Battle of Turda The Battle of Turda lasted from 5 September to 8 October 1944 , in the area around Turda , in present - day Romania , as part of the wider Battle of Romania . Troops from the Hungarian 2nd Army and the German 8th Army fought a defensive action against Romanian and Soviet forces . The battle was one of the largest fought in Transylvania during World War II . Prelude . Prior to the battle , Soviet units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front occupied the Vulcan pass , as well as the cities of Braşov and Sibiu . The Red Army intended to capture Cluj — the historical capital of Transylvania — without much effort . While continuing to advance toward the Mureş River , which the Hungarian 2nd Armored Division was recently able to cross , they collided with and stopped the Hungarian units ; the 2nd Hungarian Army was forced to take a defensive stance on 10 September 1944 . The battle . The Soviet Stavka , ( high command ) , was a little surprised by the unexpected Hungarian offensive , and decided to strengthen its forces in the area to prevent another . It also launched an attack of their own on Turda , in tandem with the Romanian 4th Army . The town was originally defended by the weakened Hungarian 25th Infantry Division , which had only about three battalions immediately available . The other three were delayed by various rear guard actions , and were not expected before 13 September . The advancing Red Army armored units were stopped by the 3rd Battalion of the Hungarian 25th Infantry Division ( headquartered at Oradea ) — at the road intersection at Vinţu de Sus — on 13 September . The first three Soviet tanks were knocked out by the Hungarian anti - tank gun section of the III . / 25 ID . The rest of the armored column then spread out and attacked the defenders . With the help of a German AT unit , the Hungarians knocked out a further 17 tanks . The attack was thus stopped , and the Soviets regrouped and retreated to defensive positions . The Soviets and their Romanian ally attacked again on 14 September west of Turda . Luckily for the Hungarians , the 2nd Mountain Replacement Brigade had just arrived in this area , and was able to stem the onslaught . The Soviets switched their efforts to the eastern sector in the afternoon , and there they were able to break through and reach the outskirts of Turda . The town was held by the Axis thanks to a timely counterattack by the 25th Infantry Division . On 15 September , the Soviets and Romanians launched a major attack south of Turda , preceded by a heavy artillery bombardment . They broke again in the eastern sector all the way to the outskirts of the town , but were once again stopped by the counterattack of the 2nd Armored Division . A temporary lull in the fighting ensued , which the Hungarians used to prepare for a counterattack . On 19 September , the 25th Infantry Division — supported by the 10th Assault Gun Battalion with Zrínyi II s — attacked the Soviet 4th Guards Rifle Division , after a brief artillery barrage . They gained some ground , but the Soviets fought tenaciously and held their territory despite heavy losses . The Soviets counterattacked with three Soviet and one Romanian division — supported by a tank brigade and a weak Romanian armored detachment — on 22 September . The 2nd Armored Division counterattacked with only 57 tanks and could not stop them . The Hungarians lost over 1 , 000 men on this day alone . German reinforcments . On 23 September , the " 23 . Panzerdivision " arrived to relieve the exhausted 2nd Armored Division , but was not able to stabilize the situation , while losing over one third of its infantry . Luckily for them , the Soviets and Romanians at this point had also had enough , suffering heavy losses , and concentrated their attacks on another sector . The 25th Infantry Division remained in Turda until 8 October , when the remaining Axis forces retreated , in order to shorten their lines . Aftermath . After the battle , the entire enlisted personnel of the III . / 25 ID and another company was promoted one rank up for bravery on the battlefield , an unprecedented move in the history of the Royal Hungarian Army and its forebears .