Rogers, Anthony/Herrmann, Gerd-Ullrich/Klar, Uwe Tragedy at Halbe

Retreat from Oder and Neisse to the Elbe

In April 1945, when the Soviets captured Berlin, the German 9th Army, along with thousands of refugees, found itself surrounded southeast of the capital near the small village of Halbe. Faced with the imminent collapse of the Reich, there were only two options: Soviet or American captivity. The German commanders chose the latter. The subsequent breakout to the west towards the Elbe River cost thousands of lives soldiers and civilians alike. Countless soldiers were wounded or captured. The survivors had to endure terrible conditions during their years of forced labour in the Soviet Union before they could finally return home. Despite the enormous scale of the battle, Halbe remained a historical footnote for a long time. Based on previously unpublished war diaries, reports and eyewitness accounts, "Tragedy at Halbe. Retreat From Oder and Neisse to the Elbe" examines the harrowing events from the perspective of both the Soviet and German forces and the civilians caught up in the fighting. Translated into English for the first time, this work is an important historical record of a devastating and little-known episode of the Second World War.