In March 1945, after the fall of Budapest, the 6th Panzer Army launched one of the final German offensives of the war, Operation Frühlingserwachen around Lake Balaton.

The offensive lacked operational surprise, but Soviet Front commander Fyodor Tolbukhin's awareness of the presence of elite SS units, under direct orders from STAVKA Tolbukhin was ordered to use minimal forces against the SS until a counteroffensive could be made in strength north of Lake Balaton.

[4] On March 16 the 3rd Ukrainian Front launched its major counteroffensive and Joseph Goebbels admitted in his diary that failure was likely.

[6] However, the German forces broke under the Soviet Red Army counteroffensive and retreated towards Austria to defend Vienna.

When the war ended on May 8, 1945, the 6th Panzer Army was in Austria between Vienna and Linz, in which area it subsequently surrendered to forces of the Soviet and U.S.