The liberation of Budapest by Soviet troops

In March 1944 the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front approached the border of the USSR and Romania. For almost three years the Soviet people led a bloody war with the German fascist invaders on its territory. Now all of the European territories captured by the Hitlerites had to be freed from the brown contagion. But there was still more than a year left before the final victory.

Only by September 1944 the Soviet army managed to seize Bulgaria and Romania and go directly to the borders with Hungary and Czechoslovakia. The fighting in the territory of Hungary was characterized by special fierce and heavy losses. In general, the operation to free the country took more than six months. To understand the reason for these events, one should refer to the history of Hungary's entry into the war. We will also talk about how the Soviet troops liberated Budapest (briefly read about it in the article).

The entry of Hungary into the war with the Soviet Union

The results of the First World War aroused the displeasure of the Hungarian people. Deprived of a huge number of their territories, the country wanted to return them back. This was the main reason that prompted the government of Miklós Horthy to embrace Germany. Trying to enlist the support of Hitler in his claims to the Yugoslav and Czech lands, Hungary announced its withdrawal from the League of Nations and joined the Tripartite Pact.

De facto, the country joined the Second World War in April 1941, becoming a participant in the Nazi attack on Yugoslavia. The war with the Soviet Union began for the Hungarians on June 27, 1941. In total, they sent several hundred thousand soldiers to the eastern front, most of whom were killed or taken prisoner at Stalingrad. It should be noted that parts of the 2nd Hungarian Army on the territory of the USSR were distinguished by particular cruelty, destroying not only soldiers, but also civilians.

By 1944 it became clear that the defeat of Germany - only a matter of time. In such circumstances, the government of Horthy began to look for ways out of the war. Negotiations with Britain and the United States began, which did not pass Hitler's attention. The Führer, fearing betrayal, achieved the entry of German troops into Hungary and the establishment of a pro-German government in the country. The arrests of eminent personalities, who advocate the cessation of allied relations with Germany, began.

But all these actions are not very much helped. The situation was aggravated in August 1944, when Romania ceased to support Germany and accepted the conditions of the Soviet Union, acting on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition. Horthy made desperate attempts to agree with the Soviet government on the cessation of reciprocal military actions. But the plans were never to come true.

Hitler and his puppet government led by Salashi unleashed a real terror in Hungary. In the country, all educational institutions ceased their activity and total mobilization was declared. The Hungarians were declared the highest race on the entire Danube territory. The deportation of Jews to the Nazi death camps was resumed.

The beginning of the military operations of the Red Army in Hungary

The promotion of parts of the Red Army throughout Hungary was hampered by the fierce resistance of Hungarian and German groups. All the same, long-term propaganda and anti-Soviet agitation did its job. Hungarians in the majority were ready to support even the reactionary Salashi, but not to enter into an alliance with Russia.

True, even among the highest military ranks of Hungary were those who preferred to lay down their arms and stop the bloodshed. So, in October the Commander of the 1st Hungarian Army B. Miklosh surrendered and called on the soldiers to follow his example. More than 10 thousand of his subordinates also laid down their arms. Similar acts were recorded among some parts of the 2nd and 3rd Hungarian Army. But it was a drop in the ocean.

The main mission for the defeat of the Carpathian-Transylvanian enemy grouping was assigned to the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Malinovsky and the 4th Ukrainian Front under the command of General Petrov. According to the plan of the Supreme Headquarters, they had to seize passes through the Eastern Carpathians, overcome them and develop an offensive near the Tisza River.

Directions of the main attacks had to be corrected several times. All because the forces of the 2 nd Ukrainian Front did not manage to fulfill the order of the Supreme Headquarters. The massed counterstrikes of the enemy prevented this. But, despite the difficult military situation, Malinovsky's army by all means had to overcome the mountains of Transylvania and make its way to Debrecen. This operation would be able to achieve the encirclement of the German forces in the Carpathians.

The new offensive was scheduled for October 6. In addition to the Soviet troops, 22 Romanian divisions took part in it. The forces of the 2nd CC greatly exceeded the forces of the enemy. The problem was only in the long line of the front (800 km) and unsatisfactory logistics. And the fault was caused by the iron and motor roads destroyed by the retreating Germans through Romania.

Success in the offensive was on the side of the Soviet troops. Just the Germans did not immediately realize the importance of directing to Debrecen, concentrating the main forces on the outskirts of Budapest. Recovering, they quickly began to transfer to Debrecen five mechanized divisions. But it was too late.

On October 6, a rapid offensive of Soviet troops began. All attempts by the Nazis to stop their advancement were unsuccessful. Neither mining of roads nor air strikes helped. For one day only, the Red Army advanced 50 kilometers, causing considerable damage to the enemy's manpower and technology.

By October 10, Soviet divisions formed a 100-kilometer wedge in the defense of the enemy. And on October 20, Debrecen managed to finally capture. This was an important achievement in the course of the offensive operation, considering that Debrecen was the largest stronghold of the Hitlerites and the second largest city in Hungary.

The second stage of the Debrecen operation

Alas, the capture of Debrecen completely withdraw from the game the Hungarian army failed. The next most important settlement was the city of Nyiregyhaza. The city overlapped the most convenient exits to the river crossings over the Tisza River. The command of the Army Group "South" in charge of this sector of the front, with all its might, tried to keep the settlement, while at the same time trying to regain control of Debrecen. From October 22 to 27, fierce battles were fought in the Nyiregyhaza district. As a result, the city was taken. But at what cost!

The main participant of the battles - the horse-mechanized corps of General Pilev - lost almost 10 thousand officers and sergeants, about 17 thousand privates, hundreds of weapons, 250 tanks, etc. The enemy forces were also dealt decent damage. But most importantly - by October 28, the Debrecen operation was over, and a third of the territory of Hungary was in the hands of the Soviet Army. The offensive took 23 days and allowed to advance deeper into the country to 275 km. However, it was not possible to surround the German and Hungarian units. They withdrew, taking up new frontiers of defense, each of which, they must be given their due, was held with great bitterness on all principles of tactical military skill.

The first stage of the Budapest operation

The offensive of the Soviet troops on Budapest and the subsequent capture of the city is one of the largest and most complex operations of the war. On the vast front (420 km) the command concentrated huge forces: the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the 3rd Ukrainian Front (commander - Marshal Tolbukhin), the 1st and 4th Romanian armies and the Danube Flotilla. длилось более трех месяцев. The liberation of Budapest from the Nazis lasted more than three months.

On October 29, the superiority of the Soviet side in the number of soldiers and weapons was obvious. That is why in GHQ the rainbow prospects of the lightning attack on Budapest were drawn. Malinovsky was not given even five days of training for army units.

началось 29 октября силами частей 46-й армии (2-й УФ). The liberation of Budapest by Soviet troops began on October 29 with the forces of units of the 46th Army (2nd UV). In the early days it was very successful. The demoralized parts of the Hungarian army retreated in disorder to Budapest. On November 5, no more than 15 km remained to the external defensive Budapest contour. замедлилось. And then the liberation of Budapest from the fascists slowed down. Bad weather conditions and unimportant supply played a role. Plus, at GHQ it was decided to regroup troops, so as not to risk the forces of the 2nd and 4th mechanized corps, who first made their way to the Hungarian capital.

Both corps were assigned to the 7th Guards Army, which fought on the western bank of the river. Tisza, expanding the bridgehead. By November 4, they managed to capture three settlements at once: Szolnok, Abon and Cegled. The most difficult aspect of the offensive operation was the crossing of Tisa. Floods have significantly increased the water level in the river. The reconfigurable means were destroyed by enemy fire. If individual groups were able to cross, then they were immediately countered by the Germans from the flanks, trying to cut off from the crossing and smash.

The second attack on Budapest

The second offensive on the city began on November 11. By this time, the German-Hungarian grouping in this sector had decent forces, and the 2nd CC suffered tangible losses. But even in this situation, the numerical superiority was still on the side of the Soviet units.

After a small artillery preparation, the troops of the 7th Guards Corps took the offensive in the direction of Jasbereni and Hatvan. Eastward came the horse-mechanized corps of General Pilev and the 23rd Tank Brigade plus the 4th and 6th Guards Cavalry Corps. They were to capture the city of Dędyesh.

A large-scale full-scale offensive was greatly hampered by mudslides, understaffing, the disposition of a large number of officers and the absence of wire ties. The German-Hungarian parts were much worse. They were sorely lacking land units. But the activity of German aviation increased. But even in the sky thanks to the 5th Air Army, the advantage remained for the 2nd UV.

On November 25, the Soviet units seized the city of Hatvan - this was the last success of the second offensive on Budapest. The capital of Hungary was in a semicircle. But for the last throw, Soviet troops needed time to prepare.

Taking Budapest

The new offensive began on the morning of December 20 with separate forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. They needed to make their way to the Danube River west of Esztergom. Such a throw would allow the enemy forces to be surrounded in the Budapest area.

The rapid advance was greatly hampered by the difficult terrain: a large number of hills and barrows did not allow maneuvering effectively to mechanized units. Moreover, each highland the Nazis used as strongholds.

On December 22, the 6th Panzer Army (2nd UV) and units of the 3rd Ukrainian Front succeeded in uniting at the mouth of the Gron River. By the end of December 27, they had managed to encircle all the Hungarian-German parts north-west of Budapest. Their total strength was 188,000 (10 divisions and a number of separate units).

Now it remained to release Budapest. But it turned out to be very difficult. The western part of the city was turned into a powerful fortified area. Plus, on the orders of Hitler, additional forces were pulled from Budapest to Germany. And he also replaced the commander of the army "South", appointing O. Weller instead of I. Friesner for this post.

On December 29 the Soviet side decided to send the parliamentarians with a proposal for surrender: the group of captain Ostapenka in Buda, the group of captain Steinmetz in Pest. The proposal was not accepted, but the parliamentarians were killed. The liquidation of enemy forces began.

From 2 to 26 January, the German command made several attempts to drop the Soviet troops and move into a counteroffensive. By that time, most of the German tank and motorized divisions were concentrated near Budapest. But the mechanized units of Malinovsky and Tolbukhin managed to repulse all the enemy's blows.

Fights in the city

To conduct combat operations in Budapest, the Budapest grouping of troops under the command of IM Afonin (and from January 22, IM Managarov) was organized. It consisted of four rifle corps, the 83rd Marine Brigade, part of the 5th Air Army, artillery units and the 7th Romanian Corps, 183 tank brigade.

The liberation of Budapest was approaching, but a lot of blood had to be shed for this event. By January 18, Soviet units with the support of the Romanians broke through to the eastern areas of Pest and captured the left-bank part of the city, although the Germans fought desperately for almost every building. The battles were fought and underground - in sewerage communications. In Pest, a hundred thousandth garrison of Germans was surrounded. But some of the opponents managed to escape from the ring. Having blown up several bridges across the Danube, they managed to take refuge in Buda.

The seizure of the right-bank part took another four weeks. Although initially Marshal Tolbukhin took this operation for no more than a day. It had to be carried out by the forces of small assault brigades. It was decided not to use aviation, so as not to destroy the historic part of the city. For the same reason, the use of artillery was very limited.

In the battles for Buda, several thousand Hungarian soldiers voluntarily surrendered and wanted to cooperate with the Red Army units took part. On February 13, after a desperate attempt to break through, the remnants of the German garrison commanded by Pfeffer-Wildenbruch were thrown out a white flag and surrendered. The date of liberation of Budapest is February 13, 1945.

While Moscow, on the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, saluted the victorious fighters, parts of both fronts tried to liquidate groups of 500-600 people of Germans and Hungarians escaped from Budapest. The main task for their destruction was assigned to the 46th Army of the 3rd UV.

In total, during the operation for the liberation of Budapest (end date - 13.02.1945), about 50 thousand enemy soldiers were killed and 138 thousand were taken prisoner.

Medal "For the capture of Budapest"

In April 1945 (the year of the liberation of Budapest by the Soviet troops), when it was already obvious to everyone that the final defeat of Germany was a short-lived thing, the commander of the rear, General Khrulev, instructed a group of artists to develop medal projects for the liberation and capture of strategically important European cities. After a detailed examination of all the proposed sketches by the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council on June 9, 1945, a decree was signed to establish a medal "For the capture of Budapest". All the direct participants in the storming of the Hungarian capital who participated in the battles from December 20, 1944 to February 15, 1945, were awarded it. In total, the list of those awarded the medal for the liberation of Budapest contained more than 360 thousand people. If the soldier was awarded posthumously, then his medal along with the award certificate should be given to close relatives for memory.

The medal for the liberation of Budapest (photo you have the opportunity to see in the article) was to be attached to the left side of the chest. She goes first in the series, and in the presence of the medal "For victory over Japan" - the second.

Coin dedicated to the 50th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War

On February 14, 1995, a coin with a nominal value of 3 rubles was issued for the 50th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.

• Obverse : At the top along the edge is written the face value and year of issue, at the bottom - the BANK OF RUSSIA. In the middle (in a dot rim) - the image of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, on the inside of the rim - a monogram of the Mint of the MMD.

• Reverse : Depicts four Soviet soldiers (battle against the background of architectural monuments of Budapest). The inscriptions along the rim: "The liberation of Europe from fascism", "Budapest 13.2.1945" (Above and below, respectively).

Help of the Red Army in the restoration of the Hungarian statehood

About the restoration of the Hungarian state machine, the Soviet leadership pondered long before the end of the Budapest operation. The main task for him was the design of pro-Soviet parties. Their basis was to be the local anti-fascist bloc and the members of the Hungarian Communist Party, returning from emigration.

On December 2, the Hungarian National Front for Independence was established in the country. Its national committees subsequently rendered considerable support in the complete elimination of the fascist forces in the territory of Hungary. It was they who led the restoration of the destroyed Hungarian economy. In the second half of December, the Provisional National Assembly and the Provisional National Government began their activities.

In order for these state structures to function smoothly, the Military Council of the 2nd UV was instructed to provide them with food, fuel, and guarded premises.

On December 28, 1944, the GNP decided to withdraw from the fascist coalition and declare war on Germany. Hungary concluded a truce not only with the Soviet Union, but also with the United Kingdom and the United States. For the duration of the truce, the Union Control Commission functioned, headed by Voroshilov.

After the capture of Budapest, the functions of supplying the local population with food were entrusted to the Soviet command. The residents were given more than 5 tons of bread and 100 tons of cereals. A small Hungarian Soviet soldiers simply fed from the field kitchens.

Results of the liberation of Budapest

In the course of the Budapest operation, parts of the Army Group "South" suffered enormous irreparable damage. She lost 56 divisions and brigades. Germany lost its last ally and Hungarian oil. The Wehrmacht's transfer of 37 divisions from the eastern front to Hungary and their subsequent destruction created the prerequisites for a more rapid advance of the Soviet units to the west. The seizure of Budapest enabled the Red Army to cover the southern wing of the enemy's army even more closely and facilitate further attack on Vienna and Prague.

The development and development of the strategy and tactics of military operations by the Soviet units. The Budapest operation revealed the errors of the command in the conduct of such hostilities.

The main negative result was irreparable human losses. The operation for the liberation of Budapest from the Nazis (the date of termination - February 13, 1945) is recognized as the most bloody of all European military operations. The victory went to the price of more than 80 thousand lives of soldiers. Wounds received more than 240 thousand.