The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1945-05-03
Berlin Largest
City Conquered
In Any Struggle

Berlin is the largest city ever con-
quercd in thousands of years of hui
man struggle. Its twelve-day siege
was among the most savage and
bloody in mans history.
The city which was to have ruled
the world for 1000 years sprawed
over 341 square miles of Germany's
Brandenburg plains. Today this vast
area-a wasteland of crumbled stone
and ashes-stood as monument to
the death of Nazi Germany and the
might of Allied arms.
Tokyo's Days Numbered
This was the greatest city of Con-
tincntal Europe-the fourth largest
city in the world. Only Tokyo, the
worlds third biggest metropolis, re-
manned as a greater potential prize
for the Allies in their war against
aggression. And Tokyo's days were
numbered.
In prewar days. 4,335,OOO persons
toiled in Berlin. then one of Europe's
mightest industrial and commercial
centcrs. Today the survivors roamed
its dcsolatc streets in search of food
and water.
The fall of Berlin was comparable
to the collapse of ancient Rome. 1t
marked the end of an cpoch-the end
of Adolf Hitlcr's new world order"
Rome dominated Europe for hundreds
of years. For only twenty-four fleet
ing months in world history did Bcr-
lin rule the continent. In those flush,
victorious days of Nazism, Berlin held
twenty-five capitals under its sway.
Moscow Held Out
The desire of Berlin's Nazi masters
to swallow one more capital was the
city's undoing. Moscow proved uncon-
qucrable. Leningrad, too, refused to
capitulate and London, greater by far
than Berlin, was saved from German
plumber when it fought off the terror
of the Luftwaffe.
Bcrlin's fate was sealed when the
Russians sworc to avcngc Stalingrad.
The might of the Soviet Union swept
the German conquerors back to their
capital, $50 miles from the farthcst
point of Nazi penetration into the
Caucasus.
The Red army burst into Berlin
April 21-two years, two months and
nineteen days after the German tide
turned at Stalngrad. The Soviets had
swept through eight other European
capitals. They found Berlin's monu-
mental public buildings, constructed to
last hundreds of years, largely de-
stroycd from the 1000 tons of bombs
raincd on the city in 301 British and
American air raids.
12-Day Street Battle
There followed a twelve-day street
battle unequalled in history. The Rus
slams poured thousands of shells into
the city, damned with 100000 Ber-
liners not evacuated and perhaps 800
600 or more Nazi troops. What had re-
manned standing under Allied bomb
ing was destroyed.
Yard by yard the Russians battered
through the wrecked streets, strug-
glcd in the depths of Berlin'S fifty
mile subway system, battled in the
city's sewers, fought from rooftops
and were shot in the back by Nazi
troops incorporating as civilians.
Nazi fanatics showed guns into the
hands of women and children, thrust
pistols in the backs of their own
troops who wished to surrender.
Three years, ten month and seven
days after Hitlcr's legions invaded
the Soviet Union. the victorious Rus
slams raised their Red flag over the
Quilted shell of the Reichstag, the
burning of which the Nazis used as an
excuse for Selling dictatorial power.