The Budapest Siege

World War II German Military
#61

Memoirs from a hungarian army enlistment

A first lieutnant sitting behind a table with gloomy face,wearing a bright summer uniform.Near the table some some men loitering some in uniform,some in civilian clothes.

  • First Fightning Corps! - crowed the officer and wrote on a slip of paper the assigment of someone
  • Where I go? - asking a scared men in a greatcoat
  • Go to the Grammar School there is the site of the First Fightning Corps,and there you will dress in uniform.
    Here is your status,wear with fit.
    Then in the battle you prove also you love your country!
    You haven’t got any rating?
  • No, - answer the scared civilian. - I never was in the army.
  • Now you’re in the army! - answer the officer
    The walls are shaking under the strong detonations.
  • What hapenned you get frightened?That isn’t a hit,that was a blastoff if you don’t know.
    This is our Bofors gun from the next street,the enemy is scared if that start to tune up.
    You have time to fall into this music pending our supreme victory!
#62

29th of december in 1944 the soviet high command with the consent of Stalin to order to the german hungarian army to surrrender.
Pfeffer Wildenbruch strongly refuse the ultimatum,allude to Hitler order,to hold the capitol until the finals

#63

The Red Army from 30th of december until 2nd of january are firing the capitol with almost 1000 heavy artillery cannons,under 7-10 hours,and the soviet planes are bombing the city in the remaining time.
The result is:1 million people is homeless,the number of the deads are unknown

Memoirs of a Captain 1st of january 1945
“In the dawn we occupy our new position in the new cemetery.
Our battery position is in the catalfalque building.
At 8:00 am spontaneously the enemy heavy artillery fire is starting,as I never seen in the hungarian fields.
The ground is shaking all area in the whole cemetery.
The mens are running out from the building and try to jump the dikes,the russian infantry is attack,but we defend our lines.
In the early afternoon a soviet tank came up at the brick factory,but the factory other side a german Tiger is hiding.
A german warrant officer is step out from the Tiger,slowly crawling on the ground and command with his hands the staff who control the Tiger turret.The Tiger shoot out the the Soviet tank with one shot.
At midnight the russians are attacking us again suddenly but they fall back.
Next morning with my 15 mens who survived,we’re fall back direction to the Dreher beer factory”

#64

The bombing of Budapest
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7069/bombingofbudapest.jpg
South train station
http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/9493/delipu.jpg
Szent György square (St George square)
http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/5399/stgyorgyter.jp
Széll Kálmán square (now called Moscow square)
http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/5706/szllkalmanmoszkvater.jpg

#65

The report of the IX. Waffen SS mountain corps 5th of january 1945

“The fightning for Budapest is contine with unabating swing,the enemy artillery and mortars is especially active.Both side has great losses.The absence of our ammunition supply,and the range losses are small in contempt under the strong enemy attacks.The status of the ammunition supply is so strained,we have only one day necessary ammunition.Several type of munition is run out.”

#66

Report of the German Hungarian Commands 14th of january 1945

“The whole day pass away under the enemy bombings.The enemy bombers are bombarding in a mass bond and the fighter planes are shooting the streets of their guns.They bring on great losses and conflagration.Our scarce artillery munition using only with budget,the fuel is run out completely,the status of our support service is very critical,the number of the injured,is catastrophic.”

#67

17th of january in 1945 19:25 pm
Pfeffer Wildenbruch receive the command of the evacuation of the eastern section of the capitol.

Memoirs of a colonel 17th of january 1945
“Round oaths in german and hungarian language also.
Total chaos.
We don’t know exactly where we are,the mass is whirling me.The burning buildings are flooding the heat,the falling burning pieces dive into the vehicles.Infantry units is moving between the carriages.
Traffic jam after 10-20 meters.
Submachinegun rounds mixing into the horrible detonations.Motorized german military police mens are try to direct the traffic,but they fail.Low trajectory shells flying and hit around.
The injureds are suffering and shouting.
Traffic jam.Again.
There is many holes in the bridge in one is a wrecked german vehicle get nipped,the vehicle back is spear up to the sky,in the inside the passengers are dead.
We get out the on the other side of the bridge with a miracle.
The fireworks made daylight in the night.”

#68

Memoirs of a commander

“The commander of the german changing unit was a young Waffen SS officer.He wear a long opened cape,and a Knight’s Cross and a submachine gun on his neck.He show me the outposts,then we enter a nice,modern two floor house.The german officer opened his map on a big black piano,and show us our position.We talk a few words in german.He sad he is a high school teacher.He spoke in very nice german accent.At the bottom of the mountain a german soldier corpse laying between the houses with a head shot.The corpse is warning us,soviet snipers snug in the mountains”

#69

In 18th of january: the two primary bridge (Lánchid,Erzsébet hid/Chain bridge,Elisabeth bridge) is blow up by the germans
In 21st of of january: the Red Army is get across in the Duna river
25th of january in 1945
The troops of the Waffen SS and some scandinavian SS unit are recapture the bigger part of the cemetery in Farkasrét (Wolf Meadow).
They hold the 1 kilometer line about 80 person with Mg 42 machineguns and the cooperation of the undergrad students who capture some scoped rifle from the urban sport club.
The SS troops outposts are located by the undercrofts in the cemetery (the troops are drop out the coffins and bush the undercrofts with blankets inside) which become their graves many of them later.

Report of the IX. Waffen SS Gebirgsjagers

“The entered enemy troops are eliminated in unusual heavy fight,the area is marked off.
The fights keep going.
Heavy casualties on each side”

#70

The hospitals and the makeshift hospitals are full,one part of the injured placed in the hungarian High Command Captaincy.

Memoirs of a officer

"With the evening report in my hands I stumbling between the ruins of the captaincy to the room of the commander.The part of the corridor has been cleared for a half meter,both side injured civilians and soldiers laying on the floor.
Someone hold of the stem of my cape.
A blonde girl with beautiful face.She’s whisper to me,beggin: - bring out your sidearm,and shoot me down please
I shocked…she’s lost her both legs. "

#71

In the reports both the two sides complain about other:
the germans complain about the hungarians low fightning morale and the too much desertion,the hungarian army complain full default in the cooperations with the germans,pass by the operations and the requests of the hungarian army.

#72

3rd of february: Angelo Rotta Nuncio of the Pope of Rome visited Pfeffer Wildenbruch SS Obergruppenführer in his HQ in Budapest,to ask the commander about the end of the fights,and to considering about the germans the civilian deaths and suffering.
The obergruppenführer is contact again the High Command Captaincy of the Wehrmacht in the the Reich the answer was:
“The order of the Führer is immutable,hold Budapest until the last man.”
5th of february:the last plane is get down at the Vérmező (Blood Field)
The germans is using the field for the support planes until this day.
The last day supply list:
97 tons of ammunition
10 tons of fuel
28 tons of comestible
4 tank of storage and loose part

The victualling is worse.
Menu for the next 5 day for each soldier per day:
Fat (5 gramm)
Bread (1 slice)
Horse meat

Report of the hungarian forces:
“The Castle and the Circuit of Christina is ruined.
Anti aircraft defend is zero,the aa soldiers is joined to the infantry.
The troops are exhausted and tired.”

#73

The exploited Lánchid (Chain Bridge)
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/5756/lanchid.jpg
The Vérmező (Blood Field) with the wrecked german support planes
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7994/vermezt.jpg

#74

Hitler send almost the half of the armored divisions of the eastern front to Hungary,with the commanding of Guderian also.
About 200 tanks and armored vehicles,and 60.000 troop of the Waffen SS to help the defenders of the capitol.
The Operation name was Konrad I. and Konrad II. the operation was failed.

#75

The Breakout

“The consciousness that I am alive,makes me bad dreams every day” (Helmut Wolff lieutenant colonel,one who survived)

#76

Memoirs of a eyewitness

“It was 10th of february and mountains rolled in the fog,with thin snow.I feel chilly in the cold.The german officers command the wehrmacht troops who running into the offices with the reports,like a big military manoeuvre.
The troops are laying in the snow and firing to the enemy.The troops isn’t care about the flying whistle bullets.One officer drop down dead,another step into his position,looks like he know,but ignore the sense:the end is here.”

Pfeffer Wildenbruch intent about the breakout on this day,and the next day in the last moment he report the breakout to the High Command in his radio,in contempt of Hitler’s will.

#77

[b]11th of february 1945 17:50 pm

The last radio message from the enclosed Budapest:[/b]

"1. Our comestible is out,the last bullet is loaded.The defenders of Budapest have to choose the capitulation or the massacre without fight.We search a new support base with the last german units who can fight and soldiers from the hungarian army.
2. After dark in 11th of february,I order the breakout. Please give a check around Szomor.
3. Semaphore: green twice = proper forces. Password: Hindenburg-Hitler
4. Forces:germans 23.900 (injured 9600);hungarians 20.000 (injured 2000);civilians 80-100.000

After the message the staff blasted the radio,to nobody can turn back the operation.

#78

11th of february 1945 20:00 pm
The first wave make a move.
First step:In the right side the XIII. Armoured Division,on the left side 8th Florian Geyer Waffen SS cavalry
Second step:22. Maria Theresia Waffen SS cavalry and the Ferdherrnhalle Panzergrenadier Division with the hungarian army
Third step:Injureds and staff,civilians
The first wave infantry is standing in groups,every group has 30 person,and every group has a hungarian soldier who know the best way to get out from the city.
The first wave got 8-12 different vehicles,Tigers and motorized and armored SS columns.
(In the last moment Waffen SS Obergruppenführer Wildenbruch is choose another way to get out with Dörner Waffen SS Oberführer and with 500 Waffen SS policemen.)

Memoirs of a soldier at the first wave

“Suddenly soldiers running from every way on the road.Another grenade blast.Everybody get down in the dark and hiding at the entrance of the nearest buildings.The peoples hustle kicking each other like animals.
Now we’re rushing on the opened square under the firing machineguns and submachineguns and blasting grenades,fire everywhere.There is no time to think.In a front of me a wrecked firing tank,and a soviet cannon which shoot into the running mass again and again.
Every hit bullseye.
Corpse mountains everywhere”

The russians start to playing from their speakers the well known song hit: “You can’t escape…”

#79

The map of the breakout
http://oi54.tinypic.com/14d3o0j.jpg
(Red:Soviet forces,Blue German Hungarian forces)
Katalin Karády - You can’t escape

#80

Memoirs from a medic at the second wave

"In every doorway injureds laying.
Moaning,profane words,praying:
“Kamerad please shoot me down please…you isn’t have heart?!?The pistol is right here on the ground.Please shoot me down.I don’t do the stuff,both of my hands are break away…”