Operation Southwind


Operation Southwind was a German offensive operation on the Eastern Front in Hungary, from 17–24 February 1945. The Germans succeeded in eliminating the Soviet bridgehead on the west bank of the river Hron in preparation for Operation Spring Awakening. This was one of the last successful German offensives in the Second World War.

Prelude

The Budapest Offensive was the general attack by Red Army against Hungary. This offensive lasted from 29 October 1944 until the fall of Budapest on 13 February 1945. By that time, in Hitler’s estimation, the Nagykanizsa oilfields in Hungary were the most strategically valuable oil reserves on the Eastern Front. Hitler ordered Sepp Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army to move to Hungary in order to protect the oilfields and refineries there. The 6th SS Panzer Army was to be the spearhead of Operation Spring Awakening. The units of the 6th SS Panzer Army were to be smuggled into Hungary with utmost care and secrecy. Each unit received a cover name.
A potential threat to this operation was the Soviet bridgehead on the west bank of the river Hron. This bridgehead was formed during the month January 1945. The OKH decided to eliminate this bridgehead, before the launching of Spring Awakening.

The plan

The planning for Operation Südwind was carried out by the German 8. Armee. Two Panzerkorps were to conduct the attack. The Panzerkorps “Feldherrnhalle”, already present in the area and the I. SS Panzerkorps, diverted from the Spring Awakening preparation. The amount of panzer and self-propelled guns was high, totaling 282.
The Soviets were defending the bridgehead with two Guards Rifle Corps of the 7th Guards Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The main threat, the 6th Guards Tank Army, had been withdrawn to the east bank of the Hron for reconstitution. According to German air reconnaissance, the Soviets had established a deeply echeloned system of defenses, based on trenches supported by anti-tank block positions. A relative small amount of Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns was available in the bridgehead, but some reinforcements were to come in later.
The attack plan called for the infantry of Panzerkorps "Feldherrnhalle" to attack from the north, towards Magyarszögyén and Bart. The divisions from the I. SS Panzerkorps were then to take over, cross the Párizs Canal, and drive further via Muzsla towards the end-target Esztergom. Finally bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Hron were to be established.

Order of battle (16 February 1945)

The Axis forces

  • Elements of the German 8. Armee
  • *I. SS Panzerkorps
  • **1. SS-Panzer-Division “Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler”
  • ***Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 501
  • **12. SS-Panzer-Division “Hitlerjugend”
  • *Panzerkorps “Feldherrnhalle"
  • **46. Infanterie Division
  • **44. Reichsgrenadier-Division “Hoch- und Deutschmeister”
  • **211. Volksgrenadier Division )
  • **Kampfgruppe of Panzerkorps "Feldherrnhalle"
  • ***Schwere Panzer Abteilung “Feldherrnhalle”
  • ***Panzer Abteilung 208
  • **Kampfgruppe Staubwasser
  • Elements of the German 6. Armee
  • *Elements of I. Kavallerie-Korps
  • **Kampfgruppe Hupe
  • **711. Infanterie Division

    The Soviet forces

  • Elements of the Soviet 7th Guards Army
  • *24th Guards Rifle Corps
  • **72nd Guards Rifle Division
  • **81st Guards Rifle Division
  • **6th Guards Airborne Division
  • *4th Guards Mechanized Corps
  • **14th Guards Mechanized Brigade
  • **36th Guards Tank Brigade
  • *25th Guards Rifle Corps
  • **375th Rifle Division
  • **409th Rifle Division
  • **53rd Rifle Division
  • **27th Separate Guards Tank Brigade
  • *93rd Guards Rifle Division

    Daily actions

Day 0: 16 February 1945

The attack was preceded by a diversionary attack the day before. A reinforced regimental group of the 271. Volksgrenadier Division launched an attack northwest of Léva across the Hron.

Day 1: 17 February 1945

Operation Südwind began at 04.00 hours at dawn on 17 February with a two-hour artillery preparation. The temperature was 5 °C, sky bright. The roads with solid surfaces were passable, the cart roads were passable for tracked vehicles, wheeled vehicles moved with considerable difficulties. The 44. Reichsgrenadier-Division "Hoch- und Deutschmeister" attacked the positions of Soviet forces in the sector around the villages of Für and Kürt against heavy resistance of 6th Guards Airborne Division. After initially suffering heavy casualties, the Soviets were defeated in this sector thanks to strong support of the Tiger IIs of the Schwere Panzer Abteilung "Feldherrnhalle" and the division advanced toward the villages of Magyarszögyén en Németszögyén, and further reached the Párizs Canal late afternoon. The 46. Infanterie Division in the centre of the attack surprised the Soviet units and made good headway towards the Párizs Canal. The 211. Volksgrenadier Division attacked toward the village of Bart. The leading elements reached the valley southwest of Bart. Soviet resistance stiffened and finally the advance of the Division was stopped and held up by a surprise counterattack of the Soviets. The 1. SS-Panzer-Division closed up behind the assault formations of the 46. Infanterie Division. Soon the grenadiers were stopped southeast of Németszögyén at a reinforced anti-tank sector. Obersturmbannführer Peiper ordered 5 Tiger IIs to take position at the top of the hill. From there, although under heavy fire of the Soviet antitank guns, they neutralized these guns one after another without suffering losses. The SS-grenadiers of Kampfgruppe Hansen joined then and tanks plus halftracks firing with everything they had overrun the Soviet positions. Kampfgruppe Peiper and elements of the 46. Infanterie Division reached the Párizs Canal east of Sárkányfalva in the evening.
The 12. SS-Panzer-Division launched its attack in the afternoon, on the right of the 1. SS-Panzer-Division, with SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 25 on the right and SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 26 on the left. At 21.00 h, I./26 succeeding in establishing a small bridgehead across the canal immediately southeast of Párizs-Puszta. Together with II./26 the bridgehead was enlarged.
The Germans now occupied 2 small bridgeheads over the Párizs Canal and found a crossing point northeast of Köbölkút where the armoured fighting vehicles were also able to cross.
In the evening of 17 February, the Germans took advantage of the fact that the Soviets had ordered the 93rd Guards Rifle Division, until then in defense on the northern bank of the Danube, to launch a counterattack against the German forces that had broken through, and, thereby, weakened their defense in that area. Kampfgruppe Hupe started crossing the Danube just south of Ebed on the northern bank.

Day 2: 18 February 1945

Weather: mild frost at night, 6 °C during the day, slightly cloudy, sunny. The roads, however, remained unchanged. The German attack continued. Kampfgruppe Staubwasser, on the right flank of Panzerkorps Feldherrnhalle, occupied Óriás-Puszta ad advanced towards Bátorkeszi. The 44. Reichsgrenadier-Division "HuD" crossed the Canal at Kisújfalu and occupied Köbölkút. Together with sPzAbt. "Feldherrnhalle", Point 129 was taken. The 1. SS-Panzer-Division expanded its bridgeheads at Gyiva in the morning and at 12.50 h, armoured vehicles started crossing the canal, then the SS-Panzers rounded Béla from the left and dug in hedgehog style around the roads Köbölkút to Párkány. The 12. SS-Panzer-Division at dawn was hit by a Soviet counterattack, which was repulsed. Subsequently the SS-Regiments supported the 44. Reichsgrenadier-Division "HuD" with occupying Köbölkút. The 46. Infanterie Division headed east, with one column south of the Canal towards Libad and the other north of the Canal towards Kéménd. Despite support by parts of PzAbt 208, the 211. Volksgrenadier Division was not able to move further towards Bart and was even heavily attacked by the 36th Guards Tank Brigade, knocking out several panzers.

Day 3: 19 February 1945

Weather: frost at night, 6 °C during the day, generally bright and sunny. The cart tracks were drying up. On 19 February the situation of Soviet Forces in the south sector of the Soviet bridgehead was disastrous. In the early morning Kampfgruppe Staubwasser captured Búcs and Bátorkeszi and cleaned up this area of the remnants of Soviet forces. The 44. Reichsgrenadier-Division "HuD" was attacking toward south from the Köbölkút area towards the Danube River to clean up this area from the Soviet forces. Kampfgruppe Hupe was still fighting around Ebed and repulsed a Soviet counterattack at 0600 h.
The 46. Infanterie Division seized the heights in the southeast from Libád in a perfect maneuver and gained observation on the Hron river. Panzer-Abteilung 208 attacked towards Kéménd, but got into troubles around Bibit-Puszta, lost most of its armour and played no further part in the operation. The 1. SS-Panzer-Division had a successful day. Kampfgruppe Hansen cleared Béla, while Kampfgruppe Peiper attacked towards Párkány. Despite problem with mines, attacking Soviet planes and T-34 tanks, the Kampfgruppe reached the railway station of Párkány around 13.00 h. In the meantime, the 12. SS-Panzer-Division had advanced from south of Köbölkút to Muzsla, captured this village and advanced further towards Párkány arriving approximately at the same time as the assault guns of Kampfgruppe Hupe from Ebed. Additionally, a battle group from the 711. Infanterie Division crossed the Danube from Esztergom and forced their way into Párkány. Heavy urban fighting ensued, including tank-fighting. Párkány was taken. A battalion of SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 2 attacked towards Nána and cleared the village. The troops of the completely smashed 25th Guards Rifle Corps fled to the east bank of the Hron, leaving the majority of their heavy weapons behind.
The situation was now fairly unclear to the Germans. Would the Soviets hold on to the rest of their bridgehead, would they reinforce it and what was the 6th Guards Tank Army doing ? In order to quickly clean up the situation west of the Hron, three Kampfgruppen attacked the southern portion of the bridgehead still during the night of 19 to 20 February. A Kampfgruppe of 1. SS-Panzer-Division attacked from the south towards Kőhídgyarmat and one from 46. Infanterie Division from the west. Gruppe Schöneich together with parts of the 46. Infanterie Division, attacked north of the Párizs canal toward Kéménd. None of the attacks were successful due to heavy resistance from 24th Guards Rifle Corps, artillery and planes.