Battle of Debrecen

Debrecen Offensive Operation

Part of the Eastern Front of World War II

Date	6–29 October 1944
Location	Debrecen / Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Result	Soviet-Romanian victory

Belligerents

Commanders and leaders

Johannes Friessner
(Army Group South)

Maximilian Fretter-Pico (Sixth Army)

József Heszlényi (Third Army)

Rodion Malinovsky
(2nd Ukrainian Front)

I.A. Pliyev

Gheorghe Avramescu

Nicolae Macici

Strength

80,000

260,000

Casualties and losses

Germany: ~15,000 killed or wounded
Hungary: 20,000 killed or wounded
Total: 53,000 men
(including ~18,000 POW) ~200 tanks lost
490 guns lost

Soviet: ~19,713 killed or missing and 64,297 wounded or sick
Romania: 33,500 men
Total: 117,360 men (including 5,073 POW)
~500 tanks lost
~1,500 guns lost

The Battle of Debrecen, called by the Red Army the Debrecen Offensive Operation, was a battle taking place 6–29 October 1944 on the Eastern Front during World War II.

The offensive was conducted by the 2nd Ukrainian Front under Marshal Rodion Malinovsky. It was opposed by General Maximilian Fretter-Pico's German Sixth Army (II formation) and the allied Hungarian VII Army Corps of Army Group South Ukraine

The Axis units were forced to retreat some 160 kilometers, while opposing the 2nd Ukrainian Front which had Debrecen in Hungary as its strategic objective.

On 23 August 1944, Germany's former ally, Romania had declared war on Germany and its ally Hungary. The subsequent drive of Soviet General Fedor Tolbukhin's 3rd Ukrainian Front into Romania destroyed any semblance of an organised defensive line. On 8 September, Bulgaria, another former German ally, declared war on Germany. By this time, Tolbukhin, aided by the 2nd Ukrainian Front under Malinovsky had destroyed thirteen Axis divisions, taking over 100,000 prisoners. Both Malinovsky and Tolbukhin were promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union for this on 10 and 12 September respectively.

These developments had opened up a 650 kilometer gap in Friessner's Army Group. On 24 September 1944, Friessner's Army Group South Ukraine was redesignated Army Group South. General Fretter-Pico's Sixth Army formed the nucleus of Friessner's force, along with the Hungarian Second Army. The German-Hungarian force was designated Armeegruppe Fretter-Pico. Meanwhile, the Soviet forces were worn down by the Iasi-Chisinau Strategic Offensive Operation and the Belgrade Offensive, and also had to contend with logistical difficulties caused by the different railway gauge used in Romania.

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