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The Seelow Heights () are situated around the town of Seelow, about east of
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, and overlook the Oderbruch, the western flood plain of the River Oder, which is a further to the east. They are sometimes known as the "Gates to Berlin", because the main eastern route out of Berlin runs through them. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the was built, including a bronze statue of a
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
soldier.


Second World War

During April 1945, the Battle of the Seelow Heights saw some of the heaviest fighting of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
between the German defenders and the Soviet attackers. The fighting took place on the horseshoe-shaped plateau of the Seelow Heights. It ranged in height from and it overlooked a spongy valley known for the stream veining through it, the Oderbruch. Many localised Soviet attacks were held back by remnants of the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
. The Soviet advances could not be held off for long. After several days of intense fighting, the Soviets managed to break through the defences and fight their way into the German capital in the Battle of Berlin.


References

Geography of Brandenburg heights {{Brandenburg-geo-stub