Last 100 Days (First 5 Ch. Summary)

The Last 100 Days by John Tolan

Main Idea- In the last 3 months of WWII, Nazi’s and Fascist’s Regimes lost power which eventually led to the Cold War.

PART ONEвЂ"Floodtide East

Chapter 1

Jan. 1945

1. Russians were pushing toward Berlin.

2. General Arther Vanaman, (American) POW camp leader at Sagan (100 miles SE of Berlin) rallied allied POWs to prepare to make mass escape when Russians headed for Sagan

Chapter 2

Main Point: Hitler’s armies retreat against Hitler’s wishes. Hitler replaces his generals with people he can trust to follow his orders without question. Remember, Prussia and Russia are enemies at this point!

1. With the help of the Allies, the Russians have liberated much of Europe.

2. Russian Generals: Rokossovsky

Chernyakhovsky

Zhukov

3. German Generals: Guderian-German Commander of Eastern Front and Army Chief

of Staff

Reinhardt-Four Star German General ranked above Guderian

4. Hitler’s replaced his Generals when his former Generals started retreating.

5. Replacement German Generals:

Rendulic: Austrian military historian and talented leader assigned by Hitler to

Patch up the front line and restrain Russia.

Himmler: Head of Hitler’s SS. Appointed by Hitler as commander of

Replacement army (Army Group Vistula.) He blindly followed

any orders by Hilter. Poor army leader and left open area that allowed

Russian General Zhukov to advance 100 miles toward Berlin. Pg. 7

Schorner: Bavarian who reorganized Hitler’s front to hold off Russians. In

charge of Army Group Center. Made changes within the ranks

to patch up the front. Still, Zhukov (Russian General) found a hole to