pure wool and he was allergic. My obvious guess is he was issued this after the liberation.

He wrote about the whole thing in his memoirs which I first read in high school and cried my eyes out. Giving him a hug when I next saw him.

Adolf Hitler deliberately chose the same railway carriage at Compiègne where Germany had signed the Armistice in 1918, turning France's surrender into a powerful act of symbolic revenge.

Slide 5 is his friend Joe. Slide 6 is Joe and him on top of a defeated German tank. Can anyone tell me about the patches on slide 7? Slide 8 is his bronze star citation. I could probably fill out this table again with more of his pictures. Hopefully you guys will be able to see these with Reddit’s terrible compression.

I was born in 1983

38 years after WW2

I am now 43

People often patronise me when I say my grandparents lived through the second world war (they did, and 1 was infact killed fighting it), they almost always say "do you mean your great grandparents?"

When I was a kid quite a few men in their 50's to 60's were war veterans in the Northern British town in which I gew up

I feel people have lost touch with how close it all was in the 80's and how we were still living with the remnants of the war

I'd see men on trikes with missing legs, men with facial deforimties, the wounds of war. I personally knew more than 1 older person with shell shock

Germany was almost a dirty word when and where I grew up

People nowadays tend to invalidate these experiences I had growing up, they act like the war was 300 years ago

The effects of WW2 really shaped me growing up, it was a huge part of my life. People who had personally known fallen soldiers would decorate the war memorials, they were beautifully decorated with flowers like I've never seen since, no smoking or anything was allowed near the memorials

Medals were often still on display in many peoples houses

WW2 is a huge part of my upbringing

And it doesn't sit well with me when people attempt to downplay that, as unfortunately many people for some strange reason do

This is my real and genuine experience and I feel better having offloaded it here, thank you, and may God bless all of our fallen heros

My grandpas discharge papers only state he was discharged with the 297 AGF Band but not who he was shipped out with. He was shipped out to Okinawa with an army division and there is photo proof of this. He told us grandkids that he was a radio operator because he spent much of his time on the railroad before the war so he knew Morse code. Later on (I’d presume after the war while still in Okinawa) he was asked by his officer if he wanted to join the band and ended up playing the trombone. I’m not sure how to figure out more info on the 297 AGF or any pictures of him with the band. I’d also like to find out what division he shipped out with. He was a Tec 4 and was only trained with an m1 garand.
Thanks for looking.

https://youtu.be/bRxd7fGaKGc?si=j6J_dCdFFfXTIO_C

This year I visited the controversial Japan war dead shrine in Tokyo. My 2nd time here. A great museum and somber place. No filming was allowed in most of the museum but it was a detailed year by year and battle by battle of every modern Japanese fight. Highlighting items and people who were there and died. A few War Criminals are enshrined here. For my Grandpa who passed at 100 this year who was in the air corp and Japanese were his sworn enemy. For America's 250 birthday, WW2 was one of our finest moments. And before a knockout round World Cup match vs Belgium. I release this today from Korea, I didn't want to release it while in Japan, it's very sensitive. I have been here twice and it's very emotional for the Japanese who all know someone who died in the 1930s and 1940s or earlier. A human life is a human life. My main prayers were for peace here and lots of thoughts as I was pretty emotional.