HKL 259

Since the beginning of the siege on 25 December, German and Hungarian forces on the Buda side of the Danube had built their defenses around a series of hills located a few kilometers west of the river. By the middle of January, several of the westernmost hills had been …

1945-01-24

FB04

Since the beginning of the siege on 25 December, German and Hungarian forces on the Buda side of the Danube had built their defenses around a series of hills located a few kilometers west of the river. By the middle of January, several of the westernmost hills had been captured by the Soviets. The Axis forces were thus required to fall back and form a new Hauptkampflinie (HKL, or “main line of resistance”) which now included the Kis-Svábhegy hill. On 24 January, Soviet units from the 320th Rifle Division under the command of Colonel Josef Burik attacked from the northwest in another attempt to wrest control of this important feature from the Axis defenders.

Budapest, Hungary

The Siege of Budapest or Battle of Budapest was the 50-day-long encirclement by Soviet and Romanian forces of the Hungarian capital of Budapest, near the end of World War II. Part of the broader Budapest Offensive, the siege began when Budapest, defended by Hungarian and German troops, was first encircled on 26 December 1944 by the Red Army and the Romanian Army. During the siege, about 38,000 civilians died through starvation or military action. The city unconditionally surrendered on 13 February 1945. It was a strategic victory for the Allies in their push towards Berlin.

Russian

Hungarian / German

Scenario Type = Standard