from 21 January to 16 March 1945
The Second World War began for our village around 20 January 1945, but for many men called up to the Wehrmacht already in 1939.
21.01.1945
The map illustrates the situation – the positions of the Soviet and German troops – on 21.01.1945. Below Oppeln (Opole) a red dot is marked – that is Folwark. From the black arrows we can read the position of the Soviet army. On that day everyone already knew that there was a war, because the guns could be heard, but still somewhere far away.
Refugees began to stream into Folwark, mostly from Nowa Wieś Królewska (Bolko), today Opole 8, thinking that the Russians would not cross the Oder and that the war would end here. But what happened the next day, let us see on the second map.
22.01.1945
On 22 January 1945 the Soviet troops reached the Oder in our area. Opole was encircled from the east. Because the Oder was covered with a fairly thick layer of ice, the troops from the Groszowice side could cross freely to our side and dig in under the flood embankment. They now had only about 500 metres to our Folwark. They received the order and advanced under fire towards the village. As the inhabitants of Przewrócie told, the dead fell thickly, because the few German soldiers had an excellent target and were themselves sheltered by the buildings. But they ran out of ammunition, so many Soviet soldiers reached the first houses at Przewrócie, from where they could easily and relatively safely take Folwark.
The German troops withdrew towards the main road and on to Górki. After some time they attacked again and drove the Soviets back behind the flood embankment on the Oder. This situation repeated itself, as I remember, four times. We were in the middle of this fighting, and not only our family but all the inhabitants of Folwark and the refugees from Nowa Wieś Królewska. After all, nobody then thought of evacuation, everyone hid in the cellars and only waited to see who would come in next: IVAN or the GERMAN. These visits, above all those of the Ivans, ended tragically for many inhabitants, as I shall describe later. Let us see what the situation at the front was the next day.
The right bank part of Opole was taken, and so was our Folwark. The evacuation of the inhabitants began on 22 January in the afternoon. We used the moment when the Soviet troops were behind the embankment. Besides, the whole of Folwark was in flames at the time, with dead and wounded everywhere. A German officer forced us to leave our cellars, because the troops could not use heavy weapons out of consideration for the remaining inhabitants. And so, under fire, we fled towards Górki and then further and further.
The military situation looked as the following maps illustrate.
24.01.1945
Comparing the situation on 24 January 1945 with the position of the troops on 25 January, we see that little had changed. The Soviet troops dug in at Folwark and Chrzowice.
In Boguszyce, Źlinice and as far as Krapkowice, on the left bank of the Oder, the situation still kept changing. Only on Saturday, 27 January 1945, did the Soviet troops dig in permanently in these places. Most of the inhabitants of Boguszyce stayed in their shelters (cellars), for why should they flee: “A Russian is a man just like ours,” they explained to those who urged them to evacuate. How were they treated (mostly Silesian Poles, see the result of the PLEBISCITE)? You will find details in the little book by B. Waleński, “Na płacz zabrakło łez” (“There were no tears left to weep”), published by Opolskie Wydawnictwo Prasowe, Opole 1990.
25.01.1945
The position of the troops changed little in the following days, until the great offensive, which began only in mid-March 1945. Details can be seen on the following maps.
Front situation in mid-February 1945
The Great Offensive in mid-March (15/16 March 1945)
