35110 THE LAST ORDER VOL. 4, GERMANY 1945

Luftschutz is a German mass organization, which was primarily responsible for fighting the consequences of air bombings in Germany during World War II, but also participated in the active anti-aircraft defense of Germany at that time. The genesis of the Luftschutz dates back to the times of the Weimar Republic, when in 1926/2917 an appropriate law was created and passed, giving grounds for the formation of a specific civil defense aimed at eliminating the effects of bombings or potential enemy gas attacks on German cities. Shortly after the Nazis took power, Luftschutz was subordinated to the Reich Ministry of Aviation. Soon after, regular training of this formation began, which was, in fact, connected with the Nazi indoctrination. In the course of World War II, Luftschutz was responsible, among others, for: helping with firefighting, maintaining airline shelters in proper technical condition, distributing simple gas masks among the civilian population, and supervision of various air raid warning systems (e.g. alarm sirens). From 1944, women were accepted into the organization.The Volkssturm is a German military formation of a militia or a mass movement from the end of World War II. The formation was established by a special order of Adolf Hitler in September 1944, due to the catastrophic losses of the German armed forces, especially on the Eastern Front. All capable men between the ages of 16 and 60 served in its ranks. Volkssturm members did not receive virtually any uniforms, except for special armbands, and their weapons were outdated rifles, pistols and machine guns, very often from the First World War. The only modern weapons used by the Volkssturm were the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck anti-tank grenade launchers. Units of this formation were initially used to protect roads, railroads and fortifications, but from the beginning of 1945 they were already used on the front line - especially in the defense of Wrocław, Kołobrzeg and Berlin.