1945 in March, Hitler concentrated his armored forces to launch the last offensive war on the eastern front, but the tide was gone, and the Russians were waiting for him and won the battle. Even in the dark days of March 1945, when the Third Reich was on the verge of collapse, Hitler's army managed to show cold humor and let the soldiers at the front bear the horror of war. In the last German attack in western Hungary in World War II, the powerful Tiger II tanks rumbled forward. German armored soldiers joked that they had encountered difficulties in dealing with the enemy: several Tiger II tanks weighing 68 tons even sank into the mud thawed in Hungary in spring, leaving only turrets exposed. The tank commander joked that they were flying U-boats instead of tanks. At the beginning of 1945, Russian troops had assembled on the front line of the Oder River, but the Fuehrer seemed to turn a blind eye to it. By the end of February, 1944, Russian infantry and tanks surrounded Budapest. The Fuehrer seems to feel the need to defend Hungarian oil fields. During the period of 1945 and 1 month, the Germans launched three clean-up operations against Budapest, and the Fuehrer sent the most elite SS Panzer Corps, which was called the three "Conrad" operations. But the Germans were already a spent force, and every time they approached success, they were wiped out by the Russian army, and the SS was exhausted. /kloc-In February of 0/3, Budapest finally fell into the hands of the Ukrainian Second Army under the command of Marshal Malinowski. Nagykaniscza oil field in Kanizsa province is the last oil field controlled by the Germans. By the beginning of 1945, the oil fields in Hungary and Austria provided 80% oil for the Germans. Although in June 5438+10 "Conrad" action in vain, but Hitler plans to launch an attack, code-named "Lu Lin Sewahin"; This action has both military and, more importantly, economic purposes. The Fuehrer realized that the Russians would launch a large-scale attack in Hungary. His planned pre-emptive attack will sweep the defense lines of Marshal tolbukhin's Ukrainian Third Army. If everything goes according to plan, the German attack will cause great losses to the Russians. Hitler hoped that his armored forces could build a bridgehead on the Danube, and maybe even recapture Budapest. In this way, the Germans can get the oil resources needed to supply war machines. Although the "Spring Awakening" campaign was actually launched on March 6th, 1945, it should have been launched as early as June of 1 year in the battle plan. /KOOC-0/6/KOOC-0/0/6/KOOC-0/6, the German high command issued an order to Sepp Dietrich, the senior head of the SS, to lead the 6th Panzer Corps of the SS to withdraw from Ardennes and return to Germany to rest, replenish and reorganize to prepare for new operations. Although Dietrich's headquarters is usually called the 6th SS Panzer Corps, it was not until1April 2, 945 that this title was officially used by SS troops. Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Corps consists of 1 SS Panzer Corps under the command of Lieutenant General Herman Price and the 2nd SS Panzer Corps under the command of Lieutenant General Willy Bitterich. Palisse Panzer Corps consists of SS 1 Panzer Division and SS 12 Panzer Division. Bitrich's Panzer Corps consists of the 2nd and 9th SS Panzer Divisions. In order to make these seriously damaged armored divisions reach the standard strength of SS armored divisions, commanders had to cram a large number of air force personnel and naval personnel without army combat experience into these SS armored divisions; To make matters worse, due to the short time and insufficient fuel supply, these recruits have not experienced enough training. However, the supply of weapons and vehicles for SS troops was satisfied, and they obtained a large number of tanks, assault guns and tank destroyers. In the end, the Germans assembled 240,000 troops, 500 tanks, 173 assault guns and 900 planes. The Fuehrer and his aides plan to let the southern army group led by General Otto Waller launch this main attack. Waller's troops have sufficient strike force, including General Hermann Balck's 6th Army, Dietrich's SS 6th Army and Hungarian 8th Army. Waller's men * * * have 10 armored division and five infantry divisions to storm the defense line of the Ukrainian third army. When the troops of the southern army group attack the Soviet defense line between Lake Balaton in the south and Lake Velenze in the east, the rest of the Germans will attack tolbukhin's left wing eastward; Waller's attack will be reinforced by the second wave of "E" Army Group under the command of Yugoslav General Alexander Rolle, and assisted by maximilian De Angelis's Second Armored Army Group on a small scale. 1945 65438+ 10 In October, under the cover of winter camouflage, a German Panther tank passed through a village in Hungary. Despite being scarred in the "Conrad" operation, the 4 th Panzer Corps of the SS still participated in the "Spring Awakening" operation. By the beginning of the "Spring Awakening" operation, nearly 40% of German heavy armored vehicles used on the eastern front were in Hungary. Under the strictest security measures, reinforcements were sent to Hungary; General guderian, director of German armored forces, disagreed with Hitler's decision to send the 6th SS Panzer Corps to Hungary. Guderian thought that the SS would eventually be sent to the front of the Oder River, and they could stop the Russian army from advancing on Berlin. Hitler rejected guderian's suggestion and sent the SS to the Hungarian front as planned. On February 23, Hitler approved the final plan of the "Spring Awakening" action plan. As part of the final preparations, he used 1 cavalry to strengthen the 6th SS Panzer Corps, which included the 3rd and 4th cavalry divisions and the 23rd Panzer Division under the command of Lieutenant General Joseph von Radowitz. Radowitz's troops, as reserves, only go into battle when they are most needed. Dietrich placed Palisse's SS 1 Panzer Corps in the center of the attack line, which extended from the shore of Lake Balaton to the west of Seregelyes village. The starting line of Bitrich's SS Panzer Corps is on the left of Palisse, and 1 Cavalry Corps is deployed on Bitrich's right. Hungary's 44th Grenadier Division and 25th Infantry Division provide flank protection for the starting line; Dietrich's first goal was to cross the Sio Canal and occupy Dunafoldvar. The 3rd Panzer Corps of Bourcq's 6th Army, under the jurisdiction of General Herman Blaise, will take action from Seri Gries, north of the SS line of the 6th Panzer Corps, and reach Lake Velenza. Its goal is to occupy the area between Lake Virenze and the Danube. Two Tiger Heavy Tank Battalions provided additional fire support for the SS 3rd Panzer Corps and 6th Panzer Corps. Lieutenant General Rudolf Freiher von VolDenffer's 6th Armored Division will follow. The guards on the left side of the 3rd Panzer Corps are the 3rd and 5th Panzer Divisions of the SS, which belong to the 4th Panzer Corps of herbert otto gille, a senior SS officer. Although the 4th SS Panzer Corps suffered heavy losses in the "Conrad" operation, it still gritted its teeth and took part in the "Spring Awakening" operation. In the south, the 2nd Panzer Corps controlled the front line south of Lake Balaton. But at the beginning of the attack, this unit can hardly be said to be an armored group army; This group army consists of four divisions, but these divisions are not equipped with tanks, only assault guns; The most elite of these four divisions is the SS 16 Panzergrenadier Division. The goal of the Second Panzer Corps is to conquer Kaposva. The "E" Army Group is deployed in the south of the Second Armored Army Line and along the Delaware River. The goal of "E" Army Group is to build a large bridgehead across the Delaware River near Donati Miholak, which can accommodate at least three divisions. Although the Germans took strict secrecy measures to cover up their move to Hungary, the Russians still knew that the Germans were planning an attack. As early as February 12, the western allies intercepted the telegram about the German transport transfer. At the end of February, any Soviet commander was convinced of the news that the German army was about to attack. At that time, the Waffen-SS had just launched the last successful offensive in the war against Soviet troops in Slovakia-"Operation South Wind". In that attack, the Waffen-SS 1 Panzer Corps successfully destroyed the Soviet bridgehead on the Gran River. Tolbukhin's Ukrainian 3rd Army was first attacked by German attackers. The 3rd Army of Ukraine was founded in June 1943 and participated in many Soviet offensive campaigns. By August, 1944, the Third Army of Ukraine had driven the Germans out of the Soviet border and recaptured large areas of Ukraine and Moldova. After August, the 3rd Army of Ukraine invaded Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. On June+10, 65438, tolbukhin's troops captured Belgrade; Subsequently, under the command of the Soviet High Command, tolbukhin's troops pointed to the Hungarian front in the north, cooperated with the Ukrainian Second Army in Malinowski to surround Budapest, and constantly repelled the German counterattack to clear Budapest. While the Germans were cleaning up the bridgehead of the Gran River, the Soviet high command issued new offensive orders to tolbukhin and Malinowski, and captured Vienna and Bratislava respectively. Soviet leader Stalin asked them to attack on March 15. Therefore, tolbukhin should not only prepare for the upcoming attack, but also make a defense plan for the upcoming German attack. Tolbukhin has made preparations for several defensive positions, especially anti-tank obstacles and anti-tank firepower. Each line of defense has built multiple fortifications, and more than two anti-tank trenches have been dug between the first two lines of defense; In short, tolbukhin's defensive position in depth is 30 kilometers wide. However, because the fortifications were built in a short time, the soldiers only laid barbed wire in some places, and there was no time to build concrete shelters. The Third Army of Ukraine has about 406,000 officers and men and 407 tanks, assault guns and tank destroyers. In addition, the Soviet Army 17 Air Group Army has 965 aircraft to support the ground forces. The 4th Guards Sector is located on the right wing of the 3rd Army of Ukraine, and consists of three infantry armies, each of which includes three divisions. The main task of the 4th Guards is to defend Szekesfehvar, and the 23rd Tank Corps is deployed on its right wing as a mobile reserve. The left wing of the 4th Guards is the 26th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Nikolai Gagan, which is directly deployed on the way forward of the 6th SS Panzer Corps. Jagan's troops are stationed in the area from Seregelyes to Balaton Lake. Considering that it may be violently attacked by the Germans, the 30th Infantry Army has half of the artillery of the 3rd Army of Ukraine and enough anti-tank weapons. Tolbukhin's other mobile reserve 18 Tank Army is stationed in saros, from which the 4th Guards and 26th Army can be easily reinforced with the development of the situation. 1 The mechanized guards are directly deployed behind the 26th Army. The 57th Army was deployed to the south of the 26th Army in Kagan. It consists of two infantry units, whose task is to guard a section of the front line extending from the south bank of Lake Balaton to the Delaware River. Although the 57th Army has only six infantry divisions, the number of each division is a little more than that of other Soviet army groups, and it is deployed on the offensive road of the German 2nd Armored Division. The 5th Guards Cavalry Army was deployed in the northeast of the 57th Army. The reason for this deployment is that we can support both the 57th Army and the 26th Army from this position. Six infantry divisions of Bulgarian Army 1 are stationed in the south of 57th Army on the north bank of Delaware River. Although the strength of Bulgarian infantry divisions is twice that of Soviet infantry divisions of the same size, they have almost no actual combat experience. The high command of the Red Army believes that the Bulgarian sector is not the main attack direction of the Germans, because it will be difficult for the Germans to cross the Delaware River. Nevertheless, just in case, tolbukhin sent some troops from the 57th Army to the south to support the Bulgarians. The left wing of the Bulgarians is the Yugoslav Third Army 12 Army, which does not belong to the defense line of the Ukrainian Third Army in tolbukhin. Tolbukhin gave his second line of defense to the 27th Army. The 27th Army consists of three infantry guards, but the 27th Army is obviously weaker than the 26th Army in strength and equipment. The defense area of the 27th Army extends from Lake Velenze to the Danube. Although it seems that there are many Russian troops in this area, a typical Russian division is much smaller than the German division in the same unit. For example, the Russian tank army is actually only equivalent to the German tank division in terms of strength and equipment. Tolbukhin has other troops in his sector, but the Red Army's high command forbids him to use them. One of the troops is the 9 th Guards, ready to be used for surprise attack on Vienna; Tolbukhin knew that even if there was a major crisis in the defense of the Ukrainian Third Army, according to past experience, his request to use these troops would definitely be rejected. Generally speaking, German intelligence accurately estimated the number of Soviet troops, group armies and divisions, and the Germans would attack these troops. However, on the way forward of the Sixth Armored Army, the Germans did not find the mechanized guards and cavalry guards of the Russian guards, nor did they determine the exact deployment positions of the two guards of the 27th Army. It can be said that the German intelligence department did not correctly estimate the strength and deployment position of the Soviet Union. Although the German intelligence error is a very important reason for the failure. But compared with other factors, these factors will not have much influence on the Germans before and after the attack. The strategic deception and secrecy measures taken by the Germans proved to be ineffective: these orders were only conveyed to military units, which adversely affected the final preparations for the attack. In addition, some attack assembly areas are 20 kilometers away from the actual attack starting point. To make matters worse, front-line commanders are forbidden to conduct tactical reconnaissance activities on enemy front lines. In Hungary, the bodies of Russians killed in battle lie in snow-covered trenches. By March 1945, the snow had melted and the German armored forces were mired in the mire. The staff of the Sixth Armored Army and Dietrich were worried about the location of the attack. In addition to being vulnerable to the Russian surprise attack north of White Fort in Essex, several waterways and canals along the attack route were also quite troublesome, which greatly slowed down the German advance. In addition, there are only two accessible roads, which are straight lines on the map but actually only narrow dirt roads. Finally, the weather and road conditions at this time are not suitable for the advancement of German armored forces. 1945 The arrival of the thawing season in spring turned this part of Hungary into Zeguo, and canals and drains in this area were flooded and flooded. In the first few days of the attack, the loss of vehicles of the SS armored division was due to this swamp terrain. Some German tanks got stuck in the mud and even reached the turret, especially for heavy-duty Tiger King tanks, which could not move at all. Some commanders involved in the attack have asked to postpone the attack until the temperature drops and freezes or the temperature is high enough to dry the ground; But Hitler and his advisers rejected all the demands. This bad weather delayed the attack date of the 2 nd SS Panzer Corps to March 5, even so, some troops failed to reach the starting position in time. Hitler insisted that the attack should start on time even if all the troops participating in the attack were not in place. The southern army group is very experienced in this field, but they are somewhat absent-minded and have not helped the troops to do their best to meet the requirements of the Fuehrer. General Bourcq did not help his men to carry out orders, but directly responded to Berlin's orders. During the war, Bourcq has always been optimistic about the execution of orders, and this time it should be no different from before. But bulke also has a tendency. He always trusts others. In fact, those things are ultimately his responsibility. Due to the past war experience, Bourcq's contempt for SS officers aggravated this sentiment. Specifically, Bourcq deeply resented Bitrich's failure to rescue Talneau Bohr in time in April 1944. Operation "Spring Awakening" requires a large-scale attack between Lake Balaton and Lake Valenze, and a bait attack further south. However, the German troops responsible for attacking the left wing of the Fourth Ukrainian Army were insufficient and were forced to be on the defensive most of the time.