Agony of the Third Reich. 75 years ago, on April 13, 1945, Soviet troops took Vienna. It was the victorious finale of the Vienna offensive.
During the Vienna offensive operation, the Red Army liberated the eastern part of Austria with its capital Vienna. The Third Reich lost Nagykanizsa, the last oil region in western Hungary, and the Vienna industrial region. The German army suffered a heavy defeat. The Vienna operation was one of the largest in the war, with 1, 15 million people participating in the battle on both sides, about 18 thousand guns and mortars, about 2 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns and 1,700 aircraft.
General situation
After the capture of Budapest, the Soviet Headquarters set the task of the 2 nd and 3 rd Ukrainian Fronts (UF) to conduct a strategic offensive in order to defeat the German Army Group South and liberate the Vienna, Bratislava, Brno and Nagykanizhi areas. The start of the operation was scheduled for March 15, 1945. In early March, the Soviet armies repelled the last major offensive of the Wehrmacht in the war in the area of Lake Balaton. In a fierce battle, the last large armored formations of the Wehrmacht were defeated. German divisions suffered heavy losses in manpower and equipment, having lost a significant part of their former combat capability.
The Vienna operation began without an operational pause. Reflecting the violent attacks of the Nazis in the area of Lake Balaton, the Red Army continued to prepare for an offensive on Vienna. The Soviet fronts had large reserves and could simultaneously repel enemy attacks and prepare for a new offensive. The situation for the Vienna operation was favorable. The human and material-technical reserves of the German troops were practically exhausted. Reinforcements were formed with great difficulty, were often of low combat quality, and were quickly expended. The German troops, especially after the defeat in the Battle of Balaton, were lost, lost their former fighting spirit.
Operation plan. Forces of the parties
The main blow was delivered by the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front under the command of F. I. Tolbukhin. The main strike grouping of the front included the armies of the right wing: the 4th Guards Army of Zakhvataev, the 9th Guards Army of Glagolev and the 6th Guards Tank Army of Kravchenko (the tankers were located in the second echelon). The offensive of the main shock grouping of the front was supported by the troops of the center - Trofimenko's 27th Army and Hagen's 26th Army. The main forces of the front were to destroy the German 6th SS Panzer Army in the Szekesfehervar area, at the second stage of the operation - to develop an offensive in the direction of Papa - Sopron - Vienna. The troops of the 26th and 27th Soviet armies were to liberate the Tyurje - Szombathely - Zalaegerszeg region. Next, conduct an offensive in South Austria (Carinthia). The left wing of the 3rd UV, the 57th Army of Sharokhin, the 1st Bulgarian Army of Stoychev, advanced south of Lake Balaton in order to capture the oil region centered in Nagykanizsa. From the air, our troops were supported by the 17th Air Army.
Part of the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of R. Ya. Malinovsky also took part in the Vienna operation. The 46th Army of General Petrushevsky received the task of developing an offensive on the city of Gyor, and after taking it to go to Vienna. Petrushevsky's army was supported by the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps, the Danube Flotilla and the 5th Air Army. At the same time, the 7th Guards Army was developing an offensive against Bratislava, making it easier to destroy the enemy's Vienna grouping. In general, the forces of the Red Army (with the support of the Bulgarian army) in the Vienna direction totaled about 740 thousand.people, 12, 1 thousand guns and mortars, over 1, 3 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, about 1 thousand aircraft.
Our troops were opposed by the forces of the German Army Group "South" under the leadership of Otto Wöhler (from April 7 Lothar Rendulich), part of the forces of Army Group "F" of Field Marshal Maximilian von Weichs. Army Group F was disbanded on 25 March and merged with Army Group E by Alexander Loer. To the north of the Danube, in front of the 2nd UV, was the 8th Field Army of Hans Kreising. From Esztergom to the lake. Balaton were the positions of Gauser's 3rd Hungarian Army, Balk's 6th Army and Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army. West of Balaton, the 24th Hungarian corps was located. To the south of Balaton the 2nd Panzer Army of Angelis held the defenses. In Yugoslavia were the troops of Army Group "F" (from March 25 "E"). From the air, the ground forces were supported by the 4th Air Fleet. The German-Hungarian forces numbered about 410 thousand people, about 700 tanks and self-propelled guns, 5, 9 thousand guns and mortars, about 700 combat aircraft.
Vienna offensive operation
On March 16, 1945, after a powerful artillery preparation, the troops of the 9th and 4th Guards armies went to storm the enemy defense. The Germans fought back fiercely, going over to counterattacks. On the first day of the offensive, our troops only wedged into the enemy defenses by 3–7 km. The Nazis had a powerful combat formation in this sector: the 4th SS Panzer Corps (3rd SS Panzer Division "Dead Head", 5th SS Panzer Division "Viking", 2nd Hungarian Tank Division and other units). The corps was armed with 185 tanks and self-propelled guns. The Germans relied on strong defenses, and the 9th Guards Army had to advance in difficult mountainous and wooded areas. Also, the Soviet armies lacked tanks for direct support of the infantry.
To strengthen the blow of the 3rd UV, the Soviet Headquarters transferred to its structure the mobile unit of the 2nd UV - 6th Guards Tank Army. The tankers were reinforced with artillery. On the 17th, Glagolev's guards were able to expand the breakthrough to 30 km along the front and up to 10 km in depth. The 17th Sudets Air Force played an important role in breaking through the enemy defense. Soviet aviation, day and night, struck at German positions, defense centers, headquarters, communication lines and communications. However, the Nazis still fiercely fought back. An especially fierce battle raged for the city of Szekesfehervar, which stood in the way of the Soviet strike group. The German command, fearing a breakthrough of the enemy and the encirclement of the advanced forces, held on to this city with all its might, transferred reinforcements to this sector. On the 18th our troops advanced only a few kilometers.
The Germans, fearing blocking their troops in the area south of Szekesfehervar, began a gradual withdrawal of forces in front of the 26th and 27th Soviet armies. Units from this sector were transferred to the north-west and thereby consolidated the battle formations in front of the guards armies of Glagolev and Zakhvataev. As a result, the 6th SS Army avoided a possible "cauldron". On the morning of the 19th, the Guards Tank Army was thrown into battle. However, by this time the enemy's defenses had not been hacked, so Kravchenko's tankers got bogged down in stubborn battles, and it was not immediately possible to go to the operational one. The Germans won time to withdraw the main forces of their group.
On March 21, units of the 26th and 27th armies entered the Polgardi area. Meanwhile, the troops of the main strike grouping of the front were 10 km from the lake. Balaton. The attacks of the 17th air army were supported by the 18th air army of Golovanov (long-range aviation), which attacked the communications center of Veszprem. On March 22, our troops took Szekesfehervar. By the evening of the 22nd, units of the 6th SS Panzer Army almost hit the "cauldron" south of Szekesfehervar. The German troops had only a narrow corridor of 2.5 km, which was completely shot through. However, the Germans fought fiercely and were able to break through.
Thus, Tolbukhin's armies were unable to block and destroy the enemy's Szekesfehervar grouping. But the main task was solved - the enemy's defense was broken through, the wedge of the 6th SS Panzer Army, which was part of the location of the 3rd UV, was destroyed, the troops entered the operational space and quickly went forward. The Nazis suffered heavy losses and withdrew, not having time to gain a foothold in rear positions. On March 23, our troops took Veszprem, on March 25, advanced 40-80 km, occupying the cities of Mor and Varpalot.
Liquidation of the Esztergom-commodity grouping
On March 17, 1945, the strike group of the 2nd UV began the offensive. Petrushevsky's 46th Army had large forces - 6 corps (including the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps), was reinforced with artillery (including 3 artillery breakthrough divisions, one anti-aircraft artillery division, 2 anti-tank brigades, etc.). In total, the front's strike grouping consisted of over 2,600 guns and mortars, 165 tanks and self-propelled guns. Also, the offensive was supported by a part of the Danube Flotilla - dozens of boats, an air squadron, part of the 83rd Marine Brigade. The Germans had in this sector about 7 infantry divisions and part of a tank division, over 600 guns and mortars, 85 tanks and assault guns.
The advance units of the Soviet army began their offensive on the evening of March 16. They successfully wedged themselves into the enemy's battle formations. On March 17, our troops advanced 10 km. The blow of the 46th Army did not allow the German command to transfer troops from this sector to the direction of the offensive of the 3rd UV. On the morning of the 19th, the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps of Sviridov went on the offensive. An active role in his strike was played by the 5th assault air corps of the 5th air army of Goryunov. By the end of the day, the tankers advanced 30-40 km. The enemy's defenses were destroyed, three enemy divisions were defeated. On March 20, our troops reached the Danube and pressed the Wehrmacht's Esztergom-commodity grouping (4 divisions) to the river. The Danube flotilla landed troops behind enemy lines, which cut off the Germans' escape routes to the west. The landing, supported by the artillery of the flotilla, held out until the approach of the main forces. On March 22, the paratroopers linked up with Sviridov's tankmen.
The German command, in order to close the gap in the defense, prevent the Russians from breaking through to Gyor and unblock the encircled troops, transferred reinforcements from the southern sector of the front - 2 tank and one infantry divisions, a brigade of assault guns. On March 21-25, the Nazis launched several counterattacks, trying to break through the encirclement. However, our troops repelled all attacks. Petrushevsky's army was reinforced from the front reserve. The Germans were only able to slow down the rate of advance of the Red Army. Meanwhile, Soviet troops crushed the blockaded grouping and took the city of Esztergom. On March 25, the strike group of the 2nd UV created a gap up to 100 km wide and up to 45 km deep. To strengthen the strike group of the 2nd UV, Akhmanov's 23rd Tank Corps was transferred from the 3rd UV to it.
Breakthrough to Vienna
The offensive in the northern sector of the Soviet-German front made it easier for our troops to break through to Vienna. The 40th Soviet and 4th Romanian armies broke through the enemy defenses on the Hron River and took Banska Bystrica. On March 25, the armies of the 2nd UV began the Bratislava-Brnovo operation. The defeat of the Bratislava group worsened the position of the German army in the Vienna direction.
There was no longer a solid front line. The Germans did not have time to gain a foothold in the rear lines and rolled back to the Austrian border. The Nazis retreated, covered by rear guards. Our forward detachments, reinforced with armored vehicles, shot down the German barriers, the rest of the troops marched in marching columns. The vanguards bypassed large strongholds and captured the crossings, the German garrisons, fearing encirclement, fled. Soviet aviation bombed the retreating columns of the German army, communication centers. On March 26, 1945, Soviet troops occupied large communication centers - Papa and Devecher. Parts of the German 6th SS Panzer Army and the 6th Field Army planned to stop at the turn of the river. Rab, where a strong intermediate defensive line was set up. However, on the night of March 28, Soviet troops crossed the river on the move. On the same day, the cities of Chorna and Sharvar were occupied.
On March 29, Soviet soldiers took Kapuvar, Sombathely and Zalaegerszeg. Thus, Soviet troops entered the flank of the German 2nd Panzer Army. The German command ordered the army to withdraw. German troops began to withdraw in Yugoslavia. On March 30, our troops reached the approaches to Nagykanizsa, the center of the Hungarian oil industry. On April 2, Soviet-Bulgarian troops took the city of Nagykanizsa. By April 4, our troops cleared the entire western part of Hungary from the enemy. Germany has lost its last ally. The demoralized soldiers of the Hungarian army who were still fighting for the Reich surrendered in thousands. True, the remnants of the Hungarian army continued to fight for Germany until the very end of the war.
The German army was unable to linger on the next rear defensive line - along the Austro-Hungarian border. On March 29, Tolbukhin's armies broke into enemy defenses in the Sopron area. The liberation of Austria began. On April 1, Sopron was taken. In Austria itself, the resistance of the Nazis increased. The German command used the most brutal methods to restore discipline and order to the retreating troops. The Nazis came to their senses after a stunning defeat at Balaton, and again fought desperately. Almost every settlement had to be taken by storm. Roads were mined and blocked with rubble of stones and logs, bridges and crossings were blown up. As a result, the 6th Guards Tank Army was unable to get ahead and take the Austrian capital outright. Particularly fierce battles took place at the turn of Lake Neisiedler, the spurs of the Eastern Alps, r. Leith and Wiener Neustadt. However, the Soviet soldiers continued to go forward, on April 3 they took Wiener Neustadt. An important role in the success of our troops was played by aviation, which almost continuously carried out bombing and assault strikes against the retreating Germans, smashed enemy rear lines, railway junctions, tracks and echelons.
The 46th Army of the 2nd UV also successfully advanced. On March 27, the defeat of the blocked enemy units in the Esztergom area was completed. Attempts by the Nazis to delay the movement of the Russians to Gyor were unsuccessful. On March 28, the troops of Petrushevsky crossed the river. Slave, took the cities of Komar and Gyor.
Storming the Austrian capital
The German command continued to cling to Austria. Vienna was to become a "fortress in the South" and for a long time delay the advance of the Russians to the southern part of Germany. The time factor was the last hope of the German military-political leadership. The more the war dragged on, the more opportunities there were to play on the contradictions between the USSR and the West. The Austrian capital was the center of a large industrial region of the Reich, a large Danube port, connecting Central Europe with the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Austria supplied the Wehrmacht with aircraft, aircraft engines, armored vehicles, guns, etc. Austria had the last sources of oil.
The Austrian capital was defended by the remnants of the divisions of the 6th SS Panzer Army (8 tank and one infantry divisions, separate units), the city garrison, made up of several police regiments. The city and the approaches to it were thoroughly fortified, prepared ditches, rubble, barricades. Strong stone buildings were turned into strong points, which occupied separate garrisons. They were linked with other units into a single combat system. Danube bridges and canals prepared for destruction.
Soviet armies stormed the Vienna fortified area from several directions. The troops of the 2nd UV bypassed the city from the north, the armies of the 3rd UV - from the east, south and west. The 46th Army of Petrushevsky, with the help of the Danube Flotilla, crossed the Danube in the Bratislava region, then crossed the Morava and moved to the Austrian capital from the northeast. The Danube flotilla landed troops in the Vienna area, which helped advance Petrushevsky's army. On April 5, 1945, there were stubborn battles on the southern and southeastern approaches to the Austrian capital. The Nazis fiercely resisted, their infantry and tanks often counterattacked. Zakhvataev's 4th Guards Army with the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps could not immediately break through the enemy's defenses. Meanwhile, the troops of Glagolev's 9th Guards Army were successfully breaking through in the northwestern direction. Therefore, the troops of the 6th Guards Tank Army of Kravchenko were sent to the zone of the Glagolev army in order to bypass and strike at the city from the west and northwest.
On April 6, our troops began an assault on the southern part of Vienna. On March 7, units of the 9th Guards and 6th Guards Tank Army crossed the Vienna Woods. The Austrian capital was surrounded on three sides: east, south and west. Only the 46th Army was unable to immediately complete the encirclement of the city. The German command constantly strengthened the northeastern sector of defense, transferring units from other directions of the front and even from Vienna itself.
Fierce fighting for Vienna continued until 13 April. The contractions went on day and night. The main role in the liberation of the capital was played by assault groups reinforced with tanks and self-propelled guns. Parts of Zakhvataev's army stormed the capital of Austria from the east and south, the troops of the army of Glagolev and Kravchenko from the west. By the end of April 10, the Nazis controlled only the central part of Vienna. The Germans destroyed all the bridges in the city, leaving only one - the Imperial Bridge (Reichsbrücke). It was mined, but left to be able to transfer troops from one part of the city to another. On April 9 and 10, our troops stormed the bridge, but without success. On April 11, the Imperial Bridge was taken, landing troops with the help of the ships of the Danube Flotilla. The paratroopers fought off one enemy attack after another, fought in complete encirclement for almost three days. Only in the morning of the 13th, the main forces of the 80th Guards Rifle Division broke through to the exhausted soldiers. This was the turning point of the Battle of Vienna. The eastern part of the German garrison was dismembered, the Germans lost a unified command and control system, support from the western coast. The eastern group was destroyed by the end of the day. The western group began to retreat. On the night of the 14th Vienna was completely cleared of the Nazis.
By April 15, 1945, the Vienna operation was completed. Parts of the 9th Guards Army took the city of St. Pölten, after which Glagolev's army was taken to the front reserve. The 6th Guards Tank Army was returned to the 2nd UV, it was sent to assault Brno. The troops of the center and the left wing of the 3rd UV reached the Eastern Alps. Bulgarian troops liberated the area between the Drava and Mura rivers, reached the Varazdin area. The Yugoslav army, using the success of the Russians, liberated a significant part of Yugoslavia, occupied Trieste and Zagreb. At the end of April, our troops resumed their offensive in Austria.
