Battle of Halbe
The Battle of Halbe (German: Kesselschlacht von Halbe, Battle of the Halbe Pocket; Russian: Хальбский котёл, Halbe pocket) was a battle lasting from April 24 to May 1, 1945, in which the German Ninth Army under the command of General Theodor Busse was destroyed as a fighting force by the advancing Red Army during the Battle of Berlin. The Ninth Army, encircled in a large pocket in the Spree Forest region south-east of Berlin, attempted to break out westwards through the village of Halbe and the pine forests south of Berlin to link up with the German Twelfth Army commanded by General Walther Wenck with the intention of heading west and surrendering to the Western Allies.