Lyrics of Days of April 45 by HistoryMusicNerd
„Wien ist zum Verteidigungsbereich erklärt worden.“
When April’s dawn was breaking over 1945,
Vienna’s fate was hanging, barely clinging to survive.
Third Ukrainian Front pushed forward, with resolve in every stride,
Generals Tolbukhin and Konev, leading the Soviets with pride.
Wiener Neustadt, Eisenstadt and Bratislava fell,
The Wehrmacht in retreat and the soviets did compel!
Vienna – April 45!
A city – fights to survive!
When death and displacement were rife!
The reich – at the end of its life!
Austria reborn in the strife!
The days of April 45!
In the rubble, the sixth Guards Tank Army rolled the streets,
While the fourth Guards Army in the south did lead.
Fourty-sixth Army in the north, closing the gap,
Ninth Guards Army flanked the south of the Viennas Pockets trap.
Wiener Neustadt, Eisenstadt and Bratislava fell,
The Wehrmacht in retreat and the soviets did compel!
Vienna – April 45!
A city – fights to survive!
When death and displacement were rife!
The reich – at the end of its life!
Austria reborn in the strife!
The days of April 45!
Vienna – on the Danubes shore you will bleed!
Second SS Panzer-Corp – in retreat!
Sovjets forces – in the center you will meet!
Austrian resistance – coordinating in the heat!
Across the Viennese districts, from Floridsdorf to the core,
the German forces they could fight no more!
April 13 marked the ceasing, as the white flags were raised,
And Austrian politicians formed an new government in haste.
Wiener Neustadt, Eisenstadt and Bratislava fell,
The Wehrmacht in retreat and the soviets did compel!
Vienna – April 45!
A city – fights to survive!
When death and displacement were rife!
The reich – at the end of its life!
Austria reborn in the strife!
The days of April 45!
Vienna – April 45!
A city – fights to survive!
When death and displacement were rife!
The reich – at the end of its life!
Austria reborn in the strife!
The days of April 45!
The days of April 45!
Historical Background
In short: The song is about the Battle of Vienna in 1945, when the Red Army liberated the City.
Days of April 45 – The Battle That Freed Vienna
Some battles decide borders. Others define nations.
Days of April 45 isn’t just about the fall of a city—it’s about the end of an empire and the rebirth of Austria. The Battle of Vienna (1945) was one of the last major battles of World War II, where the Soviet Red Army crushed the last Nazi defenders and liberated Austria from German control.
This is how Vienna fell, and Austria was reborn.
The Final Days of the Reich – April 1945
“When April’s dawn was breaking over 1945, Vienna’s fate was hanging, barely clinging to survive.”
By April 1945, the Third Reich was collapsing. Hitler’s forces were losing on all fronts, and Soviet troops were pushing deep into Nazi-occupied territories. Vienna, the once-grand capital of Austria, had been declared a fortress by Hitler—but the Germans were in full retreat.
“The Wehrmacht in retreat and the Soviets did compel!”
The Third Ukrainian Front, led by Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin, launched the Vienna Offensive—a massive Soviet push to capture the city and destroy the last German forces in Austria.
The Soviet Advance – A City Under Siege
“In the rubble, the Sixth Guards Tank Army rolled the streets, while the Fourth Guards Army in the south did lead.”
The Soviets attacked from three sides, encircling Vienna:
- Sixth Guards Tank Army stormed into the city center.
- Fourth Guards Army fought through the southern districts.
- 46th Army attacked from the north.
- Ninth Guards Army flanked from Floridsdorf, cutting off German escape routes.
“Forty-sixth Army in the north, closing the gap, Ninth Guards Army flanked the south of Vienna’s pockets trap.”
The German 2nd SS Panzer Corps, once an elite force, was now retreating in chaos (2nd SS Panzer Corps). The Austrians in the city weren’t all fighting for Hitler—many had joined the resistance, coordinating sabotage and attacks against the Nazis.
“Austrian resistance – coordinating in the heat!”
As the Soviets advanced, the Wehrmacht crumbled. The battle turned into brutal street fighting, with the Red Army clearing buildings block by block.
April 13, 1945 – The End of Nazi Vienna
“Across the Viennese districts, from Floridsdorf to the core, the German forces they could fight no more!”
After eight days of battle, on April 13, the Nazi forces surrendered. White flags were raised across the city, and Vienna was liberated.
“April 13 marked the ceasing, as the white flags were raised, and Austrian politicians formed a new government in haste.”
With the Nazis gone, Austria’s new provisional government, led by Karl Renner, quickly declared Austria’s separation from Nazi Germany—laying the foundation for the modern Austrian Republic.
Why Days of April 45 Still Matters
“The Reich – at the end of its life! Austria reborn in the strife!”
The Battle of Vienna was more than just another World War II battle—it was the symbolic end of Nazi Austria and the beginning of a free nation once again.
- It marked one of the last major battles of World War II in Europe.
- It separated Austria from Germany, leading to its eventual independence in 1955.
- It showed that even in total war, resistance and survival were possible.
Vienna suffered, but it survived. And from the ruins of war, Austria rose again.
The Lesson?
Empires rise and fall, but nations endure.
The Third Reich declared Vienna a fortress.
The Austrian people declared it a home.
Listen to the song here: