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. 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. Chassis No. 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.

[47] During the first days of March, alarming reports about road and terrain conditions due to the spring thaw flooded Army Group South Headquarters. 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. 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.

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. : UnknownSoviet counter-offensive (16 March15 April 1945): Soviet counter-offensive (16 March15 April 1945): Operation Spring Awakening (German: Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) was the last major German offensive of World War II.

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. 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. So ended Hitlers last offensive action of World War II. It took place in Western Hungary on the Eastern Front and lasted from 6 March until 15 March, 1945. Artillery Regiment (SU-76M). Artillery Battalion (SU-76M), 8th Separate Guards Air-landing Self-prop. On the right flank of I SS Panzer Corps, one division of I Cavalry Corps exploited the gap created by the Hitlerjugend and reached the main road between Enying and Mezkomarom, while the other attacked Enying. At 3:10 pm, the latter gave his assessment of the situation to Berlin. There was no possibility of either divisions tanks or heavy equipment reaching the forward assembly areas in time for the attack. 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. 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.

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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. They were to destroy the Soviet forces in the region bounded by Lake Balaton and the Danube and Drava Rivers, secure the Hungarian oil deposits, and establish bridgeheads over the Danube with a view to further offensive operations. WebOperation Spring Awakening was the last major German offensive of World War II. white, 18th Guards Tank Regiment (M4A2(76)W Sherman, markings: '1xx', e.g. The advance stalled on 15 March, and on 16 March the Red Army and allied units began their delayed Vienna offensive.

The OKW and OKH did not use common terminology for parts of the offensive, as OKH referred to the entire offensive as Frhlingserwachen, while the OKW referred to the operation attacking north of the Drava as "Waldteufel". The SS Panzergrenadiers, struggling forward on their feet, were therefore without effective armored support.

The scene was being set for the final destruction of the Sixth Panzer Army. U.S.A. 4021593 and Harley-Davidson 42WLA motorcycle, e.g. [35], OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) was the overarching military command for the German army in WW2, while the OKH (Oberkommando des Heeres) was officially a high command operating under OKW. Spring Awakening was designed to secure the vital oil deposits in southern Hungary and perhaps even regain the oil fields of Romania. Figures for self-propelled weapons, armored cars, and vehicles under repair are not available. white, 2nd Guards Mechanized Brigade (BA-64, e.g. [16] The deadline of 30 January proved impossible for refitting to be completed. The III Panzer Corps was tasked with screening the corps left flank, and its boundary with I SS Panzer Corps was the Sarviz canal, which together with the adjacent Sarviz River formed a major obstacle. It took place in Western Hungary on the Eastern Front and lasted from March 6 until March 15,

[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. 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. WebOperation Spring Awakening (1945) Wehrmachts last panzer offensive in Hungary! 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. white, 3rd Guards Mechanized Brigade (BA-64, e.g. On 28 February, the start date for Operation Spring Awakening was finally moved back to 6 March, though many commanders felt that a greater delay was necessary. The Germans succeeded in eliminating the Soviet bridgehead on the west bank of the river Hron in preparation for Operation Spring Awakening. While the Germans were preparing Spring Awakening, the Soviets were planning their own offensive that was due to start on March 15. German soldiers. 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. [45], The 6th Army would join the 6th SS Panzer Army in its thrust southeast to the Danube, then turn north to cover the flank of Frhlingserwachen. As Operation Spring Awakening would be of great importance, lengthy preparation and strategic care was taken so as to not reveal the offensive. To complicate matters, long-range Soviet artillery was interdicting the bulk of the Hohenstaufens armor still crossing the Sarviz canal at Szabadbattyan. 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. The objective of these two corps was the Sio canal between Mezkomarom and Simontornya, 15 and 25 kilometers away respectively. 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. German offensive (615 March 1945):Germany.

[15] Hitler ordered OB West Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt to withdraw the following units from active combat in the Battle of the Bulge: I SS Panzer Corps with 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte and 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, along with II SS Panzer Corps with 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich and 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen. 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].

Meanwhile, Marshal Georgi Zhukovs and Marshal Ivan Konevs offensives in the north had advanced over 150 kilometers. As per the selected "Lsung C2", the Germans planned to attack Soviet General Fyodor Tolbukhin's 3rd Ukrainian Front. [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. 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 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. By 15 April, the remnants of the 6th SS Panzer Army were north of Vienna, facing the Soviet 9th Guards and 46th Armies.

German soldiers. IL-2m3, S/N: 1889403. Operation South Wind proved a brilliant success. red, 1004th Self-Prop.

[17], On 16 March, the Soviets forces counterattacked in strength. I, III./SG 2 (Fw 190F, Ju 87G 10.

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.

Warsaw, Lodz, and Cracow had fallen, and a Soviet Army had entered East Prussia.

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. Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1011th Self-Prop.

Thus, II SS Panzer Corps became SS Training Staff South, the Das Reich Division was Training Group North, and the Hohenstaufen became Training Group South. WebOperation Spring Awakening was the last major German offensive of World War II.

The Germans were driven back to the positions they had held before Operation Spring Awakening began.

On March 10, the terrible weather and ground conditions ensured that progress west of the Sarviz was slow. The attack in the Heinrich Major area was continued but cost several tanks and self-propelled guns. WebFull version of Operation Spring Awakening 1945. The Hungarian Szent Lszl Infantry Division was still indicated to be attached to the German 2nd Panzer Army as late as 30 April. 989th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik) 1 long, 2 short diagonal tail stripes, e.g. A, -D, Pz.IV Ausf. Just over seven weeks later the surviving men of these once elite corps would be prisoners of warbut not of the Sovietsof the Americans. At the same time, on the right flank a vineyard immediately northeast of Sarkeresztur was captured, effectively cutting off Aba.

The days are getting longer, the trees are getting greener and it is time, too, for the CERN accelerator complex to reawaken. 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. Although there were no tanks in this defensive zone, there was an average of 17 anti-tank guns per kilometer forming 23 tank killing grounds.

WebSpring Awakening is a two player wargame of Operation Fruhlingserwachen, the final major German offensive of World War II. [61] Between the 4th Guards Army and 26th Guards Army, 66 anti-tank zones were created whose depth reached 3035km. [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". Nevertheless, during the afternoon SS Panzergrenadiers managed to expand the Simontornya bridgehead to some five square kilometers.

IL-2m3. Despite all the measures taken to disguise the arrival of the Sixth Panzer Army on the Hungarian front, units of I SS Panzer Corps were soon detected in the Gran bridgehead operation. 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. To the north of the Third Ukrainian Front, Marshal Malinovskys Second Ukrainian Front numbered some 500,000 men and another 600 tanks, but over 400 of these were in reserve for the forthcoming offensive. Hitlers precise aims for Operation Spring Awakening were as wildly ambitious as those in the Ardennes three months earlier. [24], On 12 January, the Soviet 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian Fronts began their VistulaOder offensive with over 2 million men[25][circular reference] placing considerable new pressure on the Eastern Front. [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. From Joni Nuutinen: by a wargamer for the wargamers since 2011. [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.

To this end Gagyen was reinforced with a tank regiment, a self-propelled artillery brigade and two anti-tank regiments, and the main weight of the Third Ukrainian Fronts close air support effort was retargeted to his sector. Malinovskys Second Ukrainian Front was to join in the attack after one or two days, with two armies attacking westward along the south bank of the Danube. 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 Germans succeeded in eliminating the Soviet bridgehead on the west bank of the river Hron in preparation for Operation Spring Awakening. For example: ISU-122S, 78th Separate Mechanized Motorcycle Battalion (T-34, motorcycles), 1438th Self-prop. On the eastern flank there was some success. 25 March the Alliance officially began the Gold/ asset-backed Global Currency Reset of 209 nations, including a move toward full Martial Law across the Globe. 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]. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M, e.g. Nevertheless, Hitler rejected a proposal that these Soviet forces should be dealt with first or at least engaged, and the date of Spring Awakening was confirmed as March 6. Conditions were very similar to those experienced in the Ardennes only three months earlier. [23], Tolbukhin's 3rd Ukrainian Front had 5 Armies plus 1 Air Army, in addition it also had the 1st Bulgarian Army[56] with the 3rd Yugoslav Partisan Army also partaking in the defense. First, the repair and resupply system was working well, and second, the appalling ground conditions had prevented the deployment of the majority of the armored vehicles.

The ground was frozen near the surface, and men and vehicles sank into thick mud the moment they moved off the few roads available. By 4 April, the 6th SS Panzer Army was already in the Vienna area desperately setting up defensive lines against the anticipated Soviet Vienna Offensive. Reserve units are not included in the list. On 3 March, the 6th SS Panzer Army suggested that a naval assault across Lake Balaton itself could be implemented to help the 1st Cavalry Corps on the southeastern edge, but this turned out to be impossible as the spring storms had blown the pack ice against the southern shore. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M), 3rd Tank Brigade (T-34/85, markings: B -in diamond- and xx, e.g. Artillery Regiment (SU-76M), 11th Guards Cavalry Division (71st Tank Regiment: T-34, M4A2(75)W Sherman), 12th Guards Cavalry Division (54th Tank Regiment: T-34), 63rd Cavalry Division (60th Guards Tank regiment: M3 Lee, Valentine Mk.