On October 20 in North Transylvania, our forces continued an offensive, securing the following settlements: FERNEZI DE SUS, ROSI-OR, EGERISTE, KILIJA, SOKONZEL, CHORNI, HODOD, BABUKA, CEHAL, DIZIR, and ITEU.
The armor and cavalry forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, continuing their offensive, on October 20 outflanked the enemy and combined a side attack with a frontal attack to storm the city of DEBRECEN, an important Hungarian industrial center, a major transport junction and an important enemy stronghold.
To the west and south of the Yugoslav town of SUBOTICA, our forces in Hungary took the town and railroad junction of BACALMAS and secured the Yugoslav towns and railroad stations of BASOK, BACKA TOPOLA, NOVI VRBAS, and SRBOBRAN, important settlements of ZEDNIK, DUSANOVAC, NOVO SELO, NACIR, STARA MORAVICA, BAJSA, JEMUSIC, MALY IDOS, SEKIC, and FEKETIC.
Units of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, together with the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, completed the elimination of a powerful enemy force in BELGRADE, and on October 20 freed the capital of allied Yugoslavia from German occupiers.
To the southeast of BELGRADE, our forces mopped up an encircled enemy force. On October 18 to 20, our forces in this area captured 8,147 German personnel and seized the following trophies: 20 tanks and self-propelled guns, 318 guns of various calibers, 94 mortars, 320 machine-guns, over 6,000 rifles and submachine-guns, 20 armored personnel carriers, 76 radio stations, 3,000 motor cars, 2,250 carts with military cargo, 3,500 horses, 150 motorbikes, 24 trucks, 26 weapons, munitions and other materiel depots, and killed up to 9,000 enemy personnel.
Reconnaissance operations and local fighting were reported elsewhere on the front.
On October 19, our forces destroyed 189 German tanks on all fronts. The Soviet air and air defense forces downed 40 enemy aircraft.