WORLD WAR 2
Main page Introduction Bookshop
HOT STUFF!
Battles & Campaigns Chronology FORUM Links Site Map Updates
AXIS & ALLIES
Bulgaria Chetnik movement Germany Hungary Italy Kingdom of Yugoslavia Macedonia Montenegro NDH - Independent State of Croatia Serbia Slovenia Soviet Union United Kingdom United States Yugoslavia
WEAPONS 1941-45
Aircraft Armor Artillery Infantry weapons Radio
MORE INFO
Bibliography and sources Comparative chart of Ranks Concentration camps and Prisons Losses of population Glossary
MILITARY HISTORY
Biographies project Military history World War I Armed Forces
MORE
Gaming Sections
SUPPORT THIS SITE
On-line Store How can YOU help? Translation help needed Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Amazon.ca

Newest updates:
German 202nd Tank Battalion (Pz.Abt.202)
German 172nd Anti-Aircraft (Flak) Battalion
German army battalions in Yugoslavia
1052nd Special Unit (Sonderkommando)
German Security battalions in Yugoslavia

Vojska.net

Promote Your Page Too



3rd Ukrainian Front

3-й Украинский фронт

History

In August 1944, Jassy–Kishinev Offensive forced Romania to switch sides and destroyed much of German Army Group South Ukraine leaving huge gap in German defenses in South-East Europe. Further blow was Bulgarian withdrawal from war allowing Red Army to enter it without resistance and threaten to cut off Army Group E in Greece. After these success 3rd Ukrainian Front was ordered by STAVKA to move its 57th Army towards Yugoslav border in preparations Belgrade operation. By this time Front had lost most its formations with 5th Shock Army being transferred to STAVKA reserve, 46th Army transferred to 2nd Ukrainian Front for advance into Banat and 37th Army separated and left in Bulgaria until end of the war. From reinforcements figures below most of its units suffered heavy losses during battles in Romania and lost lot of their equipment.

In preparation from Belgrade operation, it was decided on 17 September to bring infantry (rifle) divisions of 57th Army to strength of around 7500 soldiers for which it received 23400 soldiers as reinforcement.

At the end of September and early October, in order to equip fresh troops and replace lost armament 3rd Ukrainian received 193 artillery pieces, 600 mortars, 50 antiaircraft machine-guns, 800 antitank rifles, 250 heavy and 1000 light machine-guns, 10000 rifles, 10000 submachine-guns, 1403 vehicles, 546 tanks and self-propelled guns, 280 motorcycles with sidecar and 20 antiaircraft machine-guns M.17 besides standard ammunition, fuel and food.

...

Slow progress of 2nd Ukrainian Front ordered to capture Budapest and advance towards Vienna resulted in 3rd Ukrainian Front being ordered to change its direction of attack after completion of Belgrade operation and instead of advance through Yugoslavia move through southern Hungary to capture Transdanubian aluminium plants and oil-fields, before moving on to Vienna and if need to attack Budapest from the south.

This resulted in Batina operation.

Red army withdrawal from Syrmian front left Partisans badly lacking heavy artillery which allowed German counterattack to push them back.

Reference

  • Beogradska operacija, page 93