Balaton

This is coolbert:

Here is another instance from the Second World War [WW2] where the German [Hitler] desire to guarantee access to and protect the last remaining reserves of oil available to the Nazi war machine overrode practical, logical, reasonable and well-thought-out military doctrine, policy, operational and strategic considerations!

Operation Spring Awakening!

March, 1945, Hungary! The LAST serious German offensive of the war. Analogous to the Ardennes Offensive of December 1944? Carefully husbanded German forces, primarily Waffen SS, attempting to secure the Hungarian oil fields of Nagykanizsa [vicinity of Lake Balaton]!

[Until the discovery of North Sea oil between Scotland and Norway, the only two places in Europe that had exploitable reserves of oil were the Lake Balaton region of Hungary and of course Ploesti!?]

An offensive that initially was successful, then sputtering to a halt, and finally having all ground gained eventually lost to a Soviet counter-offensive.

The oil fields not being secured!

This German offensive occurred only two months before the end of the war in Europe. As with the Ardennes Offensive of three months earlier, “Spring Awakening” turned out to be a fiasco, causing much more harm than good?

By the end of “Spring Awakening”, Soviet artillery was already in range of Berlin and bombarding the Reichs Chancellery!!

Hitler by this time was at the end of his tether? NOT totally lucid, or acknowledging the situation as it actually existed? German troops committed in the fashion with which they were in the Lake Balaton operation just were wasted when needed for a much more dire situation that existed elsewhere?

Oil, oil, everywhere, and nary a drop to drink!! And NO troops left either!!

coolbert.