Fall of Kaposvár
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Fall of Kaposvár | |||||||||
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Part of the Ruvelkan Civil War | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Imperial Separatists | Ruvelkan Socialist Republic | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Kátálin Dorman Paloma Keresztes Rebeka Vass |
Adrián Katona Fruzsina Illes | ||||||||
Units involved | |||||||||
Army Group Center Army Group South MS Peoples’ Army |
1st Army 2nd Army | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
~950,000 | ~500,000 | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
~60,000 | ~110,000 |
The Fall of Kaposvár was the final battle of the western theater of the Ruvelkan Civil War that lasted from early July 1918 to late August 1918. Following a number of decisive victories in 1917, the Imperial Separatist Volunteer Guard seized the initiative from the Communist Red Army and proceeded to push the Communists northward until they were encircled in their capital city of Kaposvár. General Katona, the Communist Chief of the General Staff, initially refused an offer for surrender in the hopes that the Communist 3rd Army would possibly be able to lift the siege after having successfully defeated Anarchist forces near Kenderes.
The 3rd Army, under the command of Krisztina Pataki, began a grueling march through the rugged terrain of the Matra mountains at a rushed pace making it as far as the outskirts of Balatonalmadi before being intercepted by Kristóf Barta’s Army Group East on 18 August. Pataki attempted to break through Barta’s lines three times with her exhausted troops before being decisively defeated on 20 August, forcing her to withdraw south. Although she had regrouped her troops on 21 August, it was unlikely she could make another successful attempt to lift the siege.
Communist forces in Kaposvár continued to refuse surrender until Shock Troops of Army Group South made a successful assault on the southern side of the city in 25 August. With supplies and ammunition running low, General Katona ultimately decided to surrender unconditionally on 28 August effectively ending the war in the west.