Spring Awakening - PzC 17 Budapest 45

On February 17th 1945 the Ist SS Pz Corps of Army Group South commanded by Wohler defeated the Russian bridge head over the river Hron, five days later on February 21st 1945, Wohler met under the most absolute secrecy with Hermman Balck (6th Army commander) and Dietrich (6th SS Pz Army commander) who were both deployed in Hungary . As a result of this meeting the next day Wohler sent four operational plans for an offensive at the Balaton Lake area with the objective of regaining the Hungarian territory to the west bank of the Danube, retaking Budapest and thus securing the Hungarian oil resources still at German hands. The operation, code named 'Unternehmen Fruhlingserwachen' (Operation Spring Awakening), was to be launched on March the 6th. Unfortunately the Russians were alerted to the German intentions and fortified the 3rd Ukrainian Front with belts of trenches, mines and anti-tank weapons, when the offensive was launched the muddy conditions and tenacious Russian defense combined to produced a nightmare situation for the advancing German forces, finally eight days after the start of the offensive, it was clear even for Hitler, that the offensive was a complete and absolute failure.