The backbone of Berlin's defense was the German LVI Panzer Corps, newly formed and under strength. This corps bore the brunt of the Soviet attack along the Seelow Heights by the 5th Shock, 8th Guards, 1st and 2nd Guards Tank Armies and now was faced with holding Berlin against the combined weight of seven separate Soviet Armies from two competing Soviet Fronts. Supporting the LVI Panzer Corps were various formations of the Volkssturm, Hitler Youth, and SS, as well as smaller ad hoc formations of foreign volunteers and locally formed units.

The Battle of Berlin precipitated the death of Adolf Hitler and the fall the Third Reich at a high cost. Soviet operational daily casualty rates were among the highest of the war, and they lost more than the equivalent of a Tank Army in armour and self-propelled guns in the streets of Berlin.

Bloody Streets is a massive new work that uses previously unpublished German, Russian, and Allied first person accounts, as well as previously unused primary sources and photographs, including aerial imagery, to bring to life the largest urban assault in military history. All aspects of this battle are covered with new insights into how it was planned, shaped, and executed.