April brings about the 54th Anniversary of the final actions of a power that once considered itself to be the only true power in the world. Acts of brutality and savagery far outweighed the purpose for what some men believed. As the Russian Army merged on the city of Berlin in 1945, many had little doubt that the German Reich would fall. And fall it did! When the battle was finished, Joseph Stalin stood supreme as the conqueror of the hated Hitler. Few people outside of Russia knew what levels on which Stalin operated. It did not take long for the Western Allies to come to grips with the plan Stalin had drafted for Eastern Europe and the division of Berlin and Germany. As news of the atrocities in modern day Yugoslavia and subsequent attacks on military installations in that country, one can look back on what happened in the area in the 1940's and wonder if this might be a repeat in history. Granted, the situations and actions of today are contrary to the past, the reason for action against Yugoslavian military forces is just. I for one support the efforts of the NATO forces and the American men and women who are involved in that action. God be with you all! This issue we bring you a scenario for Theatre Of Operation that covers the battle for Berlin between the German and Russian forces. The scenario is based on the same random encounter system that we have used for Stalingrad, this time the Russian get to come out and play! Watch out for friendly fire! Check out the flier for Spring Maneuvers April 15, 16 & 17. It will be held in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Hope we see you there. On the Internet front, an interesting place to visit is www.ebay.com. This is an auction service that caters to all types of hobbies and interests. A savvy buyer can find just what they're looking for, just be patient! I have found several deals on toy soldiers and model kits, built and unbuilt. In particular is a model of a T34/85 by Tamiya. The gentleman I bought it from had already built the model and it even had the markings for the Russian Guard units that were involved in the fighting in Berlin. It was uncanny! Many discontinued kits can be bought from collections all over the world. Many times the kits are unopened and in mint condition. I saw a unopened box of Britain's 54mm German troops that a guy bought in England in 1972. He just stuffed them in his attic and forgot about it. The figures had never been touched by anyone except for the person that packaged them! It is a hoot, but watch out, you could become an ebay junkie! Back to Table of Contents Penny Whistle #41 Back to Penny Whistle List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Lion's Den Publications. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com