Siege of Budapest

Significance

The Siege of Budapest was a 50-day encirclement of the Hungarian capital by Soviet and Romanian forces, beginning on 26 December 1944 and ending with the city's unconditional surrender on 13 February 1945. Part of the broader Budapest Offensive, the battle pitted roughly 79,000 German and Hungarian defenders against a Soviet-Romanian force of approximately 177,000. Combined German casualties reached 137,000, with Soviet losses estimated between 100,000 and 160,000, reflecting the intensity of the urban fighting. The fall of Budapest removed a significant Axis stronghold in Central Europe and constituted a strategic Allied victory in the drive toward Berlin. During the siege, approximately 38,000 civilians died from starvation, military action, and mass executions of Jews carried out by the Arrow Cross Party, underscoring the human cost of prolonged urban encirclement in the final phase of the European war.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (7)