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. Artillery Regiment (SU-76M, No. This preliminary operation was given the code name South Wind, and on February 13, Headquarters Army Group South ordered the commander of the German Eighth Army to attack, concentrating all available infantry and armored forces, and accepting the consequent weakening of other front sectors, with the newly arrived I SS Panzer Corps. Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen 1945361945316 194536 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 [ ] It was a failure for Nazi Germany. On 19 March, the Red Army recaptured the last territories lost during the 13day Axis offensive. Conducted from March 6-16, 1945, Spring Awakening's objective was to secure oil fields southwest of Lake Balaton. Budapest The offensive failed in the face of Soviet resistance, and the ensuing Red Army offensive . Taken together, these facts indicate that the use of I SS Panzer Corps in Operation South Wind was a serious mistake. [61] Each anti-tank position had 8-16 artillery guns and a similar number of anti-tank guns. Dietrichs chief operations officer reported, In the constricted area between Lakes Balaton and Valencei the mud became alarming. The attack order was a Fhrer Order, and that was that. 303 (StuG III, e.g. Soviet occupations A lack of cover and clogged routes meant that most of the transport vehicles had to be left well to the north and the men had to complete this march carrying their full equipment and combat loads of ammunition. 210th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik) 1 long diagonal tail stripe, e.g. Changsha German offensive (615 March 1945):Germany. Occupation of Germany Four main commissions were formed by the HQ of the artillery of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the 17th Air Army, the 9th Guards Army, and the 18th Tank corps. Open your mission on LIVE and push the button "Copy the mission URL". Hard working indie developer. [38], To further complicate matters, due to the limited number of newly trained personnel this late in the war, units under Waffen-SS command were often kept at acceptable capacity levels using Wehrmacht personnel. The Soviet Study says: Cruel fighting took place around Hill 159 where artillery played a significant role in the destruction of the enemy. 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. Syrmian Front + Dugouts will from now on be available via Build Dugout action by a general (this option alternates by turn/general with Operation Movement action on the menu), https://www.conflict-series.com/privacy-policy.html. [55] The defensive strategy of the 3rd Ukrainian Front was one of anti-tank defense as this was what the Germans were going to use. [48] Despite the start of the operation being so close, some additional plans were thought up to help the sluggish assembly speeds of incoming units. The operation, initially planned for 5 March, began after German units were moved in great secrecy to the Lake Balaton (German: Plattensee) area. Indonesian National Revolution. Operation Spring Awakening (German: Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) was the last major German offensive of World War II.The operation was referred to in Germany as the Plattensee offensive and in the Soviet Union as the Balaton defensive operation.It took place in Western Hungary on the Eastern FrontWestern Hungary on the Eastern Front Operation Spring Awakening conflict. Poland white, 18th Guards Tank Regiment (M4A2(76)W Sherman, markings: '1xx', e.g. Contact host here. Italy (Spring 1945) Between 25 April and 4 May, the 2nd Panzer Army was attacked near Nagykanizsa during the NagykanizsaKrmend Offensive. 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. 75 Years Ago: Hitler Plans Operation Spring Awakening as Auschwitz Is Liberated. Although the Soviets learned of the impending German offensive during the Gran bridgehead fighting, the Supreme Soviet Headquarters in Moscow decreed that two of the Russian armies due to take part in the Vienna offensive were to continue their preparations and were not to be included in any defensive planning. It took place in Hungary. Nazi plunder [49] On 5 March, the 6th SS Panzer Army took over command of the Hungarian II Corps, along with its 20th Hungarian Division and 9th replacement Division, hereby becoming responsible for the northern shore of Lake Balaton. The scene was being set for the final destruction of the Sixth Panzer Army. H), This page was last edited on 1 January 2023, at 12:31. This offensive was also known in German as the Plattensee Offensive , in Russian as the Balaton Defensive Operation (6 - 15 March 1945), and in . 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. Battle of Lake Balaton, March 6-15, 1945 At the beginning of 1945, Hungary remained the last ally of the Third Reich in Europe - and only because the country was actually occupied by the German armed forces, and the Hungarian government was headed by the pocket dictator Ferenc Salashi, according to Heinz Guderian . [38] The offensive would consist of four forces, three were to be attack forces while one was to be a defense force. The army was to advance from an area north of Lake Balaton on a wide front. German General Sepp Dietrich's Sixth SS Panzer Army was responsible for the primary thrust of the German attack. On the same day, I SS Panzer Corps had even more success. Bittrichs corps had continued to defend its AbaSarkeresztur sector during this period and was now dangerously exposed. Operation Frhlingserwachen ("Spring Awakening") (6 16 March 1945) was the last major German offensive launched during World War II. Since Balcks Sixth Army defenses in this area were woefully inadequate, these concerns were fully justified. However, due to well-prepared defense and rapid movement of tank reserves by the Soviets, over a period of 10 days and after suffering heavy casualties, German troops only managed to advance 1530km. His objective will be to cut the rear connections of the German forces [Sixth Panzer Army and III Panzer Corps] which have advanced from the narrow passage of Szkesfehrvar, by an attack in the direction of Lake Balaton.. On the right of II SS Panzer Corps zone, the 44th Panzergrenadier Division Hoch und Deutschmeister managed to advance four kilometers to a hamlet northeast of Aba, but again Soviet countermoves were decisive. [45] On 27 February, Army Group South hosted a Chiefs-of-Staff conference to which the Chiefs-of-staff of the 2nd Panzer Army, 6th SS Panzer Army, 6th Army, 8th Army, and Luftflotte 4 attended; here the plans for Operation Spring Awakening were laid out. Approaching and encircling the Austrian capital were the Soviet 4th and 6th Guards Tank, 9th Guards, and 46th Armies.[72]. The following day, March 7, II SS Panzer Corps attacked soon after first light. Pz.Art.Rgt 75 (Pz.Beob.Wg. Army Group E subordinate to Army Group F until March 25, 1945, The offensive units did not start in unison owing to complications, thus the units of the 6th SS Panzer Army began their attack at 04:00 while the 2nd SS Panzer Corps attacked at 18:30. 615th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), e.g. Hitler eventually gave his permission for these deployments at 1:40 am on March 18, and at 2 am. The attack in the Heinrich Major area was continued but cost several tanks and self-propelled guns. Operation Spring Awakening was a final effort by German and Hungarian Army units to delay the Red Army from capturing their last fuel reserves in Hungary. On 10 March, the Axis forces fighting under Operation Spring Awakening around Lake Balaton had a total of 230 operational tanks and 167 operational assault guns between their 17 divisions. The XVIII Tank Corps, with about 75 tanks and armored assault guns, provided a mobile reserve in the area of Sarosd, directly in the path of II SS Panzer Corps, and four more rifle divisions and a guards mechanized corps were situated just to the west of the Danube directly covering II SS Panzer Corps objectives of Dunaujvaros and Dunafldvar. [29] The following day, 28 January, this operation received its preliminary name, Operation Sd (G: South). Belgrade The German military launched Operation Spring Awakening in 1945 to preserve access to oil fields in Hungary, but the Red Army responded decisively. [56] The 26th Army, which was expected to take the brunt of the German offensive, arranged its three Rifle Corps along a 44km front but only 1015km deep. Company (T48/SU-57, e.g. Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1011th Self-Prop. Soviet ISU-122 and IS-2 on one of the roads of Transylvania (Romania) U.S.A. 679183 at Simontornya), 13th Guards Air-landing Self-prop. [1] 715th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik) 1 long, 1 short diagonal tail stripe, e.g. Czechoslovakia The river Donau is to the east where the two Soviet main bases are. This then was the crisis situation into which the Sixth Panzer Army was about to be launched. While the Germans were preparing Spring Awakening, the Soviets were planning their own offensive that was due to start on March 15. The spearhead included elite units like Adolf Hitler's personal unit, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Division. tax increases, it is understood that these policies have never had any positive effect! This was one of the last successful German offensives in the Second World War. 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. Units of Balcks Sixth Army were manning the forward defenses in front of these assault forces and would come under command as the attack developed. As the Frunze Military Academy Study describes it: From the morning of 9 March, the operational situation on the XXX Rifle Corps front [opposite II SS Panzer Corps] sharply deteriorated. The reaction was swift. The Das Reich attack was no more successful. Moscow refused, saying that these armies were earmarked for the forthcoming general offensive and that he would have to make do with what he had. The Germans attacked in three prongs: Frhlingserwachen in the Balaton-Lake Velence-Danube area, Eisbrecher south of Lake Balaton, and Waldteufel south of the Drava-Danube triangle. 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. + Dugouts will from now on be available via Build Dugout action by a general (this option alternates by turn/general with Operation Movement action on the menu), https://www.conflict-series.com/privacy-policy.html. white, Separate Recce. Mariana and Palau Artillery Battalion (SU-76M), 3rd Tank Brigade (T-34/85, markings: B -in diamond- and xx, e.g. This is why when we write java entity classes, we often return objects and values, so it is customary to add a tostring method; 4. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M, e.g. - YouTube 0:00 / 5:21 [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. The entire landscape was a morass of mud, and it was soon clear that it would be impossible to launch the divisions panzer regiment. By nightfall it had taken over from the Leibstandarte on that flank and this allowed the SS division to concentrate for its attack on Simontornya and the subsequent crossing of the Sio canal. Operation Spring Awakening (Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) (6 - 16 March 1945) was the last major German offensive of World War II. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M), 85th Guards Self-prop. [72] The overwhelming numerical superiority of the Red Army made any defense impossible, but Hitler believed victory was attainable. military historical reconstruction with GIS", "TsAMO pamyat-naroda (memory of the people)", Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Rape during the Soviet occupation of Poland, Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro (1918), Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, June 1941 uprising in eastern Herzegovina, NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina, AlbanianYugoslav border incident (December 1998), AlbaniaYugoslav border incident (April 1999), April 23, 1998 AlbanianYugoslav border ambush, December 14, 1998, AlbanianYugoslav border ambush, July 18, 1998 AlbanianYugoslav border clashes, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Spring_Awakening&oldid=1130879118, Battles of World War II involving Hungary, Military operations of World War II involving Germany, Military operations of World War II involving Bulgaria, Battles and operations of the SovietGerman War, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from May 2021, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from May 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 2nd 9th SS Panzer Divisions, 23rd Panzer Division, 44th Volksgrenadier Division, 1st, 3rd Panzer Divisions, 356th Infantry Division, 25th Hungarian Infantry Division, 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division, 71st Infantry Division, 1st Volksgrenadier Division, 118th Jger Division (elements). Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. Operation Spring Awakening (1945) - Wehrmacht's last panzer offensive in Hungary! The Hungarian Szent Lszl Infantry Division was still indicated to be attached to the German Second Panzer Army as late as 30 April. Guderian was in favor of "Lsung C2" because this plan would shorten the time the 6th SS Panzer Division would need to stay in Hungary. Philippines (19441945), VistulaOder I did get a lot of food but it would have been very tight if we had to actually depend on it and much of the food was stuff I had to either eat as I harvested it before it spoils, or canned, or froze. Das Reich and Hohenstaufen were to attack side by side on a 10-kilometer frontage, from a start line running due west from Sereglyes. Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1443rd Self-prop. Marshal Tolbukhin reinforced Lt. Gen.Gagyen, the Twenty-Sixth Army commander, with two tank brigades and three antitank regiments from his reserve XVIII Tank Corps, and Gagyen ordered these units to take up positions confronting III Panzer and II SS Panzer Corps. This transfer was part of an overall restructuring of the Third Ukrainian Front. By 21 January, only 5 days into Operation Konrad III, the Germans had taken the towns of Dunapentele and Adony which are on the Western shore of the Danube. Artillery Regiment (ISU-152, captured Hummels, e.g. Thus beginning on 17 February, Operation Southwind began the effort to secure the Garam bridgehead from the 2nd Ukrainian Front, and by 24 February the task was successfully achieved, proving to be the very last successful German offensive of the war. By 14 March, Operation Spring Awakening was in serious trouble. There were over 15,000 casualties and the operation was coming to an end. events, and resources. It took place in Western Hungary on the Eastern Front and lasted from 6 March until 15 March, 1945. Likewise, the German Second Panzer Army would advance from an area south of Lake Balaton towards Kaposvr and keep the Soviet 57th Army engaged. Although there were no tanks in this defensive zone, there was an average of 17 antitank guns per kilometer forming 23 tank killing grounds. Full version of Operation Spring Awakening 1945. The objectives of Konrad III included relieving besieged Budapest and the recapturing of the Transdanubia region. 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. [36] Finding itself issuing more and more direct orders, OKW eventually became responsible for Western and Southern commands, while OKH was responsible for Eastern commands. The Red Army was now a mere 200 kilometers from Prague and, worst of all for the German people, it had crossed the Oder River and was only 70 kilometers from Berlin. Whler wanted to use the 1st Cavalry Corps on the eastern shore of Lake Balaton, as German intelligence reported that "the enemy is still the weakest between Lake Balaton and the Srviz Channel". Like all of Joni's games this is addictive and replayable. [18] Their push resulted in the annihilation of the Soviet 7th Mechanized Corps. Baltic States Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. First Indochina War [40] The real plan for the units of 6th SS Panzer Army was to travel south through Vienna to their first Hungarian destination, the city of Gyr and its surrounding area. Moscow [24] A glimpse of the ensuing verbal exchange during this argument was captured in Alfred Jodl's (OKW) post-war interrogation where he quotes Hitler saying: "You want to attack without oil good, we'll see what happens when you attempt that". 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