Vienna Offensive

Part of the Eastern Front of World War II

Date	2–13 April 1945
Location	Vienna, Nazi Germany
Result	Soviet and Bulgarian victory

Belligerents

Germany

Hungary

Soviet Union

Bulgaria

Commanders and leaders

Strength

One army (understrength)
Local irregulars

Four armies (full strength)
644,700 Soviets
100,900 Bulgarians
85 divisions and 3 brigades

Casualties and losses

~20,000 killed
47,000 taken prisoner 20,000 (Vienna) 5,000 (Surrounding Area)

18,000 killed

The Vienna Offensive was launched by the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front in order to capture Vienna in Austria. The offensive lasted from 2 to 13 April 1945. The city of Vienna was surrounded and under siege for most of the offensive until its capture.

Joseph Stalin reached an agreement with the Western Allies prior to April 1945 concerning the relative postwar political influence of each party in much of Eastern and Central Europe; however, these agreements said virtually nothing about the fate of Austria, then officially considered to be merely the Ostmark area of Greater Germany after the Anschluss. As a result, the victory of a Soviet offensive toward Austria and the liberation by the Red Army of a large part of this country would have been very beneficial for subsequent postwar negotiations with the Western Allies.

After the failure of Operation Spring Awakening (Unternehmen Frühlingserwachen), Sepp Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army retreated in stages to the Vienna area. The Germans desperately prepared defensive positions in an attempt to guard the city against the rapidly arriving Soviets.

In spring 1945, the advance of Soviet General Fyodor Tolbukhin's 3rd Ukrainian Front through western Hungary gathered momentum on both sides of the Danube.

On 30 March, the advancing Soviets crossed the Hron and Nitra Rivers, and after they took Sopron and Nagykanizsa crossed the border between Hungary and Austria. Tolbukhin was now ready to advance into Austria and take Vienna.

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Wikipedia