By the spring of 1945, it became apparent to allied leaders that taking berlin would be the ultimate end to the war in europe. this turned into a race of sorts to see who could get to berlin first - the democratic americans or the communist soviets. why would it matter who got to berlin first if they were both allies? *

Both The US, UK, and USSR knew that annexing the the Nazi heartland in Berlin would end the war within the European theatre through and allied victory. Early in 1945, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt agreed to meet to discuss the postwar political environment of Europe. Even though they agreed to separate Berlin into separate zones, both the US and USSR feared one another's influence would be stronger over postwar Europe (as the UK would not be as dominant a power due to exhaustion from the war). Therefore, it was a race for both sides to reach Berlin first, as it was believed the first to get there would have a stronger influence over the events following Germany's loss in WWII