January and the first half of February
“Calm” is relative. War production continued, refugees moved through the city and defensive preparations were underway. The contrast is between a functioning rear area and the sudden arrival of the front at the Neisse.
Source fact: G.E.O.S. records 6,268.8 tonnes of powder production from Sep 1944 through Jan 1945.
Refugees and Forst-Berge
The local Zeitzeugen Forst chronology describes refugee columns along Pförtener Straße in January. It is used as local memory, not as an operational record.
14 February
The City of Forst records Soviet tanks on the east bank between Jähnsdorf and Sacro. By mid-February, the immediate Forst area was a combat zone.
Sources and source criticism
Sources
Pamyat Naroda - Lower Silesian OffensiveOperational context for February 1945: the 1st Ukrainian Front advancing to the Neisse line.
Pamyat Naroda - Lower Silesian OffensiveOperational context for February 1945: the 1st Ukrainian Front advancing to the Neisse line.
Sources
City of Forst (Lausitz) - “Grenzrose” materialMunicipal source: on 14 Feb 1945 Soviet tanks were on the east bank between Jähnsdorf and the Sacro bridge; on 16 Apr the major offensive began and the Neisse was crossed north of the memorial site.
City of Forst (Lausitz) - “Grenzrose” materialMunicipal source: on 14 Feb 1945 Soviet tanks were on the east bank between Jähnsdorf and the Sacro bridge; on 16 Apr the major offensive began and the Neisse was crossed north of the memorial site.
Sources
Zeitzeugen Forst - local chronology “Als der Krieg nach Forst kam”Local memory and photo chronology covering refugees, late-February shelling, the St Nikolai fire and destruction of the Lange Brücke. Treated as a local source, not equivalent to a war diary.
Zeitzeugen Forst - local chronology “Als der Krieg nach Forst kam”Local memory and photo chronology covering refugees, late-February shelling, the St Nikolai fire and destruction of the Lange Brücke. Treated as a local source, not equivalent to a war diary.