During WWI (And even WWII I guess) did the axis ever have any decisive major victories towards the end of the war?

by SHORT-CIRCUT

From what I've read about the wars, it seems that the axis more specifically the German Empire/Nazi Germany only seemed to be dominant in the beginning of the wars before forces such as the US began to join and ever since they've just been losing constant battles against the Allies. So I was wondering if there were any major battles that the axis did win towards the end of the war that played some sort of role (perhaps delayed the allied offensive or such?)

VRichardsen

A clarification regarding your question:

-The term Axis, used to refer mainly to Germany, Italy and Japan (although it also encompasses minor powers, like Bulgaria or Romania) wouldn´t be correct if used to refer to the factions opposing the Allies during World War I: the coloquial term would be Central Powers. Also bear in mind that they were not the same countries: Japan, for example, was part of the Allied powers during WW I.

Now, on to the matter at hand: there certainly were Axis victories during the later stages of the conflict, some of them even with strategic reach. One good example would be the early 1944 Soviet offensive on Romania, which tends to go by the name of First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive. Taking the opportunity to expand its gains on to Romania (and, among other things, get closer to the vital Ploiești oilfields, which accounted for a large portion of the Wehrmacht´s oil source) the Soviet high command (the Stavka) decided on an offensive with three Soviet armies: the 2nd Tank Army, and the 27th and 40th Armies. Over 800,000 Soviet soldiers were facing around 300,000 Axis (German and Romanian). At first, the operations started well for the Red Army, with relatively fast advances and good ground gains, but the weather soon got worse, and the constant rains slowed the tempo of the Soviet offensive, which in turn gave the Germans and Romanians time to reorganize. Units were redistributed along the fronts, reinforcements arrived, defensive positions were established. Defensive lines were dug in along suitable locations, trying to maximize the advantage of anti tank guns by having them entrenched/concealed positions overlooking open ground, suited for the movement of enemy armored formations. Behind the defensive lines, own panzer formations lay in reserve. The battle of Targul-Frumos, taking place in 2-4 May, is a good example of the most intense fighting that took place during the operation. Large Soviet forces struck German positions north of Iassy in an attempt to seize the city and advance deep into Romania. After a heavy artillery bombardment, Soviet tanks and infantry stormed the German positions, breaching the line in several points, but facing a hail of anti tank fire. Casualties were severe; the few tanks that got through were met by the armored reserves and their threat nullified. In the end, the Soviets exhausted themselves against well prepared positions, supported by artillery and mobile forces ready to seal gaps in the line. In three days of fighting, LVII Panzer Corps (principally Grossdeutschland and 24th Panzer Divisions) and L Corps defeated the Soviet force and destroyed over 350 Soviet tanks.

At the conclusion of the First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, the drive into Romania had been thwarted, and a clear threat to the vital oilfields had been averted. For a few months, at least. The Red Army would attack again (and succeed) by late August.

Sources

  • Glantz & others, Slaughterhouse - The Handbook of the Eastern Front
  • Glantz, Red Storm Over the Balkans: The Failed Soviet Invasion of Romania, Spring 1944

Edit: revised syntaxis, several times. Added source.