Reference. Liberation of Vienna from the Nazi invaders. Reference April 13, 1945 capture of Vienna by Soviet troops
Most recently, April 15, marked 70 years since the end of the Vienna offensive operation, during which the Nazi troops Austria was cleared, including its capital, Vienna.
The Vienna offensive operation was a strategic offensive operation of the Red Army against German troops during the Great Patriotic War. It was carried out from March 16 to April 15, 1945 by troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts with the assistance of the 1st Bulgarian Army (Bulgarian) with the aim of defeating German troops in western Hungary and eastern Austria. Vienna was taken on April 13.
To this event, friends, I dedicate this photo collection.
1. Soviet officers lay flowers at the grave of the Austrian composer Johann Strauss, son, buried in the central cemetery of Vienna. 1945.
2. Sherman tanks of the 1st battalion of the 46th Guards Tank Brigade of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Tank Army on the streets of Vienna. 04/09/1945.
3. Sherman tanks of the 1st battalion of the 46th Guards Tank Brigade of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Tank Army on the streets of Vienna. 04/09/1945.
4. Soviet soldiers are fighting for the Imperial Bridge. 3rd Ukrainian Front. Vienna. April 1945
5. Awarding of Soviet soldiers who distinguished themselves in the battles for the capture of Vienna. 1945
6. Artillerymen of self-propelled guns of the Guard Lieutenant Colonel V.S. Shonichev, who were the first to enter Austrian soil, are driving along the street of one of the cities. 1945
7. Soviet self-propelled guns cross the border. 1945
8. Soviet tanks in the Vienna area. 1945.
9. The crew of the M4A-2 "Sherman" tank, the first to break into Vienna, with their commander; on the left is driver-mechanic Nuru Idrisov. 1945
10. Machine gunners are fighting a street battle in the central part of Vienna. 1945
11. Soviet soldiers walk along one of the streets of liberated Vienna. 1945
12. Soviet troops on the street of the liberated city of Vienna. 1945
13. Soviet soldiers on the streets of Vienna. 1945
14. View of one of the streets of Vienna after its liberation. 1945
15. Residents of Vienna on the square in front of the destroyed building of St. Stephen's Cathedral. 1945
16. Dancing on the streets of Vienna on the occasion of Victory Day. 1945
17. Soviet tanks on the outskirts of Vienna. April 1945
18. Soviet military signalmen on one of the streets of Vienna. April 1945
20. Residents of Vienna return to their homes after the end of street fighting and the liberation of the city by Soviet troops. April 1945
21. Cossack patrol on one of the streets of Vienna. 1945
22. Folk festival on the occasion of the liberation of Vienna by Soviet troops in one of the city squares. 1945
23. Soviet self-propelled guns on the mountain roads of Austria. 1945
24. Soviet military equipment on the mountain roads of Austria. April 1945
25. Guardsmen-machine gunners of the unit of senior lieutenant Gukalov are fighting for a populated area. Austria. 1945
26. Meeting of Soviet soldiers with residents of one of the cities in Austria. 1945
27. Mortars of Hero of the Soviet Union Nekrasov fire at enemy positions. Austria. March 31, 1945
28. Sergeant Pavel Zaretsky talks with residents of the Austrian village of Lekenhaus. 1945
29. Soviet officers lay flowers at the grave of the Austrian composer Johann Strauss, son, buried in the central cemetery of Vienna. .
30. Soviet mortarmen carry an 82-mm battalion mortar in Vienna. 1945
31. Soviet soldiers cross the bridge over the Danube Canal in Vienna. May 1945
32. Soviet officers lay flowers at the grave of Johann Strauss's son. April 1945.
33. Soviet traffic controller N. Klimenko on the outskirts of Vienna. April 1945
34. A Soviet officer visits the grave of the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, buried in the central cemetery of Vienna.
35. Soviet traffic policewoman on the street of Vienna. May-August 1945
36. Soviet self-propelled artillery units SU-76M in Vienna, Austria. 1945
37. Soviet mortar men with a regimental mortar at the Hofburg Winter Palace in Vienna. 1945
38. Soviet armored personnel carrier M3A1 in battle on the streets of Vienna. April 1945
39. A column of Soviet T-34 tanks on the streets of Vienna. 1945
40. Before the arrival of Soviet troops, the Nazi shot his family and committed suicide on the streets of Vienna. April 1945
41. Soviet traffic controller in liberated Vienna. May 1945
42. Soviet traffic controller in liberated Vienna. May 1945
43. Killed German soldier on the street of liberated Vienna. April 1945
44. Sherman tank of the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps on Vienna Street. April 1945
45. Human remains on the streets of liberated Vienna. 1945
46. Human remains on the streets of liberated Vienna. 1945
48. Sherman tanks of the 1st battalion of the 46th Guards Tank Brigade of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Tank Army on the streets of Vienna. 04/09/1945.
49. Soviet armored boats of the Danube military flotilla in Austria. April 1945
50. Soviet regimental military band in the Austrian village of Donnerskirchen on Victory Day. On the far right is Private Nikolai Ivanovich Pershin (in addition to playing in the orchestra, he also served as a signalman). 05/09/1945
51. A column of Soviet T-34-85 tanks on the street of the Austrian town of St. Pölten. 1945
52. Aircraft technicians of the 213th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment on the street of the Austrian town of Stockerau. 1945
In 2016, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation plans to issue into circulation a series of coins “Cities - capitals of states liberated by Soviet troops from the Nazi invaders.” One of the coins in this series is 5 rubles “Vienna. 04/13/1945".
The capital of Austria, Vienna, was liberated on April 13, 1945 as a result of the Vienna Offensive by Soviet troops. By the spring of 1945, everyone already felt the proximity of Victory, and the Vienna operation became one of the most brilliant operations ending the long and difficult Great Patriotic War.
The assault on Vienna was the final, final part of the Vienna operation. The operation was carried out from March 16 to April 15, 1945 by the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front (commander Marshal Malinovsky) and the 3rd Ukrainian Front (commander Marshal Tolbukhin) with the help of the 1st Bulgarian Army under the command of General Stoychev. As a result of the operation, the western part of Hungary and the eastern part of Austria were liberated from fascist troops.
The Germans attached great importance to the defense of the Vienna direction; they hoped to stop our troops on the mountain borders of Austria and conclude a separate peace with England and America. But our troops broke through Nazi defenses and reached Vienna, the capital of Austria. The city was surrounded by natural boundaries - mountains and the wide Danube. In addition, anti-tank ditches and trenches were dug, bunkers were built, artillery positions were created in parks and squares, buildings were adapted for long-term defense, and firing points were installed in the basements. All available units, even the police, were deployed to defend Vienna.
On April 5, the assault on Vienna began. The city was taken from the south, southeast and west. There were heavy battles, and only in the evening of April 6 our troops entered the suburbs of Vienna. On April 10, 1945, the city was surrounded. From April 11 to April 13, the final battles took place; the German garrison was cut into small groups and destroyed. On April 13, Vienna was liberated from Nazi troops. Soviet soldiers saved from the explosion the Imperial Bridge over the Danube, the most beautiful architectural monuments, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, which the Germans were preparing to blow up during their retreat. About 17 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers died during the Vienna operation. After the capture of Vienna, the road to Prague and Berlin was opened.
In August 1945, in Vienna, on Schwarzenbergplatz, a monument was erected to Soviet soldiers who died for the liberation of Austria. The monument still exists.
5 ruble coin “Vienna. 04/13/1945" can become a valuable exhibit in your collection, as well as a wonderful gift for anyone interested in the history of the Great Patriotic War.
| A country | Russian Federation |
| Coin name | Vein. 04/13/1945 |
| Series | Cities - capitals of states liberated by Soviet troops from Nazi invaders |
| Denomination | 5 rubles |
| Obverse | in the center of the disk is the designation of the coin’s denomination in two lines: “5 RUBLES”, below is the inscription: “BANK OF RUSSIA”, below it is the year of minting: “2016”, to the left and right is a stylized branch of a plant, to the right at the edge is the trademark of the coin yard |
| Reverse | in the center of the disk there is an image of the Monument to Soviet soldiers who died during the liberation of Austria from fascism, installed on Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna, against the background of contour images of architectural structures of Vienna, below there is a horizontal inscription: “APRIL 13, 1945”, at the top along the edge there is an inscription: "VEIN" |
| Alloy | Nickel plated steel |
| Circulation, pcs. | 2 000 000 |
| Date of issue | 2016 |
| Catalog number | 5712-0046 |
| Artist | A.A. Brynza |
| Sculptor | E.I. Novikova |
| Coinage | Moscow Mint (MMD) |
| Edge design | 12 sites with 5 reefs each |
| Quality | AC |
| Purchase | You can buy such a coin in any online store or from official dealers. |
| Price | The cost of the coin is 30-50 rubles depending on the condition of the coin |
The initial plan for the offensive in the Vienna direction was outlined by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command in a directive dated February 17, 1945. However, it was not possible to implement it due to the dramatically changed situation. In the last ten days of February, German troops liquidated the bridgehead of the 7th Guards Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front on the river. Gron, and also began to concentrate tank divisions against the 3rd Ukrainian Front. In the current conditions, the Supreme High Command Headquarters ordered the commander of its troops, Marshal of the Soviet Union, to gain a foothold on the achieved line and repel enemy attacks there.
Three days after the start of the Balaton defensive operation, on March 9, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief clarified the tasks of the two fronts. Unlike the original plan, the main role in the upcoming offensive operation, which later became known as “Vienna,” was assigned to the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He was ordered no later than March 15-16 to move from defense to offensive without an operational pause and strike in the direction of Papa, Sopron. On March 17-18, the 46th Army and the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front were to begin active operations, which had the task of conducting an offensive with the support of the Danube Military Flotilla and the 5th Air Army in the direction of Győr.
The commander of the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front allocated the 9th (received from the reserve of the Supreme High Command Headquarters) and the 4th Guards armies of Colonel General V.A. to the main strike group. Glagolev and Lieutenant General N.D. Zakhvataev - a total of 18 rifle divisions, 3,900 guns and mortars, 197 tanks and self-propelled artillery units. At the first stage, they had to encircle and defeat the enemy group in the area south and southwest of Székesfehérvár, as well as cut off possible escape routes for the main forces of the 6th SS Panzer Army, which, after localizing their wedge in the area of Lake. Balaton were in the operational “bag”. The destruction of the latter was entrusted to the 27th and 26th armies of lieutenant generals and the 18th and 23rd tank and 1st guards mechanized corps (a total of 217 tanks and self-propelled guns). The task of the 57th and Bulgarian 1st Armies of Lieutenant Generals and V. Stoychev was to defeat the German 2nd Tank Army in the Nagykanizsa area. The ground forces were supported by the 17th Air Army (Colonel General of Aviation V.A. Sudets), numbering 837 aircraft.
In most directions, the enemy in mid-March hastily made the transition from offensive to defensive on previously achieved lines and sought to prepare them in engineering terms. The exception was the site of Esztergom, Szekesfehervar, which he occupied in advance. Here, in the main defense line 5-7 km deep, there were two or three lines of trenches with wood-earth firing points, the approaches to which were covered with wire barriers and minefields. At a distance of 10-20 km from the front edge there was a second stripe. It housed individual strongholds and resistance units. In the operational depth, the construction of a line along the western bank of the river was carried out. A slave, which was already a difficult natural obstacle to overcome. A large number of different defensive structures, built taking advantage of the rugged terrain, were also located on the approaches to the capital of Austria - Vienna. Their density increased as they approached the city.
The offensive of the main strike group of the 3rd Ukrainian Front began in the afternoon of March 16 after artillery and air preparation. Formations of the 9th and 4th Guards Armies successfully overcame the first position of the enemy defense, but subsequently the pace of their advance slowed down. First of all, this was due to the lack of direct infantry support tanks and self-propelled guns in the battle formations, as well as the lagging behind of accompanying artillery. As a result, the penetration of Soviet troops into the defense by the end of the day ranged from 3 to 7 km. They did not complete the task of the first day of the offensive. In order to increase the force of the strike, the Supreme High Command Headquarters transferred the 6th Guards Tank Army of the Colonel General to the 3rd Ukrainian Front, which until that time had been part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front and was located in the Budapest area. Its introduction into battle after regrouping could be carried out no earlier than two days later.
During March 17, the rifle divisions of the 9th and 4th Guards armies continued to slowly push back the enemy and increased the penetration into their defenses only to 10 km. The next day did not bring a turning point in the course of hostilities. On the morning of March 19, the 6th Guards Tank Army began entering the battle, whose task was to complete the encirclement of German troop groups southeast and southwest of Székesfehérvár. However, its tank corps met stubborn resistance from numerous enemy tactical groups (several tanks and assault guns), were unable to break away from the rifle units, and ultimately did not have a significant impact on the overall pace of the offensive. In such a situation, the command of Army Group South was able to increase efforts against the formations of the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front through maneuver from unattacked areas and began the withdrawal of the 6th SS Panzer Army from the area southeast of Székesfehérvár.
In an effort to prevent her from leaving the emerging encirclement, Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. Tolbukhin decided to strike with the 4th Guards, 27th and 26th armies in order to cut the enemy group into two isolated parts. At the same time, the 9th Guards and 6th Guards Tank Armies were to continue the offensive in the same direction in order to exclude the approach of enemy reserves.
Over the next two days, March 20 and 21, heavy fighting took place on the right wing of the front. German tank divisions, using numerous rivers, canals, defiles and minefields, held back the advance of Soviet troops with fire and counterattacks, inflicting significant losses on them in men and military equipment. Only by the end of March 21, the main forces of the 6th SS Panzer Army were blocked in the area of Szekesfehervar, Berhida, Polgardi. True, they soon struck with a powerful blow along the northern shore of the lake. Balaton broke through to the west.
In the direction of another attack, the 46th Army of Lieutenant General A.V. Petrushevsky, going on the offensive on March 17, broke through the enemy’s defenses on the very first day and ensured the entry into battle of the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps of Lieutenant General K.V. Sviridova. By the end of March 20, his brigades had reached the Danube and deeply engulfed the enemy’s Esztergom-Tovarosh group, numbering about 17 thousand people, from the southwest. In general, in the period from March 16 to 25, the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts broke the resistance of German and Hungarian army formations between the river. Danube and lake Balaton, overcame the Werteshheldshekh mountains and the Bakon forest, advanced to a depth of 80 km and created conditions for the development of an attack on Vienna.
During the pursuit of the enemy, which began on March 26, the 46th Army, together with the Danube Military Flotilla (Rear Admiral G.N. Kholostyakov), eliminated the Esztergom-Tovaros group, captured the cities of Komar and Gyor, and completely cleared the southern bank of the Danube from enemy troops. Esztergom to the mouth of the river. Slave. At the same time, the divisions of the 9th and 4th Guards armies crossed this river on the move and continued the offensive in the direction of Sopron. As they approached the Hungarian-Austrian border, the resistance of the Hungarian units began to weaken significantly. Only for three days south of the river. On the Danube, about 45 thousand soldiers and officers surrendered from their composition. On March 30, formations of the 6th Guards Tank Army immediately broke through the border fortifications south of Sopron and invaded Austria along a 20-kilometer stretch. By April 4, the main forces of the strike group of the 3rd Ukrainian Front reached the approaches to Vienna.
Due to the deep advance of the armies of his right wing in the direction of Sopron, and the 27th and 26th armies towards Zalaegerszeg and Sombatel, the German 2nd Panzer Army, occupying defenses in the Nagykanizsa area, found itself deeply enveloped from the north. Fearing being cut off from communications with Germany, its command began withdrawing its troops on March 28. The next day, the 57th and Bulgarian 1st armies operating on the left wing of the front went on the offensive. On April 1, their formations fought and captured the center of the oil-bearing region of Hungary - the city of Nagykanizsa.
On the same day, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command issued a directive to develop a further offensive. She ordered the 3rd Ukrainian Front, with the forces of the right wing, to capture Vienna no later than April 10-15, and the armies of the center and left wing to gain a foothold at the line of the Muri, Mur and Drava rivers. The 46th Army with the 2nd Guards Mechanized and 23rd Tank Corps (transferred from the 3rd Ukrainian Front) had to cross from the right bank of the Danube to the left and cut off the retreat routes of the Vienna enemy group to the north.
On the approaches to the capital of Austria and in the city itself, units of eight tank and one infantry divisions, which had withdrawn in battle from the lake area, occupied the defense. Balaton, as well as up to fifteen separate infantry and Volkssturm battalions. Numerous defensive positions and engineering structures were prepared in advance here. German troops blocked the streets with barricades and mined rubble, firing points were placed in houses, carefully camouflaged tanks and guns intended for direct fire were placed in destroyed buildings, and all bridges across the Danube were prepared for explosion.
Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. To capture Vienna, Tolbukhin decided to launch several simultaneous attacks from different directions: from the southeast - with the forces of the 4th Guards Army and the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps (85 serviceable tanks and self-propelled guns); from the south, west and northwest - by the forces of the 6th Guards Tank and 9th Guards armies, for which they had to bypass the city through the eastern spurs of the Alps.
Fighting on the immediate approaches to Vienna began on April 5. But throughout the day, rifle formations only slightly pushed back the enemy. Using numerous water barriers and populated areas prepared for defense, which extremely limited the maneuver of tanks, he did not allow the front strike group to break through to the city. This result was achieved only by the evening of the next day, when formations of the 4th and part of the forces of the 9th Guards Armies with the support of the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps of Lieutenant General I.N. Russiyanov reached the southern and western outskirts of Vienna and started fighting in its streets. At the same time, the 6th Guards Army and two rifle corps of the 9th Guards Army maneuvered through the eastern spurs of the Alps, reached the western approaches to the city and cut off the enemy’s escape routes.
During April 7-9, Soviet troops, making extensive use of assault groups, which included rifle units, tanks and self-propelled guns, escort guns and sappers, fought for every block and individual house. The fighting did not stop at night, for which reinforced rifle battalions were allocated from the divisions. On April 10, units of the 4th Guards Army captured the central quarters of Vienna and drove the opposing enemy beyond the Danube Canal.
This channel represented a serious artificial obstacle. Its depth reached 3 m, and its width - 40-60 m. Vertical, granite-lined banks 6-7 m high made crossing extremely difficult. In addition, during the retreat, German units destroyed all crossings and raised the locks. They set up firing points and observation posts in stone buildings along the canal, which allowed them to control all approaches to the front line.
In order to fire at the enemy, it was necessary to undermine the walls of houses and install guns and mortars in the gaps made. Their low density did not allow them to reliably suppress enemy fire. The assault sapper groups, who crossed the canal using improvised means and set fire to buildings with combustible mixture bottles, were also unable to break his resistance. And only the approach of the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps was able to change the situation. Using the fire of tank guns, rifle formations of the 4th Guards Army crossed the Danube Canal on the night of April 11 and began to advance towards the railway bridge.
By 14:00 on April 13, that is, on the seventh day of fighting, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front completed the defeat of the Vienna garrison and completely captured the capital of Austria. Two days later, the 46th Army, 23rd Tank and 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, after crossing to the northern bank of the river. Danube, reached the area northwest of the city. However, delays in crossing the river and during the advance did not make it possible to timely intercept the retreat routes of the enemy Vienna group to the north. Therefore, part of her forces was able to avoid destruction and capture.
As a result of the operation, the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts defeated the main forces of the German Army Group South, completely cleared the territory of Hungary of the enemy, liberated a significant part of Czechoslovakia and the eastern regions of Austria with its capital. They captured more than 130 thousand soldiers and officers, destroyed and captured over 1,300 tanks and assault guns, more than 2,250 field guns, and a large amount of other military equipment. At the same time, the losses of the two fronts amounted to 167,940 people, of which 38,661 were irrecoverable, 603 tanks and self-propelled guns, 764 guns and mortars, 614 aircraft. For courage, heroism and high military skill shown during the Vienna operation, 50 formations and units were awarded the honorary name “Viennese”. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 9, 1945, the medal “For the Capture of Vienna” was established, which was awarded to more than 268 thousand Soviet soldiers.
Sergey Lipatov,
Researcher at the Research Institute
(military history) Military Academy
General Staff of the RF Armed Forces
April 15 is the date marking the end of the Vienna operation in the fight against the German army during the 2nd World War. This operation put an end to fascist tyranny in the lands of Austria, including in its heart - Vienna.
Reference. The Vienna operation (03/16/1945 – 04/15/1945) is a strategically important offensive action by the USSR army against the enemy army during the 2nd World War. The participants in this operation were the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts with the support of the 1st Bulgarian Army. The main objective of the operation was to destroy the invaders in western Hungary and eastern Austria. The main center of Austria was liberated on April 13, 1945.
Dear friends, this event inspired us to create a selection of photographs.
1. USSR Army officers lay flowers. Burial of the Austrian composer Strauss J. Central Cemetery, Vienna, 1945.
2. 6th Tank Army 9th Mechanization Corps 46th Tank Brigade 1st Battalion, Sherman armored vehicles. Vienna street, April 1945
3. 6th Army of Tank 9th Mechanized Corps 46th Tank Brigade 1st Battalion, Sherman armored vehicles. Vienna street, April 1945
4. Vienna, April 1945. 3rd Ukrainian Front. Red Army soldiers in the fight for the Imperial Bridge.
5. Presentation of awards to Red Army soldiers who distinguished themselves in the battles for Vienna. 1945
6. The first to cross the Austrian border were the artillerymen of the Guards self-propelled guns. Shonicheva V.S. on the boulevards of one of the settlements. 1945
7. Red Army soldiers crossing the line. 1945
8. Allied armored vehicles in the vicinity of Vienna. 1945
9. Vienna, 1945. The team of the Sherman M4A-2 vehicle with the commander, who was the first to burst into the city. On the left side is Nuru Idrisov (driver).
10. Vienna, center, 1945. Machine gun squad, battle on one of the boulevards.
11. Vienna, 1945. Red Army soldiers on one of the liberated streets.
12. Vienna, 1945. Red Army soldiers on one of the liberated streets.
13. The Red Army on the streets of liberated Vienna. 1945
14. Boulevard of Vienna after the fighting, 1945
15. Main square. Vienna, 1945. Residents against the backdrop of the ruins of St. Stephen's Church.
16. Vienna, 1945. Victory celebration on one of the boulevards.
17. Vienna vicinity, USSR armored vehicles. April 1945
18. One of the alleys of Vienna, signalmen of the USSR. April 1945
20. Return of residents after the liberation of city streets. Vienna, April 1945
21. Cossack patrol. Vienna street, 1945
22. Celebrating the liberation of the city in one of the squares. Vienna, 1945
23. Soviet armored vehicles on the slopes of the mountains. Austria, 1945
24. USSR combat armored vehicles on the slopes of the Austrian mountains. April 1945
25. Austria, 1945. Guards squad of machine gunners under the leadership of Art. Lt. Gukalov in the battle for the city.
26. Meeting of residents with liberators. Austria, 1945
27. Firing mortars at enemy positions. Detachment of Hero of the USSR Nekrasov. Austria, 1945
28. Conversation between Ser-P. Zaretsky and residents of Lekenhaus. 1945
29. A Soviet officer lays flowers at the grave of the Austrian composer Johann Strauss. Central Cemetery. Vienna, 1945
30. A detachment of Red Army mortarmen are moving the battalion’s 82-mm gun. Vienna, 1945
31. Vienna. May 1945 Red Army soldiers passing the Danube Canal.
32. Soviet officers lay flowers at the grave of the Austrian composer Johann Strauss. Central Cemetery. Vienna, 1945
33. Neighborhoods of Vienna. April 1945 USSR traffic controller Klimenko N.
34. Soviet officer at the grave of composer L. Beethovin. Central Cemetery, Vienna
35. USSR traffic controller at a fork in the Viennese roads. May-August 1945
36. Military equipment of the USSR SU-76M on the streets of Vienna. Austria, 1945
37. Red Army mortarmen with regimental weapons. Hofburg Winter Palace. Vienna, 1945
38. USSR M3A1 armored vehicles in combat. Vienna, April 1945
39. Soviet armored vehicle T-34. Vienna, 1945
40. The suicide of a fascist in Vienna right on the street, who had previously shot his family in fear of retribution for what he had done in April 1945.
41. A Soviet girl regulates traffic on the streets of Vienna after liberation in May 1945.
42. A Soviet girl regulates traffic on the streets of Vienna after liberation in May 1945.
43. Reich soldier who died in the battle for Vienna in the spring of 1945.
44. First guards mech. frame. American "Sherman" in Vienna in the spring of 1945.
45. The horrors of war on the streets of Vienna after liberation in the spring of 1945.
46. The horrors of war on the streets of Vienna after liberation in the spring of 1945.
47. Liberators on the streets of Vienna in May 1945. The foreground is a seventy-six-millimeter ZiS-3 cannon.
48. Sherman tanks of the 1st battalion of the 46th Guards Tank Brigade of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Tank Army on the streets of Vienna. 04/09/1945
49. Combat boats of the Danube flotilla in the spring of '45 in Austria.
50. Band of Soviet troops in the village of Donnerskirchen, Austria, May 9, 1945. In the photo on the right is signalman and orchestrator Pershin N.I.
51. Soviet unit of T-34-85 tanks in the city of St. Pölten, Austria, in the victorious spring of 1945.
52. Aircraft repair brigade of the Guards 213th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Stockerau in Austria in 1945
53. A pair of medium armored vehicles Turan II40M of the Hungarian army, left by the retreating on the railway. stations in the vicinity of Vienna in March 1945.
54. In the photo, Hero of the Soviet Union, guardsman, Major General Kozak S.A. - commander of the 21st Guards Motorized Rifle Corps (years of life from 1902 to 1953). Next to him is Yeletskov S.F., guard colonel.
55. The long-awaited connection of two groups of US and USSR troops in the area of the bridge over the Enns River in the spring of 1945 near the city of Liezen in Austria.
56. The long-awaited connection of two groups of US and USSR troops in the area of the bridge over the Enns River in the spring of 1945 near the city of Liezen in Austria.
57. The advance of our infantry, accompanied by British Valentine tanks, in the vicinity of Vienna in April of the victorious forty-fifth year of the last century.
58. Soviet soldiers, against the backdrop of a T-34-85 tank, greet an American division of armored vehicles at a parade near the city of Linz on May 2, 1945.
59. Attack of an Austrian city by troops of the Soviet Union and an armored car M3 Scout Car of the United States in the victorious forty-fifth.
60. Soviet soldiers at a post on the Austrian road from May to August 1945.
61. Sergeant Guards Zudin and his 120 mm mortar fighters.
62. After the fall of the defense of Vienna, guardsmen of the 80th Division in the spring of 1945.
63. Monument to Soviet soldiers-liberators of Vienna. Nowadays.
64. Monument to Soviet soldiers-liberators of Vienna. Nowadays.
The Vienna offensive operation, which was completed on April 13, 1945 with the liberation of the capital of Austria from the Wehrmacht, was one of the brilliant offensive operations ending the Great Patriotic War. Therefore, at the same time it was both quite simple and incredibly difficult. These are the very last, decisive battles.
The relative ease of capturing the capital of Austria, compared to other operations, was due to the fact that the Red Army had already worked out a scheme for destroying enemy groups. In addition, by April 1945, our troops already felt the proximity of Victory, and it was impossible to stop them. Although it was especially difficult psychologically to fight at this time, people knew “a little more, a little more,” plus mortal fatigue.
It is clear that it was not an easy ride: our total losses in this operation were 168 thousand people (of which more than 38 thousand people died). The Germans desperately resisted, but their strength was already undermined - before that, the Red Army and the Wehrmacht, in alliance with Hungarian units, fought heavy battles in Hungary. Hitler ordered to hold the Hungarian oil fields at any cost - the battle for Budapest and the subsequent Balaton operation were among the bloodiest battles of the Great Patriotic War. Our troops entered Hungary in October 1944, having previously carried out the Belgorod operation, and only at the end of March 1945 reached Austria. The attitude of the population also differed; while the Hungarians mostly supported the Nazis and were hostile to the Red Army, the Austrians were neutral. Of course, they weren’t greeted with flowers or bread and salt, but there was no hostility.
The assault on the capital of Austria was the final part of the Vienna offensive operation, which lasted from March 16 to April 15, 1945 by the forces of the 2nd (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky) and 3rd Ukrainian fronts (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Fedor Tolbukhin) with the help of the 1st th Bulgarian Army (Lieutenant General V. Stoychev). Its main goal was the defeat of German troops in western Hungary and eastern Austria.
Our troops were opposed by part of the troops of Army Group South (commander General of the Infantry O. Wöhler, from April 7, Colonel General L. Rendulic), part of the troops of Army Group F (commander Field Marshal General M. von Weichs), from March 25 Army Group “E” (commander Colonel General A. Löhr). The German high command attached great importance to the defense of the Vienna direction, planning to stop Soviet troops at these lines and stay in the mountainous and forested regions of Austria, hoping to conclude a separate peace with England and the United States. However, between March 16 and April 4, Soviet forces broke through the German defenses, defeated the forces of Army Group South and reached the approaches to Vienna.
To defend the capital of Austria, the German command created a fairly strong group of troops, which included the remnants of the 8th Panzer and 1st Infantry Divisions from the 6th SS Panzer Army, which had withdrawn from the Lake Balaton area, and about 15 separate infantry battalions and Volkssturm battalions. The entire composition of the Vienna military school was mobilized to defend Vienna; 4 regiments of 1.5 thousand people each were created from the Vienna police. The natural conditions of the area around the city favored the German side. From the west, Vienna was covered by a ridge of mountains, and from the northern and eastern sides by a powerful water barrier, the wide and high-water Danube. On the southern side, on the approaches to the city, the Germans created a powerful fortified area, which consisted of anti-tank ditches, a developed system of fortifications - trenches, pillboxes and bunkers. In all tank-dangerous directions along the outer circumference of Vienna, ditches were dug and anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers were installed.
The Germans prepared a significant part of their artillery for direct fire to strengthen the city's anti-tank defense. Firing positions for artillery were equipped in parks, gardens, squares and squares of the city. In addition, in the destroyed houses of the city (from air strikes) guns and tanks were camouflaged, which were supposed to fire from an ambush. The streets of the city were blocked by numerous barricades, many stone buildings were adapted for long-term defense, becoming real bastions, with firing points equipped in their windows, attics, and basements. All bridges in the city were mined. The German command planned to make the city an insurmountable obstacle to the Red Army, an impregnable fortress.
The commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Front F.I. Tolbukhin planned to take the city with the help of 3 simultaneous attacks: from the south-eastern side - by troops of the 4th Guards Army and 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, from the southern and south-western sides - by troops 6th Guards Tank Army with the 18th Tank Corps and part of the 9th Guards Army troops attached to it. The remaining part of the forces of the 9th Guards Army was supposed to bypass Vienna from the west and cut off the Nazis' escape route. At the same time, the Soviet command tried to prevent the destruction of the city during the assault.
On April 5, 1945, Soviet troops began an operation to capture Vienna from the southeast and south. At the same time, mobile formations, including tank and mechanized units, began to bypass the capital of Austria from the west. The enemy responded with fire and fierce infantry counterattacks with reinforced tanks, trying to prevent the advance of Soviet troops into the city. Therefore, on the first day, despite the decisive actions of the Red Army troops, they were unable to break the enemy’s resistance, and progress was insignificant.
The entire next day, April 6, there were fierce battles on the outskirts of the city. By the evening of this day, Soviet troops were able to reach the southern and western outskirts of the city and broke into the adjacent suburbs of Vienna. Stubborn fighting began within the city limits. The forces of the 6th Guards Tank Army made a roundabout maneuver in the difficult conditions of the eastern spurs of the Alps and reached the western approaches of the city, and then to the southern bank of the Danube. The German group was surrounded on three sides.
The Soviet command, trying to prevent unnecessary casualties among the civilian population, to preserve the beautiful city and its historical heritage, on April 5 appealed to the population of the capital of Austria with an appeal to stay in their homes, in their localities, and thereby help the Soviet soldiers, preventing the Nazis from destroying the city. Many Austrians, patriots of their city, responded to this call from the command of the 3rd Ukrainian Front; they helped Soviet soldiers in their difficult struggle for the liberation of Vienna.
By the end of the day on April 7, the forces of the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front partly took the Vienna outskirts of Pressbaum and continued to move east, north and west. On April 8, stubborn fighting continued in the city itself, the Germans created new barricades, blockages, blocking roads, laid mines, land mines, and transferred guns and mortars to dangerous directions. During April 9-10, Soviet forces continued to fight their way towards the city center. The Wehrmacht offered especially stubborn resistance in the area of the Imperial Bridge across the Danube, this was due to the fact that if Soviet troops reached it, the entire German group in Vienna would be completely surrounded. The Danube Flotilla landed troops to capture the Imperial Bridge, but heavy enemy fire stopped them 400 meters from the bridge. Only the second landing was able to capture the bridge without allowing it to be blown up. By the end of April 10, the defending German group was completely surrounded; its last units offered resistance only in the center of the city.
On the night of April 11, our troops began to cross the Danube Canal, and the final battles for Vienna were underway. Having broken the enemy's resistance in the central part of the capital and in the neighborhoods that were located on the northern bank of the Danube Canal, Soviet troops cut the enemy garrison into separate groups. The “cleansing” of the city began - by lunchtime on April 13, the city was completely liberated.
Results of the operation
As a result of the offensive of Soviet troops in the Vienna offensive operation, a large Wehrmacht group was defeated. The forces of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts were able to complete the liberation of Hungary and occupied the eastern regions of Austria along with its capital, Vienna. Berlin lost control over another major industrial center of Europe - the Vienna industrial region, including the economically important Nagykanizsa oil region. The road to Prague and Berlin from the south was opened. The USSR marked the beginning of the restoration of Austrian statehood.
The quick and selfless actions of the Red Army troops did not allow the Wehrmacht to destroy one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Soviet soldiers were able to prevent the explosion of the Imperial Bridge over the Danube River, as well as the destruction of many other valuable architectural structures that the Germans had prepared for the explosion or were set on fire by Wehrmacht units during the retreat, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Vienna City Hall and other buildings.
In honor of the next brilliant victory of the Soviet troops, on April 13, 1945 at 21.00 in the capital of the USSR - Moscow, a victory salute was given with 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns.
To commemorate this victory, 50 military formations that distinguished themselves in the battle for Vienna received the honorary name “Viennese”. In addition, the Soviet government established the medal “For the Capture of Vienna,” which was awarded to all participants in the battles for the capital of Austria. In Vienna in August 1945, a monument was erected on Schwarzenbergplatz in honor of Soviet soldiers who died in the battles for the liberation of Austria.
