Breslau as a "German Brest" 1945 of the year
Now this city is in Poland and is called Wroclaw. Few people know that in 1945 Breslau became a real “German Brest”. There, the Germans fought almost three months to the last; they, like the Russians in the summer of 1941, continued to hope for help from Berlin, for a “miracle weapon”, On a breakthrough, but, alas, they did not know that Germany had already fallen, that the victorious Wehrmacht was no more, and their omnipotent Führer was lying half-burnt in a hole near his Office, and that all the sacrifices they had suffered would be in vain.
It is known that during World War II, Breslau was an important industrial center for the German military machine. On its territory there were several factories, forced workers and concentration camps.
It is also interesting that until the last months of the war, Breslau, like Dresden, was not destroyed at all, since the city was beyond the reach of the Allied bombers and even in connection with this received the nickname “Reich bombardment”. In this connection, many of the German government institutions were then transferred to Breslau. The first air raid this city experienced only in the fall of 1944, when Soviet troops reached the Vistula coast in central Poland. However, work on the creation of urban fortifications and in general to prepare Breslau for defense began in June 1944. It was then that two defensive belts were erected around the city and warehouses for supplies and ammunition were built. The work was mainly carried out with the involvement of labor from labor camps, volunteers, women, old people and children (http://www.achtungpanzer.eu/breslau.php).
Nature itself allowed the Germans to create an impregnable fortress from Breslau, since the entire southeastern, eastern and northern sides of the city had natural tank-inaccessible barriers such as the Weide river, the Oder river canals, the Ole river with wide floodplains. And the north side was generally wetland or viscous soil, which did not allow the Soviet tanks massively attack the suburbs of Breslau from this direction.
These advantages were used by the Germans to create a solid defense, especially in anti-tank terms. Stone buildings, gardens and parks made it possible to secretly place fire weapons, a good disguise from ground and aerial surveillance. The enemy in advance blocked the roads with ditches and barricades, mined possible passages, made rubble and kept them under targeted artillery fire.
But the most important thing that contributed to the fierce and long defense of Breslau was not his well-designed and powerful fortifications, but the German troops themselves, who defended the city, their high fighting spirit. Yes, it was known that among the German soldiers and volunteers who defended the city, there was active Nazi propaganda, but it did not play a major role in defensive battles, the Germans in Breslau simply had nothing to lose, they were really cornered, because the soldiers of the Wehrmacht, the SS troops and the detachments of the Volkssturm, it was their hometown, and as you know, they would fight for their home until the end.
It is known from German sources that the “garrison of the fortress” which for three months held Breslau in place was 35 000 Wehrmacht employees and 10 thousands called in Volkssturm. In total, it included the newly formed 609 Infantry Division, parts of the 269 Infantry Division, training and reserve units, a temporary SS regiment, 38 Volkssturm battalions (400 each), units of the Hitler Youth, police, ground Luftwaffe units and remnants parts broken in battles. The defenders had 32 artillery batteries made up of supposedly outdated German and also captured Soviet, Polish, Yugoslav and Italian guns. The garrison allegedly did not have any tank divisions, with the exception of a company of 15 self-propelled guns of various types.
Soviet sources give a slightly different, but more detailed composition of the enemy grouping, as in the city of Breslau, according to the Soviet military intelligence, the following enemy grouping was surrounded: part of the 20 Panzer Division. 236-th brigade of assault guns, consolidated tank spetsroty "Breslau". artillery and anti-aircraft units, as well as 38 battalions of the Volkssturm. According to the testimony of prisoners in the first line of defense, the enemy had: 25710 people. 1443 machine gun, 1885 faust cartridges, 101 mortar. 68 guns of different calibers, about 20 tanks and SPG. In total, 30980 man defended the city with the support of 1645 machine guns, 2335 faustpatron, 174 mortar. 124 guns of different calibers, 50 tanks and self-propelled guns (http://www.2history.ru/4145-shturm-goroda-breslau-krasnojj-armiejj-v-1945.html).
At first, the garrison was supplied by air and even received a replenishment in the form of two battalions of paratroopers.
The High Command of the Wehrmacht even twice tried to unlock Breslau, however, realizing all the inertness of these actions waved on the besieged hand and they thus remained defended in splendid isolation, they simply did not know that everything was over, that the Third Reich was actually living out its last weeks, or even days.
The 6-i and 5-i Guards Armies with the support of the 7-i and 4-th Guards Tank corps received this fortress city.
It was these compounds that began preparations for a planned assault on the city, and on February 16 began the assault itself. However, the hostilities proceeded unevenly, then they were actively conducted, then they died down, this is when our troops carried out a regrouping, replenished with manpower and ammunition and again struck now in a new direction.
At the beginning, Breslau was stormed from all sides, then after blocking and full encirclement, the battles in the city turned around in separate directions, directly in the city blocks, for each house and floor.
The Germans built their defense in such a way that on the side from which our troops attacked, the streets and lanes of Breslau allowed the Soviet command to use its numerous tanks and self-propelled guns on a strictly limited basis, only in small groups of 2-3 machines and no more, and those with large labor could maneuver in narrow quarters. In addition to this, from all sides behind our armored vehicles, the German "foustnik" staged a real hunt. Only during the first two weeks of the fighting, the Red Army troops lost on the streets of Breslau over 160 tanks and SPG.
On the other hand, Breslau, where German troops were directly defending, its suburbs had a good network of excellent roads, which allowed the city’s defense command to transfer a few German tanks and self-propelled guns from one "problem" area to another. The enemy’s armored vehicles were in the personal reserve of the garrison commandant and in small groups (1-2 of the tank, 1-3 SAU) acted on more active defense sectors, supporting infantry with fire and repelling the attacks of Soviet tanks.
During the first street battles that unfolded, it became clear to the Soviet command that it was impossible for Breslau to take it, that it was necessary to urgently change the very tactics of the assault, to bring up more powerful self-propelled guns, special engineer units and flamethrowing units to participate in the battles.
Soon, special assault battalions of engineering and sapper brigades (in Breslau, the 62-I separate engineering and sapper brigade) were engaged in fighting in the city, and the soldiers and commanders (1 and 2-th battalion of each brigade) were specially prepared for fighting in the city and taking powerful long-term fortifications of the enemy.
The personnel of these units had protective metal shells, POX flamethrowers, portable machine tools for launching PC projectiles and trophy faustpatrons, and most importantly, was well acquainted with the skills of a subversive business. These were real pros of the war, past more than one assault. Additionally, the troops involved in the assault were reinforced by ISU-152 from the heavy self-propelled artillery regiments.
Now, in order to avoid waste in vain, tanks and self-propelled guns changed their firing positions only when all the buildings, floors, basements and attics were “cleaned” by our infantry from the enemy’s “foustists”. These sweeps were carried out by assault groups using all forces and equipment, basements and buildings where the enemy's subunits were located were undermined with explosives, bombarded with grenades, burned with flamethrowers, most Germans showed themselves to be brave opponents, even in the most hopeless situations they preferred to die in battle than surrender.
It is interesting to use by Soviet troops during the fighting on the streets of Breslau tanks and self-propelled guns. Where they often played the role of a ram that makes passages in fences and barricades. Our armored vehicles destroyed the solid brick walls of houses and fences with fire of their guns, enabling the infantrymen and artillerymen to penetrate the attacked objects and conduct close combat with the enemy.
But most of all our tankers were surprised; it was they who invented an original way of taking away debris and barricades with the help of river anchors. The tank and the ACS, having a requisitioned cable with an anchor in the kit, under the cover of another combat vehicle or arthorudia, were approaching the rubble. Sappers attacked the anchor for the logs or parallel bars of the dam, the tank reversed and pulled the barricade away. The anchor returned to the place, aboard the combat vehicle. (Http://ww2history.ru/4145-shturm-goroda-breslau-krasnojj-armiejj-v-1945.html)
From combat reports it is known that as a result of only one month of fighting during the assault on Breslau, the 6 armored and self-propelled artillery units inflicted the following losses on the enemy: tanks destroyed - 2, guns of various calibers - 36, mortars - 22, machine guns - 82, manual machine guns - 210, pillboxes and billets - 7, enemy soldiers and officers -3750 people. Captured: 3 guns, 6 mortars, 5 heavy machine guns, 3 motorcycle, 52 bike. Captured 123 person.
During the same month of fighting, ONLY the tank and self-propelled units that make up the 6 Army suffered the following losses. The enemy has burnt 5 tanks EC-2, 6 T-34, 3 SU-122, one ISU-152. 3 ISU-152, 7 IS-2 was destroyed. Undermined by mines: 4 T-34 and 2 SU-122. The total losses of the hardware were: 3 ISU-152. 13 IS-2,6 T-34. 3 SU-122. as well as 154 of killed and wounded personnel (http://wwxnumxhistory.ru/xnumx-shturm-goroda-breslau-krasnojjarmimjj-v-2.html).
Active fighting in Breslau took place almost continuously from 18 February to 1 in May 1945, and only 30 in April, waiting for the end of the war, the Soviet troops went over to the defensive mainly in the southern and western parts of the city of Breslau. The rest of the city remained in the hands of the Germans.
4 May, Breslau's mastermind, Gauleiter Hanke, was evacuated from the city by plane, he was probably in a hurry to take up the post of SS Reichsführer, instead of Himmler, who had been removed. However, he was clearly unlucky; a week later he went missing in the Prague area. 6 May Commandant Breslau General Neuhoff signed the act of surrender. According to some data, the losses in the battles for Breslau in the manpower of the Wehrmacht were 7.000 people, the losses of the Red Army - 9.000 people. The losses of Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns amounted to about 200 units, of which 70%, in the first 2 weeks of fighting. More than 2 / 3 urban buildings were destroyed. Civilian casualties were about 80.000 people, including Volkssturm and Hitler Youth units (http://armor.kiev.ua/Battle/WWII/breslau/)
According to other sources, about 6000 soldiers and officers and 170000 civilians were killed on the German side. 45000 German soldiers were captured. The German losses were in fact even higher, since many of the supply and evacuation planes were shot down, and many of the wounded did not fly over the front lines. The Soviet side lost more than 8000 people killed (including about 800 officers) (http://www.achtungpanzer.eu/breslau.php).
It is known from modern Polish sources that 7 thousand Soviet soldiers were buried in the military cemetery of the city of Wroclaw.
The commander of the fortress, General Nyhof himself, cited several different figures in his memoirs. According to him, about 50 thousands of Wehrmacht soldiers and Volkshturmists took part in the defense of Breslau, of which 6 thousands were killed, and 29 thousands more were wounded. That is, the total losses of the German garrison amounted to 35 thousand people, which leaves about 58% of the total German group. If this figure is correct, then this is a very large proportion of military casualties in manpower. He estimated civilian casualties at 80 by a thousand people. When Nihof speaks of Soviet casualties, he comes from a number in 30 - 40 killed thousands, referring to Soviet sources that he does not name.
It is interesting that the Germans themselves still consider the expediency of the defense of Breslau controversial.
So for example, the famous historian, researcher of the Second World War, General Kurt von Tippelskirch in his "Stories World War II ”suggested that the defense of Breslau had a strategic meaning only in the first phase of the winter offensive of the Red Army 1945 of the year, that is, in January and February. At this point, the battles for Breslau could hold down the advancing Soviet divisions, which, in turn, could allow the German command to create a new front line, which would stretch from Lower Silesia to the Sudeten foothills.
In any case, the Germans managed to forge Breslau's defenses around the Soviet divisions 12, 7 of which were at the front, and 5 was used as a operational reserve. However, this in general did not affect the overall situation on the Eastern Front, as, for example, the actions of the Soviet troops in the summer and autumn of 1942 could affect the same situation. in the battle for Voronezh, when these actions in general contributed to a change in the situation in the battle for Stalingrad in favor of the Red Army.
Soviet machine gunners in a ruined house on the street Der SA Strasse (Strasse der SA), in the German city of Breslau, Silesia. The soldiers cover the sappers sergeant V. Brain, who are preparing to demolish the house, turned by the enemy into a fortified point. Sappers are visible in the right window opening, the soldiers are crawling to drag boxes of explosives. On the left are the remains of a destroyed barricade.
- Andrey Lebedev
- http://waralbum.ru
Information