Zaopatrzenie lotnicze Festung Breslau w 1945 roku
Fortress Breslau Air Supplies in 1945

Summary/Abstract: Breslau was declared to be a fortress (Festung) in the summer of 1944, but it was a fortress in name only. Up until the beginning of 1945 little had been done to change this. Then, on 17 January 1945, a combat alert was announced in the city, which resulted in a garrison being hastily formed and the evacuation of civilians. When the Soviets encircled Breslau in mid-February there was still approximately 200,000 civilians and 55–60,000 soldiers in the city. They had no shortage of food and medicine, but their ammunition supplies were very meagre. The fortress was only able to defend itself thanks to the airlift that began on 15 February, organized by the 6th Air Fleet. This airlift, in turn, could not have existed without the airport in Klein Gandau (Gądów Mały) being maintained, which was to be supported by the „city airport” that was built amongst the ruins of the scientific district at the Kaiserstrasse junction (Grunwaldzki Square). The city required 40 tons of supplies each day in order to function and it was possible to maintain this initially, although in April, after the loss of Klein Gandau, this figure dropped sharply. Resources were initially delivered by Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft, they were later parachuted into the city in containers and were also shipped in using gliders. In addition to ammunition, weapons and equipment, 1,200 paratroopers from the 9th Parachute Rifle Division were airlifted into Breslau, which significantly strengthened the garrison. Additionally, 6,600 soldiers were airlifted out of the city, including 5,225 wounded. The 6th Air Fleet paid an enormous price for this effort. Not only did it lose a total of 147 destroyed and 61 seriously damaged planes, but the airlift also consumed the last fuel reserves of the crumbling Third Reich.

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