In the page 533 of The Second World War by John Keegan,says it : The cost to the Red Army of its victory in the siege of Berlin had also been terrible. Between 16 April and 8 May, Zhukov, Konev and Rokossovsky’s fronts had lost 304,887 men killed, wounded and missing, 10 per cent of their strength and the heaviest casualty list suffered by the Red Army in any battle of the war (with the exception of the captive toll of the great encirclement battles of 1941). Is this an error or outdated data?The casualties of Battle of the Dnieper during 1943-1944 or even the Battle of kursk is way more than the casualties of battle of Berlin,how could it be the "heaviest casualty list " ? Need help,Thanks!
A few, quick comments: 1) the competition between the generals to get into Berlin, so even more pressure downwards to achieve; 2) desperate German defence, with nowhere to retreat to - except the city; 3) urban fighting is like a sponge, as it absorbs manpower; 4) once in the city itself it was bitter, close quarter combat.