by Liptow on 25 Jul 2004 00:05 The official historical documents (from communist era) about the fighting for Liptovsky Mikulas say just "the fighting was very hard" and "the Nazis were defending every inch of ground desperately", which usually means that human waves of soldiers were repeatedly thrown mercilessly agaist well-prepared German defense lines regardless of their losses. Unfortunately, no new historical books about that were written after the freedom had come to our country. However, even from the socialistic documents it is clear that first attack from east to capture the city was conducted without proper recoinnasance. Germans located their units to the north from the main road and cut-off the spearhead of Soviet troops reaching the city. The remainings of surrounded allied forces fought their way back to the east and the frontline has stabilized for long weeks there. Soviet and Czechoslovak troops several times captured some part of the city, but had to withdraw after German counterattacks. Interesting information comes from old man from that city I spoke once to. He told the first attack of Soviets stopped after capturing the local alcohol plant, which quickly decreased their ability to fight almost to zero and Germans massacred them afterwards.
To the north of the city, German defended naked mountain ridges covered with snow oriented from north to south with antitank guns, snipers and machineguns and all attacks there collpased. The same occured on the south part of the frontline, where one Soviet infantry division repeatedly failed in costly attempts to break the German defence lines.
In the central part of the front nearby the city itself, fighting for the hill "Háj" (something like "forest") was going for three weeks. After the artillery and mortar preparation fire, the infantry captured some part of the hill and the enemy retreated, allowing own artillery and mortars to pounce the enemy troops on the hill and by counter-attack to push weakened enemy troops from the hill again.
At the end, in April 1945 Germans retreated after the frontlines in Poland and Hungary moved much more to the west and encirclement of German troops in Slovakia became a threat.
The position of battlefield on the Europe map:
City of Liptovsky Mikulas today (view to the north). Allied forces were coming from the right side. The hill "Haj" is clearly visible as a dominant terrain point above the city.
The monument on the top of the hill "Haj".
View from the top of the hill "Haj" to the east, where Allied forces were coming from. Soviet and Czechoslovak troops were fighting their way through the walleys and naked mountain ridges covered with snow, defended by German troops.
The cost for the victory was deadly. Almost 2000 soldiers only from 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps is buried in the cemetery on the top of the hill.
Unknown soldier.
City of Liptovsky Mikulas, when looking from the hill "Haj" to the south.
