🎖 82 years ago, #OTD in 1944, the #RedArmy launched the #BudapestOffensive to defeat Nazi forces and knock Hungary out of the war. Adolf Hitler was determined to hold the Hungarian capital at all costs to protect the strategic Nagykanizsa oil region, famously claiming he would rather surrender Berlin than lose Hungarian oil and Austria. By 2 November 1944, Soviet troops had crossed the Danube and neared the city, completely encircling it by 26 December. 🪖💥 When the Axis garrison rejected a surrender ultimatum and killed Soviet negotiators, the Red Army was left with no choice but to launch a direct assault. The takeover of Budapest resulted in brutal urban fighting, with the Red Army relying heavily on specialized assault units and artillery rather than tanks. Weeks of relentless battles culminated on 13 February 1945 with the capture of the city garrison, led by SS General Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch. ✨ The offensive concluded as a major Soviet victory, defeating 56 enemy divisions, taking roughly 188,000 prisoners of war and liberating 70,000 Jewish prisoners from the Budapest Ghetto. The total collapse of the Nazi front's southern flank forced Germany to redeploy critical troops south. This strategic shift ultimately cleared the Red Army’s path toward Vienna and Prague. #Victory81