At midnight on February 28, 1944, the first phase of the German army's spring awakening plan, Operation "South Wind", was officially launched. First, 25 King Tiger tanks of the Boscher turret type of the "Commander's Hall" heavy tank battalion charged forward under the cover of artillery barrage.

Soon the German tanks entered the dense anti-tank trench area of the Red Army, and during the battle the battalion commander von Murphy. Captain Dister's tank was hit, he himself was killed on the spot, and command had to be transferred to Captain Wolfgang.

After fierce fighting until four o'clock in the morning, the commander-in-chief tank battalion finally broke through the first line of defense of the Red Army, and then the 1st SS Panzer Army began to attack the second line of defense, and the LSSAH Division and the SS Youth Division, supported by three infantry divisions, launched a fierce attack on the positions of the 56th Infantry Corps of the Red Army, and the German tanks and assault guns violently rolled over the positions of the Red Army.

The battle log of the 1st Company of the 1st Armored Regiment of the SS reads: "Our army's numerous Panthers and Tiger tanks, accompanied by tank No. 4 and armored personnel carriers, poured into the high ground, and the anti-tank artillery groups of the Russians and Romanians immediately opened heavy fire. But under the heavy fire of our troops, their support points were pulled out one by one, and finally the enemy was driven out of the destroyed positions. ”

A tank loader No. 4 of the same unit wrote in his diary: "After noon, all our tanks on the anti-slope of a hill were ready, and the order was simple, it was necessary to break through the enemy's positions. The regimental commander, Colonel SS, Paipel, chose a time when he would not be attacked, and this choice turned out to be very correct. The first five King Tiger tanks drove to the top of the slope first without any interference, but as soon as they appeared at the top of the slope, the Russian anti-tank artillery fire immediately hit them. I could see the anti-tank shells hitting the front of the King Tiger tank and then all of them were bounced off. The Russians were apparently stunned, and the King Tiger tank crushed their anti-tank guns one after the other. But as soon as the anti-tank fire had completely subsided, Pyper ordered us to follow. When the entire battle group is on the high ground. The ambushed enemy fire points opened fire, and the tanks and armored personnel carriers of our troops advancing at full speed returned fire with weapons of various calibers, and the trajectory was clearly visible in the morning light, forming a scene that I will never forget......"

This tank attack, like a cavalry charge, brought serious consequences for the Red Army: destruction. It was only after crushing the anti-tank positions that the Germans slowly stopped. They began to count their results, but to their surprise - they actually destroyed very few anti-tank guns.

Why is this happening? It all started with Konev's arrangement, and after seeing the intention of the Germans to launch a counterattack, the wise general began to examine his defensive line, and it took him almost no effort to know that the Germans would attack his weakest left flank. In this area, as long as it faced the not very powerful German Yugoslav Army Group E, the Romanian Second Front was arranged. 75% of the troops on this side were Romanian allies, and the Red Army was only a quarter weak. The strength is really not strong. If the Germans defeated the Romanian Second Front, they would be able to get to Konev's back from the diagonal stab, which was also the only chance for the Germans.

Konev was well aware of whether the intention of the Military Commission could be fulfilled to crucify the German Panzer Corps in Romania. It was necessary to work on the Romanian Second Front. Of course, it is unrealistic to expect the Romanians to suddenly burst into armored clusters that are hard to resist the Germans, and the combat effectiveness of these guys is so limited that they simply cannot be trusted.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Konev did not intend to let the Romanian Second Front put up a hard resistance, his idea was to turn the defense area of the Romanian Second Front into a quagmire, and not to seek to destroy many German troops, but to slow down the sharpness of its attack.

So Konev did not ask the Romanian Second Front to fight to the death, but asked them to put up only harassing resistance. Slowly retreat and bring the Germans into his preset battlefield.

Under the guidance of such an order. Naturally, the Romanians would not carry it to the death, basically fighting and retreating, resisting a position for so many hours and then slipping away, and naturally when the Germans hit hard, most of the power was consumed by the air.

Of course, this is not to say that the Germans were completely unsuccessful. In fact, the speed and intensity of the attack were beyond the expectations of the Red Army, for example, a veteran of the Red Army who participated in the battle recalled: "...... The violent sound of metal rolling and deafening explosions made us realize that something was wrong, and the platoon commander ran around, shouting for us to dig the foxhole immediately, just as we were just starting to dig. The 'Messer' (the Red Army's name for the BF-109) whizzed low over our heads, followed by Stuka. But instead of bombing us right away, the Luftwaffe flew towards a few small villages to our right. There they were intercepted by our fighters, and a fierce battle broke out in the air at once...... The explosions were getting closer and closer, and I felt the roar of the engines - the enemy tanks were coming! Our position was behind a tall hill, and I kept looking up the ridge, and the routs at the front line were running towards us like rabbits in a panic, but soon they were hit by enemy tanks with machine guns, and then we received orders - prepare for the onslaught of tanks! ”

“…… I knew exactly what that meant next, because we were all veterans, heroes who fought all the way from Ukraine to Romania, almost everyone had been awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and we immediately went into hiding ourselves with branches, turf and everything we could find around. Of course, we also know very well that we are almost certain to die - there are no anti-tank guns (which are being transferred), the recoilless guns are already running out of shells, and as for the bazookas, hey, look at how strong the wind is today, the five-level crosswind is just passing over this open field, the rockets can deflect at least a hundred meters, and we have almost no weapons against the tanks...... There were only grenades, and most of them were 'pineapples' (oval grenades) against the infantry...... At this moment, the last survivors of the forward position appeared on the ridge, and everyone rushed towards us with all their strength, which meant that the forward line of defense had completely collapsed, and the torrent of German tanks and grenadiers was rushing towards us! ”

Soon German tanks popped up on the ridge, and about a dozen tanks rushed towards us at full power, and the tongues of fire from the on-board machine guns were **** towards the fleeing infantry like greedy dragons. But we don't have time to grieve for our comrades. Because the next one will be our turn. There was only one thought in my head - this time I was dead! Because the German tanks and assault guns were so terrible, they kept firing at us with tank guns, which was a very big shock to the recruits and Romanian friendly troops, although it was basically impossible for the enemy to accurately hit the target during the drive, but it was a cruel test for people's hearts! Even veterans like me couldn't help but start shivering, even though I knew I couldn't run away. But there was always a voice in the back of my heart shouting: 'Run! ’”

"At this time, most of us are broken down in our hearts, and the only thing that can stop us from running away is that our legs have been frightened and we can't run if we want to. The company commander Boris was a good example, in the face of the torrent of ironclad armor rushing in his face, he seemed very calm, constantly patrolling the positions of each platoon along the trenches, or jumping around in the craters to cheer up the frightened comrades, what a strong nerve it took to do! ”

"The company commander ordered us to ignore the tanks and assault guns and let them go. Turning to the grenadiers who followed behind, as long as they could repel the grenadiers, how these tanks and assault guns would rush in would be how to retreat, it was not worth worrying about at all. The ease of the company commander gave us some courage, but the truth was not as simple as he said, these damn German devils rushed in with tanks and assault guns, and did not rush to the depths, but crushed our line laterally. It's just trying to crush us with crawlers! ”

"Just when our defense line was already in jeopardy, a loud bang temporarily stabilized our already shaky psychological defense. A Panther tank detonated an anti-tank mine, and then another not far from it was reimbursed. Under the threat of anti-tank mines, the Germans had to rein in a lot...... The battle continued, and soon another tank No. 4 was pressed with an anti-tank mine, and its tracks were instantly blown off, and a load wheel was blown dozens of meters away. However, the German devils in the tank did not abandon the car. Instead, they continued to bombard us with machine guns and tank guns, and they kept shooting for a long time, until the brave company commander Boris rushed with me and set it on fire with ******. Now I don't remember exactly how we evacuated that battlefield, except that the final battle was chaotic and my comrades said I had wrecked a tank. But I don't have any impressions......"

By the afternoon of 1 March, German panzers had penetrated ten kilometers into the line of the Romanian Second Front. They had already rushed to a position twenty kilometers south of Timisoara, but the Germans found that all the bridges had been blown up in advance by the evacuated Romanian Second Front. It was not until 21 o'clock that night that the vanguard of the LSSAH division crossed the river in assault boats and created a small bridgehead on the north bank of the Timish River.

That night, the Red Army tried to drive the Germans away with the strength of a battalion supported by two T-34s and several anti-tank guns, and after about five hours of fierce fighting, the Germans repelled the counterattack and really gained a foothold and established a second bridgehead at dawn.

Kulman, the leader of the anti-tank squad of the 1st company of the 6th Panzergrenadier Regiment of the SS, recalled: "Our company attacked in the gray morning, and the Ivan did not have time to form a new line of defense...... We had just charged to the farmhouse on the outskirts of a small village when one of our brothers shouted, 'Tank killer! (German anti-tank bazookas), followed by the chirping of tracks, I quickly jumped up from the ground and quickly hid in the corner of the house. Just a few meters in front of us was parked a T-34 that was firing! Without saying a word, Hank immediately reloaded my tank killer and rolled aside. I raised my bazooka, held my sights firmly at the tank, and snapped the striking iron. The rocket burrowed into the vicinity of the left track guard of the T-34, and black smoke billowed out of the hatch and bullet hole of the tank......"

Near noon, the Piper Panzer Battle Group of the LSSAH Division finally crossed the Timish River, caught up with the Panzergrenadiers and managed to expand the bridgehead again. The German Panthers and No. 4 tank groups overwhelmed several anti-tank positions and reached the perimeter of Timișoara that night. The SS 12th Panzer Division, which flanked it, also launched an attack on Timisoara with the support of the 44th Imperial Grenadier Division, after successfully crossing the canal.

In order to cooperate with the attack of the 1st Panzer Army of the SS, Army Group South immediately ordered the 96th Infantry Division to enter the battle, intending to flank the Red Army from the north and south, and after receiving the order. The division's Shroeder regimental battle group (consisting of the 284th Grenadier Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the 287th Grenadier Regiment, with about 20 assault guns) set out from Szeged with the support of an assault gun battalion and successively captured Staraya Beba, Great St. Nikolai, and Lovlin along the road, appearing northwest of Timisoara. Caught off guard by this attack, Lieutenant General Dmirov hurriedly threw the 93rd Infantry Division of the Red Army under his command into a counterattack. But this counterattack was organized in a hurry and failed to shake the German army.

However, it was not all smooth sailing on the German side, and the German 12th Panzer Division and the 44th Reichgrenadier Division also failed in their attempt to capture Timisoara. The 72nd Guards Infantry Division of the Red Army put up stubborn resistance here, and for a time forced the Germans to go on the defensive. No doubt. In the absence of more favorable support, the Germans could not shake the line of the Red Guards troops. In view of this situation, the German 46th Infantry Division was ordered to reinforce and complete the encirclement of Timisoara from the northeast.

Under these circumstances, Lieutenant General Dmirov decided that there was no point in continuing to hold on to the Timisoara area, and that his troops should retreat step by step according to the instructions of his superiors, so late that night he categorically ordered all troops in the area to immediately retreat to the Lipova line on the Muneš River.

On March 4, the weather improved, as the temperature rose to minus 6 degrees Celsius. Part of the ground began to dry. The Piper battle group was the first to attack, followed by a rush of Germans who took Timisoara with little effort. After the capture of the city, the LSSAH Division's infantry group, the Hansen Panzergrenadier Group (consisting of the 1st Company of the SS Anti-Tank Battalion and the 1st SS Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion), was responsible for attacking Pishkia in the north, while the Pelpel battle group was responsible for Orchioara, in the north.

Kuhlman, the leader of the anti-tank team who had already been on the scene, recalled again: "Before dawn, we were woken up by the click of tracks, and I rubbed my eyes to see that several enemy armored vehicles were passing us. Driven to the forward position, then our artillery began to roar. Heavy shelling lasted about an hour. Just as the artillery fire suddenly fell silent, everyone jumped up and attacked the village in front of them. Enemy soldiers deployed a strong defense in a church, and machine guns fired at us through a hole in the tower. The brothers of the first class jumped forward and made a lot of effort to reach the door of the church, just as they tried to blow it open. A cold T-34 sprang out of it. Obviously, the enemy was caught off guard by a squad, and most of the people died heroically in the blink of an eye, and the poor squad leader Hans dragged the lower half of his body crushed by the track and crawled on the ground with difficulty, I will never forget it, and with tears in my eyes, I pulled the striking iron and blew the ugly T-34 to pieces! ”

The Pelpel battle group is also in trouble. On the way to Orchioara, they were attacked by Red Army attack aircraft, losing several tanks and armored vehicles. Despite being beaten badly by the Il-2, the Germans launched an attack on Orchișoara on time for 15 o'clock.

First of all, the 1st Company of the 1st Panzer Battalion, supported by several heavy armored battalion King Tiger tanks, broke through in the northwestern sector, and the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Panzergrenadier Regiment of the SS captured a high ground. Then the 12th Panzer Regiment of the SS Youth Division, which had been frustrated the day before, also followed, and together with the LSSAH Division, attacked Orchioara. At the same time, the 96th Infantry Division also made progress.

In the turn of the day, a group of No. 4 tanks of the LSSAH division first drove out of Orchioara, and quickly moved along the railway line in the direction of Arad to the north. Most of the remaining tanks of the division were really gathered in Orchioara at this time to replenish fuel and ammunition in preparation for the upcoming final blow.

The so-called final blow is naturally the capture of Arad in the north, which is the junction of the Romanian Second Front and the Romanian First Front, and taking this means that Operation Southwind is complete, and it also means that the next stage of Operation Rainstorm against the Romanian First Front can be officially launched.

Of course, the Germans did not know that their actions were completely expected by Konev, and at the same time that the Germans were carrying out Operation Southwind, the Romanian Second Front had quietly turned the spearhead of the attack, and several major mechanized armies had quietly assembled in the northern area of Arad, and the Romanian Second Front, which had retreated in great strides, had also established a strong defensive line in the Arad area, waiting for the Germans to deliver to their doors.

Even the Germans did not know that the main forces of the 38th Army of Vasilevsky's Ukrainian Fourth Front had already set off from Cluj-Napoca and rushed along the railway to the northern foot of the Southern Carpathians, ready to penetrate the German flank to encircle...... (To be continued.) )

PS: Bow and thank you to the partisans, giants of giants, watch the text, touxian, rustic Duanfang and Comrade Juventus!