By March 16, the 8th Army Corps of the Hungarians and the 4th SS Panzer Corps included: 23 Infantry Division of the Hungarians, 788 and 96 Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht, 1 Hungarian Division, 6 Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht, 3 and 5 Infantry Division of the SS, 2 Hungarian Infantry Division, several combat groups, as well as units of special branches of the military. This grouping included 94 motorized and crew battalions (10 crew divisions), 1,231 guns and mortars of all calibers, 270 tanks and assault guns.

1 Medium tanks Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H or Ausf.J.

2 Tank destroyers Pz.IV/70 (A) or Pz.IV/70 (V).

3 Heavy tanks Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.H. "Tiger" or Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B "Royal Tiger".

4 Wehrmacht tank division "Feldherrnhalle" and parts of its operational subordination: 1st battalion of the 24th tank regiment, 509th separate heavy tank battalion, separate heavy tank battalion "Feldherrnhalle"

5 1st SS Panzer Division and its operationally subordinate SS Panzer Battalion.

The enemy's reserve in this direction included a tank division and up to two infantry divisions; south of Szekesfehérvár and to Lake Balaton - the 6th SS Panzer Army, which had up to seven tanks (1 SS Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 12 Hitler Youth, 2 SS Reich, 9 SS Hohenstaufen, as well as 1, 3, 23 TD Wehrmacht), three infantry (44, 356 Infantry Wehrmacht, 25 Infantry Hungarians) and two cavalry divisions (3, 4 Kd Wehrmacht). During the counteroffensive, the 6th SS Army suffered significant losses and found itself in a very disadvantageous position, since the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front took up an enveloping position in relation to it. On March 6, 1945, according to Soviet estimates, the 1st SS Panzer Division had 70 heavy tanks, 50 self-propelled guns and assault guns, 86 armored personnel carriers; 12th SS Panzer Division - about 75 heavy tanks, 70 self-propelled guns and assault guns, 86 armored personnel carriers; 2nd SS Panzer Division - 118 heavy tanks, 52 self-propelled guns and 128 armored personnel carriers; 9th SS Panzer Division - 72 heavy tanks, 71 self-propelled guns and up to 150 armored personnel carriers. The 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht had about 20 heavy tanks, 30 medium tanks, up to 40 self-propelled guns and assault guns, about 25 armored personnel carriers; in the 3rd Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht there were 30 heavy tanks, 40 medium tanks, 60 self-propelled guns and assault guns, 30 armored personnel carriers; the Wehrmacht's 23rd Panzer Division had 20 heavy tanks, 30 medium tanks, 30 self-propelled guns and assault guns, and 20 armored personnel carriers. In addition to tank units, the 191st, 239th and, possibly, units of the 303rd assault gun brigade fought in this sector of the front (but the 239th brigade was called an assault artillery brigade. - Note auto). The staff strength of such a brigade was 45 StuG III/IV, Pz.IV/70 (A) or (V) vehicles or Jaqdpanzer 38 “Hetzer”. The western shore of Lake Balaton was defended by units of the 2nd Hungarian Corps; to the south, the so-called 2nd German Tank Army, which had tanks and self-propelled guns in only one assault battalion, occupied the defense. Wehrmacht formations from Army Group E, which was part of Army Group F, operated against the 1st Bulgarian and 3rd Yugoslav Army (12th Army Corps of the NOLA) on the right bank of the Drava River. In February, the troops of the above-mentioned enemy formations and associations numbered over 316 thousand people, more than 6 thousand guns and mortars, 510 tanks and assault guns. The enemy's ground forces were supported by aviation from the 4th Air Fleet.

The enemy hastily strengthened its defenses in the Vienna direction, which included three defensive lines and a number of intermediate lines. The main defense line had a depth of 5–7 km. A second defense line was prepared 10–20 km from the front edge of the main line. In the operational depths, along the left bank of the Raba River, an intermediate defensive line was being prepared. The enemy created strong bridgeheads at the crossings of the Raba. The third strip ran along the Hungarian-Austrian border. The border towns of Bruk, Sopron, and Keszegs with large garrisons were strong centers of resistance. On the approaches to Vienna, the enemy built many different defensive structures. The construction of defenses along the Hungarian-Austrian border and on the approaches to Vienna began in the fall of 1944. Troops and the local population were involved in this work.

The terrain in which the Soviet troops were to operate was crossed by forested spurs of the Vertesh and Bakon mountains and numerous rivers. The largest of them, the Danube, divided the combat area into two sections. The most convenient direction for the offensive was the direction of Szekesfehervar, Papa, Sopron, Vienna. Soviet troops had to overcome prepared defenses, which, combined with natural obstacles, created significant difficulties.

The German command took a number of measures to supplement units and formations with personnel and military equipment, to increase the stability of troops in battle, and forced the soldiers to stubbornly resist. Starting in April, instead of military tribunals, military courts began to operate in the army. For such a trial, one officer was enough to administer “justice” on the spot to both officers and soldiers. Those who lagged behind their units were shot on the spot. In the rear of the first echelons of German and Hungarian units and formations there were special barrage detachments, which were charged with the duty of catching deserters and preventing troops from withdrawing from their positions. Through repression, intimidation by the inevitability of retribution for committed and uncommitted atrocities, and other measures, the Wehrmacht command managed to achieve combat stability of the troops on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front. Here, as in other sectors of the front, they continued to desperately resist until the end of the war.

There were no significant changes in the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts by mid-March. The front line, with the exception of the area where the 6th SS Panzer Army was penetrated, remained almost unchanged. 40th, 53rd and 7th Guards Armies, 1st Guards Cavalry Mechanized Group (6th and 4th Guards Cavalry Corps - 35 thousand people, 462 guns and mortars of 76 mm caliber and higher, 82 tanks and self-propelled guns ) of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, as well as the 1st operationally subordinate to it (4th Army Corps - 2nd Infantry, 3rd Mountain Rifle Divisions; 7th Army Corps - 10th, 19th Infantry, 9th Cavalry divisions; reserve - 2nd Mountain Rifle Division) and 4th (2nd Army Corps - 11th Infantry Division, 54th Fortified Region of the Red Army; 6th Army Corps - 6th, 18th Infantry Divisions, later , from March 20, the 9th Infantry Division was added) the Romanian armies continued to operate in the southern regions of Slovakia. The 46th Army with the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps operated south of the Danube, between Esztergom and Gant. In the second echelon of the front, west of Budapest, was the 6th Guards Tank Army.

The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, consisting of the 4th and 9th Guards, 27th, 26th, 57th Soviet armies and the 1st Bulgarian Army, operationally subordinate to it, occupied the Gant line, Lake Velence, Shimontornya, Lake Balaton, Babocha, Toryants . Further, along the left bank of the Drava River to Osijek and southeast, the 3rd Yugoslav Army fought. The front forces continued to include the 18th and 23rd Tank Corps, the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps and the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps. In total, in the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, taking into account the troops of the 1st and 4th Romanian and 1st Bulgarian armies in February 1945, there were 607,500 people, 1,170 guns and mortars, 705 tanks and self-propelled guns.

Due to the failure of the German counteroffensive in the area of ​​Lake Balaton, it was necessary to go on the offensive as quickly as possible against the enemy who had penetrated the defense in order to prevent him from gaining a foothold on a new line. With favorable developments, one could count not only on the rapid completion of the liberation of Hungary, but also on a successful advance to Vienna.

On March 9, during the defensive battle, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command in Directive No. 11038 set new offensive tasks for the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, according to which the main blow in the Vienna operation was not to be delivered by the 2nd Ukrainian Front, as was planned earlier, and the 3rd Ukrainian Front (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. Tolbukhin, member of the Military Council Colonel General A.S. Zheltov, chief of staff Lieutenant General S.P. Ivanov). His troops were ordered no later than March 15–16 with the forces of the right wing to go on the offensive and, having defeated the enemy north of Lake Balaton, develop an attack in the general direction of Papa, Sopron. The 2nd Ukrainian Front (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky, member of the Military Council Lieutenant General A. N. Tevchenkov, chief of staff Colonel General M. V. Zakharov) was to move to tough defense along the entire front north of the Danube. South of this river, the troops of the left wing (46th Combined Arms and 6th Guards Tank Armies) were supposed to launch an offensive on March 17–18 in order, together with the 3rd Ukrainian Front, to defeat the opposing enemy and develop an offensive in the general direction of Győr.

Military councils and front headquarters began developing decisions for an offensive in mid-February (Supreme High Command Headquarters Directive No. 11027 of February 17, 1945). This work did not stop during the Balaton operation. However, it fully developed from March 9 - from the moment the tasks were clarified by Headquarters.

According to the decision of the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the 46th Army was supposed to break through the enemy’s defenses with formations of the left flank and develop an offensive in the direction indicated by Headquarters - towards Gyor, and with part of its forces go to the Komárom area, cut off the enemy’s escape route from the area southwest of Esztergom and , pressing it to the Danube, destroy it in cooperation with the Danube military flotilla. On the first day of the operation, the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps under the command of General K.V. Sviridov was planned to enter the army’s offensive zone. By the beginning of the operation, the 46th Army had 12 rifle divisions, consolidated into the 10th and 18th Guards, 23rd, 68th and 75th Rifle Corps and the 83rd Marine Brigade. They numbered 2,686 guns and mortars of various calibers, 165 tanks and self-propelled guns (of which 99 were tanks and self-propelled guns of the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps).

By decision of the commander of the 46th Army, Lieutenant General A.V. Petrushevsky, a strike force of three rifle corps (75th, 68th and 18th Guards) and the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps was created in a breakthrough area 14 km wide. The operational formation of the strike force was two-echelon. The first echelon included the 75th and 68th Rifle Corps, the second echelon included the 18th Guards Rifle Corps and the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps.

The task was also set for the 6th Guards Tank Army (9th Mechanized and 5th Tank Guards Corps, a total of 423 tanks and self-propelled guns on March 16, 1945) under the command of Lieutenant General of Tank Forces A.G. Kravchenko, but it had to act in the zone of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. In front of the front of the 46th Army, up to seven infantry and part of an enemy tank division (619 guns and mortars of various calibers, 85 tanks and assault guns) were defending. The Danube military flotilla of Rear Admiral G.N. Kholostyakov allocated 29 armored boats, 7 mortar boats, 10 minesweepers, a separate air squadron consisting of 78 fighter aircraft, a battalion of the 83rd naval rifle brigade and a coastal escort detachment to participate in the Vienna operation. 4 122 mm guns and 6 76 mm self-propelled guns SU-76).

The 7th Guards Army, operating north of the Danube, received the task of striking in the Bratislava direction with the development of the 46th Army's offensive. Together with it, the left flank formations of the 53rd Army were to go on the offensive. Air support for the offensive was entrusted to the 5th Air Army, which had 800 aircraft.

When planning an attack by part of the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front on Vienna and Bratislava, the Soviet Supreme High Command had in mind the possibility of cutting off a large enemy tank group operating south of the Danube from the rest of the forces of the German army and German territory, as well as capturing Vienna and Bratislava in the shortest possible time. In addition, the bypass by Soviet troops from the south of the mountainous regions of the Western Carpathians was of great importance for the subsequent actions of the front in the northwestern direction. During the Vienna operation, the troops of the left wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front had to closely cooperate with the 3rd Ukrainian Front, which delivered the main blow to Vienna from the southeast. Subsequently, when the main forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front took action in the direction of Brno, towards the 4th Ukrainian Front, which was advancing from the east towards Olomouc, interaction was carried out between these fronts. The unfolding military operations fully confirmed the correctness of the Headquarters decisions.

The commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. Tolbukhin, decided to deliver the main blow from the area north of Székesfehérvár, in a southwestern direction to Varpalota, Veszprém with the forces of the right wing (9th and 4th Guards armies under the command of, respectively, General Colonel V.V. Glagolev and Lieutenant General N.D. Zakhvataev) break through the defenses of the opposing enemy, encircle and, together with the troops of the 27th and 26th armies, destroy his tank group, which had wedged itself into the defense of the Soviet troops southwest of Szekesfehervar. In the future, it was planned to advance in the direction of Papa, Sopron, reach the Hungarian-Austrian border and create conditions for an attack on Vienna. Part of the forces to advance on Szombathely and Zalaegerszeg with the aim of enveloping the enemy’s Nagykaniz grouping from the north. The offensive of the 27th and 26th armies, operating in the center of the front, was supposed to begin at the moment the encirclement of the 6th SS Panzer Army was completed and develop in the direction of Polgardi in order, together with the main front group, to destroy the opposing enemy. In the zones of these armies, the front commander decided to use the two tank and mechanized corps located there.

The troops of the left wing of the front (57th and 1st Bulgarian armies) were supposed to go on the offensive south of Lake Balaton with the task of defeating the 2nd German Tank Army in the Nagykanizsa area. The front reserve included a cavalry corps located in the Siófok area, behind the left flank of the 26th Army. The air offensive was supported by the front's 17th Air Army, which consisted of 837 aircraft. The actions of the 3rd Yugoslav Army were coordinated with the general plan of operation of the Soviet troops.

The 3rd Ukrainian Front was preparing an offensive during the Balaton defensive operation. All measures were taken to avoid drawing into the battle the 9th and 4th Guards armies, which were to form the front's strike force in the upcoming offensive. Moreover, the formations of these armies were replenished with people and material. The task was not an easy one, since the defenders were in dire need of both reserves and reinforcements. By the beginning of the offensive, the average number of rifle companies of the 4th Guards Army was increased to 80, and the 9th Guards Army, staffed according to a special staff, to 140 people. The number of rifle companies of the 26th, 27th and 57th armies was significantly lower. It did not exceed 50–60 people. The number of tanks and self-propelled artillery units in the 4th Guards Army also increased significantly. In 10 days, their number increased from 28 to 122 armored units. These were mainly self-propelled artillery units. A lot of work was also done to regroup and secretly concentrate troops and accumulate supplies.

However, preparations for the upcoming offensive of the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front during the defensive operation were not limited only to the preparation of the troops of the 4th and 9th Guards armies; other formations were also prepared. For example, a lot of work was done to increase the combat effectiveness of the front's mobile formations. In these formations, despite heavy losses (in 10–12 days of defensive battles, the front forces lost 165 tanks and self-propelled guns. - Note auto), by the end of the Balaton defensive operation, the number of tanks and self-propelled guns increased significantly, mainly due to the receipt of new material, to a lesser extent due to the repair and restoration of damaged and disabled vehicles.

1 9th Guards Army and 207th Self-Propelled Artillery Brigade (2 T-34s, 20 SU-100s, 3 SU-57s on March 16) were not part of the front on March 5th.

2 By type of vehicle, on March 5, 5 kk had 7 T-34, 8 SU-76, 2 M4A2, 1 captured tank; on March 16, 5 kk consisted of 2 T-34s, 16 SU-76s, 1 M4A2, 1 captured tank.

3 According to other sources, on March 5 in the 1st Guards. MK had 17 combat-ready SU-100 (2 under repair), 47 M4A2 (1 under repair).

4 According to other sources, as of March 5, 23 Tank Corps had 20 T-34s (2 T-34s under repair), 1 IS tank, 7 ISU-122 self-propelled guns (1 ISU-122 under repair); on March 16, 23 Tank consisted of 34 T-34 (1 T-34 under repair), 4 IS tanks, 6 ISU-122, 4 ISU-152.

5 According to other data, as of March 5, 18 TK had 42 T-34s (19 T-34s under repair), 12 SU-76s, 16 ISU-122s, 6 ISU-152s (1 ISU-152 under repairs); on March 16, the 18th Tank consisted of 48 T-34s (4 T-34s under repair), 12 ISU-122s, 6 ISU-152s.

6 On March 5, the 208 sabr consisted of 2 T-34s, 3 SU-76s, 63 SU-100s; on March 16, 208 sabers consisted of 2 T-34s, 3 SU-76s and 27 SU-100s (2 SU-100s under repair).

The strike force of the 3rd Ukrainian Front included 18 rifle divisions, 3,900 guns and mortars, 197 tanks and self-propelled artillery units. In the offensive zone of these troops, as already mentioned, the 4th SS Panzer Corps with attached units defended. The superiority in manpower and artillery was on the side of the 3rd Ukrainian Front; there were as many tanks and self-propelled guns as the enemy, but mostly these were low-power self-propelled artillery units (SU-76). The front had 1.5–2 rounds of ammunition.

Despite the difficulties associated with the limited amount of material resources and the supply of everything necessary to the troops, the Soviet government provided effective assistance to the Bulgarian People's Army. Back in February, at the direction of his government, the Chief of the Bulgarian General Staff, General I. Kinov, presented to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command a plan for the reorganization and rearmament of the Bulgarian People's Army. It was assumed that it would have 12 infantry, cavalry and air divisions, 2 tank brigades, 2 naval bases and the Danube flotilla. It was intended that all these formations be staffed according to the Red Army levels and equipped with Soviet military equipment. On March 14, 1945, the State Defense Committee of the USSR adopted a resolution to transfer into service with the Bulgarian People's Army 344 aircraft, 65 T-34 tanks, 935 guns and mortars, 28.5 thousand rifles and machine guns, 1,170 light and heavy machine guns, 280 anti-tank rifles, 369 radio stations , 2572 telephone sets, 3707 cars. A significant part of the military equipment and weapons was transferred during the hostilities.

March 16 in the afternoon (according to the plan, artillery preparation was scheduled for the morning of March 16, but due to heavy fog the start of the offensive was postponed to the second half of the day. - Note auto), after powerful artillery and aviation preparation, the troops of the 9th and 4th Guards Armies went on the offensive. The Germans, stunned by the strong fire attack, initially did not offer serious resistance. However, the enemy soon managed to restore control, disrupted by artillery fire and air strikes. In many areas, small groups of his infantry with tanks began to launch counterattacks. By the end of March 16, the advance of Soviet troops did not exceed 3–7 km. Taking into account the current situation, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on the same day transferred the 6th Guards Tank Army to the 3rd Ukrainian Front, ordering it to be used to develop the offensive of the front strike group and defeat the 6th SS Tank Army together with the troops of the 27th Army.

Overcoming the stubborn resistance of German formations, the troops of the right wing of the front by the evening of the third day of the offensive expanded the breakthrough to 36 km and advanced to a depth of 20 km. However, the enemy pulled up reserves and units taken from unattacked sectors of the front to the breakthrough areas, and, using the mountainous and wooded terrain, put up stubborn resistance. To increase the pace of the offensive, on the morning of March 19, the 6th Guards Tank Army was brought into battle in the 9th Guards Army zone. However, the stubborn defense of enemy units, transferred by this time from the area southwest of Lake Velence, and the heavily rugged terrain did not allow the army to develop the necessary pace. The situation urgently demanded swift action from the Soviet troops.

The front commander demanded that the 6th Guards Tank Army and the 9th Guards Army, reinforced by the 23rd Tank Corps, complete the encirclement of the 6th SS Tank Army as soon as possible. In addition, on the morning of March 20, he ordered part of the forces of the 4th Guards Army, as well as the forces of the 27th and 26th armies, to launch attacks on Berchida, Polgardi, and Lepshen. The 18th Tank and 1st Guards Mechanized Corps operated in the offensive zones of the 26th and 27th armies. Carrying out their assigned tasks, the front troops inflicted great damage on the enemy. Despite this, he continued fierce resistance, trying at all costs to prevent the encirclement of his troops and withdraw them from the area between lakes Velence and Lake Balaton.

The headquarters of the Supreme High Command authorized the use of part of the forces of the 18th Air Army to destroy the enemy. On the night of March 22, long-range bombers of the army raided the Veszprém railway junction, and bombers and attack aircraft of the 17th Air Army destroyed columns of troops on the roads, communications centers, defensive structures, as well as enemy aircraft at their airfields.

Interacting with the Red Army, Allied aviation in the second half of March 1945 subjected aerial bombardment to a number of airfields, railway junctions, bridges and industrial facilities in southern Austria, western Hungary and southern Slovakia. Judging by data from the German command, some American-British air raids caused significant damage to fuel production. For example, in the diary of the Wehrmacht High Command, an entry dated March 15 states: “As a result of air raids on oil refineries in Komárno, fuel production here ... decreased by 70 percent.” And further: “...due to the fact that Army Groups South and Center were still supplied with fuel from Komárno, the consequences of air strikes will also affect operational decisions.”

As a result of the measures taken, the offensive of the main forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front developed faster than in the first days. On March 22, troops of the 4th Guards Army captured the city of Székesfehérvár, and units of the 9th Guards and 6th Guards Tank Armies, having completely overcome enemy resistance on the line of the Bakony Mountains, began pursuing his troops, who were retreating to an intermediate line of defense on the Raba River. By the evening of March 22, the main forces of the 6th SS Panzer Army were almost surrounded. However, they were not completely destroyed: the Germans, at the cost of heavy losses, managed to withdraw a significant amount of manpower and equipment.

On March 23, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command approved, with some adjustments, the plan for further actions presented by the Military Council of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. The front was ordered to develop the main attack not on Szombathely, as its commander suggested, but in the direction of Papa, Sopron. For this, the 9th Guards and 6th Guards Tank Armies were ordered to advance on Keszeg. The 4th Guards Army was regrouped in a zone to the right of the 9th Guards Army for a joint offensive against Vienna with it and the 6th Guards Tank Army. The 26th Army was to strike at Szombathely, and the 27th Army at Zalaegerszeg. The 57th and 1st Bulgarian armies had the task of capturing the Nagykanizsa area no later than April 5–7. Having received the task, the front troops successfully developed the offensive in the given directions.

On March 17, the forward detachments of the 46th Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front went on the offensive. During the day they advanced up to 10 km and reached the second line of enemy defense. The next day, the main forces of the 46th Army crossed the Altal River and began to move west. The enemy stubbornly resisted, but could not stop the attackers. The 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps, introduced into the battle on the morning of March 19, intensified the blow. In the second half of March 20, parts of the corps reached the Danube west of Tovarosh, enveloping the southwestern enemy group, which numbered more than 17 thousand soldiers and officers. At the same time, on the right bank of the Danube, in the same area, a landing was carried out by the 83rd separate naval rifle brigade, which was part of the Danube military flotilla. Despite the fact that the section of the river where the flotilla had to operate was mined, the passage of ships in the Esztergom area was hampered by the trusses of the undermined railway bridge that had fallen into the water, and both banks of the Danube were heavily fortified, the flotilla completed its task. The paratroopers acted decisively and quickly, striking at the enemy's rear. The offensive of the front forces south of the Danube was actively supported by aviation from the 5th Air Army. To develop the success of the 46th Army, the 23rd Tank Corps was transferred from the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

The 46th Army launched an attack on Győr. With part of her forces she began to eliminate the encircled enemy. On the evening of March 21, significant forces of enemy infantry, supported by 130 tanks and assault guns, tried to release the encircled group. The formations of the 46th Army were pushed back, but the situation was restored by the forces of the arriving reserves. In the following days, the troops of the 46th Army, in cooperation with the paratroopers of the Danube Military Flotilla, who repelled 18 enemy counterattacks from March 21 to 25, completely eliminated the encircled enemy group. On the rest of the front, enemy troops began to retreat to the west.

By March 26, the troops of the 46th Army of the 2nd Ukrainian and the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front broke through the enemy’s defenses between the Danube and Lake Balaton, overcame the Vertes and Bakony mountains and, having advanced to a depth of 80 km, created the conditions for the development of an offensive on Vienna . Taking advantage of successful actions south of the Danube, on March 25, troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front launched an offensive on Bratislava and Brno.

From March 26, the 46th Army of the 2nd and the troops of the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front began pursuing the enemy along the entire front. On March 28, the 46th Army captured the cities of Komar and Gyor and completely cleared the right bank of the Danube to the mouth of the Raba River. The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front advanced even more rapidly. The enemy tried to hold the prepared line along the left bank of the Raba, but the troops of the right wing of the front, crossing the river on the move, broke his resistance and continued to advance. On March 30, the front's mobile formations, supported by aviation from the 17th Air Army, immediately broke through the enemy's border fortifications on the Hungarian-Austrian border south of Sopron and entered Austria.

The advance of the 26th and 27th armies of the front to Sopron and Szombathely, as well as in a southwestern direction, led to the threat of being captured by the enemy’s 2nd Tank Army from the north, which began to fight back from the area south of Lake Balaton. Taking advantage of this, on March 29 the 57th Soviet and 1st Bulgarian armies launched an offensive. Having overcome the enemy’s defenses, formations of these armies and the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps, which launched a swift attack from the north, captured the center of the oil-bearing region of Hungary, the city of Nagykanizsa, on April 2.

In order to contain the onslaught of the troops of the left wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the enemy began to transfer units and formations of Army Group “E” here from the Yugoslav sector of the front. The leadership of German troops in the southeast was reorganized with the aim of greater centralization. On March 25, command of Army Group F was transferred to the commander of Army Group E, General L. Leroux, and the headquarters of Army Group F went to the disposal of Army Group Vistula in Central Germany. But all these measures did not give the enemy the expected results. Due to the fact that Soviet troops were successfully advancing towards Bratislava and Brno, the commander of Army Group South was deprived of the opportunity to withdraw troops from the sector north of the Danube to transfer them against the 46th Army and the main forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, which were rapidly advancing from the east and south. east to Vienna.

On April 1, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command clarified the task of the troops advancing on Vienna. The 46th Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, with the 2nd Guards Mechanized and 23rd Tank Corps subordinate to it, was to attack Bruck, Vienna and, together with the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, capture the capital of Austria; 3rd Ukrainian Front with the forces of the 4th, 9th Guards Combined Arms and 6th Guards Tank Armies - capture Vienna and, no later than April 12–15, reach the line of Tulln, St. Pölten, Lilienfeld; The 26th, 27th, 57th Soviet and 1st Bulgarian armies were supposed to liberate the cities of Glognitz, Bruck, Graz, Maribor from German troops no later than April 10–12 and firmly gain a foothold at the border of the Mürz, Mur and Drava rivers.

As Soviet troops approached Vienna, the enemy increased resistance. Retreating, he destroyed roads, set up numerous barriers, and launched counterattacks on intermediate defensive lines. But Soviet troops persistently advanced to the northwest. On April 2, the 46th Army reached the Hungarian-Austrian border, and then crossed it between the Danube and Lake Neusiedler See. The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, having captured the cities of Sopron and Wiener-Neustadt on April 1–4, reached the approaches to Vienna. North of Varazdin they operated on the territory of Yugoslavia together with Yugoslav troops. Soviet aviation provided significant assistance to the attackers. In the battles for Wiener-Neustadt, Soviet bomber strikes weakened the enemy's defenses, which helped units and formations of the 9th Guards Army quickly capture the city.

The presence of tanks and assault guns of the German armed forces in formations fighting against the grouping of the 3rd Ukrainian Front (data as of April 1, 1945)

North of the Danube, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front and the Romanian armies that were part of it successfully carried out the Bratislava-Brnov operation. On April 4, the capital of Slovakia, the city of Bratislava, was liberated, after which the main efforts of the front were aimed at capturing the city of Brno.

According to the plan, the actions of the rifle formations of the 7th Guards Army in the Bratislava-Brnov operation were to be supported by the 27th Guards Tank Brigade. However, back in the February battles, the brigade lost all its tanks, and, in order to somehow improve the situation, it was placed under the operational subordination of the 27th Guards. The TBR was transferred to the 2nd Romanian Tank Regiment. On March 11, 1945, the 2nd tank (r) consisted of 8 Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks, 13 StuG III Ausf.G assault guns, 32 R-35/45 tanks, 10 T-38 tanks, 2 R-2 tanks , 5 self-propelled guns R-2 TASAM, 36 Renault FT 17 tanks. Of these, 7 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. N, 8 StuG III Ausf.G, 9 T-38, 24 Renault R-35/45 (French R-35 tanks with a Soviet 45-mm cannon of the 1932 model installed on them. - Note auto), 2 R-2 (tank of the Czechoslovak design Skoda Lt.vz. 35. - Note auto) 4 self-propelled guns R-2 TASAM. In addition to the above equipment, the Romanian regiment included several Sd armored personnel carriers. Kfz. 251 and Italian-made AB 41 armored vehicles. Within two weeks before being assigned to the 27th Guards. The TBR regiment was used in the anti-tank defense system of the Soviet troops in the Demandice area, where it fought with the 357th Infantry Division, the 97th Infantry Regiment of the 46th Wehrmacht Infantry Division, and a separate Spanish Legion. In this sector, the enemy had up to 13 artillery batteries of various calibers, 10 mortar batteries and the following group of tanks: 50 Pz.Kpfw.IV/V combat vehicles, 30 armored personnel carriers of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" in the Saldina area; 60 tanks and 40 armored personnel carriers of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" in the Kebelkut, Vala area.

The task of the Soviet offensive group (93, 375 infantry division; 2 Romanian tank regiments) on March 26, 1945 was the following - to attack the enemy and reach the Veshi, Pozba line.

At 8.00 on March 26, 1945, the 1st Tank Battalion, in cooperation with the 93rd Infantry Division, and the 2nd Tank Battalion, in cooperation with the 375th Infantry Division, went on the offensive. By the end of the day, the task was only partially completed; the combined group managed to capture the village of Chereshnov, where it fought a fire battle with the enemy until dark. As a result of the battle, the 2nd Romanian Tank Regiment destroyed 2 tanks, 5 guns and up to 350 enemy soldiers, but also suffered losses: 2 Pz.Kpfw.IV and 1 StuG III, 10 R-35 burned out; 1 Pz.Kpfw.IV and 1 R-35 were knocked out by artillery fire; 6 people were killed, 16 people were wounded, 1 person was missing.

On March 27 and 28, attacks by Soviet-Romanian troops continued, and the enemy began to retreat beyond the Nitra River, trying to delay our offensive group at this point. By 8.00 on March 28, 1945, engineering units of the Red Army, fulfilling the order of the command of the 27th infantry regiment to cover the enemy group from the flank, built a bridge across the Zhitava River, which was suitable only for light tanks. After 30 minutes, 17 light tanks crossed to the other side, but the StuG III and Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. They couldn’t cross right away. The crews themselves strengthened the bridge and crossed to the other side by 13.00. However, the bridge across another river, Tsitenka, was not ready, so there was no way to outflank the defending German troops.

At 13.00 the regiment was ordered to concentrate in the town of Seles by 16.00 in readiness to cross the Nitra River. It was decided to first transport German-made armored personnel carriers Sd. Kfz 251, which were supposed to support the 141st infantry division. Already at 16.00, the first to cross were 5 Romanian armored personnel carriers Sd. Kfz. 251 German-made units went into battle, supporting the infantry of the 141st Infantry Division of the Red Army. Having broken through the German defenses, at 24.00 the armored personnel carrier and infantry reached the Vag River and concentrated in the village of Ireg.

Since March 30, the tank group of the 7th Guards Army has been strengthened by the repaired materiel of the 27th Guards Tank Brigade. According to the list, there were 9 T-34s and 1 SU-85, of which 2 T-34s and 1 SU-85 were serviceable (the rest were hastily repaired).

On April 3, 1945, 2 StuG III Ausf.G assault guns and 2 Sd armored personnel carriers. Kfz 251 with the 141st infantry division fought in the area of ​​the Small Carpathians, on the approaches to Bratislava, overcoming the resistance of the retreating units of the Feldherrnhalle tank corps and the 43rd Wehrmacht Army Corps. The defense of Bratislava was held by units of the 48th Wehrmacht Infantry Division, the 717th Infantry Regiment of the 153rd Infantry Division, the 27th Hungarian Infantry Division, as well as garrison security battalions.

The Feldherrnhalle tank corps began to be formed on March 10, 1945 as part of Army Group South in 1945. This formation consisted of the Feldherrnhalle Panzer Division, renamed from the Panzergrenadier Division of the same name and the 13th Wehrmacht Panzer Division.

The 1st battalion of the Feldherrnhalle tank regiment for the Feldherrnhalle TD was formed on the basis of the 208th tank battalion, which was equipped with Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks and Pz.IV/70(A) self-propelled guns. The 4th Tank Regiment of the 13th Panzer Division under the name Panzer-Regiment “Feldherrnhalle 2” remained in the 13th Panzer Division, which was first renamed Panzer-Divizion “Feldherrnhalle”, and then, at the request of veterans of the unit, the old name was returned - 13.Panzer -Division. Both tank regiments had a four-company battalion as a tank, the second battalion was a panzer-grenadier battalion on armored personnel carriers. From March 9 to 12, 1945, 19 Pz.Kpfw.V Panther tanks and 5 Pz.Krfw.IV medium tanks were sent as part of the Feldherrnhalle tank division. 21 Panthers and 20 Pz.Kpfw.IVs were sent to the 13th Panzer Division on March 11–12, 1945. However, on March 15, 1945, the Panzer-Divizion “Feldherrnhalle 1” included 18 Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks (of which 16 were serviceable), 3 self-propelled guns Pz.IV/70(A) (of which 2 were serviceable) and 19 Pz.Kpfw .V "Panther" (of which 18 are serviceable). The 13th Panzer-Divizion had 18 Pz.Kpfw.IV (all in need of repair), 1 Flakpz anti-aircraft self-propelled gun and 5 serviceable Panthers.

During March 1945, the Feldherrnhalle tank corps was significantly reinforced with new material. The Feldherrnhalle 1 Panzer Division received 41 Jagdpanzer 38 light tank destroyers, and the 13th Panzer Division received 8 Pz/IV/70(V) on March 21, 1945. In addition to the two tank divisions, the Feldherrnhalle heavy tank battalion (formerly the 503rd separate Wehrmacht heavy tank battalion) was included in the tank corps. On March 15, 1945, the battalion included 26 Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B "Royal Tiger" tanks (of which 19 were serviceable) and 7 anti-aircraft Flakpz (of which 2 were serviceable).

In the second half of March and early April 1945, the tank corps operated in the zone of responsibility of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The corps was operationally temporarily subordinated to the 229th Regiment of the 101st Mountain Infantry Division and the 509th Separate Battalion of Heavy Tanks (35 Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B "Royal Tiger" tanks, of which 8 were serviceable; 8 Flakpz ZSU, of 2 of them are working).

At 7.00 on April 5, 1945, formations and units of the 25th Rifle Corps of the Red Army, with the support of the 27th Guards Tank Brigade and the 2nd Romanian Tank Regiment, began an attack on Bratislava. By the end of the day, after fierce street fighting, the city was taken.

On the same day, Soviet-Romanian troops (27th Guards Tank Brigade, 684th Infantry Brigade, 409th Infantry Division, 2nd Tank Troops) began crossing the Morava River. On April 6–7, local battles took place at the front; only on April 9, 27 Guards. TBR and 2 TP (r) began crossing the Morava on ferries. By 15.00 on April 10, the crossing was completed. Having completed the march, the 27th Guards Tank Brigade and the remnants of the 2nd Romanian Tank Regiment concentrated in Zwerndorf by 18.00 in readiness for joint actions with units of the 4th Guards Airborne Division.

10 T-34s, 5 SU-76s, as well as 15 Romanian tanks and self-propelled guns arrived in the concentration area.

As a result of these operations, formations of the 7th Guards Army crossed the Morava River and reached Austrian territory.

Subsequently, taking into account the heavy losses in tanks suffered by the 2nd Romanian Tank Regiment during three weeks of continuous offensive battles, the command decided to concentrate it in the Gaiari area and continue the fighting with one tank company, subordinating it to the battalion of the 27th Guards Tank Brigade. This company took part in the battles for crossing the Tsaya Canal, was the first to enter the city of Mistelbach and distinguished itself in the battles for the settlements of Aibeshtal, Poysdorf, Musov, Moravsko-Nova-Ves, where the enemy offered the last resistance.

Carrying out the tasks assigned to it, the 2nd Tank Regiment played an important role in crossing the Hron, Nitra and Vah rivers and in capturing the city of Bratislava. The regiment inflicted great damage on the enemy in manpower, tanks, weapons and all kinds of military equipment. Only the trophies taken from the Germans amounted to 18 tanks, 49 guns, 58 mortars, 86 machine guns and 55 vehicles. Over 4,000 enemy soldiers and officers were captured.

The regiment also suffered heavy losses. Out of 910 tankers, the regiment lost 102 people (11%), and out of 79 tanks, in the end only two remained. All this indicated that the regiment made significant efforts during the battles in which it participated.

On April 4, along the entire border, Soviet troops reached the borders of Austria - the Red Army completed the liberation of Hungarian territory from the German presence.

In the long bloody battles for the liberation of Hungary from German troops and their Salashi allies, the Red Army suffered significant losses. More than 140 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers remained forever in Hungarian soil.

With the entry of Soviet troops to the Hungarian-Austrian border, the surrender of Hungarian soldiers and officers became widespread, and only some Hungarian units continued to maintain combat effectiveness. Essentially, the Salashi army ceased to exist. The German troops retreating to Vienna also suffered heavy losses. During the period March 29–31, the troops of the right wing and center of the 3rd Ukrainian Front alone captured more than 30 thousand enemy soldiers and officers. Often entire units and subunits surrendered. In connection with the defeat of Army Group South, General L. Rendulic, who was considered a major defense specialist in the Wehrmacht, was appointed instead of the removed commander, General Wehler.

In Austria, the German command and pro-Nazi Austrian circles, using the press, radio and other means of propaganda, vigorously spread rumors that the Red Army would destroy all Austrians - members of the National Socialist Party. The forced evacuation of the population from the eastern regions of the country began.

On April 6, at the direction of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the Military Council of the 3rd Ukrainian Front issued an appeal to the people of Austria calling on everyone to remain in their places, continue peaceful work and assist the Soviet command in maintaining public order and ensuring the normal operation of industrial, commercial, communal and other enterprises. The appeal emphasized that the Soviet Armed Forces entered Austria with the goal of defeating German troops and liberating the country from German dependence, that the Red Army would help restore the order that existed in Austria before 1938, that is, before the German invasion, and the National Socialist Party will be dissolved without any reprisals applied to its rank and file members if they show loyalty to the Soviet troops. This appeal formed the basis for extensive agitation and propaganda work by the political agencies of the Red Army among the Austrian population.

Without stopping the offensive, Soviet troops were preparing for the assault on Vienna. The necessary regroupings were made, the rear was pulled up, and the tasks were clarified. Reconnaissance of the enemy's defenses was intensively conducted. The Soviet command managed to establish that the defense of Vienna involved 6 tank divisions (3 SS tank divisions, 2 SS tank divisions, 9 SS tank divisions, 1 SS tank division, 12 SS tank divisions, 6 Wehrmacht tank divisions) and 1 infantry division, up to 15 separate battalions. Later it became known that the enemy had created motorized detachments from sailors and military school cadets, which, together with tank units and formations, formed a maneuverable group of troops for operations in the Vienna Valley. The commander of the 6th SS TA, Sepp Dietrich, was entrusted with directly leading the defense of Vienna.

In tank-hazardous directions along the outer perimeter of the city, anti-tank ditches were dug and anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers were installed. The enemy blocked the streets of the city with numerous barricades, and adapted multi-story buildings for long-term defense. The German command, regardless of the possible destruction in the city, sought to turn Vienna into the same hub of resistance that Budapest was.

According to the instructions of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command dated April 1, the commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Front decided to capture Vienna with simultaneous attacks from three directions: from the southeast - by the forces of the 4th Guards Army and the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, from the south and southwest - by the forces of 6th Guards Tank Army with the 18th Tank Corps attached to it and part of the forces of the 9th Guards Army. The remaining forces of the 9th Guards Army were to bypass the city, marching through the spurs of the Eastern Alps, and cut off the enemy's escape route to the west. On April 6, Headquarters ordered the 46th Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front with the tank and mechanized corps attached to it to be transferred to the left bank of the Danube for an offensive bypassing Vienna from the north. From the air, this group of troops was supported by aviation from the 17th Air Force and part of the forces of the 5th Air Army.

Following the instructions of Headquarters, the 46th Army crossed to the left bank of the Danube and began to develop an attack on Vienna. The Danube Military Flotilla provided it with great assistance in crossing troops: within three days it transported about 46 thousand people, 138 tanks and self-propelled guns, 743 guns and mortars, 542 vehicles, 2,230 horses, 1,032 tons of ammunition, and many other weapons and equipment. Then, with artillery fire from armored boats, the flotilla supported the troops of the 46th and 4th Guards armies advancing along the coast.

On April 5, fighting began on the approaches to Vienna, which immediately became fierce. The enemy tried to prevent the Soviet troops from breaking through to the city with heavy fire and counterattacks of infantry and tanks. During the fighting, success was seen southwest of Vienna, where the enemy’s defenses were weaker. The front commander ordered the immediate regrouping of the entire 6th Guards Tank Army to bypass Vienna from the west and northwest.

Wanting to prevent unnecessary casualties among the population, preserve the city and save its historical monuments, Marshal F.I. Tolbukhin on April 6 appealed to the residents of Vienna with an appeal to remain in place, in every possible way to prevent the Nazis from carrying out the villainous destruction of the city. The address ended with the words: “Citizens of Vienna! Help the Red Army in the liberation of the capital of Austria, Vienna, contribute your share to the liberation of Austria from the Nazi yoke." Many Austrian patriots responded to the call of the Soviet command. They helped Soviet soldiers in their difficult struggle against the enemy entrenched in fortified areas.

On the morning of April 6, troops of the 4th and part of the forces of the 9th Guards Army began an assault on Vienna from the east and south. At the same time, formations of the 6th Guards Tank Army and the main forces of the 9th Guards Army bypassed the city from the west. They had to overcome the mountainous and wooded area of ​​the Vienna Woods. Having bypassed Vienna, on April 7, to the west of it they reached the Danube. The city was covered from three sides: east, south and west.

On April 9, the Soviet government published a statement that said: “The Soviet Government does not pursue the goal of acquiring any part of Austrian territory or changing the social system of Austria. The Soviet Government adheres to the point of view of the Moscow Declaration of the Allies on the independence of Austria. It will implement this declaration. It will contribute to the elimination of the regime of the Nazi occupiers and the restoration of democratic orders and institutions in Austria. The Supreme Command of the Red Army gave an order to Soviet troops to provide assistance to the Austrian population in this matter.” This announcement was greeted by the Austrian people with joy and hope.

During April 9–10, Soviet troops fought their way toward the city center. Fierce battles broke out for each block, and sometimes even for a separate house. After the armies of the 3rd Ukrainian Front cut off the Vienna enemy group's escape route to the west, it could only retreat to the north. But the 46th Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front was supposed to come here. The enemy, who sought at any cost to prevent its units from reaching their northern communications, stubbornly defended their positions. He put up especially strong resistance at the turn of the Morava River. The advance of the 46th Army slowed down.

Troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front continued their assault on the city center from the south and west. The enemy offered especially fierce resistance in the area of ​​the bridges across the Danube, since if Soviet troops reached them, the entire group defending Vienna would be surrounded. Nevertheless, the force of the blow of the Soviet troops continuously increased. By the end of April 10, the defending German troops were squeezed: from the south and east by the 4th, and from the southwest and west by the 9th and 6th Tank Guards armies. The enemy continued to resist only in the center of the city.

On the night of April 11, the 4th Guards Army began crossing the Danube Canal, which was facilitated by the successful actions of the 20th Rifle and 1st Mechanized Guards Corps, advancing in the direction of the Imperial Bridge. To prevent the enemy from blowing it up, the Danube Military Flotilla landed troops on the right and left banks of the Danube as part of the battalion of the 217th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 80th Guards Division of Colonel V.I. Chizhov with the task of capturing the approaches to the bridge. On April 13, the same task was assigned to the battalion of the 21st Guards Rifle Regiment of the 7th Guards Airborne Division, Colonel D. A. Drychkin.

Warriors of the battalion of the 21st regiment, led by Captain D.F. Borisov, penetrated under the bridge and cut the wires, preventing the explosion. In a sudden attack, the guards, with the help of paratroopers, captured the bridge. These were the last, final battles for the capital of Austria.

On April 13, Soviet troops completely captured Vienna, and to the west of the city, formations of the 3rd Ukrainian Front reached the St. Pöltenn line and to the south on April 15. The offensive of the 46th Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front ended with reaching the Korneyburg, Floridsdorf area, where it united with the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. Residents of Vienna greeted their liberators - Soviet troops. They tore off posters with anti-Soviet slogans and calls from the German command to defend Vienna to the last soldier from the walls of houses, cleared the streets; separate groups of Austrians escorted captured German soldiers and officers to assembly points. Austrian and Soviet flags flew in the capital of Austria.

The swift and selfless actions of the Soviet troops did not allow the Germans to destroy one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and saved the lives of thousands of Viennese. Soviet soldiers prevented the explosion of the Imperial Bridge across the Danube, as well as the destruction of many valuable architectural structures prepared for explosion or set on fire by the Germans during the retreat, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna City Hall and others. In honor of the victory, the formations and units that distinguished themselves in the battles for the city received the name Vienna. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established the medal “For the Capture of Vienna,” awarding it to more than 270 thousand soldiers.

The great feat of the Red Army, the numerous sacrifices made by the Soviet people in the name of freedom and independence of Austria, were highly appreciated by the Austrian public. In August 1945, a monument to Soviet soldiers who died in the battles for the liberation of the country was erected on one of the central squares of Vienna.

During the battle for Vienna, the offensive in the general direction of Graz continued in the center and on the left wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. By mid-April, front troops reached the Eastern Alps. At the end of April - beginning of May, Soviet troops operating in Austria reached the line of Linz, Gaflenz, Klagenfurt, where they met with American troops. The advancing troops of the 1st Bulgarian Army broke enemy resistance and on April 8 reached the Varazdin area, where they temporarily went on the defensive with the task of preventing an enemy breakthrough in this direction. On April 12, south of the Drava, the 3rd Yugoslav Army went on the offensive, which, in cooperation with formations of the 1st Bulgarian Army, defeated the opposing enemy and began pursuing him. On May 10, Yugoslav troops, together with Bulgarian units, captured the city of Maribor. In mid-May, the 1st Bulgarian Army reached the line of the Cor Alpe mountain peaks, where it met with British units. Here her fighting journey ended. On May 24, the army was withdrawn from the 3rd Ukrainian Front and left for its homeland. Only a small part of her forces continued to remain in Austria for some time.

The offensive of the Soviet Armed Forces in the south was of great political and strategic importance. Having defeated the enemy Army Group South, the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts liberated the western part of Hungary, a significant part of Czechoslovakia, and the eastern regions of Austria with its capital Vienna. Germany lost the economically important Nagykanizsa oil region and one of the last large industrial centers - the Vienna Industrial Center. The Red Army captured the southern approaches to Nazi Germany. The plans of the German leadership to prolong the war with a long defense in the “southern fortress” collapsed.

The Soviet Army inflicted a major defeat on the southern wing of the strategic front of the German troops. In 30 days, the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts fought 150–250 km. They defeated 32 enemy divisions, capturing more than 130 thousand soldiers and officers, capturing and destroying over 1,300 tanks and assault guns, 2,250 field guns. But the enemy still continued to resist. On April 30, the German Army Group South was renamed Army Group Austria, which continued hostilities.

The successful military operations of Soviet troops in the Vienna direction and the entry of the 3rd Ukrainian Front into the eastern regions of Austria accelerated the liberation of Yugoslavia. The troops of Army Group E operating there found themselves isolated from Germany and began a general retreat. The defeat of German troops in Hungary and Austria contributed to the actions of the American-British armies and Resistance forces in Northern Italy.

The entry of the Red Army into Austria freed the Austrian people from German oppression. The beginning of the revival of Austrian statehood was laid. Freedom for Austria was brought by a Russian soldier who bore all the hardships of war on his shoulders and defeated a strong and experienced enemy. In the battles for the liberation of the Austrian people from Nazism during the Vienna Strategic Offensive Operation, 38,661 soldiers died, of which 32,846 people were losses of the 3rd Ukrainian Front and 5,815 of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

Austria is the first country to become a victim of the aggression of National Socialist Germany. From there the Germans began to implement their plans of conquest. Now the years of gloomy existence are behind us. The Austrian population believed that the Red Army would help them restore a free and independent state. The first issue that required immediate resolution was the creation of a Provisional Government. True to the agreements with the USA and Great Britain on the fate of Austria, the Soviet government met the wishes of the Austrian public, which proposed entrusting the formation of the government to the leader of the Social Democrats, K. Renner. On April 27, the Austrian Provisional Government was formed. On the same day, it published a solemn declaration of the country's independence. State sovereignty, liquidated by the German occupiers in 1938, was restored. The revived Austria could count on the support of the USSR in ensuring its independence. On May 16, 1945, K. Renner wrote in a letter to J.V. Stalin: “... I am quite satisfied with the pace at which the restoration of Austrian statehood, completely destroyed by the Nazis, is taking place, and I definitely emphasize that in this I was helped by the valuable support of the Red Army, not which, however, limited our freedom of action."

The Soviet Union and its Armed Forces not only expelled the German occupiers from a significant part of Austrian territory, but also did a lot to quickly normalize the life of the Austrian people. In the Vienna area, the North-West and South Bridges across the Danube were restored, sailors of the Danube Military Flotilla cleared the fairway of the Austrian part of the Danube from mines, raised 128 sunken ships, and also repaired 30 percent of the port cranes and other equipment. Soviet military units restored 1,719 km of railway tracks, 45 railway bridges, 27 depots, and helped Austrian railway workers repair more than 300 locomotives and about 10 thousand carriages.

Taking into account the plight of the population of the eastern regions of Austria and its capital, robbed by the German leadership, and meeting the request of the Provisional Government, the Soviet leadership provided significant food assistance to the Austrian people. In all corners of the eastern part of Austria, soldiers of the liberating army helped local residents establish a peaceful working life.

From the point of view of military art, the concept of the Vienna operation deserves attention. Its originality lies in the combination of a powerful frontal attack by troops on adjacent flanks of two fronts with the goal of dissecting the opposing enemy group with its subsequent defeat in parts: one by pressing against the Danube, the other by defeating it northeast of Lake Balaton.

An important feature of the Vienna offensive operation is its preparation during the defense, the organization and implementation of operational maneuver by the forces of the tank army in a new direction and the regrouping of the combined arms army on the right wing of the front.

Soviet aviation played a large role in the successful attack on Vienna. Completely dominating the air, it launched continuous attacks on enemy strongholds, stormed columns of troops and accumulations of equipment, and destroyed enemy aircraft at airfields and in the air. During the operation, the aviation of the 17th Air Army alone flew over 24,100 sorties, conducted 148 air battles, in which 155 enemy aircraft were shot down. In a number of cases, the actions of Soviet aviation were coordinated with the allies: American-British aircraft also attacked targets located in the zones of action of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts.

Military operations in the western part of Hungary and the eastern regions of Austria are instructive in the clearly implemented strategic interaction of the fronts by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, as well as Soviet troops with Bulgarian and Yugoslav formations, the form of operational maneuver in the process of breaking through enemy defenses, the actions of troops in mountainous and wooded areas and large regroupings during the offensive. They were carried out at a time when Soviet troops were crushing the enemy in Eastern Pomerania, Upper Silesia and in the Moravian-Ostrava direction in Czechoslovakia. In this regard, the enemy was deprived of the opportunity to transfer troops to the southern sector of the front, which contributed to the success of Soviet troops in capturing Bratislava and Vienna, as well as the attack on the city of Brno and further into the interior of Czechoslovakia.

At the end of hostilities in Europe, the Central Group of (Soviet) Forces (CGV) was created on the territory of Austria and Hungary. It was formed on June 10, 1945 in accordance with the agreements developed by the Allied powers to monitor the implementation of the requirements arising from the Act of Surrender of the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany. The TsGV directorate was formed on the basis of the field control of the 1st Ukrainian Front. From 1945 to 1955, the 2nd and 17th Guards Motorized Rifle Divisions were stationed on Austrian territory. In 1955, in connection with the signing of the USSR, USA, England and France of the State Treaty on the restoration of the independence of Austria (which became a neutral state. - Note auto). The Central Military Command was disbanded, and the 2nd and 17th Guards Motorized Rifle Divisions were transferred to Hungary. Thus ended the stay of Soviet troops on Austrian soil.

1. Report of the headquarters of the Criminal Code of the BT and MV of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on the combat operations of the BT and MV Front for January - May 1945 (TsAMO, f. 243, op. 2928, d. 13, pp. 336–411).

2. A brief summary of the generalized combat experience of the BT and MV of the 3rd Ukrainian Front for March 1945 (TsAMO, f. 243, op. 2928, d. 138, pp. 85–100).

3. A brief summary of the generalized combat experience of the BT and MV of the 3rd Ukrainian Front for April 1945 (TsAMO, f. 38, op. 80046 ss, d. 119, pp. 180–190).

4. Report of the headquarters of the UK BT and MB of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on the organization of reconnaissance in tank and mechanized formations of the front and the actions of enemy tank forces for April 1945 (TsAMO, f. 38, op. 259481 p. 21, pp. 109 –119).

5. Report of the headquarters of the commander of the BT and MV of the 7th Guards Army on the combat operations of the armored and mechanized forces of the army in the Bratislava offensive operation from March 25 to April 10, 1945 (TsAMO, f. 341, op. 5312, d. 935, ll 1-10).

6. Report of the headquarters of the commander of the BT and MV of the 7th Guards Army on the combat actions of armored and mechanized troops in operations in Austria from April 6 to May 7, 1945 (TsAMO, f. 341, op. 5312, d. 936, pp. 1-10).

7. Operations of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945). M.: Voenizdat, 1959, vol. IV. 872 pp.

8. Romania’s contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany (August 23, 1944 - May 9, 1945). M.: Voenizdat, 1959. 376 p.

9. Foreign policy of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. Documents and materials, vol. III. 684 pp.

10. Documents of the headquarters of the command of the ground forces (OKW) of the Wehrmacht.

11. Thomas L. Jentz. Panzertruppen 1943–1945. Schiffer Military History, 1996, 298 rub.

Liberation of western Hungary and eastern Austria (March 16 - April 15, 1945)

Notes:

TsAMO, f. 208, op. 25899, no. 93, l. 5.

Thomas L. Jentz. Panzertruppen 1933–1945. Schiffer Military history 1996, p. 190–193.

TsAMO, f. 132 a, op. 2642, no. 39, l. 77.

CVMA, f. 19, no. 20124, pp. 32, 33.

Foreign policy of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. Documents and materials, vol. III, p. 172, 173.

Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941–1945. Brief history, p. 484.

Quote from: Kommunist, 1975, No. 4, p. 67.

Liberation mission of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Second World War, p. 317.

April 13, 2010 marks the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Vienna from the Nazi invaders.

On April 13, 1945, after the Vienna offensive operation, the capital of Austria, Vienna, was liberated by the Soviet Army. The Vienna offensive operation was carried out by troops of the 2nd (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky) and 3rd (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Fedor Tolbukhin) Ukrainian fronts.

The German command attached great importance to the defense of the Vienna direction, hoping to stop Soviet troops and hold out in the mountainous and forested regions of Austria in the hope of concluding a separate peace with England and the United States. However, on March 16 - April 4, Soviet troops broke through the enemy defenses, defeated Army Group South and reached the approaches to Vienna.

To defend the Austrian capital, the fascist German command created a large group of troops, which included 8 tank divisions that withdrew from the lake area. Balaton, and one infantry and about 15 separate infantry battalions and Volkssturm battalions, consisting of youth 15-16 years old. The entire garrison, including fire brigades, was mobilized to defend Vienna.

The natural conditions of the area favored the defending side. From the west the city is covered by a ridge of mountains, and from the north and east by the wide and high-water Danube. On the southern approaches to the city, the Germans built a powerful fortified area, consisting of anti-tank ditches, a widely developed system of trenches and trenches, and many pillboxes and bunkers.

A significant part of the enemy artillery was installed for direct fire. Artillery firing positions were located in parks, gardens, squares and squares. In the destroyed houses, guns and tanks were camouflaged, intended for firing from an ambush. Hitler's command intended to make the city an insurmountable barrier to the Soviet troops.

The plan of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of the Soviet Army ordered the liberation of Vienna by the troops of the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. Part of the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front was supposed to cross from the southern bank of the Danube to the northern. After which these troops were supposed to cut off the retreat of the enemy’s Viennese group to the north.

On April 5, 1945, Soviet troops began an assault on Vienna from the southeast and south. At the same time, tank and mechanized troops began to bypass Vienna from the west. The enemy, with heavy fire from all types of weapons and counterattacks by infantry and tanks, tried to prevent the Soviet troops from breaking through into the city. Therefore, despite the decisive actions of the troops of the Soviet Army, they failed to break the enemy’s resistance on April 5, and they only advanced slightly.

All day on April 6 there were stubborn battles on the outskirts of the city. By evening, Soviet troops reached the southern and western outskirts of Vienna and broke into the adjacent part of the city. Stubborn fighting began within Vienna. The troops of the 6th Guards Tank Army, having completed a roundabout maneuver in the difficult conditions of the eastern spurs of the Alps, reached the western approaches to Vienna, and then to the southern bank of the Danube. The enemy group was surrounded on three sides.

Wanting to prevent unnecessary casualties among the population, preserve the city and save its historical monuments, the command of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on April 5 appealed to the population of Vienna with calls to stay in place and help the Soviet soldiers, and not allow the Nazis to destroy the city. Many Austrian patriots responded to the call of the Soviet command. They helped Soviet soldiers in their difficult struggle against the enemy entrenched in fortified areas.

By the evening of April 7, the troops of the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, part of their forces, captured the Vienna outskirts of Pressbaum and began to fan out - to the east, north and west.

On April 8, the fighting in the city became even more intense. The enemy used large stone buildings for defense, erected barricades, created blockages in the streets, and laid mines and landmines. The Germans widely used “roaming” guns and mortars, tank ambushes, anti-aircraft artillery, and Faust cartridges to fight Soviet tanks.

On April 9, the Soviet government published a statement in which it confirmed its decision to implement the Moscow Declaration of Austrian Independence.
(Military encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing House. Moscow. in 8 volumes - 2004 ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)

During April 9-10, Soviet troops fought their way to the city center. Fierce battles broke out for each block, and sometimes even for a separate house.

The enemy offered especially fierce resistance in the area of ​​the bridges across the Danube, since if Soviet troops reached them, the entire group defending Vienna would be surrounded. Nevertheless, the force of the blow of the Soviet troops continuously increased.

By the end of April 10, the defending Nazi troops were captured. The enemy continued to resist only in the center of the city.

On the night of April 11, Soviet troops began crossing the Danube Canal. The final, final battles for Vienna unfolded.

After fierce fighting in the central part of the city and in neighborhoods located on the northern bank of the Danube Canal, the enemy garrison was cut into separate groups, and their destruction began. And by noon on April 13, Vienna was completely cleared of Nazi troops.

The swift and selfless actions of the Soviet troops did not allow the Nazis to destroy one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Soviet soldiers prevented the explosion of the Imperial Bridge across the Danube, as well as the destruction of many valuable architectural structures prepared for explosion or set on fire by the Nazis during the retreat, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna City Hall and others.

In honor of the victory, on April 13, 1945, at 21.00 in Moscow, a salute was given with 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns.

To commemorate the victory, more than twenty formations that distinguished themselves in the battles for Vienna were given the name “Viennese”. The Soviet government established the medal "For the Capture of Vienna", which was awarded to all participants in the battles for the city.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

The Vienna offensive operation, which was completed on April 13, 1945 with the liberation of the capital of Austria from the Wehrmacht, was one of the brilliant offensive operations ending the Great Patriotic War. Therefore, at the same time it was both quite simple and incredibly difficult. These are the very last, decisive battles.

The relative ease of capturing the capital of Austria, compared to other operations, was due to the fact that the Red Army had already worked out a scheme for destroying enemy groups. In addition, by April 1945, our troops already felt the proximity of Victory, and it was impossible to stop them. Although it was especially difficult psychologically to fight at this time, people knew “a little more, a little more,” plus mortal fatigue.

It is clear that it was not an easy ride: our total losses in this operation were 168 thousand people (of which more than 38 thousand people died). The Germans desperately resisted, but their strength was already undermined - before that, the Red Army and the Wehrmacht, in alliance with Hungarian units, fought heavy battles in Hungary. Hitler ordered to hold the Hungarian oil fields at any cost - the battle for Budapest and the subsequent Balaton operation were among the bloodiest battles of the Great Patriotic War. Our troops entered Hungary in October 1944, having previously carried out the Belgorod operation, and only at the end of March 1945 reached Austria. The attitude of the population also differed; while the Hungarians mostly supported the Nazis and were hostile to the Red Army, the Austrians were neutral. Of course, they weren’t greeted with flowers or bread and salt, but there was no hostility.

The assault on the capital of Austria was the final part of the Vienna offensive operation, which lasted from March 16 to April 15, 1945 by the forces of the 2nd (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky) and 3rd Ukrainian fronts (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Fedor Tolbukhin) with the help of the 1st th Bulgarian Army (Lieutenant General V. Stoychev). Its main goal was the defeat of German troops in western Hungary and eastern Austria.

Our troops were opposed by part of the troops of Army Group South (commander General of the Infantry O. Wöhler, from April 7, Colonel General L. Rendulic), part of the troops of Army Group F (commander Field Marshal General M. von Weichs), from March 25 Army Group “E” (commander Colonel General A. Löhr). The German high command attached great importance to the defense of the Vienna direction, planning to stop Soviet troops at these lines and stay in the mountainous and forested regions of Austria, hoping to conclude a separate peace with England and the United States. However, between March 16 and April 4, Soviet forces broke through the German defenses, defeated the forces of Army Group South and reached the approaches to Vienna.

To defend the capital of Austria, the German command created a fairly strong group of troops, which included the remnants of the 8th Panzer and 1st Infantry Divisions from the 6th SS Panzer Army, which had withdrawn from the Lake Balaton area, and about 15 separate infantry battalions and Volkssturm battalions. The entire composition of the Vienna military school was mobilized to defend Vienna; 4 regiments of 1.5 thousand people each were created from the Vienna police. The natural conditions of the area around the city favored the German side. From the west, Vienna was covered by a ridge of mountains, and from the northern and eastern sides by a powerful water barrier, the wide and high-water Danube. On the southern side, on the approaches to the city, the Germans created a powerful fortified area, which consisted of anti-tank ditches, a developed system of fortifications - trenches, pillboxes and bunkers. In all tank-dangerous directions along the outer circumference of Vienna, ditches were dug and anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers were installed.

The Germans prepared a significant part of their artillery for direct fire to strengthen the city's anti-tank defense. Firing positions for artillery were equipped in parks, gardens, squares and squares of the city. In addition, in the destroyed houses of the city (from air strikes) guns and tanks were camouflaged, which were supposed to fire from an ambush. The streets of the city were blocked by numerous barricades, many stone buildings were adapted for long-term defense, becoming real bastions, with firing points equipped in their windows, attics, and basements. All bridges in the city were mined. The German command planned to make the city an insurmountable obstacle to the Red Army, an impregnable fortress.

The commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Front F.I. Tolbukhin planned to take the city with the help of 3 simultaneous attacks: from the south-eastern side - by troops of the 4th Guards Army and 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, from the southern and south-western sides - by troops 6th Guards Tank Army with the 18th Tank Corps and part of the 9th Guards Army troops attached to it. The remaining part of the forces of the 9th Guards Army was supposed to bypass Vienna from the west and cut off the Nazis' escape route. At the same time, the Soviet command tried to prevent the destruction of the city during the assault.

On April 5, 1945, Soviet troops began an operation to capture Vienna from the southeast and south. At the same time, mobile formations, including tank and mechanized units, began to bypass the capital of Austria from the west. The enemy responded with fire and fierce infantry counterattacks with reinforced tanks, trying to prevent the advance of Soviet troops into the city. Therefore, on the first day, despite the decisive actions of the Red Army troops, they were unable to break the enemy’s resistance, and progress was insignificant.

The entire next day, April 6, there were fierce battles on the outskirts of the city. By the evening of this day, Soviet troops were able to reach the southern and western outskirts of the city and broke into the adjacent suburbs of Vienna. Stubborn fighting began within the city limits. The forces of the 6th Guards Tank Army made a roundabout maneuver in the difficult conditions of the eastern spurs of the Alps and reached the western approaches of the city, and then to the southern bank of the Danube. The German group was surrounded on three sides.

The Soviet command, trying to prevent unnecessary casualties among the civilian population, to preserve the beautiful city and its historical heritage, on April 5 appealed to the population of the capital of Austria with an appeal to stay in their homes, in their localities, and thereby help the Soviet soldiers, preventing the Nazis from destroying the city. Many Austrians, patriots of their city, responded to this call from the command of the 3rd Ukrainian Front; they helped Soviet soldiers in their difficult struggle for the liberation of Vienna.

By the end of the day on April 7, the forces of the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front partly took the Vienna outskirts of Pressbaum and continued to move east, north and west. On April 8, stubborn fighting continued in the city itself, the Germans created new barricades, blockages, blocking roads, laid mines, land mines, and transferred guns and mortars to dangerous directions. During April 9-10, Soviet forces continued to fight their way towards the city center. The Wehrmacht offered especially stubborn resistance in the area of ​​the Imperial Bridge across the Danube, this was due to the fact that if Soviet troops reached it, the entire German group in Vienna would be completely surrounded. The Danube Flotilla landed troops to capture the Imperial Bridge, but heavy enemy fire stopped them 400 meters from the bridge. Only the second landing was able to capture the bridge without allowing it to be blown up. By the end of April 10, the defending German group was completely surrounded; its last units offered resistance only in the center of the city.

On the night of April 11, our troops began to cross the Danube Canal, and the final battles for Vienna were underway. Having broken the enemy's resistance in the central part of the capital and in the neighborhoods that were located on the northern bank of the Danube Canal, Soviet troops cut the enemy garrison into separate groups. The “cleansing” of the city began - by lunchtime on April 13, the city was completely liberated.

Results of the operation

As a result of the offensive of Soviet troops in the Vienna offensive operation, a large Wehrmacht group was defeated. The forces of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts were able to complete the liberation of Hungary and occupied the eastern regions of Austria along with its capital, Vienna. Berlin lost control over another major industrial center of Europe - the Vienna industrial region, including the economically important Nagykanizsa oil region. The road to Prague and Berlin from the south was open. The USSR marked the beginning of the restoration of Austrian statehood.

The quick and selfless actions of the Red Army troops did not allow the Wehrmacht to destroy one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Soviet soldiers were able to prevent the explosion of the Imperial Bridge over the Danube River, as well as the destruction of many other valuable architectural structures that the Germans had prepared for the explosion or were set on fire by Wehrmacht units during the retreat, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Vienna City Hall and other buildings.

In honor of the next brilliant victory of the Soviet troops, on April 13, 1945 at 21.00 in the capital of the USSR - Moscow, a victory salute was given with 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns.

To commemorate this victory, 50 military formations that distinguished themselves in the battle for Vienna received the honorary name “Viennese”. In addition, the Soviet government established the medal “For the Capture of Vienna,” which was awarded to all participants in the battles for the capital of Austria. In Vienna in August 1945, a monument was erected on Schwarzenbergplatz in honor of Soviet soldiers who died in the battles for the liberation of Austria.

Most recently, April 15, marked 70 years since the end of the Vienna offensive operation, during which the Nazi troops Austria was cleared, including its capital, Vienna.

The Vienna offensive operation was a strategic offensive operation of the Red Army against German troops during the Great Patriotic War. It was carried out from March 16 to April 15, 1945 by troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts with the assistance of the 1st Bulgarian Army (Bulgarian) with the aim of defeating German troops in western Hungary and eastern Austria. Vienna was taken on April 13.

To this event, friends, I dedicate this photo collection.

1. Soviet officers lay flowers at the grave of the Austrian composer Johann Strauss, son, buried in the central cemetery of Vienna. 1945.

2. Sherman tanks of the 1st battalion of the 46th Guards Tank Brigade of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Tank Army on the streets of Vienna. 04/09/1945.

3. Sherman tanks of the 1st battalion of the 46th Guards Tank Brigade of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Tank Army on the streets of Vienna. 04/09/1945.

4. Soviet soldiers are fighting for the Imperial Bridge. 3rd Ukrainian Front. Vienna. April 1945

5. Rewarding Soviet soldiers who distinguished themselves in the battles for the capture of Vienna. 1945

6. Artillerymen of self-propelled guns of the Guard Lieutenant Colonel V.S. Shonichev, who were the first to enter Austrian soil, are driving along the street of one of the cities. 1945

7. Soviet self-propelled guns cross the border. 1945

8. Soviet tanks in the Vienna area. 1945.

9. The crew of the M4A-2 "Sherman" tank, the first to break into Vienna, with their commander; on the left is driver-mechanic Nuru Idrisov. 1945

10. Machine gunners are fighting a street battle in the central part of Vienna. 1945

11. Soviet soldiers walk along one of the streets of liberated Vienna. 1945

12. Soviet troops on the street of the liberated city of Vienna. 1945

13. Soviet soldiers on the streets of Vienna. 1945

14. View of one of the streets of Vienna after its liberation. 1945

15. Residents of Vienna on the square in front of the destroyed building of St. Stephen's Cathedral. 1945

16. Dancing on the streets of Vienna on the occasion of Victory Day. 1945

17. Soviet tanks on the outskirts of Vienna. April 1945

18. Soviet military signalmen on one of the streets of Vienna. April 1945

20. Residents of Vienna return to their homes after the end of street fighting and the liberation of the city by Soviet troops. April 1945

21. Cossack patrol on one of the streets of Vienna. 1945

22. Folk festival on the occasion of the liberation of Vienna by Soviet troops in one of the city squares. 1945

23. Soviet self-propelled guns on the mountain roads of Austria. 1945

24. Soviet military equipment on the mountain roads of Austria. April 1945

25. Guardsmen-machine gunners of the unit of senior lieutenant Gukalov are fighting for a populated area. Austria. 1945

26. Meeting of Soviet soldiers with residents of one of the cities in Austria. 1945

27. Mortars of Hero of the Soviet Union Nekrasov fire at enemy positions. Austria. March 31, 1945

28. Sergeant Pavel Zaretsky talks with residents of the Austrian village of Lekenhaus. 1945

29. Soviet officers lay flowers at the grave of the Austrian composer Johann Strauss, son, buried in the central cemetery of Vienna. .

30. Soviet mortarmen carry an 82-mm battalion mortar in Vienna. 1945

31. Soviet soldiers cross the bridge over the Danube Canal in Vienna. May 1945

32. Soviet officers lay flowers at the grave of Johann Strauss's son. April 1945.

33. Soviet traffic controller N. Klimenko on the outskirts of Vienna. April 1945

34. A Soviet officer visits the grave of the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, buried in the central cemetery of Vienna.

35. Soviet traffic policewoman on the street of Vienna. May-August 1945

36. Soviet self-propelled artillery units SU-76M in Vienna, Austria. 1945

37. Soviet mortar men with a regimental mortar at the Hofburg Winter Palace in Vienna. 1945

38. Soviet armored personnel carrier M3A1 in battle on the streets of Vienna. April 1945

39. Column of Soviet T-34 tanks on the streets of Vienna. 1945

40. Before the arrival of Soviet troops, the Nazi shot his family and committed suicide on the streets of Vienna. April 1945

41. Soviet traffic controller in liberated Vienna. May 1945

42. Soviet traffic controller in liberated Vienna. May 1945

43. Killed German soldier on the street of liberated Vienna. April 1945

44. Sherman tank of the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps on Vienna Street. April 1945

45. Human remains on the streets of liberated Vienna. 1945

46. ​​Human remains on the streets of liberated Vienna. 1945

48. Sherman tanks of the 1st battalion of the 46th Guards Tank Brigade of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Tank Army on the streets of Vienna. 04/09/1945.

49. Soviet armored boats of the Danube military flotilla in Austria. April 1945

50. Soviet regimental military band in the Austrian village of Donnerskirchen on Victory Day. On the far right is Private Nikolai Ivanovich Pershin (in addition to playing in the orchestra, he also served as a signalman). 05/09/1945

51. A column of Soviet T-34-85 tanks on the street of the Austrian town of St. Pölten. 1945

52. Aircraft technicians of the 213th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment on the street of the Austrian town of Stockerau. 1945

Which ended on April 13, 1945 with the liberation of the capital of Austria from the Nazis, was one of the endings of the Great Patriotic War. Therefore, it is both quite simple and incredibly difficult. This is the eternal dialectic of the last decisive battles.

The relative ease - compared to other operations - is due to the fact that the scheme for destroying enemy groups has already been worked out. In addition, by April 1945 there was no doubt about the inevitability and proximity of victory.

But this is where the severity is, mainly psychological. Is it easy to go to death when “just a little more, just a little more,” realizing that you can die on the eve of the onset of peacetime. And this is against a background of fatigue. This is how Colonel-General Alexey Zheltov, a participant in the fighting, describes the feelings of those days: “The guns are still thundering, the fighting is going on, but the imminent end of the war is already felt in everything: both in the stern expression of the tired faces of the soldiers yearning for rest, and in the blossoming of nature, yearning for silence, and in the victorious movement of formidable military equipment heading west."

It's like that. The Vienna operation was by no means a dashing spring stroll. Our total losses amounted to 168 thousand people. We had to cross the rivers and take three defensive lines, reinforced by an extensive system of trenches and passages. Army Group South resisted fiercely, although it was resistance in a paroxysm of despair.

But in terms of the degree of desperation and intensity, the battles for Vienna could not be compared with the previous hostilities in Hungary. Judge for yourself: the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts covered the distance from Yugoslavia to Austria in seven months. In October 1944, having completed the Belgrade operation, they entered Hungarian territory. And only at the end of March they reached the border with Austria. And the direct assault on Vienna took only 10 days.

The Nazi leadership defended the bridgeheads in Hungary even to the detriment of the defense of the German lands themselves and the Oder border. The Battle of Budapest and the subsequent Balaton operation were among the bloodiest. There were several reasons for this persistence, which may seem pointless.

The Wehrmacht was tasked not only with stopping the victorious Red Army, but also with holding at all costs the oil-bearing areas in western Hungary, which acquired special value after the loss of the Romanian oil fields.

But there was another circumstance that made the fighting in the two neighboring countries so different. Here I have to turn to family memories. Mom went as a signalman all the way from Belgrade to Vienna together with her air regiment as part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. Like most front-line soldiers, she did not really like to remember the everyday life of the war. However, she spoke a lot and willingly about the attitude of the civilian population of countries liberated from Nazism towards our military. The contrast between the cordiality of the Yugoslavs and the completely different attitude on the part of the Magyars was very striking.

This is the picture that emerges from her memories. In Hungary, as they say, “every house was shot.” Every step of advancement was given with great difficulty. I constantly had to wait for a stab in the back. And not only from enemy fighters, ideological Nazi-Salashists, but even just from ordinary people. So, in one of the towns, my mother’s friend, a fellow soldier, who carelessly got out into the street in the evening, was hacked to death with an ax. This is also why the battles for Budapest and other Hungarian cities took so long and hard.

There was nothing like this in Austria. The local population, of course, did not greet the Red Army with bread and salt, but they did not interfere with its advance across the territory of their country. The inhabitants took a purely neutral position as contemplatives. As history shows, the inhabitants of Austria almost always reacted this way to foreign armies, calmly allowing them into the capital and leaving the military to sort things out with the enemy.

This happened this time too. In the suburbs and in Vienna itself, only professional troops continued to resist. Sometimes - furiously and desperately. But the Wehrmacht devoted too much effort in those terrible Hungarian battles. And the numerical superiority of the advancing liberators could not but have an effect. Superiority in everything - both in manpower and technology. And in a fighting spirit, if we take the intangible side.
On April 3, our troops reached Vienna, completely surrounded it in a few days, and on the 13th it was all over. This operation even looked elegant, in the style of the homeland of the “Waltz King”. It could have been done faster, but the command decided to save people and not turn one of the most beautiful cities in Europe into ruins, as they had to do, for example, with Budapest.

Having preserved Viennese palaces, bridges and other architectural landmarks intact, Soviet troops in record time - by August 1945 - decorated the city with a monument to the Soldier-Liberator. About 268 thousand soldiers and officers were awarded the medal “For the Capture of Vienna”.

But that comes later. In the meantime, there was less than a month left until the end of the Great Patriotic War. The road to Prague and from the south to Berlin was finally cleared of enemies.