From 1944, the “Alpine and Danube regions” became the target of the Allied air fleets and the scene of the bombing war. Finally, in the spring of 1945, ground troops also reached the foothills of the Alps, which became a combat zone and the scene of the final phase crimes of the Nazi regime. In the course of the “Vienna Operation”, the Red Army advanced from the east to the Traisen, where the front came to a standstill in the final weeks of the war. The U.S. Army crossed the Austrian border at the end of April and advanced rapidly to the Enns. Between these two rivers, the last battles of the Second World War took place in Austria and the first meetings of Allied soldiers took place – marking the end of the Second World War not only in fact, but also symbolically.
The recently published Truppendienst pocket book “Endkämpfe im Alpenvorland 1945. 35 Tage zwischen Wienerwald und Enns.” is dedicated to these last battles and, in addition to the military events on the ground, also sheds light on the bombing campaign and the final phase crimes in this area. It is a summary and printed realization of the Truppendienst online series “Das Alpenvorland im Frühjahr 1945” and “Die letzte Hauptkampflinie” as well as additional online articles such as “Das letzte Gefecht in Oberösterreich”. It is the result of several years of intensive research into this topic, the study of available literature (especially the standard works by Manfried Rauchensteiner and Theo Rossiwall), visits to exhibitions, museums – but above all research on site – numerous interviews with contemporary witnesses and intensive exchanges with experts and other people who deal with this topic.
Click here to our other reports in the “Books & Media” section.
