Debrecen operation
The Debrecen operation ( Russian Дебреценская операция ), named after the Hungarian city Debreczen was an offensive of the Red Army in World War II , from 6 to 27-28. October 1944 lasted.
prehistory
On 24 September 1944, the German was Army Group South Ukraine under Colonel General Johannes Frießner in Army Group South renamed. Developments after Operation Jassy-Kishinev had torn up the front of the Army Group to a width of 650 kilometers after the loss of the Szekler Point through Transylvania . At the beginning of October 1944 , the 2nd Ukrainian Front under Rodion Malinowski , which pursued the Hungarian lowlands, had 59 divisions with around 698,000 men, 10,200 artillery pieces, 825 tanks and 1,100 aircraft. In addition, there were the Romanian 1st and 4th Armies with around 20 divisions, which were used as army reserves , especially in the framework of the Soviet 53rd and 40th Armies (General Schmatschenko ). The Romanian divisions had not yet been completely refreshed and could only be used to a limited extent (e.g. the 1st Army only had 30,150 men on October 10).
Opposite them stood the German-Hungarian Army Group South, a total of around 31 divisions with around 400,000 men, 3,500 guns, 293 tanks and 420 aircraft from Luftflotte 4 . In addition there were three divisions of Army Group F opposite the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front (Marshal Tolbuchin ), which was largely involved in the Belgrade operation .
The armed forces of Army Group South had been reorganized: Army Group Fretter-Pico (German 6th Army and the Hungarian 3rd Army, which was newly established on September 15) held the area between Oradea (Großwardein) and Temešvár and Army Group Wöhler (German 8th Army) . and Hungarian 2nd army ) the space between Turda (Thornburg) and Huszt where the connection to the past in the Carpathian position Hungarian 1st army of the middle army group took place.
Hitler ordered Colonel-General Frießner to initiate a counter-offensive to stop the Soviet advance of the 6th Guards Armored , 27th and 40th Armies in the area between Satu Mare (Sathmar) and Arad . Marshal Malinovsky also led the mechanized cavalry groups under Lieutenant General Issa Plijew (7th Mechanized Corps, 4th and 6th Guards Cavalry Corps with 389 tanks and assault guns) and General Gorschkow (5th Guards Cavalry Corps and 23rd Panzer Corps with 146 tanks and self-propelled guns) in the area between Oradea and Békéscsaba in support of the main thrust towards the north on Debreczen . In addition, the right wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front (40th Army and Romanian 4th Army ) had to support the 4th Ukrainian Front (Colonel General Petrov ) during the Carpathian-Uzhgorod operation, which was running at the same time .
course
First phase
On October 6, 1944, the 6th Guards Panzer Army (General Kravchenko ) launched the attack with the 5th Guards Panzer Corps (Major General Saveliev ) and the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps (Lieutenant General Volkov ) heading north. The aim was the breakthrough in the Hungarian 2nd Army and the separation of the connection between the German 6th and 8th Army. Large-scale plans were made in cooperation with the 18th Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front, which was to break through to the south via Muncacz, to encircle the bulk of the Hungarian-German Carpathian defense. The OKW recognized the danger in good time and sent mobile reserves to this focal point. The German 1st , 13th and 23rd Panzer Divisions , the 228th and 325th Assault Gun Brigade and the Hungarian 2nd Panzer Division were transferred to the Puszta , the III. Panzer Corps under General Breith carried out strong counter- strikes between October 7 and 15, which temporarily stopped the Red Army advancing towards Debreczen and cut off Soviet cavalry units that had broken through. About Tiszafüred was Panzergrenadier Division Feldherrnhalle introduced as reinforcement into the danger zone and helped the front to stabilize.
In the midst of these operations, the Hungarian Governor Horthy broke away from his alliance with the German Reich on October 15 and began ceasefire negotiations with the Red Army. A day later he was arrested by a German SS command at the Panzerfaust company , and an uprising in Budapest was suppressed. While the Hungarian 3rd Army deployed on the Danube under General Heszlényi continued to fight alongside the Germans, the commanders of the Hungarian 1st and 2nd Army had to be re-staffed with General Laszlo and FML Major .
On October 16, the Soviet 33rd Rifle Corps of the 27th Army (General Trofimenko ) occupied Oradea (Großwardein), and the German 76th Infantry Division was severely decimated. The general critical situation development meant that the German XVII. Army Corps ( 8th Jäger- , 3rd Mountain- and 46th Infantry Division ) began its retreat from the Carpathian positions in the Kimpolung - Vatra Dornei area as early as October 8 , while the final order to retreat to Máramarossziget only began on October 17. October was granted.
Second phase
West of Debreczen, the Soviet 40th Army with the 18th Panzer Corps (Major General Pyotr D. Goworunienko) managed to break through to the north. The arrival of the 13th Panzer Division brought up via Eger made new German counterattacks possible. The cavalry group Pliyev was able to take the city of Debreczen on October 20th. While the German 1st Panzer Division secured the German counterattack to the south, the 23rd Panzer Division reached Nagykálló on October 22nd and severed the supply lines of the three Soviet corps that had broken through to the north. On October 23, the advance on Tokaj mechanical cavalry group Plijew near Nyíregyháza by the 1st and 23rd Panzer Divisions in cooperation with the Hungarian IX. Corps cut off and surrounded. The 3rd Mountain Division and parts of the 8th SS Cavalry Division formed the attacking German forces in the west. However, between October 23 and 27, Pliyev's units managed to break out in bitter fighting southwards. On October 26th, the 23rd Panzer Division retook Nyíregyháza. Thanks to this tactical success, General der Infantry Wöhler was able to withdraw his 8th Army (XVII. And XXIX. Army Corps), which was still further to the east in southern Bukovina .
Meanwhile, on Malinowski's left wing, the Soviet 7th Guards Army and the 53rd Army to the southwest near Szolnok in battle with the German IV Panzer Corps (General Kleemann ) were able to build a bridgehead on the western bank of the Tisza , which at the end of October served as a springboard for the attack on Budapest could be used.
Losses and consequences
The Red Army was able to advance 130–275 km to the north and west, but lost 19,713 dead, 64,297 wounded and over 500 tanks in these battles. The Axis Powers lost 42,000 prisoners; 138 tanks, 856 artillery pieces, 386 aircraft and 16,000 rifles and submachine guns were brought in as booty by the Soviet troops. The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front completed the complete occupation of Romania and now controlled around a third of Hungarian territory.
Immediately after the Debrecen operation, i.e. without any preparation time, the 2nd Ukrainian Front opened the battle for Budapest on October 29th .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Information on the liberation struggle in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Hungary at the Russian Defense Ministry ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Russian)
- ↑ a b Information on the Debrecen operation at the Russian Ministry of Defense ( Memento of the original from May 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Russian)
- ↑ P. Klatt: the 3rd building div. Podzun Verlag 1958, pp. 277–296, map attachment location of August 8, 1944
- ↑ a b Debrecen operation at hrono.ru (Russian)
- ↑ Россия И СССР в войнах XX века. Потери вооружённых сил. Статистическое исследование. Глава V.
- ↑ Krisztian Ungvary: Battle of Budapest, Herbig Verlag 2001, p. 15
- ↑ Debrecen operation
