Order of the Day, No. 277,

February 13, 1945

Addressed to the Commander of the Troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, Marshal Malinovsky, and to the Chief of Staff of the Front, Colonel-General Zakharov; and to the Commander of the Troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, Marshal Tolbukhin, and to the Chief of Staff of the Front, Lieutenant-General Ivanov.

Troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, assisted by troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, after one and a half month’s siege and stubborn fighting under the difficult conditions of a large city, to-day, February 13, completed the rout of the encircled enemy grouping in Budapest, and so completely captured the capital of Hungary, the city of Budapest, a strategically important German defence centre on the roads to Vienna.

During the fighting in the city of Budapest troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front took prisoner more than 10,000 enemy officers and men, headed by the German commander of the Budapest troop grouping, Col.-Gen. Pfeffer Wildenbruch, and his staff; they also seized a large quantity of arms and various military supplies.

In the fighting for the capture of Budapest distinction was won by troops commanded by Maj.-Gen. Afonin, Lieut.-Gen. Managarov, Col.-Gen. Shumilov, Lieut.-Gen. Shlemin, Army-Gen. Zakharov, Maj.-Gen. Filippovsky, Maj.-Gen. Lukin, Maj.-Gen. Birman, Maj. Gen. Derevyanko, Maj.-Gen. Kolchuk, Maj.-Gen. Akimenko, Maj.-Gen. Lazko, Lieut.-Gen. Rubanyuk, Maj.-Gen. Grigorovich, Maj.-Gen. Biryukov, Lieut.-Gen. Fomenko, Maj.-Gen. Bobruk, Lieut.-Gen. Petrushevsky, Lieut.-Gen. Gorshkov, Lieut.-Gen. Vostrukhov, Maj.-Gen. Sosedov, Col. Kovtun-Stankevich, Col. Peremanov, Col. Chebotarev, Col. Burik, Col. Zhashko, Maj.-Gen. Frolov, Col. Gushchin, Maj.-Gen. Nekrasov, Col. Baldynov, Maj.-Gen. Lilenkov, Col. Batluk, Maj.-Gen. Podshivalov, Col. Dunayev, Col. Smirnov, Col. Gorobets, Maj.-Gen. Karamyshev, Maj.-Gen. Afonin, Col. Drychkin, Maj.-Gen. Tsvetkov, Col. Moshlyak, Col. Kuks, Col, Parfenov, Col, Bransburg, Col. Derziyan, Maj.-Gen, Bunyashin, Col. Chizhov, Col. Sergeyev, Col. Naidishev, Maj.-Gen. Sokolovsky, Maj.-Gen. Margelov and Col. Lirov; Artillerymen commanded by Col.-Gen. of Artillery Fomin, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Shmakov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Kotikov, Col.-Gen. of Artillery Nedelin, Lieut.-Gen. of Artillery Voznyuk, Lieut.-Gen. of Artillery Petrov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Alexeyenko, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Tsikalo, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Gusarov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Ivanov, Col. Vorobyev, Col. Novikov, Col. Ponomarov, Col. Trekhnov, Col. Adamchik, Col. Strok, Engineer-Col. Brovarnik, Col. Mironov, Col. Koroteyev, Col. Kryzhevich, Col. Sedash, Col. Pastukh, Col. Bogushevich, Col. Lupakov, Col. Gushchin, Col. Rodin, Col. Motov, Col. Komarov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Ratov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Bobrobnikov, Col. Solovyev, Col. Grishchenko, Col. Leonov, Maj. Gen. of Artillery Danshin, Col. Rashitsky, Col. Gotsak, Col. Salansky, Col. Lupakov, Lieut.-Col. Popolzukhin, Lieut.-Col. Matyukha, Lieut.-Col. Tarasenko, Lieut.-Col. Pavlik, Lieut.-Col. Kozyarenko, Lieut.-Col. Breyev, Maj. Borodin, Lieut.-Col. Tronev, Lieut.-Col. Samchenko, Lieut.-Col. Prokhorov, Lieut.-Col. Borodko, Lieut. Col. Shpek and Maj. Voronov; Tankmen commanded by Col.-Gen. of Tank Troops Kurkin, Lieut.-Gen. of Tank Troops Akhmanov, Lieut.-Gen. Sviridov, Lieut.-Gen. Russiyanov, Maj. Gen. of Tank Troops Govorunenko, Maj.-Gen. of Tank Troops Katkov, Col. Rumyantsev, Col. Tyaglov, Maj. Apolovnin, Senior Lieut. Grigoryev, Capt. Lapin and Capt. Kutuzov; Airmen commanded by Col.-Gen. of Aviation Goryunov, Col.-Gen. of Aviation Sudets, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Seleznev, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Korsakov, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Stepichev, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Podgorny, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Kamanin, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Tolstikov, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Tupikov, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Loginov, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Shchetchikov, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Lededev, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Belitsky, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Tishchenko, Col. Romanov, Col. Chanpalov, Col. Shuteyev, Col. Chizhikov, Col. Saprykin, Col. Semenenko, Col. Yudakov, Col. Tarenenko, Col. Geibo, Col. Terekhov, Col. Ivanov, Col. Nedosekin, Col. Dementyev, Col. Smirnov and Lieut.-Col. Shatilin ; Sappers commanded by Lieut.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Tsirlin, Col.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Kotlyar, Maj.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Plyaskin, Maj.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Ignatov, Maj.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Vasilyev, Maj.-Gen. of Technical Troops Kosenko, Col. Malov, Maj.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Tyulev, Col. Kovalenko, Col. Pavlov, Col. Nasonov, Col. Zagrebin, Col. Baburin, Col. Kalinichenko, Col. Nominas, Lieut.-Col. Fominykh, Lieut.-Col. Sheludko, Lieut.-Col. Yagodin, Maj. Markov, Engineer Maj. Dyukov, Lieut.-Col. Anzaurov, Maj. Fomenko, Engineer Lieut.-Col. Ragozin and Lieut.-Col. Korneyev; Signallers commanded by Lieut.-Gen. of Signals Troops Leonov, Lieut.-Gen. of Signals Troops Korolev, Col. Borisenko, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Morozov, Lieut.-Col. Reva, Lieut.-Col. Zhits, Lieut.-Col. Agupov, Maj. Tolsty, Col. of State Security Karpov, Col. Yegorov and Col. Kotkov; and by units and ships of the Danube Naval Flotilla commanded by Rear-Admiral Kholostyakov and Captain of the 2nd Rank Derzhavin.

To commemorate the victory, the units and formations which particularly distinguished themselves in the fighting for the capture of the city of Budapest will be recommended for conferment of the name “Budapest” and for award of Orders.

To-day, February 13, at 21.00 hours (Moscow time), the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, in the name of the Motherland, will salute with 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns the gallant troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts which captured the capital of Hungary, the city of Budapest.

For excellent military operations I express my thanks to all the troops under your command which took part in the fighting for the capture of Budapest.

Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the fighting for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!

Death to the German invaders!

J. Stalin

Supreme Commander-in-Chief

Marshal of the Soviet Union

Moscow

("Soviet War Speeches, etc." p. 119)

Note: The published order (Voenizdat, 1975; Order No. 277) states "bolee 10 000" — "more than 10,000" prisoners taken in the final assault. (The total Axis garrison captured over the whole Budapest operation, Oct 1944 – Feb 1945, was far larger, ~110,000+.) The figure here follows the authoritative Russian order text.