EISENHOWER AND BERLIN 1945

The decision to halt at the Elbe. In the final months of World War II, with the Allied forces streaming into Germany on two fronts, a major decision had to be made: where to draw a stop line to prevent an accidental clash between the Russian and the Anglo-American armies. Behind this decision lay another - whose forces would be the first to reach Berlin? General Eisenhower, supreme commander of the western Allied armies, chose to halt at the Elbe River and leave Berlin to the Red Army. Could he have beaten the Russians to Berlin? If so, why didn't he? If he had, would the Berlin question have arisen and Germany been divided as it was? Would the Cold War have assumed a direction more favourable to the West? In this narrative, the distinguished historian Stephen Ambrose describes both the political and the military aspects of the situation, sketches the key players, explains the alternatives, and considers the results.