Fallen Eagle: The Last Days of the Third Reich

By Robin Cross

Critical acclaim for FALLEN EAGLE "Mesmerizing account of those final, bloody weeks of war . . . Cross's account of the F'hrer's final, hysterical days in his Berlin bunker is masterful." - Sunday Express (London) "A first-class work covering a subject which has fascinated military historians during the past 50 years." - Devon Herald Express "We are resolved to go the extreme," declared Adolf Hitler on January 1, 1945. With these words of chilling determination, he ensured that the final months of World War II would be marked by some of the fiercest fighting in more than four years of total war. In Fallen Eagle, distinguished military historian Robin Cross takes readers into the trenches and onto the battlefield as he paints an unforgettable picture of a world in chaos. A sweeping panorama that captures the individual human drama within the broad scope of battle, this is the gripping story of the bitter last days of the Third Reich. By the beginning of 1945, the armies of Europe were deeply weary. The Allies were determined to end the war in Europe quickly and with as little bloodshed as possible. But the Germans were by no means prepared to yield-though they could see the war was lost. Thus began one of the most crucial years in the history of the world, and its climax, the desperate battle for Berlin, brought to a close one of the darkest chapters mankind has ever witnessed. The Allied effort pushed on from all fronts. In the east, Stalin's mighty war machine began its great offensive. From out of the swirling fog and snow, the Soviet steamroller crashed through the German lines on the Vistula, 125 miles south of Warsaw. Driving across the Polish plain towards the Oder, BLA Germany's historic frontier with the east, Russia's advancing armored columns created panic in East Prussia. In the west, Eisenhower and Montgomery joined the race to destroy the heart of Nazi Germany-and defend Europe against Stalin's vaulting ambition. Through vivid, firsthand accounts from soldiers and civilians, privates, generals, and refugees, Fallen Eagle chronicles the triumphs and tragedies of the war's closing months-from the devastating, triple air raids on Dresden to "Spring's Awakening," Hitler's last offensive, with which he planned to retake Budapest and retain its oil fields; from the legendary summit in Yalta between Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill to an extraordinary account of Hitler's last days. The momentous events of 1945 literally changed the world-politically, economically, socially, and geographically. Europe would have new frontiers, friends would become deadly enemies, and an uneasy peace would threaten to transform Cold War into a third world war. Blending impeccable scholarship and skillful storytelling, Robin Cross offers a spellbinding account of how the eagle was finally toppled from the roof of the Berlin chancellery as the Russian bear stretched out its claws to seize a Europe laid waste.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471164089
• ISBN13: 9780471164081
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.4" x 1.2" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

The end of the Third Reich.

I have read Cross's book about Kursk (Citadel) and I thought this would also be a nice read. It was, even though the author trods on some well written ground with the end of the Third Reich. There are no new discoveries in this book, just how Hitler was a complete military failure at the end of the war. Hitler's decisions helped the Allies end the war early. Hitler was his own worst enemy. The book covers both the Eastern and Western fronts. Military strategy is the prime focus. The book does relate some personal stories on the last days of the Reich. In the last days, the personal toll was heavy, and Hitler's health started to go downhill quite rapidly. As related in the book, when Hitler died, he was 56, but medically he was closer to seventy, and the Parkinson's disease was spreading fast. This is a nice read on the last days of the Third Reich. There have been other books about this time period (Toland's The Last Hundred Days), but this is an above average read.

Buy This Book Now

This book is a great, detailed description of the last days of the Third Reich. The coverage of the last days with Hitler is as good as "The Bunker". What is not commonly known is that the last fighting in Germany was some of the hardest fought of the whole war, the German war machine was against the wall and the best was expected from its troops. The details of the troops in the filed followed up with details form the men in charge were really well put together. This moved very well into the Yalta conference and the impressions the leaders there had which differed somewhat from the men in the field. This is just and all around great book, full of wonderful stories and an arm load of detail. If you are interested in the part of the war then you should buy this book.