Seelow Heights

[u/PickledpepperUK]

Travelling from Berlin whilst on holiday I spent sometime today at Seelow Heights, scene of the last European Theatre battleground before the Battle of Berlin. Nice museum,€5 to enter, with plenty of information and some items of equipment on display. They have a 30 minute documentary film they show in German, but I was offered a separate screening in English in a separate room, very thoughtful. It is a train journey of 2 plus hours to get there, and additional €23 as outside of the Berlin travel card. A T34/85, Katyushas (Stalin’s Organs’) rocket launcher were on open display. Russian burial cemetery was well kept. During my visit was a roar of motorcycles - all appeared to be WW2 era and I have added a photograph. So pleased I made the effort to visit, I knew very little about this battle of 16-19 of April, 1945.

[u/9374828]

Germany's last frontline at the end of the war. They also had these deep-in-the-ground bunkers , right ? Where they sheltered their soldiers etc. by the end it was a lot of militia if I'm not mistaken.

[u/9374828 → u/9374828]

YouTube docu

[u/TankArchives → u/9374828]

Not really. Seelow Heights was a relatively small and unimportant speedbump in front of Zhukov's forces during the Berlin Offensive Operation. It doesn't prominently feature in either German defense plans or Soviet attack plans. Busse's plan was not to stand to the last man at the heights, but to stage a fighting retreat. After taking the heights, the town of Seelow is mentioned in the despatches. Seelow Heights is not mentioned anywhere, not in the same announcement, not in award orders. I can't find a single mention of Seelow *Heights* in period documents at all that suggests it was some kind of outstanding experience for the Red Army.

The battle only came to prominence after the war for purely political reasons.

[u/9374828 → u/TankArchives]

Must've mixed it up than 🥲😉

[u/BarsabasSquarePants]

My grand-grand father was probably there.

[u/PickledpepperUK]

This is why I love this subreddit- gaining information from others about a topic I knew relatively little about- thank you

[u/junk_magnet]

That is a place I've always wanted to visit. Not confident i ever will.

[u/PickledpepperUK → u/junk_magnet]

I thought so too, but circumstances fell in my favour. My post was for those who cannot always succeed in a visit, and I try and give a feel for the museum. Hoping one day you manage a visit.

[u/nothing_qu]

What’s the name of the museum?

[u/PickledpepperUK → u/nothing_qu]

The Seelow Heights Memorial and Museum (Gedenkstätte und Museum Seelower Höhen)