The Siege and Assault of Budapest 1944-1945

By the end of 1944, the Red Army was advancing relentlessly westwards with one major objective: Budapest. The siege of the Hungarian capital lasted more than 100 days and witnessed savage fighting between German and Hungarian defenders and the encircling Soviet and Romanian armies. Owing to its ferocity, destruction, and immense human cost, many historians have compared the Battle of Budapest to the struggle for Stalingrad.

The Siege and Assault of Budapest 1944–1945 examines every stage of this dramatic campaign, from Operation Panzerfaust—Otto Skorzeny’s daring coup to keep Hungary aligned with the Axis—to the series of increasingly desperate German relief operations, which committed elite formations equipped with the formidable Königstiger (Tiger II) heavy tanks in an effort to break the Soviet encirclement.

For Adolf Hitler, the defence of Budapest was of vital strategic importance. He regarded the city as both the gateway to a future counter-offensive and the key to retaining control of Hungary’s essential oilfields. Consequently, he ordered the city to be held at all costs, committing German forces alongside determined units of the Hungarian Army in a desperate struggle against overwhelming Soviet and Romanian forces.

Drawing upon detailed research and illustrated with striking contemporary photographs, this book provides a clear and engaging account of one of the Second World War’s most brutal urban battles. It explores the strategy, operations, and human experience of the siege, bringing to life the dramatic events that reduced Budapest to ruins during the final months of the conflict.