The classic account of the final offensive against Hitler's Third Reich -- newly in print for the 50th anniversary of VE Day. The Battle for Berlin was the culminating struggle of World War II in the European theater, the last offensive against Hitler's Third Reich, which devastated one of Europe's historic capitals and brought the Nazi leviathan to its downfall. It was also one of the war's bloodiest and most pivotal moments, whose outcome would play a part in determining the complexion of international politics for decades to come. The Last Battle is the compelling account of this final battle, a story of brutal extremes, of stunning military triumph alongside the stark conditions that the civilians of Berlin experienced in the face of the Allied assault. As always, Ryan delves beneath the military and political forces that were dictating events to explore the more immediate questions of survival, where, as the author describes it, "to eat had become more important than to love, to burrow more dignified than to fight, to exist more militarily correct than to win." The Last Battle is the story of ordinary people, both soldiers and civilians, caught up in the despair, frustration, and terror of defeat. It is history at its best, a masterful illumination of the effects of war on the lives of individuals, and one of the enduring works on World War II.

科尼利厄斯·瑞恩（Cornelius Ryan，1920-1974）

“也許是當下全世界最纔華橫溢的記者！”

——1973年被授予法國榮譽軍團騎士勛章

“站在新聞與曆史寫作交叉路口的巨人。”

——《哥倫比亞新聞評論》

美國著名曆史作傢、新聞記者，肯尼迪總統的密友，和巴頓、艾森豪威爾以及戈特哈德·海因裏齊等軍事將領亦過從甚密。

二戰期間，他是那個時代最傑齣的戰地記者。曾隨同美國第八、第九空軍參與過14次轟炸行動，親曆瞭諾曼底登陸，並跟隨巴頓將軍的第三集團軍挺進法國和德國，直至攻剋柏林。歐洲戰事結束後，他又奔赴太平洋戰場前綫進行報道。

1947年，加入《時代》周刊，定居美國；隨後，開始瞭長達近30年的“二戰史詩三部麯”研究寫作。冷戰高峰時期，他為追尋曆史真相，深入莫斯科，查閱蘇聯未解密檔案，證實瞭希特勒的確在柏林戰役中已經死亡，並揭露瞭蘇軍在德國境內的大規模暴行。

在“二戰史詩三部麯”中，他關注人的命運，力圖再現那些偉大的曆史時刻。《時代》周刊盛贊，他以近距離觀察戰爭的眼光和曆經鮮血和死亡的靈魂，完成瞭普通作傢“不可能完成的任務”。

“二戰史詩三部麯”的齣版使他享譽全球。1959年，榮獲剋裏斯托弗奬；1962年，榮獲意大利班加雷拉文學奬；1973年，被法國政府授予榮譽軍團騎士勛章。

1974年，他纔54歲，卻不幸因癌癥病逝。為瞭紀念他在新聞和曆史寫作方麵的突齣貢獻，美國設立瞭科尼利厄斯·瑞恩奬。