| Revision as of 19:54, 13 April 2006 editSuperDeng (talk | contribs)1,937 edits rv vandalism, the changeing of facts and numbers that have been sourced← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:28, 13 April 2006 edit undoKurt Leyman (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users5,123 edits There is no vandalism. Also, you can't count or you did not check the previus figures. Revert the article one more time and I will report directly to moderators.Next edit → | ||
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| |date=], ] — ], ] | |date=], ] — ], ] | ||
| |result=Strategic Soviet Victory | |result=Strategic Soviet Victory | ||
| |combatant1=] | |combatant1=]<br>] | ||
| |combatant2=] | |combatant2=] | ||
| |commander1= |
|commander1=] | ||
| |commander2=]<br>]<br> | |commander2=]<br>]<br> | ||
| |strength1=180,000 | |strength1=180,000 | ||
| |strength2=500,000+ | |strength2=500,000+ | ||
| |casualties1= |
|casualties1=99,000-150,000 killed and captured, 40,000 civilian dead | ||
| |casualties2= |
|casualties2=70,000-160,000 killed | ||
| |}} | |}} | ||
| {{Campaignbox Axis-Soviet War}} | {{Campaignbox Axis-Soviet War}} | ||
| The '''Battle of Budapest''' was a siege |
The '''Battle of Budapest''' was a siege that lasted from ], ] to ], ] in which ] captured the city of ] from ] ] and ] forces during ]. It was one of the bloodiest sieges of the war. | ||
| == General Situation == | == General Situation == | ||
| At the end of ], Hungary |
At the end of ], Hungary was one of Germany's last Allies in ], and because of this it was necessary both in a political and economical sense (Germany needed Hungarian ]s located around the lake ]) to keep the country as one. On ], ], the Hungarian leader ] and his goverment were replaced by nationalist party ], after attempt to negotiate peace with ]. Any hope of a peaceful outcome for Hungary was lost - Hungary would fight until the end. | ||
| On ], ], Hungarian leader ] was destitute by the local nationalist party, ''Crossed arrows''. Any hope of a peaceful outcome for Hungary was lost - the battle would be a fight for death. | |||
| == The Siege == | == The Siege == | ||
| === |
=== Encirclement of Budapest === | ||
| On ], ], the Red Army started its offensive |
On ], ], the Red Army started its offensive towards Budapest. More than 1,000,000 men split into two large groups rushed towards the city, planning to cut it from other German and Hungarian troops. On ], ], ] troops entered the eastern suburbs of Budaåest, 20 kilometers from the old town. Interestingly, very few inhabitants wanted to leave the city. On ], after a necessary break, the ] resumed its offensive. On ], a road linking Budapest to ] was seized by the Soviet Troops, therefore encircling the city. | ||
| ⚫ | Budapest was a major target for ]. Indeed, the ] was appoaching and ] wanted to display his full strength to ] and ]. Therefore, he ordered General ] to seize the city as quickly as possible. | ||
| On ], ], ] troops entered the eastern Budapest suburbs, 20 kilometers from the city's old town. Curiously, very few inhabitants wanted to leave the city. | |||
| ⚫ | On ], ], Malinovsky sent two ] in order to negociate the city's ]. The emissaries never came back. This particular point is widely disputed by the ], with some German and Hungarian historians arguing that the emissaries were deliberately shot. Others believe that they were in fact shot by mistake on their way back. In any case, ] commanders considered this act as a refusal and ordered the start of the siege. | ||
| On ], after a necessary break, the ] resumed its offensive. On ], the road linking Budapest to ] was seized by the Soviet Troops, therefore encircling the city. | |||
| === The first German offensive === | |||
| ⚫ | Budapest was a major target for ]. Indeed, the ] was appoaching and ] wanted to display his full strength to ] and ]. Therefore, he |
||
| ⚫ | The Soviet offensive started from the eastern suburbs, advancing through the town of ], using large central avenues to speed up the progress. The German and Hungarian defenders, overwhelmed, tried to trade space for time to slow down the Soviet's advance to a crawl. They ultimately withdrew to shorten their lines, hoping for better chances in the hilly areas of ]. | ||
| ⚫ | On ], ], the Germans lauched ], trying to advance through the hilly terrain north of Budapest and break the siege. Simultaneously, ] forces struck west of Budapest, trying to gain tactical advantage. On ], ], the Soviet command sent four more divisions to meet the threat, stopping the offensive less than 20 kilometers north of Budapest. On ], ], the German forces were forced to withdraw - Operation Konrad had failed. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| === |
=== Combat in the city === | ||
| ⚫ | Meanwhile, ] in Budapest had become intense. Supplies became a decisive factor because of the loss of the ] airport just before the start of the siege, on ], ]. Until ], ], German troops were able to use some of the main avenues as well as the park next to ] as landing zones for ]s and ]s, under constant Soviet fire. Before the ] froze, some supplies could be passed on ]s, under the cover of ] and ]. | ||
| ⚫ | The offensive started from the eastern suburbs, advancing through the town of ], using large central avenues to speed up |
||
| ⚫ | Nevertheless, food shortage became more and more common and soldiers needed find new sources of food. | ||
| On ], ], the ] lauched ], trying to launch an offensive through hilly terrain north of Budapest and break the ]. Simultaneously, ] forces struck west of Budapest, trying to gain tactical advantage. | |||
| ⚫ | Soon, the Soviet troops found themselves in the same situation as in ] - but on the wrong side. Still, their troops were far more experienced in urban warfare, heavily relying on snipers and sappers to advance. Extreme temperatures effected German and Hungarian troops. Fights broke out even in the ]s, as both Axis and Soviet troops used them for troops movement. Six Soviet ]s even managed to get to the Castle Hill and capture a German officer before returning to their own lines - still underground. But such prowesses were rare because of ambushes set up by the Axis troops using local inhabitants as guides in the sewers. | ||
| ⚫ | On ], ], the Soviet command sent four more divisions to meet the threat, stopping the offensive less than 20 kilometers north of Budapest. On ], ], |
||
| ⚫ | In mid-January, ] was taken, along with its military factories that were still producing ]s and ]. Meanwhile in Pest, the situation had become dangerous, with the Axis ] facing the risk of being cut in half by the advancing Soviet troops. | ||
| === Combat intensification === | |||
| ⚫ | Meanwhile, ] in Budapest |
||
| ⚫ | On ], ], ] agreed to withdraw all of the remaining troops from Pest to defend Buda. All of the five bridges spanning the ] were clogged with traffic, evacuating troops and civilians. On ], ], German troops destroyed the five beautiful bridges, despite protests from Hungarian officers. | ||
| ⚫ | Nevertheless, food |
||
| === The second German offensive === | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | On ], ], German troops launched their second major offensive, this time south of the city, blasting a 20-km hole in Soviet lines and advancing to the ], threatening the Soviet supply lines. | ||
| ⚫ | Stalin ordered his troops to hold their ground at all costs, and two ] that were dispatched to assault Budapest were hastily moved south of the city to counter the German offensive. Nevertheless, the German troops advanced roughly 20 kilometres to the city in total and could not maintain their offensive due to supply problemss. German commanders asked permission to withdraw - Hitler refused. | ||
| ⚫ | In mid-January, ] was taken |
||
| ⚫ | On ], ], German troops could no longer hold their ground and were forced to withdraw. The fate of the defenders of Budapest was sealed. | ||
| ⚫ | On ], ], ] agreed withdraw all of the remaining troops from Pest |
||
| === |
=== The Battle of Buda === | ||
| ⚫ | ] Gunners during the battle]] | ||
| ⚫ | On ], ], |
||
| ⚫ | Contrary to ], built on flat terrain, the city of ] was built on hills. This allowed the defenders to place artillery and fortifications above the attackers, gaining a considerable advantage. The main citadel, ] was defended by elite Waffen-SS troops that succesfully repelled several Soviet assaults. Nearby, Soviet and German forces were fighting for the city cemetery. Fights on the shell-opened tombs would last for several days. | ||
| ⚫ | Stalin ordered his troops to |
||
| ⚫ | On ], ], German troops could no longer |
||
| === The battle of Buda === | |||
| ⚫ | ] Gunners during the battle]] | ||
| ⚫ | Contrary to ], built on flat terrain, the city of ] |
||
| Fighting on ], in the middle of the ], was particularly merciless. The island was still attached to the rest of the city by the remaining half of the Margaret Bridge and was used as parachuting area as well as for covering improvised airstrips set up in the downtown. | Fighting on ], in the middle of the ], was particularly merciless. The island was still attached to the rest of the city by the remaining half of the Margaret Bridge and was used as parachuting area as well as for covering improvised airstrips set up in the downtown. | ||
| On ], ], the ] finally |
On ], ], the ] finally faell after a vicous Soviet attack launched from three directions simultaneously, after six weeks of fighting. Soviet artillery was finally able to dominate the entire city and to shell the remaining ] defenders, concentrated on less than two square kilometres and suffering from cold, lack of supplies and diseases. Daily rations were reduced to 150 grams of bread and meat from slaughtered horses. Nevertheless, the defenders refused to surrender and defended every street and house, fighting Soviet troops and tanks. | ||
| After capturing the southern railway station during a two-day bloodbath, Soviet troops advanced to the Castle hill. On ], ], after a violent assault, Soviet marines establish a bridgehead on the Castle hill, |
After capturing the southern railway station during a two-day bloodbath, Soviet troops advanced to the Castle hill. On ], ], after a violent assault, Soviet marines establish a bridgehead on the Castle hill, almost cutting the remaining garrison in half. | ||
| === The |
=== The third offensive === | ||
| In front of such a hopeless situation, General ] decided, against Hitler's orders, to attempt to break out of the |
In front of such a hopeless situation, General ] decided, against Hitler's orders, to attempt to break out of the encirclement. | ||
| German and Hungarian troops used |
German and Hungarian troops used fog to their advantage and advanced in three waves. The first wave managed to surprise the Soviet soldiers and artillery, and its sheer number allowed them to escape. The second and third waves were less fortunate, as Soviet artillery had time to bracket the area and shell the escaping troops. Despite Soviet fire and heavy losses, 10,000 men managed to reach the wooded hills north-west of Budapest and escape towards Vienna. | ||
| == Aftermath == | == Aftermath == | ||
| On ], ], the remaining defenders finally surrendered. Budapest |
On ], ], the remaining defenders finally surrendered. Budapest laid in ruins, with more than 80 percent of its buildings destroyed or damaged, and historical buildings like the ] and the Castle in ruins. All five bridges spanning the ] were destroyed. Some 40,000 ]s died as a result of fighting and unknown number had died starvation and diseases. | ||
| For the Wehrmacht, the siege of Budapest was their last major operation on the southern front, further depleting the ] and especially the ]. | |||
| For the Soviet troops, the |
For the Germans, the Siege of Budapest one of their last major operation on the southern front, depleting the ] and especially the ]. For the Soviet troops, the Siege of Budapest was a final rehearsal before the ]. It also allowed them to race toward Vienna, which would fall less than a month later. | ||
| == References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 20:28, 13 April 2006
| Battle Of Budapest | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||||
 A Soviet soldier writing "Budapest" in Russian on a signpost after the siege. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Germany Hungary | Soviet Union | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Pfeffer-Wildenbruch |
Rodion Malinovsky Fyodor Tolbukhin | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 180,000 | 500,000+ | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 99,000-150,000 killed and captured, 40,000 civilian dead | 70,000-160,000 killed | ||||||
The Battle of Budapest was a siege that lasted from 29 December, 1944 to 13 February, 1945 in which Soviet forces captured the city of Budapest from German Waffen-SS and Hungarian forces during World War II. It was one of the bloodiest sieges of the war.
General Situation
At the end of 1944, Hungary was one of Germany's last Allies in Europe, and because of this it was necessary both in a political and economical sense (Germany needed Hungarian oil wells located around the lake Balaton) to keep the country as one. On 16 October, 1944, the Hungarian leader Miklos Horthy and his goverment were replaced by nationalist party Arrow Cross, after attempt to negotiate peace with Allies. Any hope of a peaceful outcome for Hungary was lost - Hungary would fight until the end.
The Siege
Encirclement of Budapest
On 29 October, 1944, the Red Army started its offensive towards Budapest. More than 1,000,000 men split into two large groups rushed towards the city, planning to cut it from other German and Hungarian troops. On 7 November, 1944, Soviet troops entered the eastern suburbs of Budaåest, 20 kilometers from the old town. Interestingly, very few inhabitants wanted to leave the city. On 19 December, after a necessary break, the Red Army resumed its offensive. On 26 December, a road linking Budapest to Vienna was seized by the Soviet Troops, therefore encircling the city.
Budapest was a major target for Stalin. Indeed, the Yalta Conference was appoaching and Stalin wanted to display his full strength to Churchill and Roosevelt. Therefore, he ordered General Rodion Malinovsky to seize the city as quickly as possible.
On 29 December, 1944, Malinovsky sent two emissaries in order to negociate the city's capitulation. The emissaries never came back. This particular point is widely disputed by the Soviet Union, with some German and Hungarian historians arguing that the emissaries were deliberately shot. Others believe that they were in fact shot by mistake on their way back. In any case, Soviet commanders considered this act as a refusal and ordered the start of the siege.
The first German offensive
The Soviet offensive started from the eastern suburbs, advancing through the town of Pest, using large central avenues to speed up the progress. The German and Hungarian defenders, overwhelmed, tried to trade space for time to slow down the Soviet's advance to a crawl. They ultimately withdrew to shorten their lines, hoping for better chances in the hilly areas of Buda.
On 1 January, 1945, the Germans lauched Operation Konrad, trying to advance through the hilly terrain north of Budapest and break the siege. Simultaneously, Waffen-SS forces struck west of Budapest, trying to gain tactical advantage. On 3 January, 1945, the Soviet command sent four more divisions to meet the threat, stopping the offensive less than 20 kilometers north of Budapest. On 12 January, 1945, the German forces were forced to withdraw - Operation Konrad had failed.
Combat in the city
Meanwhile, urban warfare in Budapest had become intense. Supplies became a decisive factor because of the loss of the Ferihegy airport just before the start of the siege, on 27 December, 1944. Until 9 January, 1945, German troops were able to use some of the main avenues as well as the park next to Buda Castle as landing zones for planes and gliders, under constant Soviet fire. Before the Danube froze, some supplies could be passed on barges, under the cover of darkness and fog.
Nevertheless, food shortage became more and more common and soldiers needed find new sources of food.
Soon, the Soviet troops found themselves in the same situation as in Stalingrad - but on the wrong side. Still, their troops were far more experienced in urban warfare, heavily relying on snipers and sappers to advance. Extreme temperatures effected German and Hungarian troops. Fights broke out even in the sewers, as both Axis and Soviet troops used them for troops movement. Six Soviet marines even managed to get to the Castle Hill and capture a German officer before returning to their own lines - still underground. But such prowesses were rare because of ambushes set up by the Axis troops using local inhabitants as guides in the sewers.
In mid-January, Csepel Island was taken, along with its military factories that were still producing Panzerfausts and ammunition. Meanwhile in Pest, the situation had become dangerous, with the Axis garrison facing the risk of being cut in half by the advancing Soviet troops.
On 17 January, 1945, Hitler agreed to withdraw all of the remaining troops from Pest to defend Buda. All of the five bridges spanning the Danube were clogged with traffic, evacuating troops and civilians. On 18 January, 1945, German troops destroyed the five beautiful bridges, despite protests from Hungarian officers.
The second German offensive
On 20 January, 1945, German troops launched their second major offensive, this time south of the city, blasting a 20-km hole in Soviet lines and advancing to the Danube, threatening the Soviet supply lines.
Stalin ordered his troops to hold their ground at all costs, and two Army Corps that were dispatched to assault Budapest were hastily moved south of the city to counter the German offensive. Nevertheless, the German troops advanced roughly 20 kilometres to the city in total and could not maintain their offensive due to supply problemss. German commanders asked permission to withdraw - Hitler refused.
On 28 January, 1945, German troops could no longer hold their ground and were forced to withdraw. The fate of the defenders of Budapest was sealed.
The Battle of Buda
Contrary to Pest, built on flat terrain, the city of Buda was built on hills. This allowed the defenders to place artillery and fortifications above the attackers, gaining a considerable advantage. The main citadel, Gellért Hill was defended by elite Waffen-SS troops that succesfully repelled several Soviet assaults. Nearby, Soviet and German forces were fighting for the city cemetery. Fights on the shell-opened tombs would last for several days.
Fighting on Margaret Island, in the middle of the Danube, was particularly merciless. The island was still attached to the rest of the city by the remaining half of the Margaret Bridge and was used as parachuting area as well as for covering improvised airstrips set up in the downtown.
On 6 February, 1945, the Gellért Hill finally faell after a vicous Soviet attack launched from three directions simultaneously, after six weeks of fighting. Soviet artillery was finally able to dominate the entire city and to shell the remaining Axis defenders, concentrated on less than two square kilometres and suffering from cold, lack of supplies and diseases. Daily rations were reduced to 150 grams of bread and meat from slaughtered horses. Nevertheless, the defenders refused to surrender and defended every street and house, fighting Soviet troops and tanks.
After capturing the southern railway station during a two-day bloodbath, Soviet troops advanced to the Castle hill. On 10 February, 1945, after a violent assault, Soviet marines establish a bridgehead on the Castle hill, almost cutting the remaining garrison in half.
The third offensive
In front of such a hopeless situation, General Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch decided, against Hitler's orders, to attempt to break out of the encirclement.
German and Hungarian troops used fog to their advantage and advanced in three waves. The first wave managed to surprise the Soviet soldiers and artillery, and its sheer number allowed them to escape. The second and third waves were less fortunate, as Soviet artillery had time to bracket the area and shell the escaping troops. Despite Soviet fire and heavy losses, 10,000 men managed to reach the wooded hills north-west of Budapest and escape towards Vienna.
Aftermath
On 13 February, 1945, the remaining defenders finally surrendered. Budapest laid in ruins, with more than 80 percent of its buildings destroyed or damaged, and historical buildings like the Hungarian Parliament Building and the Castle in ruins. All five bridges spanning the Danube were destroyed. Some 40,000 civilians died as a result of fighting and unknown number had died starvation and diseases.
For the Germans, the Siege of Budapest one of their last major operation on the southern front, depleting the Heer and especially the Waffen-SS. For the Soviet troops, the Siege of Budapest was a final rehearsal before the Battle of Berlin. It also allowed them to race toward Vienna, which would fall less than a month later.
References
- Nikolai Shefov, Russian fights, Lib. Military History, M. 2002
- The Siege of Budapest by Peter Zwack
- Ungvary, Krisztian, The Siege of Budapest: One Hundred Days in World War II, Yale University Press, 2005, ISBN 0300104685