operation spring awakening
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. WebOperation Frhlingserwachen ("Spring Awakening") (6 16 March 1945) was the last major German offensive of World War II. 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. Since the Russians had depleted their defenses in this area to meet previous German attacks in the north, this new offensive was initially very successful. Another somewhat surprising success on the 12th came in the I Cavalry Corps sector, where the 3rd Cavalry Division managed to cross the Sio canal and secure a bridgehead to the west of Mezkomarom while the 4th Cavalry Division closed up to Balatonszabadi. Another part of 6th SS Panzer Army would then turn south and create a southern spearhead. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M), 44th Guards Self-prop. The Germans succeeded in eliminating the Soviet bridgehead on the west bank of the river Hron in preparation for Operation Spring Awakening. By midday, units of III Panzer Corps had advanced about four kilometers to the east, south of Lake Valencei, and penetrated into Sereglyes. The Das Reich attack was no more successful. Artillery Regiment (SU-100, markings: 4xx, e.g. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M), 310th Separate Self-prop. As the 2nd Ukrainian Front held the territory of Budapest and the lands north of the Hungarian capital, defensive preparations in this sector were not paid much attention due to the lower likelihood of attack, but this was not the same in the south. 210th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik) 1 long diagonal tail stripe, e.g. Although there were no tanks in this defensive zone, there was an average of 17 antitank guns per kilometer forming 23 tank killing grounds. During a Situation Conference on 7 January, 1945 at which both Hermann Gring and OB West Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt were present, Hitler proposed his intention of pulling the 6th SS Panzer Army to form a reserve due to severe Allied air attacks. It was not uncommon for the Soviets to actually search out and exploit the boundaries between the OKW and OKH as they knew these areas would suffer from poorer military command;[62] the advance to Budapest is an example.[36]. white, 135th Tank Brigade (T-34/85, markings: -in diamond- and xx, e.g. This move began at 1 am on the 8th and, according to the study, despite German efforts to disrupt the withdrawal, the division was dug in on the east bank by last light. : U.S.A. 3080508), 9th Guards Tank Brigade (M4A2(76)W Sherman, markings: '9xx', e.g. 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. The Hungarian Szent Lszl Infantry Division was still indicated to be attached to the German 2nd Panzer Army as late as 30 April. Our Price $62.00. On the 15 March, strength returns on this day show the Hohenstaufen with 35 Panther tanks, 20 Panzer IVs, 32 Jagdpanzers, 25 Sturmgeschtzes and 220 other self-propelled weapons and armoured cars. At army group and army level, German intelligence had detected part of the Soviet buildup on the 13th, but the moves had been misinterpreted as local reinforcements, and it was not until the evening of the 14th that the Army Group South War Dairy recorded: Todays movements leave no doubt of the enemys intentions. Pz.Art.Rgt 75 (Pz.Beob.Wg. Artillery Regiment (SU-76M), 1201st Self-prop. 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. 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. [32] On 25 February, Hitler ordered Otto Whler, Maximilian von Weichs, and Sepp Dietrich to personally present the plans for Operation Sd to him, along with Guderian (OKH) and Alfred Jodl (OKW),[33] at the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, where he ultimately chose Lsung C2. 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. [43], Prior to these measures, on 30 January, 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte was ordered to follow many of the same secrecy measures, including the temporary removal of their cuff titles.[44]. [23] The slow withdrawal was greatly hampered by Allied air superiority. Even regiments were redesignated as construction teams. 989th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik) 1 long, 2 short diagonal tail stripes, e.g. Only 1 Left in Stock! Operation Spring Awakening represented Nazi Germanys last major attack in World War Two. [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. [68] On the 6 March 1945, the German 6th Army, joined by the 6th SS Panzer Army launched a pincer movement north and south of Lake Balaton. As a result of this report, a request was made to Headquarters Army Group South that the attack should be postponed for at least two days, and Dietrich himself asked General Guderian in Berlin to support the proposalto no avail. [26], On this same day, 22 January, Hitler decided that the 6th SS Panzer Army should not be sent back to the Western Front, but rather to Hungary, a view Heinz Guderian (OKH) partially agreed with; Guderian wanted the 6th SS Panzer Army on the Eastern Front, but mainly to protect Berlin. Artillery Regiment (ISU-152, captured Hummels, e.g. All three panzer corps would then attack east, between Sarkeresztur and Gardony, toward the Danube before turning south in accordance with the original plan. The objective was to secure the last significant oil reserves still available to the European Axis powers and prevent the Red Army from advancing towards Vienna. Within three days, a large section of the west bank of the Danube had been secured south of Budapest, and the Germans then turned north and northwest, threatening to link up with other forces attacking in the north and to cut off an entire Soviet Front. Later, the armies north of the Danube and south of Lake Balaton were to join in the offensive. barbecue festival 2022; olivia clare friedman net worth. With some 50 tanks, Jagdpanzers, and Sturmgeschtzes, the division was ordered to follow behind the Leibstandarte and to be prepared to cross the Sarviz canal and attack the Soviet forces in the rear of the II SS Panzer Corps in the Sarkeresztur area. [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. The Soviet study of the Balaton offensive confirms that by 8 pm on the 7th the Leibstandarte had breached the second-line defenses of the 68th Guards Division on a five-kilometer front, and this caused the division to withdraw behind the Sarviz canal where the Armys reserve rifle division had already taken up defensive positions. [54][45], Tolbukhin's plan was to initially slow down the German advance to rob their offensive of momentum, then begin grinding down the attacking armies, then initiate the planned Soviet offensive to finish off the remaining German forces. 22nd Separate Training Tank Regiment (T-34, and a single, old KV-1S), 110th Tank Brigade (T-34/85, markings: 4xx, e.g. 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. On March 2, General Wilhelm Bittrichs II SS Panzer Corps was placed on an alert status and told to be prepared to move. [30] The commander of Army Group South, Otto Whler, chose Lsung B. Meanwhile, during 14 January on the Western Front, the 2nd and 9th SS Panzer divisions had to be recommitted back from reserves due to successful Allied fighting. Within four days Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, commander in chief West, received the following order: CinC West is to withdraw the following formations from operations [they were still involved in the Battle of the Bulge] immediately and refit them: I SS Panzer Corps with 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte and 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend; II SS Panzer Corps with 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich and 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen. In fact, the Supreme Soviet Command went further and, on this same day gave both Tolbukhin and Malinovsky revised missions. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M). [37] The chosen course of action on 25 February, "Lsung C2", favored the quicker and farther-reaching joint operation of the 2nd Panzer Army and 6th SS Panzer Army, while "Lsung B" opted to first secure the left flank of the main thrust "Frhlingserwachen" (between Lake Velence and the Danube) before moving south toward the 2nd Panzer army. H), This page was last edited on 9 March 2023, at 18:27. Verband Jaguar (captured T-34/85, e.g. Between 18 February and 3 March the 233rd Rifle Division had dug 27 kilometers of trenches, 130 gun and mortar positions, 113 dugouts, 70 command posts and observation points, and laid 4,249 antitank and 5,058 antipersonnel mines, all this on a frontage of 5 kilometers. Artillery Regiment (SU-76M). Bittrichs corps had continued to defend its AbaSarkeresztur sector during this period and was now dangerously exposed. The operation, initially planned for 5 March, began after German units were moved in great secrecy to the Lake Balaton (German: Plattensee) area. Sepp Dietrich recommended an immediate withdrawal to a suitable defensive line in the north, but this was ruled out by his superior, General Otto Whler, the commander of Army Group South. So ended Hitlers last offensive action of World War II. 615th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), e.g. Indeed, in view of the massive, and by now almost continuous, Allied air onslaught, the general state of the German war economy and not least, the appalling casualty rate sustained in five and a half years of war, it is astounding that Dietrichs formation was made ready for an offensive action at all in such a short time, actually less than a month. Two things are clear from these figures. On the same day, I SS Panzer Corps had even more success. The days are getting longer, the trees are getting greener and it is time, too, for the CERN accelerator complex to reawaken. WebOperation Spring Awakening was the last major German offensive of World War II. This then was the crisis situation into which the Sixth Panzer Army was about to be launched. This is an example of a de-centralized command. There were numerous Soviet counterattacks, all supported by tanks and aircraft. Artillery Regiment (SU-100, ~ e.g. IL-2m3. [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. In the sector of I Cavalry Corps, the 3rd Cavalry Division managed to seize a bridgehead over the Sio, five kilometers west of Mezkomarom, and the 4th Division encircled Enying. The success of the enemy in breaking through the tactical defence zone of CXXXV Corps [on the I SS Panzer Corps front] created a serious threat to the rear of the Twenty-Sixth Army. Because of this breach, control between the two left hand Corps of the Army and XXX Rifle Corps became too complicated, so CinC Front [Tolbukhin] ordered XXX Rifle Corps transferred to the Twenty-Seventh Army.. Many were abandoned due to a lack of fuel. 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. He wasted no time. white, 11th Guards Separate Motorcycle Battalion, 864th Self-prop. The 6th SS Panzer Army was well short of its goals. [32] As per Lsung C2, 3 offensive prongs were planned, with the main attack of the 6th Army and 6th SS Panzer Army Frhlingserwachen being directed towards the Danube through Lakes Velence and Balaton; the 2nd Panzer Armys Eisbrecher (G: Icebreaker) attacking eastward from the western end of Lake Balaton; and the LXXXXI Corps Waldteufel (G: Forest Devil) attacking north from the Drava River. 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. [36] This operational overlap caused by the centralized command led to disagreements, shortages, waste, inefficiencies, and delays, often escalating to the point where Hitler himself would have to give the final ruling on a matter. It took place in Hungary. Operation Spring Awakening (Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) 1945 6 16 March was the last major German offensive of World War II. WebOperation Spring Awakening was launched in the East by elements of three German panzer armies in the spring of 1945. The Global Currency Reset: On Sat. [55] The main differences between the Soviet defenses during the Battle of Kursk and the Balaton defensive operation (the Russian name for Operation Spring Awakening) was the relative short time frame allowed for defensive preparations (half a month), the smaller number of Soviet forces partaking in the defensive, and a reduced focus on perfecting the defensive lines as after all the 3rd Ukrainian Front would need to start its offensive from these lines. 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. [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. Undetected by German intelligence, the buildup for the forthcoming Soviet offensive was proceeding rapidly on the 12th. Last major German offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II, Interrupted Soviet offensive preparations. [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. Dietrich did not relay the order to his troops. WebOperation Spring Awakening was launched in the East by elements of three German panzer armies in the spring of 1945. The offensive began in great secrecy on 6 March 1945 with an attack near Lake Balaton , the area included some of the last oil reserves still available to the Axis. Add to Want List. Contents 1 Order of battle 2 German plan 3 Soviet preparation 4 German attack 5 Soviet counterattack and subsequent operations 6 Aftermath 7 Armband order 8 References 9 See also 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.. 363rd Guards Heavy Self-prop. As dawn broke on March 6, snow was still falling from low cloud and the temperature hovered around zero degrees Celsius. Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1443rd Self-prop. The 14th was mainly sunny, and the temperature climbed, drying the ground. This bridgehead would jeopardize the upcoming Spring Awakening's South-Eastern push past Lake Balaton to secure the southern Hungarian oilfields while also exposing a straight route towards Vienna. 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.. Sepp Dietrich, commander of the Sixth SS Panzer Army tasked with defending the last sources of petroleum controlled by the Germans, joked that 6th Panzer Army is well namedwe have just six tanks left.[74]. Dg was soon captured, and by evening the divisions leading elements were immediately to the north of Mezszilas. [31] If Operation Sdwind was successful, Operation Sd's start could be deferred by 89 days. [72] The overwhelming numerical superiority of the Red Army made any defense impossible, but Hitler believed victory was attainable. (uncut) Add to Cart. The only natural oil deposits in German-controlled territory were those around Nagykanizsa in southern Hungary and, with Allied air attacks disrupting and often neutralizing the synthetic gasoline production sites for long periods, it was essential to protect them. [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. The initial objectives were Sarkeresztur and Sarosd, both about 10 kilometers from the start line. Behind them stood the Sixth Guards Tank Army, and on their northern flank another army waited to join in the offensive. From Joni Nuutinen: by a wargamer for the wargamers since 2011. Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1821st Self-prop. [55] The 3rd Ukrainian Front worked on digging in, creating extensive trench networks ideal for anti-tank defenses, along with defensive earthworks for the artillery and infantry. 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. Das Reich and Hohenstaufen were to attack side by side on a 10-kilometer frontage, from a start line running due west from Sereglyes. 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. The defenses were made up of three zones. [38] Many of the incoming units also received cover names to help further mask the build-up of forces from the enemy. The primary component of the Spring Awakening offensive can be narrowed down to the area between Lakes Balaton and Valencei. IL-2m3. It was a failure for Nazi Germany. Since Balcks Sixth Army defenses in this area were woefully inadequate, these concerns were fully justified. It took place in Western Hungary on the Eastern Front and lasted from 6 March until 15 March, barbecue festival 2022; olivia clare friedman net worth. 20th Royal Hungarian Sturm. Its commitment there, rather than in the northern part of the Eastern Front, and the knowledge that yet another SS Panzer Corps had arrived in Hungary immediately alerted the Soviets to the possibility of a German offensive. 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. 303 (StuG III, e.g. 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. [16] The deadline of 30 January proved impossible for refitting to be completed. 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