The Battle for Berlin was the final struggle of World War II in the European theatre, the last offensive against Hitler's Third Reich, which devastated one of Europe's historic capitals and brought an end to the Nazi regime. It lasted more than two weeks across April -- May 1945, and was one of the bloodiest and most pivotal episodes of the war, one which would play a part in determining the shape of international politics for decades to come.

THE LAST BATTLE is a story of brutal extremes, of stunning military triumph alongside the stark conditions that the civilians of Berlin experienced in the face of the Allied assault. It is history at its best, a masterful illumination of the effects of war on the lives of individuals, and one of the enduring works on World War II.

Cornelius Ryan was born in 1920 in Dublin. He covered World War II from the frontline, attached to General Patton's army until the end of the war in 1945. He emigrated to the USA in 1947 and became one of the most important and respected war journalists of his generation, writing critically acclaimed articles and books until his death in 1976.