Victory Day in Europe; the fall of Berlin in Nazi Germany

Because much of the German regular army had been killed off throughout the course of the war, the Nazi high command was forced to rely heavily on Volkssturm forces. The Volkssturm was a conscripted militia, made up of civilians that, more often than not, were teenagers or elderly men. Even 12- and 13-year-old Hitler Youth members were called upon to defend their city.