 First edition | |
| Author | Cornelius Ryan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | 1966 |
The Last Battle is a 1966 book byCornelius Ryan about the events leading up to theBattle of Berlin inWorld War II.
The book, which was published bySimon & Schuster, is structured as an historical narrative. It is based on interviews with hundreds of persons actually involved, including Americans, British, Germans and Russians. Ryan was granted unique historical access to Soviet archives and Soviet generals involved in the battle, which was rare at the time.[1]
The book was published simultaneously in the United Kingdom, France, West Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Portugal, when it appeared in March 1966.[1]
The Last Battle made news at the time it was published. The book revealed that the German capture of a top-secret Allied plan for dividing and occupying Germany (Operation Eclipse) helped stiffen German resistance and prolonged World War II.[2]
Also receiving publicity were assertions of an American general quoted in the book, GeneralWilliam Hood Simpson, commander of theNinth United States Army in World War II, that he is convinced his Army "could have captured Berlin well ahead of the Russians if it had not been stopped on theElbe River on 15 April 1945".[3]
The Soviet Communist Party newspaperPravda accused Ryan of trying to smear the Red Army in his depiction of the Battle of Berlin.[4]
After Ryan's death, it was revealed that the author had written to the publisher of the works ofStephen Ambrose, accusing Ambrose of plagiarism: in September 1970, Ryan addressed a letter toDoubleday, alleging the use of two quotations fromThe Last Battle in the Eisenhower biographyThe Supreme Commander without proper attribution.[5]
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer planned a joint American-Soviet co-production film version to be released in 1968 but due to financial trouble experienced by the studio, the project was never produced.[6][citation needed]
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