The winter offensive of the Soviet forces, launched on 12 January 1945, proceeded at a rapid pace. Less than a month had passed since the liberation of Warsaw (17 January) when Soviet forces reached the outskirts of Bolesławiec.
The Lower Silesian operation was of great strategic importance. Bypassing Wrocław, which was defending itself as a fortress ("Festung Breslau"), the Soviet forces aimed to open the route towards Dresden. The 3rd Tank Army, commanded by General Pavel Rybalko, was to play the main role in this direction.
On 10 February, the 7th Guards Tank Corps, advancing from Chojnów together with the 78th Corps of the 52nd Army, attacked Bolesławiec from the northeast via Witków, the motorway and Kraśnik Górny.
Fierce fighting for Bolesławiec continued throughout 11 February. Armoured units without infantry support suffered heavy losses, struggling to break through the barricaded streets. In the evening, the 31st Infantry Division, commanded by Colonel Chilczewski, arrived to help, and this decided the outcome. After fighting throughout the night, the Nazis were driven out of the city.
Soldiers of the 31st Division eliminated the remnants of the enemy forces on the right bank of the Bóbr, north of Bolesławiec, as far as Dąbrowa Bolesławiecka. Thus, on 12 February, Bolesławiec, at that time the westernmost city reached by the advancing forces, was liberated.
The offensive was halted. The Germans tried to use the line along the Kwisa and, from 1 to 5 March, reopened the railway junction and station at Lubań Śl. Fierce fighting in the Lubań and Nowogrodziec area held the front along the Kwisa only briefly—until April.
On 8 March, the Reich's propaganda minister, Dr Goebbels, even came to Lubań to deliver a speech to the population. These were merely propaganda activities. The liberation of the remaining territories along the Nysa remained a matter of weeks.
As an important point on the route towards Dresden, Bolesławiec was defended by a strong German garrison. The superiority of armoured forces and tanks in the fighting meant that the city suffered serious damage. Most historical sources and publications state that approximately 60 per cent of the city's buildings were destroyed. In practice, the greatest destruction occurred in the old town area.
The first Poles appeared in Bolesławiec as early as May and June 1945. The settlement of the city and county intensified in the autumn of 1945 and spring of 1946. The arduous process of building a new city began, the effects of which we can see today.
And one more reflection connected with the date of 12 February.
This anniversary used to be celebrated ceremonially, perhaps too ceremonially. Today, there is a desire to forget it. But the truth probably lies somewhere in between. It is a historical fact, and historical facts cannot be changed; they can only be interpreted. On 12 February, after nearly 600 years, Bolesławiec returned to the Motherland.