In April 1945, as the Soviet army launched their attack on Berlin, the beleaguered German Ninth Army, along with thousands of refugees fleeing the Soviet advance, found themselves trapped in a tiny pocket near the village of Halbe, southeast of the capital. Instead of surrendering to Soviet forces, the soldiers attempted a desperate breakout. The brutal fighting that ensued led to the loss of more than 40,000 lives – military and civilian. Thousands more were injured or taken prisoner, many of whom would endure years of forced labour in Soviet gulags.

Despite the scale of the tragedy, the Battle of Halbe has long remained a historical footnote. Drawing on previously unpublished battle journals and reports, and eyewitness accounts, Tragedy at Halbe examines the harrowing events from the point of view of Soviet and German forces, as well as the civilians caught up in the fighting. Translated into English for the first time, this is an important historical record of this devastating and little-known aspect of World War II history.

Translated by: Susan M Haynes-Huber