Battle for Budapest

The battle of Budapest in the bleak winter of 1944-45 was one of the longest and bloodiest city sieges of the Second World War. From the appearance of the first Soviet tanks on the outskirts of the capital to the capture of Buda castle 102 days elapsed. In terms of human trauma, it comes second only [...]
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The battle of Budapest in the bleak winter of 1944-45 was one of the longest and bloodiest city sieges of the Second World War. From the appearance of the first Soviet tanks on the outskirts of the capital to the capture of Buda castle 102 days elapsed. In terms of human trauma, it comes second only to Stalingrad, comparisons to which were even being made by soldiers fighting at the time. The battle for Budapest raged over the heads of 800,000 non-combatants, no-one was evacuated: 38,000 Hungarian civilians perished. The Battle for Budapest is the classic and definitive study of the siege. Krisztin Ungvry describes the battle in meticulous detail, week by week and street by street, fully setting the conflict within its international context and the wider history of the war. He has had access to hitherto undiscovered material (both in the Soviet and German archives), as well making extensive use of face to face interviews with both German and Hungarian survivors. His book is the only in-depth account of one of the bloodiest city sieges in the history of 20th century warfare, finally beaming a torchlight into this extraordinary story of untold suffering. The vivid description and fascinating personal accounts included make this book essential reading for military history enthusiasts and anyone interested in a forgotten angle of World War II.