The Battle for Budapest 1944 - 1945 [Paperback]

The desperate struggle between the Wehrmacht and the Red Army for Budapest in 1944 and 1945 was as lethal and destructive as any of the urban battles fought during the Second World War. The losses of men and equipment sustained by the Germans were so great that they hastened the collapse of Hitlers regime. Yet what happened in Budapest is less well remembered today than other flash points in the conflict on the Eastern Front. Anthony Tucker-Joness photographic history is a fascinating and graphic introduction to this neglected episode in the closing months of the war.The battle began with Operation Panzerfaust in October 1944 when the Germans seized Hungarian leader Admiral Horthy to prevent his country defecting to the Soviets. Red Army advances then left German and Hungarian units trapped in the city and sparked fifty days of intense fighting. Then in March 1945 Hitler launched Operation Spring Awakening, the reckless final German offensive of the war, designed to recapture Budapest and stabilize the Eastern Front. It failed spectacularly, opening the road to Vienna for the Red Army.The selection of archive photographs gives a sharp insight into every aspect of the fighting in and around Budapest and records the ravaged city the battle left behind.* Photographic history of the struggle for Budapest, one of the key battles fought during the closing months of the Second World War* A record of the soldiers and civilians who were caught up in fifty days of intense fighting* Concise accompanying text giving a graphic overview of each stage of the battleShows the equipment and weaponry used b Packed with black and white photographs, this book is broken down into eight chapters including Hungarian Turning Point, Skorzenys Panzerfaust, SS Trapped in Budapest and Tolbukhins Masterstroke. In typical Tucker-Jones style there is no holding back with casualty and burial photographs and scenes of shattered Budapest are ten a plenty. They are all part of the story, bulsÈ