Helion & Company Limited 26 Willow Road Solihull West Midlands B91 1UE England Tel. 0121 705 3393 Fax 0121 711 4075 Email: [email protected] Website: www.helion.co.uk Twitter: @helionbooks Visit our blog http://blog.helion.co.uk/ Published by Helion & Company 2013 Designed and typeset by Farr out Publications, Wokingham, Berkshire Cover designed by Farr out Publications, Wokingham, Berkshire Printed by Gutenberg Press Limited, Tarxien, Malta Text © Norbert Számvéber 2013. Maps © Barbara Taylor 2013. Originally published as Páncélosok a Felvidéken, Páncélosütközetek a Dunától északra, 1944–1945 (Nagykovácsi: Puedlo Kiadó, 2008). ISBN: 978 1 907677 64 9 EPUB ISBN: 978 1 910294 20 8 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written consent of Helion & Company Limited. Front cover: Armoured personnel carriers of German Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 6 on the bridge east of Komárom, December 1944. (Photo courtesy by Mirko Bayerl). For details of other military history titles published by Helion & Company Limited contact the above address, or visit our website: http://www.helion.co.uk. We always welcome receiving book proposals from prospective authors. Contents List of maps List of tables Glossary of German Military Terms Introduction 1. Armour along the Ipoly and the Garam (11-31 December 1944) 2. Averting the counterattack: the tank battle at Komárom (6-22 January 1945) Photo Gallery 3. Operation “Südwind” (17-24 February 1945) 4. Attack of the Soviet-Romanian forces in the direction of Bratislava–Brno (25-31 March 1945) Appendices I. Order of battle of the Division “Szent László” as of 21-22 December 1944 II. Armoured strength of the Hungarian 2nd Armoured Division, December 1944 Bibliography List of maps In colour section General key for all maps The region of Ipolyság, area of combat actions 11-17 December 1944. The region of the Garam and Ipoly rivers, area of combat actions 18-31 December 1944. Overview map for combat actions 6 January-31 March 1945. The battle of Komárom 6 January to the dawn of 7 January 1945. The battle of Komárom 7 January 1945. The battle of Komárom 8-9 January 1945. The battle of Komárom 10-11 January 1945. The battle of Komárom 12-13 January 1945. The battle of Komárom 14-16 January 1945. The battle of Komárom 17-22 January 1945. Operation “Südwind” 17-24 February 1945. The Soviet advance towards Brno and Bratislava 25-31 March 1945. List of tables Table 1 – Strength of LXXII. Armeekorps, 19 December 1944 Table 2 – Strength of the three Panzer divisions of LVII. Panzerkorps, 21 December 1944 Table 3 – Combat strength of LXXII. Armeekorps, 27 December 1944 Table 4 – Armoured fighting vehicle strength of LXXII. Armeekorps, 28 December 1944 Table 5 – German and Hungarian armoured fighting vehicle losses, 20-30 December 1944 Table 6 – Soviet tank and self-propelled gun losses, 20-30 December 1944 Table 7 – Strength of 9th Guards Mechanized Corps, 5 January 1945 Table 8 – Strength of 5th Guards Tank Corps, 5 January 1945 Table 9 – Armoured fighting vehicle strength of 6th Guards Tank Army, 22January 1945 Table 10 – Comparative strength of armoured fighting vehicles, 6-20 January 1945 Table 11 – Heeresgruppe Süd casualties, 6-22 January 1945 Table 12 – Comparative losses, 6-22 January 1945 Table 13 – Strength of the two Panzer divisions of Panzerkorps “Feldherrnhalle”, beginning of Operation “Südwind” Table 14 – Armoured strength of German units participating in Operation “Südwind”, 17 February 1945 Table 15 – Armoured strength of independent German units participating in Operation “Südwind”, 20 February 1945 Table 16 – Soviet losses according to German reports, 17-22 February 1945 Table 17 – Strength and combat readiness of German formations fighting on the western bank of the Garam, 24 February 1945 Table 18 – German battle casualties, 17-22 February 1945 Table 19 – German combat-ready armoured strength, 24 February 1945 Table 20 – Armoured strength of I.SS-Panzerkorps before and after Operation “Südwind”, 1945 Table 21 – Armoured fighting vehicle strength of 2nd Romanian Tank Regiment, 11 March 1945 Table 22 – Units defending the Hungarian sector of the Garam attached to Panzerkorps “Feldherrnhalle”, 24 March 1945 Glossary of German Military Terms Abteilung detachment/battalion (dependent upon context) Abteilungskommandeur detachment/battalion commander Abteilungsarzt detachment/battalion doctor Armeekorps Army Corps Artillerie artillery Arzt doctor Aufklärung reconnaissance Aufklärungsabteilung reconnaissance detachment Aufklärungszug reconnaissance platoon Aufstellungsstab formation staff Ausbildungs training Ausbildungs und Ersatz training and replacement Bataillon battalion Bataillonsarzt battalion doctor Batterie battery Befehlshaber senior area commander Chefsarzt head surgeon d.R. (der Reserve) reserve grade officer Divisionsarzt (IVb) divisional doctor Divisionsbegleitkompanie divisional escort company Divisionsstab divisional staff Einheit unit, could be a generic term, or refer to a specific, often temporary unit, e.g. Einheit “Krause” Einsatzstab operational staff Ersatz replacement Feldbrückekolonne field bridging column Feldlazarett field hospital Flak anti-aircraft General Staff Officer General Staff Officer Generalstabsoffizier Gruppe squad Gruppenführer squad leader, also an SS General officer rank Halbzugführer half platoon leader Hauptmann beim Stabe battalion staffhead Heeresgruppe Army Group Hilfsarzt assistant doctor Ia first staff officer (1. Generalstabsoffizier) Ib supply officer Ic intelligence officer IIa adjutant IVa administrative officer IVb doctor V engineer Infanterie infantry Inspekteur Inspector Instandsetzungsabteilung maintenance detachment Kampfgruppe battle group (temporarily assembled) Kommandeur commander Kompanie company Kompanie Chef company commander (permanent) Kompanie Führer company leader (not permanently designated, although they often were later) Korps corps Kraderkundungszug motorcycle reconnaissance platoon Kradmelderzug motorcycle dispatch rider platoon Kradschützen motorcycle riflemen Kradschützenzug motorcycle platoon Krankenkraftwagenkolonne ambulance column Lehrgruppe teaching group leichte light Major beim Stabe regimental staffhead MLR MLR main line of resistance (in German, HKL, hauptkampflinie) Nachschubdienst supply service Nachschubtruppen supply troops Nachrichten signals/communications Nachrichten Offizier signals officer Nachrichtenzug signals platoon Nachrichtenabteilung signals detachment NPEA Nationalpolitische Erziehungsansalt, National Political Education Institute O1 ordnance officer, assigned to Ia O2 ordnance officer, assigned to Ib Offizier Officer Ordnungspolizei Order Police (uniformed) Ordonnanz Offizier ordnance officer Panzer armour/tank Panzergrenadier armoured infantry Panzergrenadierschule armoured infantry school Panzerjäger tank hunter Panzerjägerzug tank hunter platoon Panzerjäger Abteilung tank hunter detachment Panzerkorps armored corps Pionier engineer Pionier Bataillon engineer battalion Regimentsarzt regimental doctor Regimentskommandeur regimental commander Sanitäts medical Sanitätsabteilung medical detachment Sanitätskompanie medical company Sanitäts Staffel medical group Scheinwerfer searchlight Schirrmeister NCO for motor vehicles Stab staff/HQ Stabsbatterie staff battery Stabschef Chief of Staff Stabskompanie staffcompany Stabsscharführer senior designated NCO Sturmgeschütz assault gun (limited traverse armored vehicle) TFK Technical Officer for Vehicles TFW Technical Officer for Weapons Truppführer squad leader Truppenübungsplatz troop training area Unterführeranwärter non-commissioned officer-candidate instruction Lehrgang course Versorgungskompanie supply company Verwaltungsführer officer responsible for administration Verwaltungsoffzier administrative officer Werfer rocket projector Werkmeister maintenance foreman Werkstattkompanie repair company Werkstattzug repair platoon Wirtschafts Abteilung administrative detachment Zahnarzt dentist Zug platoon Zugführer platoon leader II. Zugführer 2nd platoon leader