As the war came to an end in Europe, the Russian army advanced through German and culminated in the 1945 Battle of Berlin, which lasted from April 16 to May 2. Mierendorff was living with her mother in Lichtenberg on April 21, 1945. In her diary, she wrote:"The dreaded and long-awaited hour has come. When will we see the first Russians? How will they deal with the population?"