I'm interested in knowing just when the 5th SS Wiking actually made it to Budapest, Taranov. Far as I can find, they never got to it in the battles in the area. Can you offer any evidence other then your word?
"Budapest Relief Efforts
As a part of Operation Konrad I, the Wiking was committed to action on 1 January 1945, fighting alongside the Totenkopf. Near Táta, the advance columns of Wiking slammed into the Soviet Fourth Guards Tank Army. A heavy battle ensued, with the Wiking and Totenkopf panzers destroying many Soviet tanks. In three days Wiking and Totenkopf's panzer spearheads had driven 45 kilometers over rugged terrain, over half the distance from the jump-off point to Budapest. The Soviets maneuvered forces to block Gille's advance, and they barely managed to halt the advance at Bicske, only 28 kilometers from Budapest.
Gille pulled the Wiking out of the line and moved it to the south of Esztergom, near the Danube bend. The second relief attempt, to be known as Operation Konrad II, got underway on 7 January. In atrocious conditions, the Wiking advanced southwards towards Budapest. By 12 January, the Westland Regiment had reached Pilszentkereszt, barely 20 kilometers from Buda. That morning the Wiking panzergrenadiers spotted the church spires and turrets of the distinctive Budapest skyline poking through the morning fog. Despite its success, the Wiking, overextended and vulnerable, was unable to exploit its breakthrough and was eventually ordered to pull back and regroup. Hitler was furious at the lack of progress, and called the operation 'utterly pointless'.
A third attempt, Operation Konrad III, launched in cooperation with the veteran III.Panzerkorps took place 100 kilometers to the south. This attack resulted in a 15 mile gap being torn in the Soviet lines and the destruction of the 135th Rifle Corps. Only the quick redeployment of more troops by the Russians prevented a German breakthrough. By the end of January the Wiking and Totenkopf had suffered almost 8,000 casualties, including over 200 officers.
At the beginning of February, the besieged forces capitulated, and the Wiking was ordered west to Lake Balaton where SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich's 6.SS-Panzerarmee was preparing for another offensive."
P.S. yep, my mistake. It's SdKfz 150/1 neu from Nordland., 11-th recon batallion.