On March 16, 1945, the Vienna offensive operation of the Red Army began, depriving the Nazis of their last hopes of dragging out the war ...

In the spring of 1945, the outcome of the war was already obvious to all its participants. The main goal of the top leaders of Nazi Germany was to delay the inevitable outcome as much as possible, counting on the possible conclusion of a separate peace with the United States and Great Britain. The priority task of the Soviet Union is the final defeat of the Third Reich, its coercion to unconditional surrender.
On February 17, 1945, by the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts were tasked with preparing an offensive against one of the European capitals that still remained in the hands of the Nazis - Vienna.


Austria, which lost its independence in 1938 as a result of the Anschluss, was in the final stage of the war in a dual position. On the one hand, the Austrians became one of the victims of Nazi aggression. On the other hand, Nazi sentiments were strong in Austria, and units of the Wehrmacht and the SS throughout the war were steadily replenished with ideological supporters from the homeland of the Fuhrer of the Third Reich.
The leaders of Nazi Germany, pushing the Austrians to resist the advancing units of the Red Army, promised them "the bloody horrors of the Stalinist occupation." The work of Hitler's propagandists made it possible to form Volkssturm detachments in Vienna, which were supposed to delay the final collapse of the Reich at the cost of their lives.

"Spring Awakening" Failed

The start of the Soviet offensive was scheduled for 15 March. Almost simultaneously with the decision to prepare the Vienna offensive operation, the Soviet command received information about the impending powerful strike of the Nazis in the Lake Balaton area.
It was decided to repel the German offensive in the Balaton area, without stopping preparations for an attack on Vienna.
The Wehrmacht operation "Spring Awakening" was the last offensive of the Germans in World War II and the last defensive operation of the Red Army in it.
During the nine-day offensive, the Nazis managed to advance 30 km in the direction of the main attack, but they did not succeed in achieving decisive success.
By March 15, the German offensive stopped, their reserves were depleted. There was an excellent situation for the transition of Soviet troops to their own offensive.


The plan of the operation provided for the main attack by the forces of the 4th and 9th Guards Armies from the area north of Szekesfehervar to the southwest in order to encircle the 6th SS Panzer Army. In the future, the main forces were supposed to develop an offensive in the direction of Papa, Sopron and further to the Hungarian-Austrian border, part of the forces to advance on Szombathely and Zalaegerszeg in order to cover the Nagykanizsa enemy grouping from the north.
The 26th and 27th armies were supposed to launch an offensive later and contribute to the destruction of the enemy surrounded by that time. The 57th and 1st Bulgarian armies, operating on the left wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, were to go on the offensive south of Lake Balaton with the task of defeating the opposing enemy and capturing the oil-bearing region with a center in the city of Nagykanizha.

Escaped from the cauldron

Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin commanded the 3rd Ukrainian Front, Marshal Rodion Malinovsky commanded the 2nd Ukrainian Front, and General Vladimir Stoychev commanded the Allied 1st Bulgarian Army.
The offensive of the Soviet troops began on March 16, 1945 at 15:35. The artillery preparation turned out to be so powerful that both the 4th and 9th Guards Armies of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, which were the first to go on the offensive, at first did not meet resistance at all. Then, however, the enemy began to hastily transfer fresh units towards the guardsmen.
At the first stage, fierce battles unfolded for the Hungarian Szekesfehervar, a major center of German defense, the occupation of which by Soviet troops threatened them with access to the rear of the Nazis and the complete encirclement of the German group.


Photo by Aron Zamsky. Author's signature: “On the roads of war. Attack on Vienna on German technology.
By the end of March 18, Soviet troops managed to advance to a depth of about 18 km and expand the breakthrough to 36 km along the front. The 6th Guards Tank Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front was introduced into the gap, however, the Germans also pulled up units from other sectors to repel the offensive: three tank and one infantry division. Despite this, the Soviet troops managed to advance another 8 kilometers. On March 20, the time came for the strike of the 26th and 27th armies.
The threat of complete encirclement and defeat loomed over the Balaton grouping of the Nazis. The main force of the Germans in this area - the 6th SS Army - was withdrawn through the corridor that remained in their hands, about two and a half kilometers wide.

Bulgarians and cavalrymen deprived the Wehrmacht of fuel

The Germans managed to avoid encirclement, but they failed to stop the Soviet troops. Immediately crossing the line of the Raba River, the Red Army rushed to the Hungarian-Austrian border.
On March 25, the 2nd Ukrainian Front launched an offensive against Bratislava, which deprived the German command of the opportunity to transfer reserves to the Vienna direction.


On March 29, 1945, on the left wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the 57th and 1st Bulgarian armies went on the offensive in the direction of Nagykanizha. A day later, the raid of the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps began in the rear of the German group in the Nagykanizsa area.
Soon, Soviet and Bulgarian troops captured Nagykaniz - the center of one of the last oil-bearing regions remaining in the hands of the Germans. Thus, the Wehrmacht found itself in an acute fuel crisis.
On April 1, 1945, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command clarifies the task - the main forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front were ordered to capture the capital of Austria and reach the Tulln, St. Polten, Neu-Lengbach line no later than April 12–15.

"Alpine fortress"

After heavy March battles, the offensive of the Red Army in the first days of April is developing rapidly. Already by April 4, the shock group of the 3rd Ukrainian Front reached the approaches to Vienna.
The German command intended to defend Vienna to the end. The most important objects of the city, its main sights were mined, houses were turned into fortified firing points.
The city was defended by units of the 6th SS Panzer Army, which retreated from Balaton, 15 separate infantry battalions and Volkssturm battalions, cadets of the Vienna military school, 4 combined regiments of the Vienna police of 1500 people each.


The defense of Vienna was also facilitated by its geographical position - from the west, Vienna was covered by a mountain range, and from the north and east by a powerful water barrier, the wide and high-water Danube. On the south side, on the outskirts of the city, the Germans created a powerful fortified area, which consisted of anti-tank ditches, a developed system of fortifications - trenches, pillboxes and bunkers. The Nazis dubbed Vienna the "Alpine Fortress".
The Soviet command faced a difficult task - it was not easy to take the city in the shortest possible time, but also to prevent large-scale destruction of the ancient pearl of Europe.

Appeal of Marshal Tolbukhin

The attack on Vienna began on 5 April. The original plan of Marshal Tolbukhin was to deliver simultaneous strikes from three directions: from the southeast - by the forces of the 4th Guards Army and the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, from the south and southwest - by the forces of the 6th Guards Tank Army with 18 th Tank Corps and part of the forces of the 9th Guards Army. The remaining part of the forces of the 9th Guards Army was to bypass the city from the west and cut off the enemy's escape routes.
On April 5 and 6, fierce battles unfolded on the southern and southeastern approaches to the city. The enemy tried to go into counterattacks and put up desperate resistance.
On April 6, Fyodor Tolbukhin on the radio appealed to the population of Vienna with an appeal to stay in place, in every possible way to prevent the Nazis from trying to destroy the city, its historical monuments and to provide assistance to the Soviet troops. Many Austrians responded to this call.


Fedor Tolbukhin - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously), People's Hero of Yugoslavia, Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (posthumously), holder of the Order of Victory.
On April 7, the main forces of the 9th Guards Army and formations of the 6th Guards Tank Army, having overcome the mountain-forest massif of the Vienna Woods, reached the Danube. Thus, the German grouping was covered by Soviet troops from the east, south and west. With great difficulty, the Nazis held back the offensive of the 46th Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, which could slam the boiler.
Heavy street fighting unfolded in Vienna, which went on both day and night. On April 9, 1945, a tank battalion of the 6th Guards Tank Army under the command of Guard Captain Dmitry Loza broke through into the center of Vienna. During the day, the battalion held its positions until the main forces of the tank brigade approached. For this feat, Dmitry Fedorovich Loza was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Landing on the Imperial Bridge

By the end of April 10, the German garrison in Vienna continued fierce resistance in the city center, keeping under its control the Imperial Bridge - the only surviving bridge over the Danube. The imperial bridge allowed the western and eastern nodes of Vienna's defense to interact.
The bridge was mined, and the German command, in a hopeless situation for themselves, intended to blow it up, which would force the Soviet troops to cross the full-flowing Danube and fight hard to capture and hold bridgeheads.
To capture the Imperial Bridge, it was decided to conduct an amphibious operation using the armored boats of the Danube military flotilla.


The landing force was tasked with landing from boats on both banks of the Danube near the bridge, capturing it and holding it until the main forces approached.
The landing force included about 100 fighters of a rifle company of the 80th Guards Rifle Division. In reinforcement, they were given one 45-mm cannon and four heavy machine guns. The artillery of the Danube flotilla and army gunners were supposed to cover the paratroopers.
The task was incredibly difficult - armored boats to the landing site had to pass along the coast controlled by the Nazis, past fortified firing points, bypassing destroyed bridges and sunken ships, and all this during daylight hours.

Three days of fire and blood

The operation began on the morning of 11 April. A group of five armored boats went on a breakthrough to the Imperial Bridge, the rest of the ships were supposed to suppress enemy firing points on the banks.
The daring plan of the Soviet command turned out to be a complete surprise for the Nazis, which allowed the boats with the landing force to reach the landing point without loss. With a swift attack, the Imperial Bridge was captured.
The command of the Vienna garrison realized the seriousness of what had happened. Tanks, self-propelled guns and infantry were urgently transferred to the bridge with orders to recapture the bridge at all costs. Enemy artillery fire fell on Soviet armored boats. With great difficulty they returned to base.
The Soviet landing force, holding the Imperial Bridge, was under continuous enemy fire. The attacks came one after another, but the company fought to the death.


Soviet sappers direct the crossing over the Danube Canal in the center of the city of Vienna. 2nd Ukrainian.
The bloody battle for the bridge, which became the key in the battle for Vienna, lasted three days. On the night of April 13, a battalion of the 7th Guards Airborne Division managed to break through to the bridge. In response, the Germans threw everything that was still in reserve to the bridge. Both sides suffered heavy losses.
On the morning of April 13, a combined assault detachment of the Marine Corps under the command of Senior Lieutenant Kochkin broke through to the bridge. A rifle regiment of the 80th Guards Rifle Division was introduced into the gap. After some time, the main forces of the division, supported by self-propelled guns of the 2nd Guards Mechanized Brigade, cut through the eastern group of Germans and reached the bridge.
16 self-propelled artillery mounts crossed the bridge at high speed and took up all-round defense on the west bank. The sappers of the approaching units removed from the bridge all the explosives left by the Nazis. The bridge completely came under the control of the Soviet troops, the threat of its destruction was eliminated. It was all over for the Vienna group of Germans. Its eastern part, devoid of communication with the western, cut into several isolated groups, was finally defeated by the end of April 13. The western part of the group began a hasty retreat from the city.
On the night of April 14, Vienna completely came under the control of Soviet troops.
Among those who fought with the Nazis on the Imperial Bridge was the 19-year-old Red Navy Georgy Yumatov, the future star of Soviet cinema, who played a brilliant role in the film "Officers".


The landing participants were presented with orders and medals, and six soldiers who prevented the undermining of the Imperial bridge were awarded the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union.
At the expense of the inhabitants of Vienna, an obelisk was erected in front of the Imperial Bridge in honor of the Soviet soldiers who saved this priceless historical relic of the city from destruction.
50 Soviet units and formations that distinguished themselves in the battles for Vienna received the honorary title of "Vienna". The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established the medal "For the Capture of Vienna". In August 1945, a monument to Soviet soldiers who died in the battles for the liberation of the country was erected on Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna.

Berlin was ahead

During the Vienna Offensive, Soviet troops lost 167,940 people killed and wounded. The irretrievable losses of the Red Army amounted to 38,661 people. The losses of the allied Bulgarian army amounted to 9805 people killed and wounded, of which 2698 people were irretrievable losses.
There is no exact data on German losses. The fact is that since the beginning of 1945, complete chaos reigned in the documents of the Wehrmacht, similar to what happened in the Red Army in the tragic summer of 1941.


It is known that more than 400,000 German troops in western Hungary and eastern Austria actually ceased to exist. About 130 thousand German soldiers and officers were taken prisoner.
With the defeat of the Nazi group in Austria and the capture of Vienna, the plans of the leaders of the Third Reich to drag out the war finally collapsed.
Three days remained before the start of the attack on Berlin ...

The medal "For the Capture of Vienna" is awarded to servicemen of the Red Army, the Navy and the NKVD troops who directly participated in the assault and clearing of the German invaders of the capital of Austria - Vienna in March - April 1945.

Description of the medal for the Capture of Vienna

Dimensions 32 mm.
Brass materials.
Artist Zvorykina.
To whom is awarded all participants in the assault and capture of the capital of Austria.
Grounds for awarding Participation in the storming of Vienna.

The price of the medal for the capture of Vienna

To date, prices for the medal For the Capture of Vienna start at 3,000 rubles.
Price updated as of 03/27/2020

Awarded with the medal "For the Capture of Vienna"

The medal was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces on June 9, 1945. The same Decree approved the description of the medal and its Regulations. Total medal "For the Capture of Vienna" awarded approximately 278,000 people.

Medal for the Capture of Vienna in the award system of the USSR

"For the capture of Vienna" medal of the USSR

The medal for the capture of Vienna was established along with other medals for the capture of the largest European cities, its development was carried out in connection with the decree of the head of the rear of the Red Army Khrulev, from the many works the project of the artist Zvorykina won. The assault on the capital of Austria took place from 03/16/1945 to 04/13/1945. As a result of the Vienna operation, the Reich lost control over Austrian industry in the Vienna region, and also lost one of the last sources of oil in the Nagykanizsa region, which by and large practically paralyzed the German motorized troops. Particularly distinguished parts were called "Viennese". The medal bears the inscription "for the capture of VIENNA" under the inscription a laurel branch, and above it a five-pointed star, the reverse is also decorated with a five-pointed star and the date "APRIL 13, 1945".

Description of other awards of the Second World War of the USSR: Medal for the defense of Sevastopol for the defense of the city of the hero of Sevastopol and a medal for the victory over Japan in honor of the final defeat of the last enemy in World War II.

Capture of Vienna

The capture of the capital of Austria - Vienna was one of the stages of the Vienna Offensive, the purpose of which was the final liberation of Hungary, the capture of the Nagykanizsa oil region and the Vienna industrial regions. The operation was carried out by the forces of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, and involved the encirclement of the enemy in Vienna, and his destruction.

By the time of the offensive, the city was well prepared for a long-term defense, anti-tank ditches, anti-personnel and anti-tank barriers were dug in dangerous areas, firing points were equipped in all stone buildings in the city. To strengthen the defending group, the Hitlerite command created 4 separate regiments from the Vienna police, numbering about 6,000 people.

The first battles for the capture of Vienna broke out on April 5, 1945, but the fiercely defending German troops did not contribute to the rapid capture of the city. On April 7, 1945, the forces of the Ninth Guards Army, together with the Sixth Guards Tank Army of the USSR Armed Forces, overcame the mountain forest massif of the Vienna Woods, approaching Vienna from the west. As a result of fierce fighting, by April 10, the fascist group was tightly clamped on three sides, for the withdrawal of troops from the German command there was one surviving bridge - the "Imperial".

To capture the bridge, the command of the USSR army landed on April 11, 1945, but it did not succeed due to heavy enemy fire, and was forced to lie down, not reaching the bridge only 400 meters. In the current situation, the Soviet command decides on a simultaneous strike by all forces fighting for Vienna, in addition, another landing force is landed in the area of ​​​​the Imperial Bridge, consisting of the 21st Infantry Regiment.

As a result of this strike, by lunchtime on April 13, 1945, the city was cleared of enemy troops, the Imperial Bridge was mined, but the blow of the USSR troops was so swift that the Germans did not have time to blow it up. In order to mark all the fighters who fought for the liberation of the Austrian capital, a Medal "For the Capture of Vienna" established on June 9, 1945.

April 13, 2010 marks the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Vienna from Nazi invaders.

On April 13, 1945, after the Vienna Offensive, the capital of Austria, Vienna, was liberated by the Soviet Army. The Vienna offensive operation was carried out by the troops of the 2nd (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky) and 3rd (commander Marshal of the Soviet Union Fyodor Tolbukhin) Ukrainian Fronts.

The German command attached great importance to the defense of the Vienna direction, hoping to stop the Soviet troops and hold out in the mountainous and wooded regions of Austria in the hope of concluding a separate peace with England and the USA. However, on March 16 - April 4, Soviet troops broke through the enemy defenses, defeated Army Group South and reached the approaches to Vienna.

For the defense of the Austrian capital, the fascist German command created a large grouping of troops, which included 8 tank divisions that withdrew from the area of ​​Lake. Balaton, and one infantry and about 15 separate infantry and Volkssturm battalions, consisting of youth 15-16 years old. The entire garrison, including fire brigades, was mobilized to defend Vienna.

The natural conditions of the area favored the defending side. From the west, the city is covered by a range of mountains, and from the north and east by the wide and abundant Danube. On the southern approaches to the city, the Germans built a powerful fortified area, consisting of anti-tank ditches, a well-developed system of trenches and trenches, and many pillboxes and bunkers.

A significant part of the enemy artillery was set up for direct fire. Artillery firing positions were located in parks, gardens, squares and squares. Guns and tanks designed for firing from ambush were disguised in the destroyed houses. The Nazi command intended to make the city an insurmountable obstacle in the way of the Soviet troops.

The plan of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of the Soviet Army ordered the troops of the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front to complete the liberation of Vienna. Part of the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front were supposed to cross from the south bank of the Danube to the north. After that, these troops were supposed to cut off the retreat of the Vienna enemy grouping to the north.

On April 5, 1945, Soviet troops launched an assault on Vienna from the southeast and south. At the same time, tank and mechanized troops began bypassing Vienna from the west. The enemy, with strong fire from all types of weapons and counterattacks by infantry and tanks, tried to prevent the breakthrough of Soviet troops into the city. Therefore, despite the decisive actions of the troops of the Soviet Army, during April 5 they failed to break the resistance of the enemy, and they only slightly advanced.

All day on April 6, there were stubborn battles on the outskirts of the city. By evening, Soviet troops reached the southern and western outskirts of Vienna and broke into the adjacent part of the city. Stubborn fighting began within the boundaries of Vienna. The troops of the 6th Guards Tank Army, having made a detour, in the difficult conditions of the eastern spurs of the Alps, reached the western approaches to Vienna, and then to the southern bank of the Danube. The enemy grouping was surrounded on three sides.

Wanting to prevent unnecessary casualties among the population, to save the city and save its historical monuments, on April 5, the command of the 3rd Ukrainian Front appealed to the population of Vienna with calls to stay in place and shake the Soviet soldiers, not to let the Nazis destroy the city. Many Austrian patriots responded to the call of the Soviet command. They helped the Soviet soldiers in their difficult struggle against the enemy who had settled in the fortified quarters.

By the evening of April 7, the troops of the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, part of the forces captured the Viennese outskirts of Pressbaum and began to spread like a fan - to the east, north and west.

On April 8, the fighting in the city became even more intense. The enemy used large stone buildings for defense, erected barricades, blocked the streets, laid mines and land mines. The Germans widely used "nomadic" guns and mortars, tank ambushes, anti-aircraft artillery, and Faust cartridges to fight Soviet tanks.

On April 9, the Soviet government issued a statement confirming its decision to implement the Moscow Declaration of Austrian Independence.
(Military Encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing. Moscow. In 8 volumes -2004. ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)

During April 9-10, Soviet troops fought their way to the city center. For each quarter, and sometimes even for a separate house, fierce battles flared up.

The enemy offered especially fierce resistance in the area of ​​​​the bridges across the Danube, since if Soviet troops reached them, the entire group defending Vienna would be surrounded. Nevertheless, the force of the strike of the Soviet troops continuously increased.

By the end of April 10, the defending German fascist troops were in a vice grip. The enemy continued to resist only in the center of the city.

On the night of April 11, the forcing of the Danube Canal by Soviet troops began. The last, final battles for Vienna unfolded.

After fierce fighting in the central part of the city and in the quarters located on the northern bank of the Danube Canal, the enemy garrison was divided into separate groups, and their destruction began. And by noon on April 13, Vienna was completely cleared of Nazi troops.

The swift and selfless actions of the Soviet troops did not allow the Nazis to destroy one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Soviet soldiers prevented the explosion of the Imperial bridge across the Danube, as well as the destruction of many valuable architectural structures prepared for the explosion or set on fire by the Nazis during the retreat, among them St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Vienna City Hall and others.

In honor of the victory won on April 13, 1945 at 21.00 in Moscow, salute was given by 24 artillery salvos from 324 guns.

To commemorate the victory, more than twenty formations that distinguished themselves in the battles for Vienna were given the name "Viennese". The Soviet government established the medal "For the Capture of Vienna", which was awarded to all participants in the battles for the city.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

In early April, Vienna was defended by the remnants of eight tank divisions, one infantry division, the personnel of the Vienna military school and up to 15 separate battalions. The basis of the enemy garrison was the unfinished units of the 6th SS Panzer Army. It is no coincidence that the commander of this army, Colonel-General of the SS troops, Sepp Dietrich, was appointed chief of defense of Vienna, who at the same time arrogantly declared: "Vienna will be saved for Germany." He failed to save not only Vienna, but also his life. On April 6 he was killed.

The fascist German command on the approaches to the city and in Vienna itself prepared numerous defensive positions in advance. Anti-tank ditches were dug along the outer periphery of the tank-hazardous areas and various obstacles and barriers were arranged. The enemy blocked the streets of the city with numerous barricades and blockages. Almost all stone and brick buildings were equipped with firing points. The enemy sought to turn Vienna into an impregnable fortress.

As early as April 1, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command set the 3rd Ukrainian Front the task of capturing the capital of Austria and reaching the line of Tulln, St. Pölten, Neu-Lengbach no later than April 12-15 ...

The fighting in the city went on continuously: during the day the main forces fought, and at night - units and subunits specially assigned for this purpose. In the complex labyrinth of streets and lanes of the capital city, the actions of small rifle units, individual tank crews and gun crews, often fighting in isolation from each other, acquired particular importance.

By April 10, the enemy garrison was pinned down on three sides. In this situation, the fascist German command took all measures to keep the only bridge across the Danube that remained in its hands and to bring the remnants of its defeated units to the northern bank of the river ...

Summarizing the experience of hostilities in the previous days, the Military Council of the front came to the conclusion that in order to accelerate the defeat of the enemy grouping, it is necessary to conduct a decisive assault, organizing a clear interaction of all the forces and means involved in it.

In accordance with this conclusion, an operational directive was developed and given to the troops of the 4th, 9th Guards and 6th Guards Tank Armies on April 12, in which special attention was paid to the simultaneity of the assault. In order to quickly complete it, the troops were ordered, after a signal - a volley of "Katyushas" to quickly rush into the attack. Tank units, despite the fire of individual pockets of resistance, had to break through to the Danube as soon as possible. The military council of the front demanded from the army commanders: "Mobilize the troops for a decisive strike with all the means at your disposal and explain that only swift actions will ensure the rapid completion of the task." A well-organized and prepared assault on the fortified city was carried out in a short time. By the middle of the day on April 13, the enemy garrison was almost completely destroyed ... On the evening of April 13, for the liberation of Vienna, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, saluted the troops of the 3rd and 2nd Ukrainian fronts with twenty-four salvos from three hundred and twenty-four guns.

Before the salute, the Moscow radio announcer read out a message from the Soviet Information Bureau, which said: “The Nazis intended to turn Vienna into a heap of ruins. They wanted to subject the inhabitants of the city to a long siege and protracted street fighting. With skillful and decisive actions, our troops thwarted the criminal plans of the German command. Within a few days, the capital of Austria, Vienna, was liberated from the Nazi invaders.

YOU WILL BE FEED AND YOU WILL GO HOME

It was, it seems, on the second day of the storming of Vienna. I was at the command post of the 20th Guards Rifle Corps, Major General N. I. Biryukov, when the scouts brought a frail, blond-haired boy in a clay-stained uniform.

He should have been chasing the ball in the yard, but they handed him a machine gun, - the commander sighed. Suddenly hardened: - Shot after all for sure?

Not at all, Comrade General, - the scout reported. - I didn’t have time or really didn’t want to, but I didn’t use the weapon, we checked his machine gun.

When the interpreter arrived and the interrogation began, the prisoner said that the Nazis first sent all the guys from the senior classes of the gymnasium to the construction of defensive objects, and then they gave out machine guns, faustpatrons and threw them against the Russians ... The youth said that he was an Austrian and hated the Germans. They are rapists and robbers. And all the time he asked what would happen to him now. He said that their commander warned that the Russians were shooting everyone.

Translate to the prisoner, - I said to the interpreter, - that the Red Army does not fight with children. We are convinced that he will never again take up arms to fight against the Red Army. But if he takes it, let him blame himself ...

The little boy was overjoyed. He fell to his knees, began to swear that he would never forget how kind the Soviet general and officers were to him. I told him to get up and said:

Perhaps your mother is worried about you? Now you will be fed and you will go home. Take only with you the appeal of the command of the Red Army to the Austrians. Read for yourself, share with your friends and acquaintances. Let them know the truth about the Red Army.

The youth promised to do everything as the Soviet general orders...

Here is the appeal:

“Inhabitants of the city of Vienna!

The Red Army, crushing the Nazi troops, approached Vienna.

The Red Army entered Austria not with the aim of capturing Austrian territory, but solely with the aim of defeating the enemy German fascist troops and liberating Austria from German dependence.

The hour has come for the liberation of the capital of Austria - Vienna from German domination, but the retreating Nazi troops want to turn Vienna into a battlefield, as they did in Budapest. This threatens Vienna and its inhabitants with the same destruction and horrors of war that the Germans inflicted on Budapest and its population.

For the sake of preserving the capital of Austria, its historical monuments of culture and art, I propose:

1. The entire population to whom Vienna is dear should not be evacuated from the city, because with the cleansing of Vienna from the Germans, you will be spared the horrors of the war, and those who are evacuated will be driven to death by the Germans.

2. Do not let the Germans mine Vienna, blow up its bridges and turn houses into fortifications.

3. Organize the struggle against the Germans and protect it from destruction by the Nazis.

4. Everyone actively interfere with the export of industrial equipment, goods, food by the Germans from Vienna and not allow the population of Vienna to be robbed.

Citizens of Vienna!

Help the Red Army in the liberation of the capital of Austria - Vienna, invest your share in the cause of the liberation of Austria from the Nazi yoke!

NEW STORM GROUP METHODS

In the labyrinth of streets, yards and lanes of an unfamiliar city, our assault groups mastered new tactics in the course of the battle. In particular, since every now and then it was necessary to break through walls and fences, each warrior, in addition to regular weapons, carried a crowbar, pick or ax with him.

The assault group, led by the Komsomol organizer of the company, the Red Army soldier Vovk, approached a large five-story building. While the Red Army soldier Ananyev fired at the windows with a machine gun, Vovk and other soldiers broke into the entrances. Close combat began in the rooms and corridors. Three hours later, the building was cleared of the enemy. Vovk found faustpatrons in the captured ammunition depot. A few hours later, he managed to burn two tiger-type tanks with them. Right there, on the streets of Vienna, Vovk was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

In one of the houses, on the second floor, an enemy machine gunner sat down. The calculation of the anti-tank rifle could not get it. Then the fighters Tarasyuk and Abdulov, passing through the yards, climbed onto the roof of this house. Abdulov fastened a long rope to the chimney, Tarasov climbed down it to the window from which the machine gun was firing, threw an anti-tank grenade inside, and it was all over.

The division of officer Kotlikov advanced along the street, from house to house. The enemy entrenched on both sides of it, three-layer machine-gun and mortar fire did not allow our guardsmen to drag an easel machine gun across the street. Then Kotlikov tied a wire to the machine gun and divided his soldiers into two groups. Now they attacked simultaneously on both sides of the street, dragging the machine gun by wire from one group to another as needed.

Initiative and independence in the actions of small subunits is one of the decisive conditions for success in battles for a large city. That is why we moved so quickly into the depths of Vienna.

The area in the Vienna region was a hollow cut through by numerous canals and roads. The capital of Austria lay among the mountains and forests, which gave great advantages to the enemy for building a defense system that not only relied on engineering structures, but also used natural conditions.

The German military leadership made every effort to hold the city. By order of Hitler for the defense of the Austrian the capital was formed "Vienna Defense Zone" under the command of General of the Infantry R. von Byunau. The grouping defending Vienna included 9 divisions, 8 of which were tank divisions, including such elite units as the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Reich", the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Dead Head" and the 232nd Panzer Division "Tatra ". Also, training units, Volkssturm and police units were connected to the defense. By order of Dietrich, commander of the 6th SS Panzer Army, the male population of Vienna from 16 to 60 years old was herded into Volkssturm detachments and armed with fauspatrons. The entire city was blocked by barricades and mined blockages, and all bridges across the Danube and the Danube Canal were also mined. Carefully camouflaged ambushes of self-propelled artillery mounts and heavy tanks were prepared in dilapidated brick and stone buildings. Preparing Vienna for defense, the Nazis least of all thought that the most beautiful city would be destroyed, architectural monuments, beautiful Viennese parks would be destroyed.

On the eve of the assault on the Austrian capital, parliamentarians from the 17th Austrian mobilization corps arrived at the location of the 9th Guards Army: senior sergeant major F. Kez and corporal I. Reif. They said that an uprising was being prepared in Vienna. The insurgents had the following forces at their disposal: two reserve infantry battalions, an artillery battery, more than a thousand Austrian soldiers in other formations, were ready to join the uprising, according to them, and about twenty thousand inhabitants. The leader of the uprising was an officer of the corps, Karl Sokol. He sent parliamentarians. The command of the 9th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front discussed with the parliamentarians their tasks during the operation to take Vienna. The rebels were supposed to capture bridges across the Danube and tributaries, communications, defeat the institutions of the Nazi Party and the police, public utilities. Radio contact was established with the leadership of the rebels. Soon a meeting took place with Karl Sokol, signals for an uprising were agreed with him. The uprising was scheduled for 6 April.

On the eve, according to the agreement, the rebels were given a signal by radio and from an airplane, the signal was received, but the uprising did not start, although it would greatly facilitate the task of Tolbukhin's troops. As it turned out later, the traitors betrayed to the Nazis the leaders who were preparing an armed uprising. On the morning of April 6, many of them were arrested and later executed.

Throughout the day on April 5, fierce fighting continued on the eastern and southeastern outskirts of the city. German troops withstood the first onslaught of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. After analyzing the first day of the assault, the front commander decided to regroup the 6th Guards Tank Army northwest of Vienna in order to block possible escape routes for German forces, and also to begin the assault on the capital of Austria also from the western direction.

On the morning of April 6, the commander of the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, I.N. Russiyanov, received an order from the commander of the 4th Guards Army to break into Vienna and occupy Simmering with its industrial enterprises and the Arsenal during the day. Behind the Arsenal, our soldiers had to cross the Danube Canal. A particularly fierce battle broke out near the bridge over the canal leading to Star Square. From it opened the road to the North Station and the main avenue of the Vienna Woods. The right bank was cleared of the enemy by the morning of April 11. It was imperative to gain a foothold on the other side, to win back at least a piece of land, but the bridge was under fire and was mined.

The task of breaking through to the other side of the command set before the tankers. The tank of the Guard Lieutenant Alexander Kudryavtsev was the first to jump onto the bridge at high speed. Several enemy anti-tank guns immediately opened fire on the car. The tank managed to pass half of the bridge, but then the chassis was damaged by a shell. The car froze. The crew continued to fight with the enemy, suppressing enemy firing points from cannons and machine guns. After the second hit, only Alexander Kudryavtsev survived, he was also wounded, but continued to fight, allowing other combat vehicles to move forward. A tank of the guard, junior lieutenant Dmitriev, went to help Kudryavtsev. On the bridge, his tank was set on fire, but continued to move. The lieutenant ordered the battle to continue and the tank, engulfed in flames, rushed across the bridge, enticing the infantrymen with its example. Kudryavtsev did not have a chance to survive this fight. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to him posthumously.

Stubborn street fighting for the city lasted more than a week. The German command, to the last, did not lose hope of holding at least part of the city, transferring more and more new units to Vienna, including the Fuhrer Grenadiers division.

By April 7, Army Group South was disbanded and Army Group Austria was created on its basis, the command of which was entrusted to the Austrian Lothar Rendulich. However, all the steps taken by the German leadership failed to change the situation. Block after block, street after street passed under the control of the Soviet troops.

The battle began in the Transdanubian quarters of the city. The battles for Vienna entered the final stage. Our troops already controlled most of the capital: Simmering, old Vienna, the North, East, South stations. The Nazis withdrew to the left bank of the Danube, blowing up all the bridges, except for one - the Imperial Bridge. It was necessary to protect it from an explosion, otherwise it would have been necessary to cross the full-flowing wide Danube. And these are hundreds of soldiers' lives. The Nazis, realizing the significance of this only crossing, literally stuffed the bridge with mines and explosives: hundreds of kilograms of it hung on piles and piers of the bridge. The approaches to the bridge were also mined. The Germans fired at the coastal line from cannons and machine guns. Repeated attempts to capture the bridge were crowned with success on April 12 thanks to the feat of the scouts of the 2nd Guards Mechanized Brigade. In the morning, along the saved bridge, our tanks made a throw to the shore, still occupied by the Germans, followed by artillery and infantry.