The Soviet Budapest Offensive and the Siege of Budapest

Hungarian Second Army (Második Magyar Hadsereg)

SS-Standartenführer Helmut Dörner of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 8

Panzerkampfwagen Königstiger n°233 of s.Panzerabteilung 503

On October 15 1944 the Germans removed admiral Miklós Horthy from power in Budapest, and the Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross militia began a slaughter of 40,000 Jews and 28,000 gypsies. This was followed by the Soviet Budapest Offensive, beginning October 29 1944. By Christmas Eve 1944 the Soviets had almost surrounded Budapest. The siege lasted until the fall of Budapest on February 13 1945. The Germans lost all or most of the 13.Panzer-Division and the 60.Panzergrenadier-Division Feldherrnhalle, the controversial bandit-fighting 8.SS-Kavallerie-Division Florian Geyer composed of Romanian Volksdeutsche and the 22.SS-Freiwilligen Kavallerie-Division Maria Theresia composed primarily of Hungarian Volksdeutsche. The Royal Hungarian I Corps was completely destroyed. Budapest lay in ruins, with more than 80 percent of its buildings destroyed or damaged. Soviet losses are estimated to 320,000 total casualties. When the Soviets finally claimed victory, they initiated an orgy of violence, including the wholesale theft of anything they could lay their hands on, random executions and mass rape. In Budapest alone, an estimated 50,000 women and children were raped. Hungarian girls were kidnapped and taken to Red Army quarters, where they were imprisoned, repeatedly raped, and sometimes murdered. Even embassy staff from neutral countries were captured and raped, as documented when Soviet soldiers attacked the Swedish legation in Germany. In January 1945, 32,000 ethnic Germans from within Hungary were arrested and transported to the Soviet Union as forced laborers. Many died there as a result of hardship and ill-treatment. Overall, more than 500,000 Hungarians were transported to the Soviet Union. While this destroyed most of the German forces in the region, troops were rushed from the Western Front and, in March 1945, the Germans launched the ill-fated Operation Spring Awakening. Top image: Hungarian Second Army with a Swedish 29M Bofors 80mm anti-aircraft gun in firing position. During the ensuing Siege of Budapest, it was destroyed completely and absorbed into the Hungarian Third Army. Photo by Hungarian Major Tamás Konok. Credit: Paul Reynolds. Fortepan. FU. Middle image: the highly decorated commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 8 of the 4.SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier-Division Helmut Dörner is seen here in Oct. 1944 on his way to prepare the defence of Budapest. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves and Swords. During the siege of Budapest, the then SS-Oberführer Dörner became the commander of a mixed battle group. He got killed or captured on Feb. 11 1945 in Budapest during a breakthrough attempt while trying to reach the IV.SS-Panzerkorps. FU. Bottom image: Königstiger n°301 of schwere Panzerabteilung 503 pictured near St. Georges Square in Budapest on Oct. 16 1944. Photo by KB Faupel. Credit: Royston Leonard. Bundesarchiv.