ABSTRACT
The essence of the Soviet plan consisted of drawing German reserves away from Army Group A and from the centre by heavy attacks in Hungary, after which the Soviet command would be free to develop its main assault on Germany's vitals. Soviet troops stood between seven and ten miles from the city centre, with the greater distance on the Pest side, though Pest with its level ground and good road system offered better facilities for organizing an assault. Gehlen, head of Fremde Heere Ost, prepared a formidable brief indicating that a huge wave of Soviet armies must shortly break over the Reich from the east. A General Staff signal to Malinovskii pointed to the absence of unified direction' for the Soviet units committed, and proposed the establishment of a special combat group under Front control. H. Gille's IV Panzer was, however, only starting on its rampage amidst the Soviet positions.
