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4 ‘Sippenhaft’ was the system whereby the whole family of a criminal were arrested and imprisoned.
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5 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division ‘Nordland’.
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6 In the German Army and Waffen-SS potential officers were selected from the ranks and ultimately sent to Officer School before commissioning. In this case a potential officer serving in the ranks with the equivalent of sergeant’s rank (Oberjunker).
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7 The Iron Cross was awarded for bravery in the ascending order: Second Class, First Class, Knight’s Cross, Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, with Oak Leaves & Swords, and with Oak Leaves, Diamonds & Swords.
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8 The Thor mortar was of 600mm calibre with a 5.07m barrel, weighed 120 tons, and could fire 12 shots per hour up to a range of 6,800m. According to General Bokov, writing about General Bezarin’s 5th Shock Army, elements of which stormed the Schlesischer station, they also had 2,000 guns and mortars of 80mm calibre and over with orders not to spare the ammunition, for they had just received 2,000 railway wagonloads. The Schlesischer station is now the Ostbahnhof.
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9 The senior garrison engineer.
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10 The Waffen-SS belt buckle bore the motto ‘Meine Ehre heisst Treue’ (Loyalty is my Honour).
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11 SS-Colonel Peiper of the 1st SS-Panzer Division ‘Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler’ was accused of slaughtering American prisoners during the Battle of the Bulge offensive.
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12 The obsolete machine gun that had been replaced by the MG 42 in general service.
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13 The theme of the statue at the Soviet War Cemetery at Treptow Park.
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14 Schweizer’s breakout from the Zoo Flak-bunker had occurred sometime after midnight and his group managed to get away unscathed during a lull in the fighting, but these conditions did not apply either earlier or later up to the surrender at dawn on 2 May.
