December 1944

Eastern Front

The Stavka orders the 3rd Ukrainian Front to support the attacks by the 2nd Ukrainian fRont upon Budapest. It transfers command of the 46th Army to the 3rd Ukrainian Front. While Malinovsky pins the Germans north of the city, Tolbukhin is to slice through the weaker defenses between Lake Balaton and Budapest, then swing north to envelop the German and Hungarian forces inside the city. The 2nd Ukrainian Front is also to push its 40th and 27th Armies and 4th Romanian Army from the Hungarian border into Slovakia to threaten the 8th Army.