{"product_id":"from-the-realm-of-a-dying-sun-volume-iii-iv-sspanzerkorps-from-budapest-to-vienna-februarymay-1945-9781612009568","title":"From the Realm of a Dying Sun: Volume III - IV. SS-Panzerkorps from Budapest to Vienna  FebruaryMay 1945","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"The scholarship that went into these books is impeccable  with the author deftly weaving primary and secondary sources to form an excellent and thought provoking picture of this period in the Second World War.\"  Globe at War  In the closing months of World War II  with Budapests fall on 12 February 1945 and the breakout attempt by the IX SS-Gebirgskorps having failed  the only thing the IV. SS-Panzerkorps could do was fall back to a more defensible line and fortify the key city of Stuhlweissenburg. Exhausted after three relief attempts in January 1945 and outnumbered by the ever-increasing power of Marshal Tolbukhins Third Ukrainian Front  SS-Obergruppenfhrer Gilles veterans dug in for a lengthy period of defensive warfare. However  Adolf Hitler had not forgotten about the Hungarian theater of operations nor the countrys rich oilfields and was sending help.  To the detriment of the defense of Berlin  SS-Oberstgruppenfhrer Sepp Dietrichs legendary 6. Panzerarmee was on its way  not to retake Budapest  but to encircle and destroy Tolbukhins forces and completely reverse the situation in south-eastern Europe in Hitlers favor. This overly ambitious offensive  known as Frhlingserwachen (Spring Awakening)  was soon bogged down in the face of resolute Soviet defenses aided by the springtime thaw. Heralded as Nazi Germanys last great offensive of World War II  it resulted in great losses to Hitlers last armored reserve in exchange for only minor gains. Though it played a supporting role during the battle  the IV. SS-Panzerkorps was soon caught up in its aftermath  after the Red Army launched its Vienna Operation that nearly swept the armies of Heeresgruppe Sd from the battlefield.  Withdrawing into Austria  Gilles battered corps attempted to bar the route into Germany  while the Red Army bore down on Vienna. Forced to endure relentless Soviet attacks as well as the caustic leadership of the 6. Armee commander  General Hermann Balck  the men of the IV. SS-Panzerkorps fought their way through Austria to reach the safety of the demarcation line where it finally surrendered to U.S. forces on 9 May 1945 after nearly a year of relentless campaigning.  Table of Contents  Introduction List of Maps List of Figures Illustrations Chapter 1: A South Wind Brings Hope Chapter 2: Operation Spring Awakening Chapter 3: The Defense of Stuhlweissenburg Chapter 4: Withdrawal to the Reichsschutzstellung Chapter 5: Defending the Reich Chapter 6: Wars End Appendices Endnotes Bibliography Index\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45666410397749,"sku":"ByrdShop_1612009565","price":55.04,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781612009568.jpg?v=1782431237","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/from-the-realm-of-a-dying-sun-volume-iii-iv-sspanzerkorps-from-budapest-to-vienna-februarymay-1945-9781612009568","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}