Red Army prepares to attack again

5th January 1945: The Soviet build-up for their new offensive is nearly complete - they will launch early while Germany attacks in the Ardennes

The Red Army was now preparing for another major offensive.

As the New Year opened battles raged in the Ukraine and in Budapest - but much of the Eastern front was relatively quiet. The rapid Soviet offensive that had pushed into Poland in the Autumn had paused over the winter. Stalin was building up an even more enormous force before his final push into…