Soviets Capture Berlin - 1995 Mint Imperforate Issue
May 2, 1945 Thirty-five miles outside the city, a combined Russian force of 2.5 million men and 6,000 tanks encircled Berlin, cutting off any chance of escape. The German defenses relied mostly on Volkstrum units of young children and old men armed with obsolete weapons. Despite the Russians’ advantage, taking the city was more of a struggle than anticipated. With the enemy well-entrenched in endless heaps of rubble, skirmishes literally went from street to street. Upon hearing of Heinrich Himmler, his right hand man, trying to negotiate peace with the western Allies, Hitler shot himself in an underground bunker. Hitler never saw the fall of the Reich or the destruction his vision had cost the world. A week later, Germany surrendered unconditionally.
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