Esztergom 1944

[Kamen Nevenkin]

detached: staff with Führungsstaffel (sorry i don't know the english equivalent)
- I./PzGren Reg
- 2 companies of the PzAbt
- 2. and 3./I./Art Reg
- 2.,3./PzGren Reg

Can you explain this? Bear in mind this is an official document from HL Budapest. Anyways, the same detached units are repeated at the report from 14/1/45.

The original report says the following:

Abgestellt:
Div.Kdr. mit Führungsstaffel
I./Pz.Gren.Rgt.2
2 Kompanieen Pz.Abt.
2. und 3. Battr. I./Art.Rgt.
2. und 3. Kp./Pz.Gren.Rgt.1

As you see, the Staff of the Feldherrnhalle division had adopted a designation system that differs from that used in OKH. In the official Gliederungen produced by the latter the regiments are designated as Panzergrenadier Regiment "Feldherrnhalle" and Grenadier Regiment (mot.) "Feldherrnhalle" respectively. IMO there is no riddle here - the first two units (Div.Kdr. mit Führungsstaffel, I./Pz.Gren.Rgt.2) were those that were outside the cauldron (I./Pz.Gren.Rgt.2 being II./Pz.Gren.Reg. "F") while the reminder were those that had formed the Panzerkampfgruppe, which was still assigned to 8.SS-KD. The latter statement is confirmed by two facts:

- the report gives a precise information about the strength of the detached units (Pzkgruppe): 5 Pz.V, 3 Fla-Pz.IV, 2 JagdPz.IV , 3 s. Pak, 2 s. Battr. mit 8 Rohren (Hummel?), which means that they were inside the pocket.

- a report of 13.PD from the same day (7.1.1945) says that there were 9 Hummeln attached to 8.SS-KD. (Perhaps you remember that the Pzkgruppe in question had consisted of armor taken from both FHH and 13.PD)

You say II./PzGren Reg FHH was outside of the Kessel... On 7/1/45, II./PzGren Reg is reported with 280 men at Budapest, 14/1/45 down to 205 men of course still at Budapest. Both reports from 13. Pz Div folder, HL.

The report in question says that II./Pz.Gren.Rgt.1 had 280 men. (See my explenation about the different designations of the regiments.)

That's as puzzling as ever to me. AFAIK Gr. Kesseő was not trapped at Budapest - at least its none of its sub-components were (1. Flak Brig, 8. Art Abt, 15. Art Abt, 88. Art Abt, 152. Wer Abt, 153. Wer Abt, VIII. Flak Abt, 105. Flak Abt, 204. Flak Abt -all Hungarian-, Solt Reg, 8. SS Pol Reg, 23. Res Div). The grouping's commander called it quits on 19/12 (de facto deserted) and in turn the sector was subordinated to the 271. VG but the group never ended up in Budapest. So why the command transfer on the 27/12???

Being a battle group, "Kesseoe" had no permanent composition. Perhaps there were some infantry units attached to it on a regular basis. For instance, on 16 Dec 1944 it had one regiment of 1.Husz.Division, two SS-police battalions and one btl. of 271.VGD.

[Kamen Nevenkin]

I declare beforehand that my sources about this battle are very little, but according to Fieldmarshall Friessner's "Verrantene Siege", the 3., 6. and 8. PDs (57. PK) were transferred on 18.12.1944 through the Komaron bridge on the northern bank of the Danube and till beginning of January they fought in the Ipolseg area (at E of Ipel river) and follow on the Gran.
Are perhaps they only Kampfgruppen?

In mid-December 1944 the 2nd Ukrainian Front (namely 7th Guards Army, 6th Guards Tank Army and the Pliev Group), gradually advanced through a narrow corridor north of Budapest to the northwest towards Ipolyszog. This area was defended by weak forces, such as the notorious SS-Brigade “Dirlewanger”, that hardly had any chances to contain the avalanche of the Soviet tanks and on 14 December the town of Ipolyszog was abandoned. The German command was frightened that any further advance of the Soviets would seriously threaten the integrity of the entire HGr Sued. Two days after the fall Ipolyszog Guderian approved the decision of the HGruppe to split 8.PzD and to move the bulk of its troops to the northern bank of the Danube where it was to counterattack the Soviet spearhead and restore the situation. The armored elements of the division (I./PzR 10, I./98 SPW-Btl, I./80 Pz.Art.Abt. and 3./Pz.Pi.Btl 59) from the other side, were to be combined into an Pz-Kampfgruppe and left in the vicinity of Székesfehérvár as an operational reserve.
On 19 December Guderian ordered the other two fresh panzer divisions (3. and 6.) to be divided in much the same manner: their armored units were to be consolidated into armored battle groups and deployed between Balaton and Velence while the bulk of the divisions were to be redirected to Ipolyszog. The recently arrived three Panther tank battalions (I./6, I./11 and I./130) were to be left on the southern bank of the Danube too and integrated into the Pz-Kampfgruppen of the 3., 6. and 8. PzD. The divisions were brought back together only in the beginning of January 45.

[Abel Ravasz]

Hi Kamen,

sorry for the late reply but i've been cut off from the internet in the past few days.

Well, this is the first time I hear about the different designation system - most fascinating! This of course clears up all the mess!

Thank you for your time and efforts in clearing this up, Kamen! You have helped me a lot.

Abel