The fall of Breslau
Who comes to Breslau today will be surprised positively for two reasons. Because the Poles have managed in a unique way to let the old urban features arise so that the visitor gets the impression again Breslau would not have been destroyed so intensely after all. The second surprise is the enormous positive strength that originates of the modern Wroclaw called in Polish today. Who comes to Breslau is confronted with a young society characterized by university and modern industry which has succeeded to merge Polish with German history without losing identity. Who cannot believe this only should see the panorama of Raclawice.
The panorama of Raclawice in Breslau (Wroclaw) is one of the few mass cultural monuments of the 19th century worldwide. In Poland this panoramic painting it is the first and only work of art of this manner. With a size of 15 x 114 m. this masterpiece changed in several work steps and different techniques over years for a testimonial of passed reality and time. Initiator of the panorama was the well-known Lemberg painter Jan Styka (1858 -- 1925) who engaged the excellent painter of battle scenes Wojciech Kossak (1857 -- 1942) for collaboration. Furthermore the following painters were involved in the work of art: Ludwik Boller, Tadeusz Popiel, Zygmunt Rozwadowski, Teodor Axentowicz, Wlodzimierz Tetmajer, Wincent Wodzinowski and Michał Sozanski.
Represented is the victory of the Polish army over the Russians in the battle at Raclawice in 1794 under the leadership of the Polish general Tadeusz Kosciuszki. In 1894 a national exhibition was organized in Lemberg which was a good reason to immortalize this glorious milestone in the Polish history artistically. Since 1893 one worked on this gigantic painting nine months incessantly until it could be opened solemnly on June 5, 1894. Since this time it was a magnet for many Lemberg guests and became a true tourist attraction. After World War II it was convicted together with parts of the Ossolineum library toBreslau/ Wroclaw. It took over 35 years till the work of art taken to pieces was recycled manually and had a suitable building built to show it to the public in its full splendour.
Simultaneously it was an unloved work of art under the communist regime for a long time years and only on pressure of a dedicated committee of volunteers it was possible that the panorama was made accessible to the public again on June 14, 1985.The former Lemberg attraction has now become a main attraction in Breslau/Wroclaw. Under the numerous guests who have already had a look at the panorama are the following personalities: Pope Johannes Paul II, the Dutch queen Beatrix, the Belgian royal couple Albert and Paola, Czeslaw Milosz and the granddaughter of the painter Gloria Kossak.
Who would have seen Breslau on May 6, 1945 could not have imagined such an urban development in his boldest dreams.
Breslau is located in the middle of the fertile Silesian lowland plain on both sides lat the estuary of the Ohle which branches into several arms. 80 bridges connect the town. Breslau is the cultural, scientific and intellectual centre of Silesia. In 1242 the German town was founded and received the Magdeburg Recht (Magdeburg Privilege) in 1261.Since the 14. century Breslau was part of the Hanse (Hanseatic League).In 1742 the city fell to Prussia due to the Breslau Präliminarfrieden (peace treaty) with Silesia. The industrialization in the 19th century increased the total population. Of 62.000 in 1811 to 400,000 in 1890.
With the outbreak of war nothing is to be seen from it for many years. Breslau lives like in deepest peace. The city is not within reach of the Allied bombers. Therefore the town is called "air-raid shelter of Germany". That changes with the collapse of the Army Group Mitte (middle) in 1944. The front gets closer terribly fast. Hitler still aggravates the situation when he pulls the last valuable Panzer divisions out of the front for a last great offensive in Hungary. The superiority of the Red Army was overwhelming. 11:1 infantry, 7:1 tanks, 20:1 artillery. The Russians went so far to announce that they would set up 250 artillery barrels per kilometre at the next offensive. This was no brag but bitter fact.
The great offensive starts January 12, 1945. The Russians cross the Silesian border eight days later. Breslau is not prepared for the day X. The city is no fortress and has got no fortress. The forts go back to the time of Napoleon and between 1808 and the beginning of World War I it was no fortress at all. At the beginning of World War I some fortifications are built with little effect.
Already in September 1944 Hitler declares the town fortress. The first military governor of the town, general Krause, takes over September 25 to notice that nothing at all had been provided for the defence of the town.
There is no operations staff only insufficient arming and ammunition, no stockpiling, no preparations for air supplies, no preparations for any kind of engineering.
For the defence fight five divisions are provided. Nobody knows whether they will ever appear.
When the Russians approach, the disposition of fortress troops is put into motion by alarming all Breslau based reserve troops on January 17.Anybody picked up at road blocks, railway stations or crossroads is sent to a gathering point. Four regiments are formed by the transfer of the non-commissioned officer school "Frankenstein". Volkssturm battalions (people army) are brought to these regiments. Luckily for the defenders the 269. Infantry Division from the Alsace is transferred with its Lieutenant General Wagner. Thanks to that the Russian advance on both sides of the main road Groß Wartenberg - Breslau can be slowed down, however not stopped. On January 28, Russian tanks cross the frozen Oder.
Since his assignement to the "Führer Reserve", Generalfeldmarschall von Kleist (General Field Marshal) lives on his estate Weidenbrück which has become part of the north front. Only with great effort he is to be convinced to leave house and court. His son Rittmeister von Kleist is on convalescent leave and takes a battalion to defend his native country. Von Kleist was commanding General of the Silesian VIII. Army Corps from 1935 to 1938. He does not escape his destiny, when in 1946 he is extradited by the British to Yugoslavia. In 1948 he is transferred to Russia and dies in camp Wladimir in 1954.
A stroke of luck for the defenders is the delivery of the last 100 light field howitzers, model 1918, from the Borsig plant in Markstädt. A new commander-in-chief comes to Breslau a few days later. Major General von Ahlfen has been selected by the Commander-In-Chief of the Army Group Mitte, Schörner, for this task. His first order is the appointment of Major Hameister as the Commander of the sapper troops. Another technological unit joins them under the leadership of Second Lieutenant Engineer Schulz. This technical battalion 6 should play an important role in the defence.
By mid February the German forward front lines are still 9 -10 km away from the town centre. During the bitter defence battles, parts of the 269. and 17. Infantry Divisions also have been pushed towards Breslau. Among them are six self-propelled assault guns of the Sturmgeschütz Brigade 311 and three batteries of heavy field howitzers (15 cm). They are a well appreciated support which will secure the survival of the fortress Breslau. Meanwhile, all factories were searched for weapons, equipment and ammunition. 100 "Ofenrohre" (stovepipe-bazookas) with 6,000 shots as well as some tanks that are found at a repair shop at the FAMO factory.
On February 28 von Ahlfen orders the construction of a Panzerzug (armoured train). He wants to use the well developed railway system in and around Breslau and the Panzerzug as a "fire brigade" in case of emergency. FAMO is told to get the job done quickly. At the same time, a Führerbefehl (Führer`s order) instructs von Ahlfen to build a landing strip in the middle of the town since the loss of the airfield Gandau endangers the air supplies. V. Ahlfen fights against the plan to turn the Kaiserstrasse into a 1.3 km long landing strip. But the reaction of Hitler is merciless: "The Führer authorizes the Gauleiter (Nazi party area commander) to the making of the inner city airfield. The fortress commanding officer provides him with the necessary qualified employees and explosives".
In the meantime the relatively peaceful phase is used for turning off the sewage system. One fears the trickle of the enemy and takes countermeasures. Besides that the Ohle lowland is flooded and the irrigated field converted to a marsh, thus tank attacks are excluded from this direction.
Meanwhile the permanent grumbling and interference of the Gauleiter Hanke has shown effect. Schörner sends adjutants to Breslau however, not to question the commanding officer but Hanke. The result is the dismissal of von Ahlfen and the vocation of General Niehoff in his place on March 9.
The defenders exposed to permanent Russian pressure have to meet this with increasingly more new ideas. The good stock of 88 mm of guns and ammunition is used to reinforce the barricades so that they can shoot at the enemy frontally. The hostile anti-tank guns the worst lash of the German defenders are dealt with differently. A tactic is developed in cooperating and concentrating mortars, 20 mm flak and "Ofenrohre" which at first force the Russian anti-tank gun crews to leave the guns and take full cover in nearby houses. Then "Ofenrohr" troops shoot the guns to pieces. The Regiment Mohr destroys way over 100 anti-tank guns within 14 days with these tactics.
The uninterrupted artillery fire and bombing has turned whole districts into ruins, which now hangs like a swords of Damocles over the defenders and threatened to crush them. Because of that a lot of the ruins are levelled. Others that are endangered to fall into the enemy s hands or are supposed to do so are prepared to such an extent that they threaten the new owners even more. Of course every cellar is used for the reinforcement of the defence system. Breslau is the prime example of the fully developed high art of house-house fighting. With all means the defenders are hiding their own positions from the Russians. Carpets are stretched behind each other across a street to provide protection for the reinforcements for the fighters.
And they remain firm. There is an example of how fanatic the fighting got. Company Commander Budka of SS Regiment "Besslein" is in the centre of the defence at Augusta Street opposite an insurance building that is occupied by the Russians. Budka stands shooting with bare chest in this cellar whose upper stories are in bright flames. He lets himself be poured with water by helpers permanently to stand the unbearable heat.
The house-to-house fighting carries on relentlessly in March and April. In the area of the 609. Infantry Division the inferno around the Heiliggeistkirche (holy ghost church) and Hancke hospital intensifies into the insufferable. North of the Steinstrasse is a modern concrete school building. This is defended grimly and in the course of the time downright sawed up by Russian anti-tank guns. These fights also go on by night and it frequently happens that Russians and Germans are separated in that school only by a thin wall.
The sappers are outstanding in inventing new ideas. They fabricate the brick mine which looked like a brick that can not be differentiated within three meters from the original. They are laid at night with the help of fishing rods. The lack of mortar ammunition is solved their way. They find 40 pieces of heavy 125 mm mortars in the ordnance department at Frankfurter Strasse, unfortunately, without explosives. From cartridges of the 88 mm flak shells which have the same calibre as the mortars, shells are made and filled with explosives from duds and iron splinter. Even propellant charges are produced from improvised means. So 200 -300 shells are produced daily
While combing factories for ammunition about 100 000 slugs and appropriate powder for light field howitzers are found. By special experts and igniters which are flown in, these shells get finished. The necessary explosive is found in bomb duds whose explosive is "cooked" in a candy stove. On March 20 the armoured train passes its maiden voyage. It is equipped with four 88 mm flak, a 37 mm flak, four 20 mm flak and two MGs 42 (maschine guns). The garrison is up to 108 men, among them six engine drivers and with their own wireless station. Particularly in the southwest the train renders very good services despite its size in the defence and destroys seven tanks and three planes till early April. 30% of its crew is killed in the course of the next weeks.
On March 27 Gauleiter Hanke who is also Reichs Defence Commissioner orders the evacuation of all flats of the town up to the first floor down, because of danger of fire, as he reports to Hitler. Work groups are put together throwing all furniture, pictures, carpets and books, literally all highly inflammable inventory onto the street.
On April 8 the Red Army starts another one of their countless attacks, starting out from the station Nikolaitor in the direction of the Poznan railway bridge. They are stopped near Pöpelwitz/Eichenpark by the defenders with a couple of self-propelled assault guns and a Sturmpanzer IV, equipped with a 75 mm Panther gun. The Red Army loses 25 tanks alone at this attack, in the meantime, the "Air Corridor Kaiserstrasse” is completed under heavy losses amongst the population. But aircraft does not land here. Only a lonely glider makes it safely. The supply with ammunition comes to a standstill. Early April it is a tough decision to fire either 20 or 30 grenades a day. The Luftwaffe also supports the fighters on the ground with a few low level ground attacks. Every time the German fighter bombers appear over Breslau, the sky is as deserted from red aircraft. .
One of the big supports in the fight for the supply is the FAMO vehicle and engine plant.. Still in December 1944, 8 000 workers are busy. Since the evacuation is started too late, the staff except for 680 employees has left Breslau but the machinery, packed into 150 freight wagons, is left at the Freiburg station. After the Russian approach the work dangerously in the west, the largest portions are resettled to the town to the AVIATIK cigarette factory. Countless cigarettes are still manufactured for the daily need. Here the administration, canteen and even some machines are set up. Even in the cellar of the Erlöserkirche (church) at the Benderplatz and in the museum of ancient times in Graupenstrasse machines are placed.
At the railway repair shop at the Mathiasstrasse tanks and tank train are serviced. Gun barrels flown in into the cauldron are fixed into three tanks. Vehicles are repaired and small observation huts made from tank steel plates that are put up on the slopes of the railway embankment turned towards the enemy are designed. To solve the lack of automatic weapons the drums of seized MPs and assault rifles are changed to the size of German ammunition. Thousands of modern machine-guns which, however, lack a little lock whose form and material quality is unknown are also stored in Breslau. To copy the part turns out well with the help of an illustrated spare part catalogue. Too few are, however, used. It is simply too late
When the technical company is moved to Breslau February 1, one can not anticipate how much these men contribute to the resistance of the fortress. It safeguards the gas supply until February 14 and provides parts of the town with gas even 14 days longer. The water supply is guaranteed by six drilling teams which bores 700 wells in the course of the months. At night, even gigantic pipe bursts which can not be prevented by the non-stop bombing are repaired again under fire. The Kaiser Brücke (emperor bridge), an emblem of Breslau is also saved from the destruction by these men. Two mall boats are manoeuvred under the bridge weakened by artillery hits, sink them and use these as support pillars.
Special attention is given to the sewerage system of more than 500 km of length.. Dams are built to increase the state of the tide to make it impossible for Russians to use them as a way of advance underneath the German frontline. Smaller channels are wedged and in the larger ones the slide valves are welded. Three big flood areas which are laid out under fire help to defend the town and sav infantry.
The situation of the town has stabilized itself after the Russian incursion into the southern part of the town. Although the heads of the Red Army approach the centre for almost three kilometres, they are stopped by the concentric fire, however. Now, Easter shall bring the Russians the desired victory. Easter Sunday is not welcomed with peal of bells but with heavy artillery fire. Even 280 mm guns take part in the shooting. The Red Army then attacks with many tanks and under fog protection over the airfield Gandau. The paratrooper battalions havemany losses, the 20 mm flak is blinded by the dust, several 88 mm of guns destroyed by direct hits. After two hours Russian tanks stand in front of the home for the blind. But they make a decisive tactical mistake. Instead of unrolling the weak western flank of the Germans by clockwise rotation they continue their push to the northeast. That enables the Germans to reinforce the weak western front and to stop the Russian attack. The Russians nevertheless succeed in a decisive blow, the conquest of the airfield. Air supply was reduced to parachute drops after that.
It is only a question of time when Breslau must give up. The Russians take their time after the Easter attacks with further actions. Who wants to die shortly before the end of the war? Instead of weapons loudspeakers take on the initiative now. Propaganda in the usual meaning but also realistic reports from all fronts aired to show the senselessness of the fight. Early May General Niehoff speaks on the phone to his supervisor, Feldmarschalll Schörner, to discuss the next steps. Schörner has promised Niehoff on his inauguration in March the relief "within two months" arrogantly, insists on continuation of the fight up to the last cartridge. Also, he expects from Niehoff "that he will remain faithful to the dead Führer".
The last visitors with general Niehoff for whom the surrender is already decided on, are the spiritual dignitaries of the Protestant church, parish priest Hornig, town dean Dr. Konrad and from the Roman Catholic side suffragan bishop Ferche and Kanonikus Kramer. They urge Niehoff to surrender. However, Niehoff who can not say his decisions frankly, gives sufficient indications that the dying will come to an end soon. The very last visitor in the headquarters is Gauleiter Hanke who wants support for his escape from Breslau. Since Niehoff is not ready for any concessions Hanke takes the things his hand, steals the Fieseler Storch, a light aircraft hidden on the exhibition grounds and takes off.
Niehoff announces his decision for the surrender to his field commanders on May 5. On the same day the last emotional letter of the Army Supreme Command 17 (AOK) arrives: “Germany's flags lower in impressive mourning in front of the steadfastness of the garrison and the self-sacrifice of the population of Breslau". At 14.00 on May 6 the fire ceases. The fight is over.
Captivity and death expect for the defenders now. The commander of the 609. Infantry Division, General Ruff, is convicted to death at Riga. Niehoff goes into captivity for more than 10 years which he serves five in prison.
