Editing Operation Spring Awakening (section)

== German plan ==

=== Creation of Operation Spring Awakening ===

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1989-105-13A, Ungarn, deutscher Rückzug.jpg|thumb|right|German units during the operation, March 1945]]

During a Situation Conference on 7 January 1945, at which both [[Hermann Göring]] and [[Gerd von Rundstedt|Rundstedt]] were present, Hitler proposed his intention of pulling the [[6th SS Panzer Army]] to reserve due to severe Allied air attacks.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=112}}</ref> Rundstedt received the withdrawal orders on January 8, and the Panzer Army's divisions began preparations to withdraw from the stalled [[Battle of the Bulge|Ardennes Offensive]].<ref name=":3" /> The slow withdrawal was greatly hampered by Allied air superiority.<ref name=":14">{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=113}}</ref>

On 12 January, the Soviet [[1st Ukrainian Front|1st Ukrainian]] and [[1st Belorussian Front|1st Belorussian]] Fronts began their Vistula–Oder offensive with over 2 million men{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}, placing considerable new pressure on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]. When this news reached Hitler, he immediately began to plan a major offensive of his own on this Front. Unfortunately, at the time, Hitler's best remaining panzer forces were still engaged on the [[Western Front (World War II)|Western Front]].<ref name=":3" /> On 20 January, Hitler ordered Rundstedt to withdraw forces from the ongoing Battle of the Bulge; the 1st SS, 2nd SS, and 12th SS Panzer Divisions managed to disengage and withdraw the same day.<ref name=":15">{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=115}}</ref> Almost all support units of the 6th SS Panzer Army were pulled from the [[Ardennes]] by 22 January, while the 9th SS Panzer Division was the last to leave on 23 January.<ref name=":15" />

On this same day, 22 January, Hitler committed to send the fatigued 6th SS Panzer Army to Hungary for his new counteroffensive, a view [[Heinz Guderian]] ([[Oberkommando des Heeres|OKH]]) partially agreed with. Guderian wanted the 6th SS Panzer Army on the Eastern Front, but would have preferred its employment in the defence of Berlin.<ref name=":14" /> A glimpse of the ensuing verbal exchange during this argument was captured in [[Alfred Jodl]]'s ([[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht|OKW]]) post-war interrogation, where he quotes Hitler saying: "''You want to attack without oil – good, we'll see what happens when you attempt that''".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=120}}</ref>

Hitler's reasoning for sending the 6th SS Panzer Army south into Hungary can be understood through the list of main strategic points listed in a Situation in the East conference held on January 23: 1) The Hungarian oil region and Vienna oil region, which made up 80% of remaining reserves, had to be defended and/or retaken, and without which the war effort could not be continued; 2) the defense of the [[Province of Upper Silesia|Upper Silesian]] industrial region, vital for the war economy and coal production.<ref name=":14" /> Two quotes illustrate how seriously Hitler viewed this ruling: "''Hitler considered the protection of Vienna and Austria as of vital importance and that he would rather see Berlin fall than lose the Hungarian oil area and Austria''",<ref>{{Cite book|last=Warlimont|first=Walter|title=Inside Hitler's Headquarters|year=1990|pages=499}}</ref> "''He'' [Hitler] ''accepted the risk of the Russian threat to the Oder east of Berlin''".<ref name=":14" /> Hitler chose to ignore Guderian's view for how the 6th SS Panzer Army should be deployed.

On 27 January, Guderian was tasked by Hitler to stop the [[3rd Ukrainian Front]] in the vicinity of the Margit Line in order to protect the vital oil fields.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=13}} The following day, 28 January, this operation received its preliminary name, Operation Süd (German: South).{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=13}} The main objectives of the operation were as follows: 1) the security of vital raw materials such as oil, bauxite, and manganese for iron, 2) the defense of arable land for food and crops, the Austrian military industrial complex, and the city of Vienna, and 3) to stop the Soviet advance.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=13}} Interestingly, an additional side-objective was the hope that the counteroffensive would force the Soviet command to divert some forces from its northern offensives headed to [[Berlin]] instead towards Hungary.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=13}}<ref name=":14" />

Operation Süd was scheduled to start after a path to Budapest had been established.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=13}} The operation would be considered a success if 1) Operation Konrad III could pin the Soviets between the [[Vértes Mountains|Vértes mountains]] and the Danube, 2) the [[8th Army (Wehrmacht)|8th Army]] could secure its Front in Northern Hungary, and 3) if the incoming panzer armies could be refitted during transit to maintain the element of surprise.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=13}}

Four plans for Operation Süd were produced by high-ranking officials from [[Army Group South]], the 6th SS Panzer Army, and the [[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|6th Army]]: "Lösung A" (German: Solution A) by [[Fritz Kraemer (Waffen-SS)|Fritz Krämer]] of the 6th SS Panzer Army; "Lösung B" and "Lösung C2" by Helmuth von Grolman of Army Group South; and "Lösung C1" by [[Heinrich Gaedcke]] of the 6th Army.  There was much fighting and bickering as to which plan should be implemented.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|pp=15–17}} The commander of Army Group South, [[Otto Wöhler]], chose "Lösung B".{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|pp=15–17}}

The four plans were sent to Guderian on 22 February for review, and Army Group South informed [[Army Group F]] commander [[Maximilian von Weichs]] on  23 February that the operation would commence on 5 March, in anticipation that Operation Südwind (German: South Wind) would have finished successfully by 24 February.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=17}} If Operation Südwind was successful, Operation Süd's start could be deferred by 8 to 9 days.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=18}} On 25 February, Hitler ordered Wöhler, Weichs, and Dietrich to personally present the plans for Operation Süd to him, along with Guderian and Jodl,<ref name=":19">{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=152}}</ref> at the [[Reich Chancellery]] in Berlin, where he ultimately chose "Lösung C2", disagreeing with the commander of Army Group South, Otto Wöhler.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=18}} Guderian then ordered Wöhler to increase the daily fuel allowance from 400 to 500 cubic meters of fuel on February 26,{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=20}} and by February 28 the specifics of the operation, now officially named "Operation Frühlingserwachen" (Spring Awakening), were completed.{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|p=18}} As per "Lösung C2", 3 offensive prongs were planned, with the main attack of the 6th Army and 6th SS Panzer Army, "Frühlingserwachen", being directed towards the Danube through Lakes Velence and Balaton; the [[2nd Panzer Army]]'s "Eisbrecher" (Icebreaker) attack directed eastward from the western end of Lake Balaton; and the [[LXXXXI Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|LXXXXI Corps]] "Waldteufel" (Forest Devil) attack directed north from the [[Drava|Drava River]].{{sfn|Számvéber|2017|pp=19–20}}

=== Overarching German military structure ===
OKW was the overarching military command for the German army in WW2, while the OKH was officially a high command operating under OKW. Adolf Hitler was the Commander-in-chief of OKH, while also being the supreme commander of OKW.<ref name=":16">{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=4}}</ref> Finding itself issuing more and more direct orders, OKW eventually became responsible for Western and Southern commands, while OKH was responsible for Eastern commands.<ref name=":16" /> This operational overlap caused by the centralized command led to disagreements, shortages, waste, inefficiencies, and delays, often escalating to the point where Hitler himself would have to give the final ruling on a matter.<ref name=":16" />

For Operation Spring Awakening, the area for the new offensive was set on the borderline between OKW (Army Group F) and OKH (Army Group South), and this would cause troubles.<ref name=":16" /> [[Army Group E]] wanted to assemble its troops north of the Drava River by February 25, but Army Group South was not prepared to start the offensive this early due to the ongoing Operation Southwind; subsequently, the OKW and Hitler grew more impatient.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=148}}</ref> The chosen course of action on 25 February, "Lösung C2", favored the quicker and farther-reaching joint operation of the 2nd Panzer Army and 6th SS Panzer Army, while "Lösung B" opted to first secure the left flank of the main thrust "Frühlingserwachen" (between Lake Velence and the Danube) before moving south toward the 2nd Panzer army. Guderian was in favor of "Lösung C2" because this plan would shorten the time the 6th SS Panzer Division would need to stay in Hungary. The OKW and OKH did not use common terminology for parts of the offensive, as OKH referred to the entire offensive as Frühlingserwachen, while the OKW referred to the operation attacking north of the Drava as "Waldteufel".<ref name=":19" />

Army Group South and the OKH could not agree on how to best utilize the 1st Cavalry Corps. OKH wanted to send the Corps south-west to the 2nd Panzer army, a move Wöhler saw of little use since the 2nd Panzer army would have a lower chance of success compared to the main attacking thrust of "Frühlingserwachen". Wöhler wanted to use the 1st Cavalry Corps on the eastern shore of Lake Balaton, as German intelligence reported that "''the enemy is still the weakest between Lake Balaton and the [[Sárvíz (Sió)|Sárviz Channel]]''".<ref name=":20" />

To further complicate matters, due to the limited number of newly trained personnel this late in the war, units under [[Waffen-SS]] command were often kept at acceptable capacity levels using [[Wehrmacht]] personnel. For instance, only 1/3 of the 6th SS Panzer Army's staff were actually from the Waffen-SS.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=9}}</ref>

=== Arrival into the Hungarian theater ===
When withdrawing from the Western Front, elements of the [[III. Flakkorps|III. Flak-Korps]] were tasked with protecting the 6th SS Panzer Army while en route to [[Zossen]] south of Berlin.<ref name=":15" /> From here the units' possible de-training locations would seem to be the cities along the [[Oder|Oder River]], however this was a calculated misinformation measure to confuse enemy forces who actually attacked these cities.<ref name=":18">{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=116}}</ref> 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]] and its surrounding area.<ref name=":18" /> Other units from other armies were also sent to the Hungarian theater, for example the [[16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS|16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Reichsführer-SS]] who was brought up from [[Italy]] through the [[Brenner Pass|Brenner]] straight and sent to the 2nd Panzer Army.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=124}}</ref> Some units necessary for the major offensive did not arrive in Hungary until just a few days before its start, the last being the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen arriving in Győr at the beginning of March.<ref name=":20">{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=155}}</ref> Many of the incoming units also received cover names to help further mask the build-up of forces from the enemy.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="3" |Cover Names<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=125}}</ref>
|-
|Unit
|Official name
|Cover name
|-
|6th SS Panzer Army HQ
| HQ
|Higher Pioneer Leader Hungary
|-
|1st SS Panzer Division
|Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
|SS replacement unit "Totenkopf"
|-
|2nd SS Panzer Division
|Das Reich
|SS training group North
|-
|9th SS Panzer Division
|Hohenstaufen
|SS training group South
|-
|12th SS Panzer Division
|Hitlerjugend
|SS replacement unit "Wiking"
|-
|16th SS Panzer Gren. Division
|Reichsführer-SS
|13th SS Division replacement group
|}

By 7 February, on orders of Hitler, strict secrecy rulings were put into place: death penalty for command infractions, license plates were to be covered, insignia on vehicles and uniforms to be covered, no reconnaissance in forward combat areas, unit movements only by night or overcast conditions, no radio traffic, and the units were not to appear on situation maps.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=419}}</ref>

Prior to these measures, on 30 January, 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte was ordered to follow many of the same secrecy measures, including the temporary removal of their cuff titles.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=425}}</ref>

=== Objectives of the German forces ===
As per the selected "Lösung C2", the Germans planned to attack Soviet General [[Fyodor Tolbukhin]]'s 3rd Ukrainian Front.<ref name=Osprey>{{cite book|first=David R. |last=Higgins|title=Jagdpanther vs SU-100. Eastern Front 1945|year=2014|publisher=Osprey Publishing}}</ref> On 27 February, Army Group South hosted a chiefs-of-staff conference to which the chiefs-of-staff of the 2nd Panzer Army, 6th SS Panzer Army, 6th Army, 8th Army, and Luftflotte 4 attended; here the plans for Operation Spring Awakening were laid out.<ref name=":20" /> The offensive would consist of four forces, three were to be attack forces while one was to be a defense force.<ref name=":20" /> Below are the units under their respective command as discussed on 27 February.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="7" |"Frühlingserwachen" Attack Force<ref name=":21">{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=156–157}}</ref>
|-
!Army Group
!Commander
!Army
!Commander
!Corps
!Commander
!Divisions
|-
| rowspan="4" |[[Army Group South]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Otto Wöhler]]
| rowspan="3" |[[6th SS Panzer Army]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Sepp Dietrich]]
|[[I SS Panzer Corps]]
|[[Hermann Priess]]
|1st and 12th SS Panzer Divisions
|-
|[[II SS Panzer Corps]]
|[[Wilhelm Bittrich]]
|2nd and 9th SS Panzer Divisions, 23rd Panzer Division, 44th Volksgrenadier Division
|-
|1st Cavalry Corps
|
|3rd and 4th Cavalry Divisions
|-
|[[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|6th Army]]
|[[Hermann Balck]]
|[[III Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|III Panzer Corps]]
|[[Hermann Breith]]
|1st and 3rd Panzer Divisions, 356th Infantry Division, 25th Hungarian Infantry Division
|}
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="7" |"Eisbrecher" Attack Force<ref name=":21" />
|-
!Army Group
!Commander
!Army
!Commander
!Corps
!Commander
!Divisions
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Army Group South]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Otto Wöhler]]
| rowspan="2" |[[2nd Panzer Army]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Maximilian de Angelis]]
|[[LXVIII Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|LXVIII Corps]]
|[[Rudolf Konrad]]
|16th SS Panzergrenadier Division, 71st Infantry Division
|-
|[[XXII Mountain Corps (Wehrmacht)|XXII Mountain Corps]]
|[[Hubert Lanz]]
|1st Volksgrenadier Division, 118th Jäger Division (elements)
|}
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="7" |"Waldteufel" Attack Force<ref name=":21" />
|-
!Army Group
!Commander
!Army
!Commander
!Corps
!Commander
!Divisions
|-
|[[Army Group F]]
|[[Maximilian von Weichs]]
|[[Army Group E]]
|[[Alexander Löhr]]
|[[LXXXXI Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|LXXXXI Corps]]
|[[Werner von Erdmannsdorff]]
|297th Infantry Division, 104th Jäger Division, 11th Luftwaffe Field Division, 1st Cossack Division,
|}
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="7" |Defense Force<ref name=":21" />
|-
!Army Group
!Commander
!Army
!Commander
!Corps
!Commander
!Divisions
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Army Group South]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Otto Wöhler]]
|[[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|6th Army]]
|[[Hermann Balck]]
|[[IV SS Panzer Corps]]
|[[Herbert Gille]]
|3rd and 5th SS Panzer Divisions, 96th, 711st Infantry Divisions
|-
|[[Third Army (Hungary)|Third Hungarian Army]]
|[[József Heszlényi]]
|VIII Corps (Hun.)
|Dr Gyula Hankovszky
|2nd Hungarian Armoured Division, 1st Hussar Division, 6th Panzer Division, 37th SS Cavalry Division
|-
|[[2nd Panzer Army]]
|[[Maximilian de Angelis]]
|II Corps (Hun.)
|Istvan Kudriczy
|20th Hungarian Infantry Division (2-3 Battalions)
|}
On 28 February, the start date for Operation Spring Awakening was finally moved back to 6 March, though many commanders felt that a greater delay was necessary.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=161}}</ref> During the first days of March, alarming reports about road and terrain conditions due to the spring thaw flooded Army Group South Headquarters. Such thaws had previously badly affected 3 other operations in the area: planned Operation Spätlese in December, Operation Southwind, and the "Waldteufel" attack forcing a change of location for the attack bridgehead from [[Osijek]] to [[Donji Miholjac]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=164}}</ref> Despite the start of the operation being so close, some additional plans were thought up to help the sluggish assembly speeds of incoming units. On 3 March, the 6th SS Panzer Army suggested that a naval assault across Lake Balaton itself could be implemented to help the 1st Cavalry Corps on the southeastern edge, but this turned out to be impossible as the spring storms had blown the [[Drift ice|pack ice]] against the southern shore.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=169}}</ref>  On 5 March, the 6th SS Panzer Army took over command of the Hungarian II Corps, along with its 20th Hungarian Division and 9th replacement Division, hereby becoming responsible for the northern shore of Lake Balaton.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=172}}</ref>

The 6th Panzer Army was responsible for the primary thrust of the offensive, "Frühlingserwachen". It was to advance from an area north of Lake Balaton, through the two lakes (Balaton and Velence), and southeast to capture territory from the [[Sió|Sió Channel]] to the Danube. After reaching the Danube, one part of the army would turn north creating a northern spearhead and move along the Danube River to retake Budapest, which had been captured on 13 February 1945. Another part of 6th SS Panzer Army would then turn south and create a southern spearhead. The southern spearhead would move along the Sió to link up with units from German Army Group E, which was to thrust north through [[Mohács]]. However, the commanding staff of Army Group E was pessimistic about the LXXXXI Corps' ability to reach Mohács due to the unfavorable terrain and sole dependence on infantry.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maier|first=Georg|title=Drama Between Budapest and Vienna|publisher=J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-921991-78-9|location=Canada|pages=166}}</ref> Nonetheless, if successful, it was envisioned that the meeting of Army Group E's "Waldteufel" and the 6th SS Panzer Army's "Frühlingserwachen" would encircle both the Soviet [[26th Army (Soviet Union)|26th Army]] and the Soviet [[57th Army (Soviet Union)|57th Army]].<ref name="Osprey" />

The 6th Army would join the 6th SS Panzer Army in its thrust southeast to the Danube, then turn north to cover the flank of "Frühlingserwachen". The 2nd Panzer Army's "Eisbrecher" would advance from an area southwest of Lake Balaton and progress towards [[Kaposvár]] to engage the Soviet 57th Army. All this time, the [[Hungarian Third Army]] would hold the area west of Budapest along the [[Vértes Hills|Vértes Mountains]].<ref name="Osprey" />