Operation Spring Awakening
On the 12th of January 1945, Adolf Hitler received confirmation that the Soviet Red Army had begun a massive winter offensive through Poland. This event was named the Vistula, Oder offensive and involved over 2 million men. The news placed considerable new pressure on the Eastern Front. Hitler immediately began to plan a major offensive of his own in response. At that time, his best remaining panzer forces were still engaged on the Western Front. On the 20th of January, he ordered Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt to withdraw specific units from the ongoing Battle of the Bulge. These units included the I SS Panzer Corps with the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. They also included the II SS Panzer Corps with the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich and the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen. Hitler wanted to secure the extremely vital Nagykanizsa oil fields of southern Hungary. These fields made up 80% of the remaining reserves for the European Axis powers. Without them, the war effort could not be continued. Hitler considered the protection of Vienna and Austria as of vital importance. He stated that he would rather see Berlin fall than lose the Hungarian oil area and Austria.
German units moved in great secrecy to the Lake Balaton area to prepare for Operation Spring Awakening. Many German units were involved, including the 6th Panzer Army and its subordinate Waffen-SS divisions after being withdrawn from the failed Ardennes offensive. The slow withdrawal was greatly hampered by Allied air superiority. Elements of the III. Flak-Korps were tasked with protecting the 6th SS Panzer Army while en route to Zossen south of Berlin. From here the units' possible de-training locations seemed to be cities along the Oder River. This was a calculated misinformation measure to confuse enemy forces who actually attacked these cities. The real plan for the units of 6th SS Panzer Army was to travel south through Vienna to their first Hungarian destination, the city of Győr. Other units from other armies were also sent to the Hungarian theater. For example, the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Reichsführer-SS was brought up from Italy through the Brenner straight. Some units necessary for the major offensive did not arrive in Hungary until just a few days before its start. The last unit to arrive was the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen at the beginning of March. By the 7th of February, strict secrecy rulings were put into place on orders of Hitler. These included a death penalty for command infractions and covered license plates.
Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin ordered his armies to prepare for a German offensive on his entire Front. Preparation had to be completed no later than the 3rd of March. To ensure sufficient supply of war materials and fuel, stockpiles were set up on either side of the Danube. A ferry was put into use and additional temporary bridges and gas pipelines were built on the river. Tolbukhin's plan was to initially slow down the German advance to rob their offensive of momentum. He intended to then begin grinding down the attacking armies before initiating the planned Soviet offensive. The 3rd Ukrainian Front worked on digging in and creating extensive trench networks ideal for anti-tank defenses. On average for every kilometer of Front, 700 or more anti-tank mines and 600 or more anti-infantry mines were placed. In the 26th Army sector these numbers rose to 2,700 and 2,900 respectively. Between the 4th Guards Army and 26th Guards Army, 66 anti-tank zones were created whose depth reached 30 to 35 kilometers. Each anti-tank position held 8 to 16 artillery guns and a similar number of anti-tank guns. The 233rd Rifle Division dug 27 kilometers of trenches between the 18th of February and the 3rd of March.
The offensive units did not start in unison owing to complications. Units of the 6th SS Panzer Army began their attack at 04:00 while the 2nd SS Panzer Corps attacked at 18:30. On the 6th of March 1945, the German 6th Army launched a pincer movement north and south of Lake Balaton. Ten armored divisions and five infantry divisions struck the 3rd Ukrainian Front. The attack was spearheaded by the 6th SS Panzer Army and included once elite units such as the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Dietrich's army made good progress at first. As they drew near the Danube, the combination of muddy terrain and strong Soviet resistance had ground the German advance to a halt. By the 10th of March, Axis forces around Lake Balaton had a total of 230 operational tanks and 167 operational assault guns. A single fully equipped late 1944 Panzer division would officially have held no fewer than 136 tanks. This meant that by the 10th of March the entire offensive immediately surrounding Lake Balaton had enough tanks for only 1.7 Panzer divisions.
On the 16th of March, Soviet forces counterattacked in strength. The Germans were driven back to the positions they had held before Operation Spring Awakening began. The overwhelming numerical superiority of the Red Army made any defense impossible. On the 22nd of March, the remnants of the 6th SS Panzer Army withdrew towards Vienna. By the 30th of March, the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front crossed from Hungary into Austria. By the 4th of April, the 6th SS Panzer Army was already in the Vienna area desperately setting up defensive lines against the anticipated Soviet Vienna offensive. Approaching and encircling the Austrian capital were the Soviet 4th and 6th Guards Tank armies. The Soviets' Vienna Offensive ended with the fall of the city on the 13th of April. Between the 25th of April and the 4th of May, the 2nd Panzer Army was attacked near Nagykanizsa during the Nagykanizsa, Körmend offensive. Sepp Dietrich, commander of the Sixth SS Panzer Army, joked that "6th Panzer Army is well named, we have just six tanks left." This comment reflected the dire state of his forces after the failed offensive.
By the 14th of March, Operation Spring Awakening was at risk of failure. The 6th SS Panzer Army was well short of its goals. German losses were heavy. Heeresgruppe Süd lost 15,117 casualties in the first eight days of the offensive. On the 15th of March, strength returns showed the Hohenstaufen Division with 35 Panther tanks and 20 Panzer IVs. Forty-two percent of these vehicles were damaged or under repair. The Das Reich Division had 27 Panthers and 22 Panzer IVs on hand. The failure of the operation resulted in an armband order issued by Hitler to Dietrich. As a mark of disgrace, the Waffen-SS units involved in the battle were ordered to remove their cuff titles. Dietrich did not relay the order to his troops. Between 16 and the 25th of March, the Hungarian Third Army had been destroyed about west of Budapest by the Soviet 46th Army. The strategic consequences for Germany included the destruction of elite Waffen-SS divisions and the loss of the last significant oil reserves.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
What was Operation Spring Awakening and when did it take place?
Operation Spring Awakening was the last major German offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that began in early March 1945. The offensive units started their attack at 04:00 on the 6th of March 1945 while other elements attacked later that day.
Why did Adolf Hitler order Operation Spring Awakening to secure Hungarian oil fields?
Adolf Hitler ordered Operation Spring Awakening to secure the extremely vital Nagykanizsa oil fields of southern Hungary which made up 80% of the remaining reserves for the European Axis powers. He stated that he would rather see Berlin fall than lose the Hungarian oil area and Austria because without these resources the war effort could not be continued.
Which German divisions participated in Operation Spring Awakening near Lake Balaton?
German units involved in Operation Spring Awakening included the 6th Panzer Army with its subordinate Waffen-SS divisions such as the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. Other participating forces were the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich, the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, and the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Reichsführer-SS brought from Italy through the Brenner straight.
How many anti-tank mines did Soviet forces place per kilometer during Operation Spring Awakening?
On average for every kilometer of Front, 700 or more anti-tank mines and 600 or more anti-infantry mines were placed by Soviet forces preparing for Operation Spring Awakening. In the 26th Army sector these numbers rose to 2,700 and 2,900 respectively while 66 anti-tank zones were created between the 4th Guards Army and 26th Guards Army.
When did Operation Spring Awakening fail and what were the consequences for German forces?
By the 14th of March Operation Spring Awakening was at risk of failure after heavy losses including 15,117 casualties in Heeresgruppe Süd during the first eight days of the offensive. The strategic consequences included the destruction of elite Waffen-SS divisions and the loss of the last significant oil reserves which left Sepp Dietrich's army with only six tanks remaining.