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Originally Posted by Zoya  Am I right in thinking Koniev was deliberately sent to the south of Berlin to ensure the capture of Heisenberg and von Weizsäcker's atomic research and supplies of uranium before the Allies got their hands on it? Stalin needed both the materials and the scientific knowledge for nuclear research. That's one of the reasons why an encirclement of Berlin was so important, rather than a simple Eastern approach. |
Certainly Beevor's book puts this theory forward Zoya and I've found nothing to say that this wasnt the case. As regards the Allies getting there first I think that Eisenhower knew that Berlin as a prize was not worth the human cost. Remember the Allies werent to know that the Germans:
(a) werent planning a National Redoubt in the Alps
or
(b) would flock to surrender to the Western Allies.
Eisenhower knew the cost of taking Berlin would be horrendous and why not give it to the russians. They were closer and were planning to take it.