One of the last Eastern Front battles of WWII, fought in April 1945, where Polish and Soviet forces repelled a German counterattack near Bautzen despite heavy losses.
Key Facts
- Major combat start
- 21 April 1945
- Major combat end
- 26–28 April 1945
- Final isolated clashes
- Until 30 April 1945
- Polish army commander
- General Karol Świerczewski
- Frontline context
- Southern flank of Spremberg-Torgau Offensive
- German forces
- Remnants of 4th Panzer and 17th Armies
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As Ivan Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front drove toward Berlin during the Soviet Berlin Offensive in April 1945, the southern flank of the advance was exposed. German Army Group Center, comprising remnants of the 4th Panzer and 17th Armies, launched a counterattack along the Bautzen–Niesky line to exploit this vulnerability and potentially break through to the rear of advancing Polish and Soviet forces.
From 21 to 30 April 1945, Polish Second Army forces and elements of Soviet 52nd and 5th Guards Armies fought pitched street battles against German Army Group Center in and around Bautzen. German forces successfully recaptured the town, while the Polish Second Army under Świerczewski suffered heavy casualties. Soviet reinforcements were committed to prevent a deeper German breakthrough.
Although the German operation retook Bautzen and held it until the war's end, historians generally regard the offensive as a strategic failure, as the Polish–Soviet frontline was not seriously breached. The Polish and Soviet forces stabilized along the Kamenz–Doberschütz–Dauban line and subsequently prepared to advance toward Prague. The battle had no meaningful impact on the concurrent fall of Berlin.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Karol Świerczewski, Ivan Konev.
Side B
2 belligerents