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Checkmate in Berlin

The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World

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Checkmate in Berlin

By: Giles Milton
Narrated by: Giles Milton
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About this listen

A compulsive listen about the battle for Berlin and control of the Western world in the aftermath of the Second World War from 'the master of narrative history'.

Berlin was in ruins when Soviet forces fought their way towards the Reichstag in the spring of 1945. Streets were choked with rubble, power supplies severed and the population close to starvation. The arrival of the Soviet army heralded yet greater terrors: the city's civilians were to suffer rape, looting and horrific violence. Worse still, they faced a future with neither certainty nor hope.

Berlin's fate had been sealed four months earlier at the Yalta Conference. The city, along with the rest of Germany, was to be carved up between the victorious powers - British, American, French and Soviet. On paper, it seemed a pragmatic solution; in reality, it fired the starting gun for the Cold War.

As soon as the four powers were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany, they reverted to their pre-war hostility and suspicion. Rival systems, rival ideologies and rival personalities ensured that Berlin became an explosive battleground. The ruins of this once-great city were soon awash with spies, gangsters and black-marketeers, all of whom sought to profit from the disarray.

For the next four years, a handful of charismatic but flawed individuals - British, American and Soviet - fought an intensely personal battle over the future of Germany, Europe and the entire free world.

Checkmate in Berlin tells this exhilarating, high-stakes tale of grit, skullduggery and raw power. From the high politics of Yalta to the desperate scramble to break the Soviet stranglehold of Berlin with the greatest aerial operation in history, this is the epic story of the first battle of the Cold War and how it shaped the modern world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Giles Milton (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Europe Germany Military Western Europe War Soviet Union Cold War Inspiring Thought-Provoking Imperialism Russia Socialism Espionage

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I did not know much about the history of Berlin's fate immediately after the 2nd WW. Giles Milton's book and narration filled in all my blanks in a most riveting informative manner. I recommend this audible without hesitation.

Great Listen

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Fascinating history of Berlin after the Second World War detailing all the characters and events that followed

Riveting from the first page to the last

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Learned many things about the second world war and what was happening in berlin and the airlift.

Informative

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This seems a well researched book spoiled when he talks of flying from Moscow to Berlin in 90 minutes. In 1945? He repeats the surely false story of a photo journalist flying back to Moscow to get a flag for his picture. Just does not seem realistic. Otherwise fine.

Flying Moscow to Berlin in 90 minutes?

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Outstanding book throwing a spotlight on this perhaps overlooked period of recent history but one so very important to the onset of the Cold War and the journey of the European continent in the second half of the twentieth century. It's a story demonstrating as have others before and since, that winning the peace might be as or more difficult than winning the war. Checkmate in Berlin reads like a fast paced novel with a cast of thousands but where the people on the ground in Berlin are the central figures in building a picture of life in the city from the arrival of the Red Army. Were it turned into a movie then it could easily work as a grand sequel to Downfall. Very well narrated, gripping and moving.

Notable Telling of the Battle for Post War Peace

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A brilliant presentation of the post war battle of the super powers in the division of Berlin including the Berlin airlift.

Totally fascinating

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Exquisitely detailed, superbly narrated.
A must read for all those who forget how inhuman communism really is and how winning the peace is just as important as winning the war

Just excellent

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Highly recommended to gain an insight until the Berlin airlift and the contribution of the various nations

Excellent listen

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A well writen and read history of Berlin at the end of WW2, with a great balance of facts, quotes and recollections. It's always gripping, never boring and beautifully read in a very natural and engaging way.

Excellent

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This book was well received by the critics when published in print and very rightly so. Giles Milton has pitched the content (and narrated it) exactly right. He covers the period between the final month of European fighting, through the Soviet capture of Berlin into the Four Power Commandatura and concludes with the decisive Allied victory achieved by the Berlin Airlift. He does so with the authority of detailed references, a broad chronological viewpoint and a very engaging style. Milton's ability to mix a strategic transatlantic view with that of the ordinary Berliner is very effective. He describes the tensions between the western allies and Russians clearly, whilst simultaneously discussing the role of the USA as first among "equals" without bias or antipathy. Giles Milton's narration deserves particular mention; his style is natural, highly engaging and he makes a very good fist of the foreign language terms. I would highly recommend this to both the casual reader, as well as the modern history buff. Colonel Frank Howley has much to teach current NATO strategists!

A Grand Sweep of History, very well told.

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