To the Bitter End in West Prussia

In January 1945, after a battle lasting one week, the German occupation of Bydgoszcz ended, and Soviet and Polish troops took over the city as a result of this violent clash. This book describes the activities of Polish and Soviet forces as well as the often overlooked German side. The Battle of Bydgoszcz has proven more important and more bloody than previously thought and helped to open access to Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, the conquest of which would end the struggles of the Second World War. This book demonstrates that the fights were bloody and caused the death of several times more people than the tragic events of the first days of September 1939. The author has devoted many years of study to the area and the archives concerning the struggle for Bydgoszcz in 1945, and his familiarity with the area brings personal insight to this work. 29 b/w photographs, maps