Photos of Seelow

Below are some of the photos from Istochnik’s 1945 immersion event, The Gates of Berlin, The Battle of Seelow Heights. We portrayed the 1st Battalion of the 270th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 89th Guards Divison. Hardened by years of relentless fighting and driven by the promise of final victory, these men now stood at the threshold of Berlin itself. After a year of decisive Soviet victories across Eastern Europe, including the destruction of Army Group Center and the crossing of the Vistula, the Red Army stood poised along the Oder River. Ahead of them lay the Seelow Heights—a natural defensive position and the last major obstacle before the German capital.

By this stage, the balance of power had fully shifted. The Red Army had become a highly coordinated and mechanized force, wielding artillery, armor, logistical, air, and organizational superiority including unmatched momentum. With the Western Allies advancing deeper into Germany and Berlin nearly encircled, the German command faced the grim reality that the war was drawing to a catastrophic end. These are the final weeks of the war.

The Germans fought with the tenacity of a cornered enemy, exacting casualties in the fields, forests, and trenches of the Heights. Yet the outcome of a Soviet victory was inevitable. Within weeks, the gates to Berlin would fall, the war would end, and Europe would begin to rebuild. However, the seeds of future conflict were already in place getting ready to immerge in the upcoming Cold War.