As World War II approached its end during 1945, the Soviet Army began its advance on Berlin. The Nazis, with their depleted ranks, dwindling supplies, and shattered morale following the suicide of their leader, were not in great shape. Still, they had a few things in their favor, one of which was the Flakturm Tiergarten, known in English as the Zoo Flak Tower.
After the British Air Force (RAF) had gone on its first bombing run against Berlin in 1940, dropping nearly 200 bombs in the process, Hitler began to reconsider how the Nazis would defend themselves against a competent air force. They tackled the question in two ways at once. First, they started targeting British cities in hopes of stretching RAF forces thin, and at the same time, they bolstered the capital city's internal defenses.
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