The heavy weight of the encirclement around the fortress has moved during the course of this month from the daily and nightly skirmishing with enemy infantry and armoured forces to the battle with the heavy weapons, as shown during the course of today. [The garrison’s measurable value in weaponry had virtually been eliminated, as the latest information in the last official statistics published showed only one tank and three aircraft destroyed in eleven days.] Meanwhile the Soviets have carried out a vast planned deployment of their artillery and engaged important targets in the fortress. On separate days they have increased their fire capacity quite considerably without revealing special objectives or using their whole firepower together.
Both bridges over the Vorflut Canal between the Altstadt and Kietz were among the more prominent targets of late. A direct hit on the road bridge tore it up and made it impassable. Since then traffic had been diverted over the railway bridge, which had been given a wooden decking. The trucks, particularly the nightly convoys, drove from the Oder dyke/Berlin railway crossing point and reached the road again from the Altstadt railway station by means of a provisional ramp. Communication between the individual sectors of the fortress, whose outermost points in an east–west direction were 6 kilometres apart, was thus assured. Nevertheless, artillery and low-flying aircraft caused even more interruptions to traffic, particularly on the Warthe bridges, which were wide open to enemy observation, so most deliveries were conducted during the evenings and at night.
In the daytime only those areas occupied by the headquarters and troop accommodation came to life. Civilians were rarely seen. The evacuation had practically come to an end and whole streets were blocked with debris. Individual small groups of civilians scattered among the protected ground floors and cellars kept going on their own (or ownerless) winter stocks of potatoes, coarse vegetables and preserves. Up to two or three bakeries were still working, but irregularly, providing no normal opening times, so it was of little importance when it was announced that the current ration period had been extended to 10 March, which meant that the already meagre rations must last another week. New ration cards would be issued in the forthcoming weeks but only on production of an NSDAP district office registration card.
The troops’ food supply system functioned well. Apart from some particularly exposed positions, warm rations were delivered regularly from the kitchens of the three big barracks, even in the main front line. The food stores had been well stocked up at the end of January, enabling resupply from outside to be limited to fresh meat and similar perishable items. Nevertheless it should be noted that there were enough supplies in the depots for several tens of thousands of men for several months.
The hope of feeding the Volkssturm rather better and with greater variety from the packets and parcels in the Neustadt post office proved over-optimistic. After more than a week’s work by at least five men, only a fraction of the contents had been examined, but none of it was suitable for augmenting the rations. The only exceptions were some Red Cross parcels containing tinned meat, fat, rice, currants and cigarettes, destined for a long-since-departed officers’ prisoner-of-war camp near Woldenberg. Food and sweets were only found in small quantities and had suffered from the long storage. The search revealed tobacco, cameras and watches, material, underwear, even fashion-model clothing, mixed with bits of uniform and even a pistol. The majority of edible items found were cakes in various forms, from primitive potato cakes to the finest confectioneries. As it was impossible to sort out these diverse items separately, they were put in half a dozen mailbags. The Volkssturm men were annoyed about this pig-food mix of at least six-week-old confectionery. The only usable items went to the main dressing station, medicines and surgical instruments having been found in surprising quantities. Individual items addressed to soldiers formerly stationed in the town could also be delivered.[22]
Chapter Eight
Assault on the Neustadt
‘Drumfire’ was the title of a two-part article in the fortress newspaper of 5 March. The purpose was unmistakable, with its references to the First World War: ‘Even after the most cruel bombardment…the men in field grey got up from the craters, tattered, hollow-cheeked, bleary-eyed, encrusted with dirt, stood up and fought’ and ‘remained unconquered in the field’.
Printing of the newspaper was still not complete when Soviet artillery and mortars abruptly opened fire early in the morning, particularly targeting the flanks of the Neustadt at Warnick and the Cellulose Factory, as well as Kietz. In Kietz alone 3,000 hits were recorded, including several of the heaviest calibres. The predominantly village-like buildings of this suburb collapsed in rows or burst into flames. The firing suddenly stopped at 0700 hours, but morning activity in the quarters and supply installations behind the front line and inside the town were soon to be interrupted again. The air sentries posted on roofs and other high places and armed with binoculars and whistles had just enough time to warn their immediate neighbourhoods as fighters, ground-attack aircraft and bombers approached. Seldom higher than 2,000 metres, the Soviet aircraft followed a wide curve over the Neustadt and delivered their loads virtually unopposed. The first wave had already turned away before any effective defensive fire opened up. Further groups of Soviet aircraft followed at irregular intervals until dusk.
The heavy flak weapons were deployed with their fields of fire, ammunition and positions almost exclusively in the ground role, while the light and medium batteries, mainly concentrated in the Altstadt, proved ineffective in defending the main target area. They picked off a few individual machines and prevented them from attacking specific targets, but the Neustadt was badly hit. All the important military installations withstood the bombing, although a thick cloud of smoke rose from the town centre, where nearly all the buildings had been destroyed by the double salvoes of a month ago. A roofing-felt factory caught fire and the engineer barracks were hit several times, setting the stores on fire. Everywhere big craters gaped or unexploded shells blocked the way. The obnoxious smell from broken drains gave rise to the rumour that gas bombs had been dropped. By late evening most of the fires had been contained and the main roads made passable once more, but the red glow from the smouldering ruins in the Neustadt lasted until morning. Of particular significance to the defence, the morning situation report revealed that the Vorflut Canal bridge had been destroyed ‘by eight direct hits’.[1]
By 6 March the Soviet 32nd Rifle Corps had closed up to the Neustadt and completed its preparations for attack. The plan already prepared by the commander, General Sherebin, on 18 February would conduct its main thrust from the Alt Drewitz area towards the Warthe bridges. Assault teams had been formed in all the four regiments, each team having two heavy IS tanks, two medium T-34 tanks and two 76mm guns in support.
Artillery fire and air attacks commenced at almost the same time as on the previous day, once more mainly hitting the Neustadt, but also taking in other parts of the fortress. Even where there were no salvoes from rocket-launchers, such as in Kietz, a density of shelling was attained that made all that had gone before seem like mild skirmishing. Severe damage and heavy casualties were reported everywhere. The biggest fires raged in the Potato Meal Factory and in the neighbouring wood store of a waterproofing factory. From there the flames reached out towards the centre of the Neustadt. The firemen were virtually powerless to control the situation, but had some success when they emerged as soon as the firing lifted towards evening.