'We were paralysed with fear’ tells Trude Rendel from the small town of Soldin, ‘but on the other hand we couldn’t imagine that this tragedy couldn’t be stopped. But on 31st January 1945, the Red Army took Soldin. Red Army soldiers, drunken with victory, were looting shops, invaded homes and raped women.

Gunnar von Kleist witnessed such excesses: ‘We were just eating, everything was confusing and my father pushed us children out of the room. Then we heard shooting’.

Trying to protect his wife, his father had shot a Russian officer. Both parents were then killed and, out of revenge, another 120 citizens of Soldin were shot by the Red Army. Such incidents made it easy for the Nazi propaganda to start a ‘horror campaign’ – as propaganda minister Goebbels himself called it -  against the Red Army.

"When news of murder and rape from the front came in we doubled the numbers and then gave them to the press" remembers Gobbel’s secretary Brunhilde Pomsel. The horror pictures in the Nazi ‘Wochenschau’  had an effect: "My mates in school committed suicide even before the Russians came", tells Ruth Trinks from Breslau.

People were between the fear of death and desperate hope that a ‘miracle’ might happen – especially in Breslau. The Silesian capital had been closed in by Russian units and declared a ‘fort’ by Hitler at the end of January. "Hang in there" was the order – even if it means the downfall.

Street by Street the upper levels of buildings were blasted to take away cover from the Russians: the ‘Breslau method.’ A whole quarter was blown-up to crate a runway for airplanes - forced labourers and German civilians had to build it while under constant fire from the Russian besiegers. Thousands died in the process – and the runway was apparently never used.

"There were dead bodies and rubble everywhere, it was awful", remembers Maria Theresia Kollenda, "and then the bombs and fighter planes. It was so terrible that we were hoping we’d be next."

But the Nazi propaganda kept promising the Breslau people they would be rescued: General Schoerner’s army would blast the Russian ring around Breslau. "We were hoping ‘til the end that we could leave the basement and it was said that general Schoerner had struck back at the Russians", admits Ruth Trinks. Schoerner’s army never reached Breslau.

In those days, Goebbels also had the propaganda film ‘Kolberg’ released in cinemas  - the most expensive film made during the Third Reich, in colour. A propaganda epic from the Napoleon Wars: back then the small Baltic seaside town Kolberg withstood the French siege. Now the historic example was supposed to boost German morale.

"The effect was enormous", remembers Edgar Stuewe, "it was shown to us in special screenings, and in the end we were convinced we’d make it if we just all stuck together."

In March 1945 Kolberg was under siege from Russian and Polish armies. Hitler’s order was to hold Kolberg until the last bullet. Tragic scenes took place in the port. Under fire by Russian artillery the German navy evacuated civilians. When that was achieved, Kolberg was given up on 18 March 1945. Ninety per cent of the town had been destroyed. At Goebbel’s order, the end of Kolberg was not mentioned in the Wehrmacht report.