I have frequently been told that General Patton and the western Allies could have pushed towards Berlin and captured it before the Soviets, but that Patton was stopped by Eisenhower. Is there any truth to this claim? Could the western allies actually have reached Berlin before the USSR without too high casualties? I've heard people argue both sides.
My basic understanding is that it was possible, certainly (the Germans weren't about to stop them) but it would have been very bloody (look at the OTL attack from the East) and would have broken an agreement with Stalin that the Soviets would get to take the city. Remember occupation zones had already been agreed in principle, so FDR (naively or otherwise) and Truman (for when he was dead) and Eisenhower saw no need to waste American lives when Berlin would be fairly divided during the occupation anyway.
So yes, they could have, but the decision was taken, ironically enough, to keep Stalin happy. And above all, why spend 100,000 American and Commonwealth lives on a city that the Red Army will give you half of when they're done bleeding for it?