March walking tours - On Saturday 14th we will walk the route of the German breakout attempt along Friedrichstraße on 1/2nd May 1945 and on Sunday 15th we follow the progress of the Red Army through Schöneberg and over the Landwehr Canal. PM for more details and to reserve a place.

In the North West corner of Potsdamer Platz, at the entrance to the DB building is an almost forgotten relic of WW2. An original, shrapnel scarred S Bahn sign which stood at the station entrance in a once beautiful part of the city, later ravaged by WW2 and the Cold War.

We are starting this years walking tours a bit earlier than anticipated so on 24th January I’ll be running a tour dealing with the German breakout attempt along Friedrichstraße on 1/2nd May 1945. The tour lasts 1.5 hours and will be in English. Send a PM for more details. Thanks.

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. A special shout out to everyone who attended one of our walking tours. It was a pleasure to meet every one of you. Keep a lookout for walking tour dates in 2026. Pictured is the beautiful Rosa Luxemburg Platz.

Belle Alliance Platz, now Mehringplatz was the scene of heavy fighting Between the Soviet 8th Guards Army and the SS Nordland who had retreated from Neukölln and taken up positions on the Northern side of the Landwehr canal.

The aftermath of the German breakout attempt along Schönhauser Allee on May 2nd 1945 and how it looks today. The Tiger II was from SS Panzer Regiment 503 and began its breakout on Friedrichstraße and the Panther was from Panzer Division Müncheberg.

Thanks to all who came on a walking tour this year. It was great to meet you and share the history of WW2 Berlin. There won’t be any more group tours this year but if anyone is interested in a private tour on 5,6 or 7th November then drop me a message to discuss. Thanks again.

The Karstadt department store on Hermannplatz was the biggest and grandest store in Europe until 26th April 1945 when it was blown up by SS Nordland troops to deny the Soviets a high vantage point over the city. Only a small section survived which was incorporated into the existing building.

A few then and now photos from Tempelhof. Wrecked German aircraft litter the perimeter track in May 1945 and the same views today. Note the Soviet IL-2 in the first photo and the restored Focke Wulf Condor in the background of the last photo.

The beautiful Focke-Wulf 200 Condor on display at Tempelhof Airport, pictured today.

Good afternoon. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. We are running four walking tours in September. They will be in English. Details are in the photos. There are still places available on all the tours. Send a message for more information. Thanks.

September’s walking tours updated. See first pic for details. Thanks.

Hi. Our next walking tours will take place on Sept 7th, 8th, 13th and 14th. I will post details of the subject of the tours later but message anytime if any of these dates are of interest. I can also do private tours from 3rd September till the 15th apart from the above dates.

Puttkamerstraße 16/18 was a Luftwaffe supply depot where troops were able to purchase items beyond their normal issue uniform, such as this rubberised coat. The building survived WW2 with only minor shrapnel marks and what looks like an iron projectile embedded in one lower wall.

Originally posted in 2021 but worth a repost. The aftermath of carnage on Oberwallstraße, May 1945. Other photos taken at the time show that the vehicles display the insignia of the SS Nordland Division.

The Schule für Heeresmotorisierung in Wünsdorf was once part of the Wehrmachts tank training school, focusing on technical training. After the war, the Soviets turned the facility into a school for soviet military children known as "School Nr. 1". digitalcosmonaut.com/schule-fuer-...

Due to high demand for the walking tour on 5th July, we will be running an extra tour on Thursday 10th July. The subject will be the German breakout attempt on Friedrichstraße on 1st/2nd May 1945. Message if interested. Thanks.

The next walking tour will be on 5th July. I’ll be combining two tours. A bit of pre WW2 history of Nazi Berlin, then the Soviet push into Mitte via Prenzlauer Berg and the German breakout attempt on Friedrichstraße. Message for more details. Thanks.

The Soldbuch of Artur Langner, born in 1888 and conscripted into the Kriegsmarine in Dec 1944. His job was to carry secret papers (photo 2). Caught in the battle of Berlin, he was injured by a grenade at Wilmersdorfer Straße 96 (photo 3) and died from his wounds on 4th June 1945.

Saturday finished a week of tours to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2 in Europe. Thanks to everyone who attended. It was lovely to meet you all. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. Next tours are in July. I’ll post details here when the dates are finalised.

I was a guest on the Europe at War podcast series last week, chatting about all things WW2 Berlin related. This is a podcast series that concentrates mainly on the war in the Berlin and Brandenburg area. davidsumnerhistory.com/bonus-episod...

A nice article on one of my recent tours.

To coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2 in Europe we are running four tours in early May. See the first photo for details and send a message for more details if you’re interested in attending any of them.

A weekend of tours finished. Friedrichstaße breakout on Saturday and the Soviet assault through Schöneberg on Sunday. Thanks to all who came along, especially those who have been on previous tours. I must be doing something right. Next tours in early May. Watch this space.

I was recently a guest on the WW2 Podcast series. The episode went live today. See link below. Thanks to Angus Wallace for giving me the opportunity to chat about Berlin in WW2, and my son Teo for arranging it. ww2podcast.com/ww2-podcast/...

We are running the first walking tours of 2025 on 29/30th March. 29th will be a new tour focusing on the Friedrichstraße breakout and 30th will focus on the Soviet assault through Schöneberg. Places are limited to 15 per tour. PM for more info. Thanks.

I’m out today in a freezing cold Berlin, researching a new walking tour. Can anyone guess what the subject will be ?

Luftschutz bunker on the junction of Paradestraße and Bundesring. This type 2D bunker is one of 3 in the area and was built in 1940/41 as part of a programme of air raid defences in Berlin. Berliner Unterwelten have recently refurbished all 3 bunkers for future public access.

Merry Christmas to all our followers and many thanks to all who attended the walking tours in 2024. I’ll be running them more regularly in 2025 plus I’m planning something special for the 80th anniversary of the battle of Berlin. Watch this space.

On July 25th 1948, during the Berlin Airlift, a Douglas C-47 of the USAF crashed onto a building at Handjerystraße 2 in Friedenau while landing at Tempelhof. The crew of two were killed and three people in the street were injured. During the 11 months of the Airlift, 65 aircrew died in crashes.

During WW2 an anti Nazi cell operated from Bergstraße 57 in Steglitz. They hid Jews and army deserters here. The Soviets questioned them in the Friedhof Steglitz water tower on April 25th 1945. The marks of Soviet tank tracks can still be seen on the nearby Priesterweg bridge.

Found by chance while killing five minutes waiting for a friend. Government building on Geschwister- Scholl- Straße plastered in battle damage. Nothing has been repaired. Looks like it could have happened yesterday. Even the pavement is covered in pock marks.

Battle damaged mausoleum in the St Nikolai Friedhof on Prenzlauer Allee. The same mausoleum can be seen in the background of the B&W photo taken at the funeral of Horst Wessel on March 1st 1930.

I sometimes run WW2 walking tours of Berlin. They are quite specialist and you will see things that other tours don’t cover. Keep a lookout for details of the next one, which will be early in 2025 and shoot me a message if you’re interested in attending. Thanks.

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