Breaching the Devil's Playground ETO (id:#66787)

(ASL 16 - Twilight of the Reich ID: 297)   [next]   [previous]

Budapest, Hungary 1945-01-11 (5 others)

Overview:

With their sister divisions fighting south of them for control of the industrial manufacturing facilities of the Ganz-Danubius Works and the adjoining Magyar Királyi Állami Vas-, Acél- és Gépgyárak (MÁVAG), elements of the Soviet 297th Rifle Division were tasked with capturing the heavily-defended Józsefvárosi railyard and station. Additionally, the 297th Rifle Division was ordered to begin the assault on Axis forces entrenched in the Kerepesi Cemetery. Defending the Józefvárosi railyard, elements of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 66, Panzer-Division 13, were supported by the men and anti-tank weapons of Hungarian Group "Morlin." Consisting of two companies, Group "Morlin" had an ad hoc anti-tank unit formed in Pest at the beginning of January. The unit was armed with both panzerfäuste and panzerschrecke, and also two PaK 40 AT guns and a battery of six rocket launchers. To support the defense of the Józefvárosi railyard, the Axis defenders converted the area into an ordnance stronghold by mounting anti-tank and anti-personnel guns on both a series of armored flatcars as well as reinforced redoubts built from a combination of steel cable reels, cement bags, and gypsum bags. Additionally, concrete reinforced with iron rebar and boxcars filled with scrap metal were used as anti-tank and personnel barriers.

Defender: Axis ((German) Panzergrenadier-Regiment 66 and Panzer-Regiment 4, Panzer-Division 13 with (Hungarian) Group "Morlin")  

Errata (source)