Pada Permulaan tahun [[1945]], [[Eastern Front (WWII)|Eastern Front]] semakin stabil semenjak Agustus [[1944]] Setelahsetelah peluncuran [[OperationOperasi Bagration]]. Negara Jerman sudah kehilangan [[Budapest]] dan beberapa negara seperti [[HungaryHungaria]], [[Romania]] dan [[Bulgaria]] dipaksa untuk menyerah dan mengiklarkanmengumumkan perang terhadap Jerman, dan negara [[Poland|PolishPolandia]] terbuka untuk Sovietbagi [[RedTentara ArmyMerah]] Soviet.
A counter-attack by the newly created [[Army Group Vistula]], under the command of [[Heinrich Himmler]], failed by [[February 24]], and the Russians drove on to [[Pomerania]] and cleared the right bank of the Oder River. In the south, three German attempts to relieve the encircled [[Budapest]] failed and the city fell on [[February 13]] to the Soviets. Again the Germans counter-attacked, [[Hitler]] insisting on the impossible task of regaining the [[Danube]] River. By [[March 16]] the attack had failed and the Red Army counter-attacked the same day. On [[March 30]] they entered [[Austria]] and captured [[Vienna]] on [[April 13]].
