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Shortly before the end of the Second World War, from April 24th to 28th 1945, the Battle of Halbe took place around the town of Halbe in what is now the Brandenburg district of Dahme-Spreewald. Both the Red Army and the Wehrmacht suffered extremely high losses. The German 9th Army and the scattered units that had joined it after the Battle of the Seelow Heights were particularly affected. The Battle of Halbe, including the army's breakout, was accompanied by unheard-of losses, particularly among the civilian population. For decades, it was overshadowed by the capture of Berlin, which was a major public event for the world press and then for historians. In fact, one could say that it was almost forgotten, or should have been forgotten for political reasons. This showed in particular what can happen when fate throws the military and the civilian population together in the same situation.