Reborn as a police officer in South Africa

Malinovsky did not hesitate to fulfill Bearded's order at any cost. Under the crazy attack of the Russian army, the German defense lines collapsed. On the 27th, the Russian army invaded the city of Budapest, and a more brutal city station broke out immediately.

Budapest was built in the 9th century AD and is located at the crossroads of the Eurasian continental transportation lines. It is an ancient cultural city with a long history and beautiful scenery, and has a large number of historical buildings.

The war completely destroyed the city. Hay Square in the city center, which used to be the most prosperous place in Pest, is now inevitably reduced to a flesh-and-blood mill.

Fortress Headquarters, the command center of the Budapest garrison, is located in a four-story building next to Hay Square.

During the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this building was once the palace of Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, the palace became the presidential palace of the Republic of Hungary. After the German invasion, the presidential palace was occupied by Ede

Requisitioned by Dr. Mond Fesenmeyer, it became the center of German rule in Hungary.

After the Battle of Budapest broke out, Hay Square became a key bombing target for Russia. The former magnificent palace was almost reduced to ruins, with all the doors and windows missing, large areas of exquisite exterior wall sculptures peeling off, and bomb craters everywhere.

Hay Square is also in a mess. The trees around the square were burned to the point of being broken and dry. Many bombed car wrecks were not removed in time. The original Capitol Building directly opposite the Fortress Headquarters was bombed in the past few days.

It was hit by an aerial bomb and a fire broke out. The white building was burned black, and there were traces of charred corpses on the steps in front of the building.

The Russian attack was very sharp. Within just two days, the German defense line completely collapsed. After assessing the situation, General Weidenbruch held a military meeting in the basement of the fortress headquarters and decided to take the initiative to break out.

"The breakout operation will begin at eight o'clock tonight. The 3rd Army and the 8th Army will break out to the northeast. If they cannot break through the Russian army, they will organize a defense around Buda Mountain and wait for reinforcements-" Joachim Fei, chief of staff of the fortress garrison

Lix laid out the breakout plan in the meeting, and several generals of the 3rd Army and the 8th Army turned pale.

The Pest garrison is composed of German and Hungarian troops. The 3rd Army and the 8th Army that Felix just named are both Hungarian troops.

Northeast of Pest is the main attack direction of the Russian army. Malinovsky's best-equipped tank divisions are all in this direction. Felix arranged for the 3rd Army and the 8th Army to break out from this direction in order to let Hungary

The army went to attract the attention of the Russian army and create opportunities for the German army to break through.

To put it bluntly, let the Hungarian army die.

Although they knew that there would be no chance of death, the generals of the 3rd Army and the 8th Army did not dare to refute. As for whether they would resolutely carry out General Weidenbruch's order, that is another matter.

"Gentlemen, I hope we will meet again in Vienna -" General Weidenbruch also looked ugly. This was actually the second time he had held a meeting of all generals since he took office.

The last meeting after General Weidenbruch took office.

No one expected that a breakthrough would occur at the second plenary meeting.

It has only been a few days, but there are already several generals attending the meeting.

After Felix finished assigning tasks, the attendants brought the generals a small glass of gin. This is a decisive battle ritual that has been passed down by the German army since the Teutonic Knights in the 15th century.

Everyone drank the gin in one gulp and smashed the glasses.

At eight o'clock that night, the breakout operation officially began.

Although Felix made detailed arrangements at the military meeting, in fact when the German army began to break through, the situation was very chaotic.

It can't be organized. The Russian army's crazy attacks in the past few days have cut the German defense line to pieces. Many generals don't even know where their troops are and how many people are left.

For example, the commander of the Hungarian 8th Army, Sigurd Sauloi, currently has less than 500 troops left under his command. According to the German army's establishment, this number of men is less than one battalion.

In Felix's plan, in the direction of the 8th Army's breakout, there are Russia's most elite Second Mechanized Army and Fourth Mechanized Army. The total number of tanks and self-propelled artillery equipped by these two armies exceeds 800, with a total strength of approximately

50,000 people.

Use a force of 500 light infantry to attack a defense line of 50,000 people. Needless to say, these 50,000 people are also equipped with heavy tanks. Even if they are also light infantry, the outcome is obvious.

So after the meeting, Siegel took the initiative to complain to the commander of the 3rd Army, Klein Heisler.

"There is no possibility of success in the breakout operation. If it is carried out according to the plan, it would be better for us to commit collective suicide." Siegel did not want to die, but if he wanted to escape, Siegel needed allies.

"The day I joined the army, I had a premonition that this day would come, but I didn't expect that this day would come so quickly!" Heisler said expressionlessly. Hungarians are still better at composing piano music, and war is really

no.

For five hundred years since the Renaissance, Hungary has never won a foreign war, whether as an independent country or as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

After Germany invaded Hungary, in order to make up for its lack of strength, it recruited Hungarians to join the army and form the Hungarian Servant Army.

The treatment and equipment of the Hungarian servant army are completely different from those of the German army. They carry the worst weapons, go hungry, undertake the most dangerous tasks, and are finally abandoned by the German army like rags. This feeling is really terrible.

Make Heisler feel bad.

"No matter what you do, I will not break out from the northeast -" Siegel has his own plan. Compared with Felix's plan, Siegel's plan seems to have a higher success rate.

"What are you going to do?" Heisler was curious. If he could survive, Heisler would certainly not be willing to die.

"We go south and cross the Danube River. If we are outflanked by the southern African army, we will surrender to the southern African army -" Siegel had no scruples. He had no southern African blood on his hands.

"How is it possible to cross the Danube?" Heisler subconsciously retorted, then shut up mid-sentence.

If it were summer, the strength of the Danube River would be impossible, because when the Battle of Budapest broke out, the German army blew up all five bridges connecting the two cities of Buda and Pest.

It's winter now, and the river is frozen. Tanks weighing dozens of tons can't drive across, so light infantry can just walk across the ice.

"That's a good idea, just do it!" Heisler was desperate and decided to cross the river with Siegel.

So when the encirclement broke out at 8 o'clock in the evening, some remnants of the 3rd Army and the 8th Army, totaling about 2,500 people, secretly bypassed other German defense lines and broke out south from the Danube River. After successfully crossing the river, they successfully made an expedition to southern Africa.

The army surrendered.

The rest of the defenders were not so lucky.

The Russian army did not realize at the beginning that the German troops were about to break out of the encirclement. They were unprepared and caught off guard. Some German troops did break out of the encirclement.

Of course, the cost was also huge. When the German 8th Cavalry Division broke into Vienna Street, it was attacked head-on by the Russian army. The division commander and chief of staff were killed on the spot. About 800 German soldiers died in Vienna Street alone.

When the 22nd SS Cavalry Division passed through the "Territorial Blood" square, it was immediately discovered by the Russian army. The Russian army immediately used flares. In the empty square, the snow had not yet melted, and the German officers and soldiers in gray uniforms were completely exposed.

In this environment, the Russian army's Bobsha could exert its maximum power. Division commander August Zehund was hit by a stray bullet and died on the spot. The 22nd Cavalry Division finally crossed the square at the cost of nearly 1,500 people.

The 22nd Cavalry Division, which fought a bloody battle, did not escape. After they rushed out of the city, they encountered the biggest obstacle.

This obstacle was not caused by the Russians, but by the Germans themselves.

In order to stop the heavy tanks of the Russian army, the German army dug many wide and deep anti-tank trenches around Pest. These anti-tank trenches had played a huge role in these months of fighting, but now they have become the largest obstacle to the German army's escape.

obstacle.

When the 22nd Cavalry Division arrived at the anti-tank trenches, the Russian army was ready.

A few days ago, the German army used anti-tank trenches to wait for the Russian army to attack, causing huge damage to the Russian army.

Now the situation is completely reversed, with the Russian army defending and the German army taking the initiative to attack.

When the Russian army attacks, it has the help of tanks and self-propelled artillery, giving it a huge firepower advantage.

When the Germans broke through the encirclement, in order to run as fast as possible, they voluntarily abandoned all their heavy weapons and did not carry many grenades and bullets with them.

So what the German army ushered in was a brutal and bloody strangulation.

The 22nd Cavalry Division was an SS force, which became the main reason for the annihilation of the entire 22nd Cavalry Division.

In the eastern battlefield, the Russians generally referred to the German "SS, Gestapo, tank crews and military police" as "running dogs". Once these people were captured, they would be shot immediately.

The remaining officers and soldiers of the 22nd Cavalry Division also knew that even if they surrendered, the Russians would not let them go.

Fighting broke out immediately.

The cavalry division has horses, which are relatively fast in normal conditions, but are unable to do so when crossing anti-tank trenches. Many officers and soldiers dismount and fight on foot.

It had been snowing for many days, and the snow on the ground was up to one meter thick. The remaining officers and soldiers of the 22nd Cavalry Division were struggling to walk on the thick snow. The Russian officers and soldiers were like shooting target, and the battle went on easily and happily.

In just twenty minutes, more than 2,000 people were killed.

About half an hour later, a pursuing Russian army attacked the remnants of the 22nd Cavalry Division from behind. The battle did not end until early morning. The Russians dug two large pits, one for burying the Hungarians and one for burying the Hungarians.

Bury the corpses of army horses and German soldiers.

Yes, the Russians mixed the corpses of German soldiers and military horses together, poured gasoline on them and burned them before sealing the soil.

This is indeed the Russian style.

The 8th Cavalry Division and the 22nd Cavalry Division were not the only ones that were wiped out. After interrogating the surrendered Hungarian prisoners, the Russian army fully understood the German breakout plan. Two hours after the breakout operation was launched, Marshal Malinovsky

The deployment of the Russian army was adjusted. At this time, Malinovsky's order was to annihilate all German troops and not let a single German go.

The Russian army, under the command of Marshal Malinovsky, pursued and intercepted the breakout German troops.

Russian troops from other directions stepped up their attacks to clear out the remaining German troops in the city.

The garrison commander, SS General Weidenbruch, was unlucky. After the breakout operation was launched, he and his staff officers fled along the sewer to a villa about one kilometer behind the Russian army's defense line.

This was not a safe place, and soon the Russian army discovered General Weidenbruch.

General Weidenbruch was not as strong as he showed at the military meeting. He only put up weak resistance and surrendered on his own initiative.

It is said that when Weidenbruch was brought to Marshal Malinovsky, Marshal Malinovsky said with great hatred: If I had not received a direct order from Moscow, I would have brought it to us for you.

All the troubles and losses, hang you in the central square of Buda Castle——

The Bearded Man did not want Weidenbruch's life. He ordered Malinovsky to capture Weidenbruch alive. After all, the SS general still had great propaganda value.

Other German troops were not so lucky.

A Hungarian lieutenant led a dozen Hungarian soldiers and four SS soldiers to escape from the encirclement. They went up the railway and tried to cross the Swabian Mountains. On the way, they were ambushed by the Russian army and all were captured.

.

Four SS soldiers were immediately stripped naked and shot. The remaining Hungarians and Russians barely managed to save their lives by promising to assist them in the roundup.

A German army of about 4,000 people also broke out of the encirclement, but they were unlucky and had to go in a circle to bypass the Russian army's defense lines before they could reach Vienna.

This German army was frantically strangled by countless Russian troops, and only about 200 people managed to survive.

Regarding the losses on the night of the breakout, an approximate figure was not available until half a month later.

When Weidenbruch decided to break out, there were about 78,000 defenders in the Pest Fortress, including about 45,000 German troops.

According to German statistics, only 785 people successfully broke through, and all the remaining more than 40,000 people died in Pest.

These data do not match the data reported by Marshal Malinovsky. After the first phase of the battle, Malinovsky claimed that Pest had 180,000 defenders.

180,000 versus 80,000, a full 100,000 less. In order to make the data more tidy, Malinovsky arrested Hungarians in large numbers after the battle in Pest, dressed them in German uniforms, and treated them as

German prisoners of war were escorted back to Russia.

Throughout the Battle of Pest, the number of civilian casualties was around 80,000.

Approximately 50,000 Hungarian women were also humiliated.

Of course these will not be reflected in the battle report.