It was spearheaded by the German Sixth SS Panzer Army. By 15 April, the remnants of the Sixth SS Panzer Army were north of Vienna, facing the Soviet 9th Guards Tank Army and 46th Army. [38] Below are the units under their respective command as discussed on 27 February. Mar 16, 2015 #1 hasdrubal barca Decision on the Danube: Operation Spring Awakening ATL Part 1: Off to Budapest! 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. The army was to advance from an area north of Lake Balaton on a wide front. 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. Fifteen years after the Tony-winning Broadway run of Spring Awakening, the original cast and creative team reunite for a spectacular, one night only concert. 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. By midday, units of III Panzer Corps had advanced about four kilometers to the east, south of Lake Valencei, and penetrated into Sereglyes. 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. sfn error: no target: CITEREFGreat_Patriotic_War_without_Secracy2010 (, O. Baronov, Balaton Defense Operation, Moscow, 2001, P.82-106. Bittrichs corps had continued to defend its AbaSarkeresztur sector during this period and was now dangerously exposed. English: Media relating to the Lake Balaton Offensive of March 1945, also known as Operation Frhlingserwachen ("Operation Spring Awakening"). [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. 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. [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. Nazi plunder 124 relations. 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. Two of the frontline divisions were to the east of Lake Balaton, immediately in front of I Cavalry Corps, two faced I SS Panzer Corps, two more were opposite II SS Panzer Corps, and a divisional equivalent was in front of III Panzer Corps. Some Hungarian units survived the fall of Budapest and the destruction which followed when the Soviets counterattacked after Operation Spring Awakening. Soviet Union (Barbarossa) Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1443rd Self-prop. [38] Many of the incoming units also received cover names to help further mask the build-up of forces from the enemy. Spring Awakening's execution was made possible after a little-known German victory against Soviet forces in northern Hungary, called Operation South-wind (Unternehmen Sdwind), which concluded on 24 February 1945 and was "a brilliant success". March 1971. Again, the supporting tanks were mired and the grenadiers could make only limited progress on their own against the well-prepared Soviet field fortifications. All three panzer corps would then attack east, between Sarkeresztur and Gardony, toward the Danube before turning south in accordance with the original plan. Artillery Battalion (SU-76M), 85th Guards Self-prop. On March 8, I SS Panzer Corps attack gained momentum, and by evening Nagy had been secured against minimal opposition, as had the EnyingDg road about three kilometers west of Dg. G.F. Krivosheyev, 'Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the twentieth century', London, Greenhill Books, 1997. The Soviet's Vienna Offensive ended with the fall of the city on 13 April. For Operation Spring Awakening (Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) you have been given third of all the Panzer formations on the Eastern Front: two Panzer Armies strengthened with King Tiger. Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1068th Self-prop. Utilizing the last of the panzer divisions, Operation Spring Awakening will try to drive the Red Army back over the Danube and secure Germany's remaining oil supply; without it, the war will be over. 707th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), e.g. Malaya, Narva Joni's games are getting better all the time.This game is well balanced for great game play and trying out different strategies.Top marks for historical accuracy. The onset of what is called razputitza, a three- to four-week period of almost complete immobility in spring and autumn due to muddy conditions, did not augur well for Hitlers last 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. [26] From here the units' possible de-training locations would seem to be the cities along the Oder River, however this was a calculated misinformation measure to confuse enemy forces who actually attacked these cities. The German attacks were centered in the Lake Balaton area. Full version of Operation Spring Awakening 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. On 16th March the Red Army attacked in strength and the Germans were driven back to the same positions which they were at the start of the offensive. The offensive failed in the face of Soviet resistance, and the ensuing Red Army offensive . [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. Warsaw Operation Spring Awakening (German: Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) was the last major German offensive of World War II. In reaction to the 1972 Munich massacre, Israel carried out Operation Spring of Youth. red, 181st Tank Brigade (T-34/85, markings: 6xx, e.g. All ranks were ordered to remove their sleeve bands, and special code names were given to all components. IL-2m3, S/N: 1889403. Hong Kong German offensive (615 March 1945):Germany. [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. Later that morning, Whler finally requested permission from Berlin to use I SS Panzer Corps for the attack from the Varpalota area toward Zamoly. It took place in Hungary. Surrender of Germany . Plastic Soldier Battlegroup Spring Awakening Book is a general overview of the war in Hungary in 1945. Atomic bombings The river Donau is to the east where the two Soviet main bases are. 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. On 13 April 1999, Yugoslav infantry entered Albanian territory to close off an area that was used by the KLA to stage attacks against . The third installment of the alternate history series where Hitler and Himmler were assassinated in March 1943. red, 1004th Self-Prop. The situation began to change dramatically on March 9. What of the more successful I SS Panzer Corps during this period? A desperate military situation forces Carl Goerdeler's Emergency Reich Government (ERG) to make a bargain with the devil. March 12 saw the status quo more or less continue on II SS Panzer Corps front. After new territory had been captured, Soviet collection teams scoured the countryside and towns to document and photograph knocked out Axis vehicles and tanks. J, Flakpanzer IV 'Wirbelwind'). red, 170th Tank Brigade (T-34/85, markings: 5xx, e.g. App activity and App info and performance. Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen 1945361945316 194536 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 [ ] III, Wespe, e.g. IL-2m3. This sudden and savage push caused the Soviet command to actually contemplate an evacuation to the opposite shore. Mariana and Palau Operation Paperclip The entire landscape was a morass of mud, and it was soon clear that it would be impossible to launch the divisions panzer regiment. Artillery Regiment (SU-76M, No. Many German units were involved, including the 6th Panzer Army and its subordinate Waffen-SS divisions after being withdrawn from the failed Ardennes offensive on the Western Front. The attack reached a high point about five kilometers northwest of Sarosd but then bogged down. On the right of I SS was I Cavalry Corps. To complicate matters, long-range Soviet artillery was interdicting the bulk of the Hohenstaufens armor still crossing the Sarviz canal at Szabadbattyan. Joni's games are getting better all the time.This game is well balanced for great game play and trying out different strategies.Top marks for historical accuracy. Sevastopol In the field, Sepp Dietrich was disgusted by Hitler's order and did not relay it to his troops. Event starts on Friday, 17 March 2023 and happening at Caesar Krauss Great War Memorial Site, Newville, PA. Register or Buy Tickets, Price information. [38] The offensive would consist of four forces, three were to be attack forces while one was to be a defense force. This article appears in: December 2021 By Martin Dougherty The winter of 1944-45 saw Nazi Germany in a grim position. [29][24], Operation Sd was scheduled to start after a path to Budapest had been established. The campaign game covers the Konrad Operations (I, II, and III) in January 1945. Operation Spring Awakening was launched in the East by elements of three German panzer armies in the spring of 1945. Soviet ISU-122 and IS-2 on one of the roads of Transylvania (Romania) Western Ukraine Army Group E met fierce resistance from the Bulgarian First Army and Josip Broz Tito's Yugoslavian partisan army, and failed to reach its objective of Mohcs. Hard working indie developer. When people wake up and realise that the purpose of life is different from the government policies used, e.g. [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. This bridgehead was seen by the Germans as a potential assembly area for a major thrust toward Vienna and as such it had to be eliminated before the Germans could launch Spring Awakening. Early on but, unit counts and map size Russian AI are all so far so good. After reaching the Danube, one part of the army would turn north creating a northern spearhead and move along the Danube River to retake Budapest, which had been captured on 13 February 1945. [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. Eastern Romania Manila Figures for self-propelled weapons, armored cars, and vehicles under repair are not available. Philippines Another factor complicating Hitlers plan was that by mid-February 1945, the Red Army was holding a considerable bridgehead in Hungary across the Gran River north of Esztergom. J, StuG.IV), Beute-Pz. Since the main German threat was known to be in the Third Ukrainian Front sector, the Soviets concentrated the bulk of their forces between Lake Balaton and a point some 20 kilometers to the north of Szkesfehrvar. From Joni Nuutinen: by a wargamer for the wargamers since 2011. Total war 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. For Operation Spring Awakening (Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) you have been given third of all the Panzer formations on the Eastern Front: two Panzer Armies strengthened with King Tiger battalions. Lining up plans in Falls Church? Artillery Regiment (SU-76M). 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. 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]. The Hungarian Szent Lszl Infantry Division was still indicated to be attached to the German Second Panzer Army as late as 30 April. 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. The SS Panzergrenadiers, struggling forward on their feet, were therefore without effective armored support. 615th Ground Attack Regiment (IL-2m3 Sturmovik), e.g. 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. Artillery Regiment (ISU-152, captured Hummels, e.g. Full version of Operation Spring Awakening 1945. [23] By 20 February, the Soviet fronts in Hungary began to understand what the Germans planned to do. 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. [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. Operation Spring Awakening (German: Unternehmen Frhlingserwachen) was the last major German offensive of World War II. ( , . "[4] As a mark of disgrace, the Leibstandarte units involved in the battle were ordered to remove their treasured "Adolf Hitler" cuff titles (German: Armband). The German military launched Operation Spring Awakening in 1945 to preserve access to oil fields in Hungary, but the Red Army responded decisively. Whler ordered Dietrich to move I SS Panzer Corps to the area north of Varpalota and subordinate it to Army Group Balck. Lend-Lease Adolf Hitler was the Commander-in-chief of OKH, while also being the supreme commander of OKW. 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. 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". [60], Because of the serious tank losses of JanuaryFebruary along the Margit line, Marshal Tolbukhin ordered that no Front/Army level counter-attacks were to take place, and local tactical attacks should be very limited; the only objective was to hold the Front and grind down the German offensive. Iwo Jima The initial objectives were Sarkeresztur and Sarosd, both about 10 kilometers from the start line. I, III./SG 2 (Fw 190F, Ju 87G 10. Fresh in the mind of Speer was Hitler's thinking behind Operation Spring Awakening. Bittrich was not empowered to authorize a delay or postponement and Dietrichs appeal to Guderian had already been rejected. (Read more about these and other infamous military operations of Nazi Germany inside WWII History magazine.). 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. WikiMatrix. 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. WikiMatrix. By the second half of February Soviet intelligence identified large German tank formations in west Hungary, and soon realized that preparation for a major offensive was underway. This was one of the last successful German offensives in the Second World War. Artillery Regiment (SU-100), 1922nd Self-prop. The Red Army have invaded and pushed the Axis forces back west, driving them beyond the Danube river. By 15 April, the remnants of the 6th SS Panzer Army were north of Vienna, facing the Soviet 9th Guards and 46th Armies. Meanwhile, Marshal Georgi Zhukovs and Marshal Ivan Konevs offensives in the north had advanced over 150 kilometers. [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. 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