The 4th Ukrainian Front (including the 1st Czechoslovak Corps under Ludvík Svoboda) under Ivan Petrov and the 2nd Ukrainian Front under Rodion Malinovsky (including the 1st Romanian Army under Nicolae Macici and the 4th Romanian Army under Nicolae Dăscălescu), were to push back the German troops gathered in the Western Carpathians.

On January 12, at 8:15 a.m., the 38th Army (Colonel General Kirill Moskalenko) of the 4th Ukrainian Front attacked after heavy artillery preparation with two Rifle Corps (the 101st and 67th).

On 15 January, the breakthrough through the German XI SS Panzer Corps (General Matthias Kleinheisterkamp) was achieved and could be pursued up to 18 km in the next few days.

The left wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front simultaneously launched its offensive from northern Hungary and invaded the Slovak Ore Mountains.

The Red Army crushed 17 divisions and 1 brigade of the Axis powers, taking 137,000 prisoners, according to its own not always verifiable sources.