Editing Battle of Halbe (section)

=== German dispositions ===
<!---[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-120-09, Günther v. Kluge, Gotthard Heinrici.jpg|thumb|[[Generalfeldmarschall]] [[Günther von Kluge]] (left) and [[Gotthard Heinrici]], mid 1943]]--->
The command of the [[V SS Mountain Corps]], encircled with the Ninth Army north of [[Forst (Lausitz)|Forst]], passed from the [[German Fourth Panzer Army|4th Panzer Army]] (part of Army Group Centre) to the Ninth Army (part of [[Army Group Vistula]] under the command of [[Generaloberst|Colonel-General]] [[Gotthard Heinrici]]). The corps was still holding on to [[Cottbus]]. While the bulk of Army Group Centre was being forced, by the advance of the 1st Ukrainian Front, to retreat along its lines of communication to the south-west towards [[Third Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]], the southern flank of the 4th Panzer Army had some local successes counterattacking north against the 1st Ukrainian Front.

Contrary to realities on the ground, [[Hitler]] ordered the Ninth Army to hold Cottbus and set up a front facing west, then they were to attack into the Soviet columns advancing north. This would allow them to form the northern pincer which would meet with the 4th Panzer Army coming from the south and envelop the 1st Ukrainian Front before destroying it. They were to anticipate an attack south by the [[3rd Panzer Army]] and to be ready to be the southern arm of a pincer attack which would envelop the 1st Belorussian Front, which would then be destroyed by [[Schutzstaffel|SS]]-general [[Felix Steiner]]'s [[III SS Panzer Corps]] advancing from the north of Berlin. Later in the day, Steiner made it plain that he did not have the divisions to make this effort. Heinrici then explained to Hitler's staff that unless the Ninth Army retreated immediately, it would be enveloped by the Soviet forces. He stressed it was already too late for the unit to move north-west to Berlin and would have to retreat west.

At his afternoon situation conference on April 22, Hitler flew into a rage when he realised that his plans of the day before were not going to be implemented. He declared that the war was lost, blamed the generals and announced that he would stay in Berlin until the end and then kill himself. In an attempt to coax Hitler out of his rage, the Chief of Staff of the [[OKW]], Colonel-General [[Alfred Jodl]], speculated that the [[12th Army (Wehrmacht)|12th Army]], which was facing the American forces, could move to Berlin because the Americans already on the [[Elbe]] River were unlikely to move further east. Hitler immediately seized upon the idea and within hours, the army's commander, General [[Walther Wenck]], was ordered to disengage from the American forces and move the Twelfth Army north-east to support Berlin. It was then realised that if the Ninth Army moved west, it could link up with the Twelfth Army. In the evening, Heinrici was given permission to make the linkup.

Although in Hitler's mind{{Citation needed|date=August 2014}} the Twelfth Army was going to break through to Berlin, and the Ninth Army, once it had broken through to the Twelfth Army, was going to help them, there is no evidence that Generals Heinrici, Busse or Wenck thought that this was at all possible. However, Hitler's agreement to allow the Ninth Army to break through to the Twelfth Army would allow a window through which sizable numbers of German troops could retreat to the west and surrender to the American forces, which is exactly what Wenck and Busse agreed to do. This was made easier when, shortly after midnight on April 25, Busse was given authority "to decide for himself the best direction of attack".{{sfn|Beevor|2002|p=330}}