7. Russia’s Advances
If not for the order given by Dwight Eisenhower to have the Allied forces under his command stop at the Elbe, some sources have argued that there was sufficient chance for the US and Britain troops to reach Berlin before the Soviets from the east. In fact, many Germans were either willing to or already surrendering to the US forces from the west. They fought hard to surrender to anyone but not the Soviets.
In the turn of events, Stalin believed that the Allied agreement was nothing but a trick. So he immediately ordered his two field marshals, Ivan Konev and Georgy Zhukov to advance on Berlin against each other in the contest dubbed the Race to Berlin. With support from two different frontiers, both the field marshals came up with plans for the attack. Georgy Zhukov was, however, closer to Berlin and was therefore given the order to make the leading assault.
Even though the competition gave the two marshals reason to drive their men as fast as they possibly could to get to Berlin, Stalin’s actual plan was to get hold of the city before the allies on the western front did. Stalin upheld the competition between the two field marshals and gave Ivan Konev permission also to launch an attack, essentially for political reasons.
Overally, the Race to Berlin was not just limited to the Soviet camp between two marshals pitted against each other. It was also a race against the Allies in the west. On April 16, 1945, the Soviet forces launched the attack on Berlin.