It proved impossible to fully refit Dietrichs divisions by January 30; personnel and material replacements continued to arrive during the loading for the move to the east, during the move itself, and even after arrival in Hungary. The 2nd Panzer Army's Eisbrecher would advance from an area southwest of Lake Balaton and progress towards Kaposvr to engage the Soviet 57th Army. Bittrichs corps had continued to defend its AbaSarkeresztur sector during this period and was now dangerously exposed. [15] These units were to be refitted by 30 January and attached to the 6th Panzer Army under the command of Sepp Dietrich for the upcoming Operation Spring Awakening. Its only serious errors were in not detecting a guards mechanized corps and a guards cavalry corps in the path of the Sixth Panzer Army, and the positions of two of the three corps of Tolbukhins second echelon army astride the Danube. white, 11th Guards Separate Motorcycle Battalion, 864th Self-prop.
So ended Hitlers last offensive action of World War II. red. From a bleak cell in Spandau Prison, Speer wrote in his secret diary, on 8 November 1946, recalling vividly the offensives planning and how Hitler boldly traced its course at his big map table, to advance through Hungary to the south-east. [38] The offensive would consist of four forces, three were to be attack forces while one was to be a defense force. From all the available evidence it seems clear that the corps did not in fact launch any serious attacks on the 6th. The fact that they were facing reverses in one area did not distract them from their long-term aim, and the albeit serious situation on the west side of the Sarviz was seen as an opportunity rather than as a setback. Hitler viewed the threat from the East as far more serious than that posed by the Western Allies, and he was determined to protect his Greater German Reich from Stalins sub-humans. The fact that the Battle of the Bulge had frittered away many of the men and much of the equipment needed to throw back and destroy the Soviet armies now threatening Germany was of no consequence, and he sent his personal adjutant, SS Major Otto Gnsche, to the commander of the Sixth Panzer Army, General Sepp Dietrich, to tell him that within four weeks his army, comprising I and II SS Panzer Corps, would be moved to the Eastern Front to launch a new offensive, code-named Operation Spring Awakening. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1068th Self-prop. The lack of progress by Bittrichs corps is hardly surprising. Although it failed to identify the correct designation and exact positioning of every formation, it estimated the number of armies, corps, and divisions in the attack area with remarkable accuracy. G.F. Krivosheyev, 'Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the twentieth century', London, Greenhill Books, 1997, G.F. Krivosheyev, 'Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the twentieth century', London, Greenhill Books, 1997, p. 156-7, G.F. Krivosheyev, 'Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the twentieth century', London, Greenhill Books, 1997, p.156-7, 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Reichsfhrer-SS, Military history of Bulgaria during World War II, "Hitler's Last Offensive: Operation Spring Awakening", "New achievements in WW II.
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The advance stalled on 15 March, and on 16 March the Red Army and allied units began their delayed Vienna offensive. Hitlers precise aims for Operation Spring Awakening were as wildly ambitious as those in the Ardennes three months earlier. WebFull version of Operation Spring Awakening 1945. Ten armoured (Panzer) and five infantry divisions, including a large number of new heavy Tiger II tanks, struck 3rd Ukrainian Front, hoping to reach the Danube and link up with the German 2nd Panzer Army forces attacking south of Lake Balaton. [58] The 27th Army's one Guards Rifle and two Rifle Corps would remain in reserve unless the situation in the 26th Army called for its use. Serious concerns were expressed by Sepp Dietrich and his senior staff officers that as the Sixth Panzer Army and III Panzer Corps moved southeast and east they would become increasing vulnerable to any counteroffensive launched by the Soviet forces already located north of Szkesfehrvar and west of the Danube. Between 16 and 25 March, the Hungarian Third Army had been destroyed about 40 kilometres (25mi) west of Budapest by the Soviet 46th Army which was driving towards Bratislava and the Vienna area. Had the ground been frozen at the time of the attack, the initial results might well have been very different. In fact, the Supreme Soviet Command went further and, on this same day gave both Tolbukhin and Malinovsky revised missions. The Third Ukrainian Front commander reasoned that if and when the Germans attacked they would be sufficiently weakened by the depth of his defenses for him to launch his own offensive as originally planned, using the reserve armies and any forces unaffected by the fighting. The last major German offensive on the eastern front. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M), 310th Separate Self-prop. The Hitlerjugend continued its painful advance toward Ozora and, after capturing Mezszilas by 9 pm, moved on during the night to capture Igar, four kilometers northwest of Simontornya. In I SS Panzer Corps sector one Kampfgruppe (battlegroup) of the Leibstandarte overcame well-defended positions covering the NagySaregres road to the north of Saregres before being brought to a halt by an antitank screen immediately north of the village. Operation Spring Awakening began officially at 04:30 hours on 6 March, commencing with a massive barrage from the artillery of the Sixth SS Panzer Army followed by the advance of the panzergrenadiers of the Leibstandarte. Whler proposed, therefore, to leave the 23rd Panzer Division where it was in the Saregres sector and, after relieving I SS Panzer Corps on the Sio with I Cavalry Corps and a Hungarian Division, to move it north to a position behind II SS Panzer Corps and III Panzer Corps. The German plan was to launch a two-pronged attack to secure a defensive zone for the Lake Balaton oilfields in northern Hungary. Das Reich had 27 Panthers, 22 Mk IVs, 28 Jagdpanzers and 26 Sturm-geschtzes on hand. Complaints by both divisional commanders and the corps chief of staff that there was no possibility of II SS Panzer Corps being ready at H-hour were to no avail. The fact that these divisions were understrength was relatively unimportant, for the ground they were holding was ideal for defense and totally unsuitable for an attacking armored formation. The operation was referred to in Germany as the Plattensee offensive and in the Soviet Union as the Balaton defensive operation. The Third Ukrainian Front was to continue to defend south of Lake Balaton with two armies but was to be prepared to launch a major attack north of Lake Valencei with two reserve armies, one of which Tolbukhin had just requested. Meanwhile, on I SS Panzer Corps left flank the 23rd Panzer Division penetrated into Saregres but was unable to clear it. While it is generally agreed that the 30-minute artillery barrage heralding the beginning of Spring Awakening began as planned at 4 am on March 6, there is considerable disagreement as to exactly when the II SS Panzer Corps attack began. It was designed to capture Vienna and be carried out by the Second and Third Ukrainian Fronts (Army Groups) with four armies. [40] Other units from other armies were also sent to the Hungarian theater, for example the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Reichsfhrer-SS who was brought up from Italy through the Brenner straight and sent to the 2nd Panzer Army. There were only two hard surface roads running southeast from Szkesfehrvar, and even these had been turned into rivers of mud by the thaw. [61] A prime example of the scale of defensive installments can be seen in the 26th Army's 135th Rifle Corps.
IX., e.g.
Two tanks disappeared in mud up to their turrets, and the rest of the lead company had to stay on the only hard surface road in the attack zone. The situation began to change dramatically on March 9. Artillery Regiment (SU-100, markings: 4xx, e.g. Operation Spring Awakening (Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) 1945 6 16 March was the last major German offensive of World War II.
[23][63][64][65][66][67] Please note that the units below are subordinate to the commanding structure under which they spent the most time during the offensive. The state of the ground caused great anxiety in the German command. red, 1004th Self-Prop. Dietrich's army made "good progress" at first, but as they drew near the Danube, the combination of the muddy terrain and strong Soviet resistance had ground the German advance to a halt.[70]. By the 26th, however, with their forces in the south only 20 kilometers from Buda and in the north only half that distance, the Germans were exhausted. The Soviets claim that the other division of the corps, Das Reich, made nine separate attacks on this day but again antitank and artillery fire from concealed positions stopped the enemy attack.. G, Pz.IV, Tiger I.). The aim of this attack was, as Dietrich had feared, to strike the rear of the Sixth Panzer Army. [51] Nonetheless, if successful, it was envisioned that the meeting of Army Group E's Waldteufel and the 6th SS Panzer Army's Frhlingserwachen would encircle both the Soviet 26th Army and the Soviet 57th Army. Artillery Regiment (ISU-152, captured Hummels, e.g. 
In view of the time needed to refit and move the Sixth Panzer Army to the Eastern Front and to secure the ground west of the Danube for the new offensive, Hitler ordered a preliminary attack in Hungary on January 18. On the same day, the 23rd Panzer Division, despite heavy antitank and artillery fire from the east side of the Sarviz canal, closed up to Saregres. This was the moment when Soviet Marshal Rodion Malinovsky went over to the attack. At 1:45 am, in spite of Hitlers refusal to allow any changes to his master plan or any major redeployments without his personal permission, the Chief of Staff Army Group South, Lt. Gen. von Grolmann, instructed Dietrich to prepare I SS Panzer Corps for just such an attack. The plan was intended to create pressure on the German forces operating on the British and Canadian front simultaneous with Operation Cobra, an American offensive.Operation Spring was Add to Want List. [29] The following day, 28 January, this operation received its preliminary name, Operation Sd (G: South). This particular division was opposing the Hitlerjgend and part of the Leibstandarte, but the divisions facing the Das Reich and the Hohenstaufen divisions would have been similar in strength and deployment. IL-2m3, 165th Guards Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), 166th Guards Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), 167th Guards Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), 56th Fighter Air Regiment (La-5F, La-5FN), 530th Fighter Air Regiment (La-5F, La-5FN), 848th Fighter Air Regiment (La-5F, La-5FN), 267th Fighter Air Regiment (Yak-1b,-3,-9), 117th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (Yak-1b,-9), 168th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (Yak-1b,-9), 611th Fighter Air Regiment (Yak-1b,-3,-9D,DD,M) White diagonal tail stripe with a wide bar on the rudder, 659th Fighter Air Regiment (Yak-3, -9D,DD,M,T) Long white arrow on fuselage, 897th Fighter Air Regiment (Yak-1b,-3,-9D,DD,M,T), 31st Fighter Air Regiment (La-5F, La-5FN,-7FN) Lightning bolt on fuselage, diagonal tail stripe, 116th Fighter Air Regiment (La-5F, La-5FN) Lightning bolt on fuselage, diagonal tail stripes, 164th Fighter Air Regiment (La-5F, La-5FN) Lightning bolt on fuselage, diagonal tail stripes, 244th Bomber Air Division (Douglas A-20 Boston), 260th Bomber Air Regiment (A-20B,C,G,J, UA-20C Boston) Lightning emblem on the nose, 449th Bomber Air Regiment (A-20B,C,G UA-20C Boston) Bomb dropping seagull emblem on the nose, 861st Bomber Air Regiment (A-20B,C,G,J UA-20C Boston), 97th Guards Night Bomber Air Regiment (Po-2), 39th Separate Air Reconnaissance Regiment (Pe-2R, Yak-9D,M,R), 130th Guards Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), 131st Guards Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), 187th Guards Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), 188th Guards Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), 190th Guards Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), 235st Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik) white tail cap, 451st Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), 31st Guards Fighter Air Regiment (Yak-1b, -9), 73rd Guards Fighter Air Regiment (Yak-1b, -9), 85th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (Yak-1b, -9), 48th Bomber Air Regiment (A-20G Boston) red tail cap, 452nd Bomber Air Regiment (A-20G Boston) white tail cap, 453rd Bomber Air Regiment (A-20G Boston) dark blue tail cap, 14th Guards Bomber Air Regiment (B-25D,J Mitchell), 238th Guards Bomber Air Regiment (B-25D,J Mitchell), 251st Guards Bomber Air Regiment (B-25D,J Mitchell), 53rd Bomber Air Division (Li-2 cargo planes, etc. However, the commanding staff of Army Group E was pessimistic about the LXXXXI Corps' ability to reach Mohcs due to the unfavorable terrain and sole dependence on infantry. On 17 February 1945, the Soviet High Command (Stavka) instructed the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts to prepare for an offensive towards Vienna which would begin on March 15. Hitler wanted to secure the extremely vital Nagykanizsa oil fields of southern Hungary, as this was the most strategically valuable asset remaining on the Eastern Front. By 15 April, the depleted German 6th Army was north of Graz, facing the Soviet 26th and 27th Armies. Such thaws had previously badly affected 3 other operations in the area: planned Operation Sptlese in December, Operation Southwind, and the Waldteufel attack forcing a change of location for the attack bridgehead from Osijek to Donji Miholjac. Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1922nd Self-prop. This may well be true, but just as the Germans sometimes exaggerated their losses in order that the actions of the survivors might appear more heroic, so it is more than likely that the real divisional strength was in fact higher, at least in the region of 40 percent of authorized establishment or, in other words, nearer 5,000 than the 3,500 quoted. 303 (StuG III, e.g. [32] Guderian then ordered Otto Whler to increase the daily fuel allowance from 400 to 500 cubic meters (400k to 500k liters) of fuel on February 26,[34] and by February 28 the specifics of the operation, now officially named Operation Frhlingserwachen (G:Spring Awakening), were completed. Here are some of historys other doomed final assaults. MANY REMEMBER Adolf Hitlers December 1944 assault on Allied troops in the Ardennes as the last major German offensive of World War Two. Another rifle division and a tank brigade were allotted to XXX Corps, and the division that had come under command the previous day took up positions facing west along the Sarviz canal north of Sarbogard. [23] On 20 January, Hitler ordered Von Rundstedt to withdraw forces from the ongoing Battle of the Bulge; the 1st SS, 2nd SS and 12th SS Divisions managed to disengage and withdraw the same day. It took place in Western Hungary on the Eastern Front and lasted from 6 March until 15 March, 1945.
[70] The reason for not relaying this order was twofold; firstly the order had already been partially previously completed as cuff tiles were already removed from the uniforms as per a secrecy measure ordered on 30 January 1945,[44] secondly there was no need to further disgrace his men beyond the fatal loss they had just suffered. IL-2m3, S/N: 1889403. Taking place in western Hungary around the lake of Balaton, the largest body of water on the map. Although Szkesfehrvar and the ground between it and Lake Balaton were held by February 3, the Germans were more or less back to their original positions. The primary component of the Spring Awakening offensive can be narrowed down to the area between Lakes Balaton and Valencei. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M), 8th Separate Guards Air-landing Self-prop. The ground to the south was not only hilly, it was broken, wooded, and bounded on both sides by waterwayssomething that should have been foreseen when the original plan was made. Although it faced similar problems, it had its route through Polgardi to itself, and it reached its forward assembly area southeast of that town in time for H-hour. He pointed out that any attempt to advance farther south in the I SS Panzer Corps area would be inexpedient owing to the hilly terrain and the corps exposed left flank. Meanwhile, the 23rd Panzer Division had managed to clear Saregres on the Sarviz River, but a subsequent attempt to force a crossing of the canal near Cece failed in the face of tenacious resistance. white, 2nd Guards Mechanized Brigade (BA-64, e.g. The Army Group South War Diary for March 7 reads, II SS Panzer Corps, which did not get going yesterday because of a delayed arrival, today, primarily with infantry forces, drove a 6km deep wedge into the main enemy defenses as far as the hills west of Sarosd.. It took place in Western Hungary on the Eastern Front and lasted from March 6 until March 15, The Das Reich Division had 27 Panthers, 22 Panzer IVs, 28 Jagdpanzers and 26 Sturmgeschtzes on hand (the number of those under repair is not available). WebOperation Spring Awakening. There the attack involved Sepp Dietrichs Sixth Panzer Army and the III Panzer Corps of the Sixth Army, with some 300 tanks and Sturmgeschutze self-propelled assault guns. This secured the jumping-off positions for the final attack on Simontornya, which was to be carried out the following day. [16] The deadline of 30 January proved impossible for refitting to be completed. On average for every kilometer of Front, 700+ anti-tank and 600+ anti-infantry mines were placed, with these numbers rising to 2,700 and 2,900 respectively in the 26th Army's sector. J, StuG III.). The Das Reich attack was no more successful. [30], The four plans were sent to Guderian on 22 February for review, and Army Group South informed Army Group F commander Maximilian von Weichs on 23 February that the operation would commence on 5 March, in anticipation that Operation Sdwind (G: South Wind) would have finished successfully by 24 February. The last major German offensive on the eastern front. 210th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik) 1 long diagonal tail stripe, e.g. red, 1016th Self-prop. The Hungarian Szent Lszl Infantry Division was still indicated to be attached to the German 2nd Panzer Army as late as 30 April. Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1821st Self-prop. [18] Before the end of the 4th day, the Germans had recaptured 400 square kilometers of territory, an achievement comparable to the initial German gains during the Ardennes offensive and the Western Front in December 1944. After new territory had been captured, Soviet collection teams scoured the countryside and towns to document and photograph knocked out Axis vehicles and tanks. From a bleak cell in Spandau Prison, Speer wrote in his secret diary, on 8 November 1946, recalling vividly the offensives planning and how Hitler boldly traced its course at his big map table, to advance through Hungary to the south-east. The attack reached a high point about five kilometers northwest of Sarosd but then bogged down. Company (T48/SU-57, e.g. [29][24], Operation Sd was scheduled to start after a path to Budapest had been established. Artillery Regiment (SU-76M, e.g. The strength of the Soviet position derived from their early knowledge of the forthcoming German offensive and their ability to formulate and develop an overall strategy to deal with it both before and during the fighting. Operation South Wind proved a brilliant success. Last major German offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II, Interrupted Soviet offensive preparations.
The 14th was mainly sunny, and the temperature climbed, drying the ground. WebOperation Southwind (German language: Unternemen Sdwind) was a German offensive operation on the Eastern Front in Hungary, [lower-alpha 1] from 1724 February 1945. On the 15th, Das Reich continued to beat off repeated Soviet counterattacks. WebOperation Spring Awakening (German: Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) was the last major German offensive of World War II. [55] Other minor differences included the lack or limited use of barbed wire installations, anti-tank obstacles, and bunkers,[55] although the 4th Guards Army command did suggest to place the burnt out wrecks of 38 previously destroyed German tanks into advantageous positions; it is unclear how many were actually set up. These improvements will enhance data taking and include a 30% increase in Linac4s peak current, barrier buckets to prevent beam loss, and upgraded kicker systems. Panzergrenadiers of the Leibstandarte spent the day clearing the important ridge lying just to the north of Simontornya, and at the same time the Hitlerjugend captured the road junction 1,500 meters south of Igar. Heers-Sturm. The Germans succeeded to eliminate the Soviet bridgehead on the west bank of the river Garam in preparation for Operation Spring Awakening.This was one of the last successful Meanwhile, the Soviets were attempting to establish their own bridgehead across the Sarviz canal in the Saregres sector and at Ozora, and it was these Soviet counterattacks that were seen by all the senior German commanders as ominous signs of things to come. One of its primary objectives was to safeguard German access to the oil fields of Romania. The latter were genuine mounted troops and were a considerable asset in the conditions of the Eastern Front where the horse sometimes had advantages over motorized transport. [17], On 16 March, the Soviets forces counterattacked in strength. Soviet Forces German Forces [24], On 27 January, Guderian was tasked by Hitler to stop the 3rd Ukrainian Front in the vicinity on the Margit Line in order to protect the vital oil fields. 75th Guards Self-prop. WebOperation Spring (July 2527, 1944) was an offensive operation of the Second World War conducted by II Canadian Corps during the Normandy campaign in 1944. Following the year-end technical stop (YETS) a 17-week period in which the accelerators undergo maintenance and minor upgrades each accelerator in the chain has, in turn, restarted for the 2023 data-taking WebOperation Spring Awakening involved a significant force of 430,000 personnel, more than 800 tanks and self-propelled guns, 6,000 pieces of heavy ordnance and mortars, and over 800 aircraft. [69] The attack was spearheaded by the 6th SS Panzer Army and included elite units such as the LSSAH division.
