ABSTRACT

I. S. Koniev recovered and assured Stalin that the Red Army would be the first to take Berlin. Koniev had risen too readily to the bait and Stalin swung on him, asking him how he could regroup his forces in time when the bulk of his striking power was dispersed to the southern, left flank. In effect, Stalin left Zhukov and Koniev to race each other, all without nullifying his November edict. The odds were on Zhukov, but Koniev had—literally—a fighting chance. Zhukov and Koniev left Moscow in aircraft which left within minutes of each other, both marshals bent on exploiting the limited time available to them. Rokossovskii and Koniev faced assault crossings of the Oder and the Neisse, while Zhukov's men in the Kustrin bridgehead would have to deal with strong German fortifications and fixed defences. Koniev's tanks continued to race upon Berlin from the south, a fact much to the fore of Zhukov's mind.