http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/berlin.htm
The Battle of Berlin, 1945
The final chapter in the destruction of Hitler’s Third Reich began on April 16, 1945 when Stalin unleashed the brutal power of 20 armies, 6,300 tanks and 8,500 aircraft with the objective of crushing German resistance and capturing Berlin. By prior agreement, the Allied armies (positioned approximately 60 miles to the west) halted their advance on the city in order to give the Soviets a free hand. The depleted German forces put up a stiff defense, initially repelling the attacking Russians, but ultimately succumbing to overwhelming force...
This is hard to take, but apparently was a foregone conclusion based on the agreements at Yalta, that the Russians would get Berlin and surrounding territory.
Once again, it appears freedom is good at winning wars but tyranny is better at winning the peace. We were 50-60 miles away from Berlin when we halted. Patton felt he could take Berlin in two days. Compare that with 45 years of Stalin's deadly reign incorporating countless lives into a regime that killed some 80 million of it own citizens. The price for our acquiescence at Yalta was way too high.
In early May 1945, as the Allies shut down the Nazi war machine, Patton stood with his massive 3rd Army on the outskirts of Prague in a potential face off with the Red Army. He pleaded for General Eisenhower’s green light to advance and capture the city for the Allies, which also would have meant containment of the Russians. British Prime Minister Churchill also thought the move a crucial and beneficial one for post-war Europe and insisted upon it, but to no avail. Eisenhower denied Patton’s request, and the Russians took the region, which would pay dearly for years to come. Earlier that year, at the February conference in Yalta, President Roosevelt, with Churchill at his side, extended the hand of friendship to “Uncle Joe” Stalin and signed his Faustian pact. In so doing, the destiny of millions was reduced to mass starvation, blood revenge, and distant gulags. At the time, Patton understood the tragedy of this event and wrote, “We promised the Europeans freedom. It would be worse than dishonorable not to see that they have it. This might mean war with the Russians, but what of it?”
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/robert-orlando/the-foresight-of-patton/