When did the Siege of Budapest begin and end?
The Red Army began its offensive against Budapest on the 29th of October 1944. The remaining defenders finally surrendered on the 13th of February 1945.
Questions about Siege of Budapest
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who commanded German forces during the Siege of Budapest?
Waffen SS General Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch commanded the city's defenses. Adolf Hitler declared Budapest a fortress city called Festung Budapest and ordered it defended to the last man.
How many civilians died during the Siege of Budapest?
According to historian Krisztián Ungváry, thirty-eight thousand civilians died during the siege. About thirteen thousand deaths resulted from military action while twenty-five thousand came from starvation, disease, and other causes.
What happened to Hungarian Jews during the Siege of Budapest?
Fifteen thousand Jews were killed in mass executions by the far-right Hungarian nationalist Arrow Cross Party. Soviet staff prohibited ill-treatment of prisoners and civilians almost every unit received such orders after hostilities ended.
Why was Operation Konrad launched during the Siege of Budapest?
Germans launched Operation Konrad I on the 1st of January 1945 to relieve the encircled city. The IV SS Panzer Corps attacked from Tata through hilly terrain northwest of Budapest to break the Soviet ring around the capital.