Mohnke Business ETO (id:#57808)

Heat of Battle (Berlin: Red Vengeance ID: BRV 10)   [next]   [previous]

River Spree, Berlin, Germany 1945-04-28 (32 others)

Overview:

The final blow and the final river in the long road toward the end of the war came on the 28th. Elements of the 79th Rifle Corps had made it to the Spree River. The hard-core of Berlin's defense was the central sector known as "Zitadelle'. The forces in this sector were commanded by SS-Brigade-Furher Wilhelm Monke and they included half a division of Waffen and Allgemeine SS under his direct command. But the real strength in this sector was the Tigers from Panzer Abteilung 503. The northernmost edge of the Zitadelle was the line of the Spree River. It was here that the Germans would make their last stand. The Russian 79th Corps was originally positioned to the northeast of the Reichstag but on April 22nd it was ordered to swing to the east to cross over the Hohenzollern Canal and approach the Reichstag from the northwest while passing through the Moabit district. On the morning of the 28th the Russians assaulted the Zitadelle.

Defender: German (SS) (Defense Sector "Z" and 11th Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland")  

Errata (source)