Acts of Defiance

By 16 February, the encirclement of Breslau was complete. Acting on Marshal Konev’s orders to secure the Silesian city, General Gluzdovsky ordered an attack against the crucial Gandau airfield, one of the city’s last links with the west. Facing grim German Volkssturm and Hitler Youth battalions, the Russians …

1945-02-27

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By 16 February, the encirclement of Breslau was complete. Acting on Marshal Konev’s orders to secure the Silesian city, General Gluzdovsky ordered an attack against the crucial Gandau airfield, one of the city’s last links with the west. Facing grim German Volkssturm and Hitler Youth battalions, the Russians were initially thrown back with heavy losses, and were unable to capture the field until 23 February. The 25th saw battle-hardened troops of Fallschirmjager Regiment 26 arrive on a makeshift runway. The Russians were shocked to be facing these tough veterans instead of old men and boys. Still, the vice-like grip inexorably squeezed tighter on festung Breslau. With massive artillery support, the Russians blasted their way into the older, canal-lined sections of the city. One such attack overran a Volksstrurm-held position, crossed a canal, and became a tiny toehold in the German perimeter. With typical reaction, a parachute company and ad hoc infantry units quickly counterattacked the new Soviet threat.

Breslau, Germany

The Siege of Breslau, also known as the Battle of Breslau, was a three-month-long siege of the city of Breslau in Lower Silesia, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland), lasting to the end of World War II in Europe. From 13 February 1945 to 6 May 1945, German troops in Breslau were besieged by the Soviet forces which encircled the city as part of the Lower Silesian Offensive Operation. The German garrison's surrender on 6 May was followed by the surrender of all German forces two days after the battle.

German

Russian

Scenario Type = Standard