140Close Combat
On December 12, Manstein launches Army Group Don’s 13 divisions toward Stalingrad. Manstein’s fear fast becomes a reality; Soviet antitank weapons decimate German armor. On December 19, Manstein orders Paulus to attempt a breakout immediately; Paulus refuses. Army Group Don’s progress is grinding to a halt. On December 21, Manstein appeals to Hitler to change Paulus’ mind; Hitler cites Paulus’ report that he has insufficient fuel for a breakout. Finally, on December 23, the relieving force is stopped at the Myshkova River; the German troops in Stalingrad can hear their comrades fighting, but relief never comes.
The Soviets launch counterattacks against Army Group Don; Manstein’s forces are retreating by Christmas. Everywhere along the Eastern Front the Soviets are advancing; it is an advance that will end only in Berlin.
On January 8, 1943, the Soviets demand surrender; Paulus ignores their demand. Two days later the Soviets attack. The Germans have more troops, but the Soviet troops are better fed, clothed, and supplied and the Soviet soldiers sense victory. Preceded by a heavy artillery barrage, the Soviet attack further constricts the German perimeter.
By January 21, the Soviets recapture both airfields in Stalingrad; the Germans are completely cut off. Four days later, the Soviet forces attacking the city meet in the middle of Stalingrad. Only two pockets of German resistance remain. On January 31, Paulus surrenders the southern pocket; the northern pocket surrenders on February 2. All across the Eastern Front, those German units not cut off or encircled are retreating. The tide of Operation Barbarossa has crested.
About 40,000 Germans are evacuated from Stalingrad, most of them seriously wounded. Another 90,000 are taken prisoner; only 5,000 of the prisoners survive to return home, the last in 1955. The remaining Germans, about 150,000, are dead or missing. The Soviets report removing 147,000 German and 47,000 Soviet bodies for burial. The defeat enrages Hitler, saddens the German populace, and heartens Russia’s allies.
The Germans retreat back across the Soviet Union throughout the winter and spring. Their chance for a counterattack comes when a huge bulge appears in the eastern front the Kursk salient. German plans call for slicing through the base of the salient, cutting off several Soviet armies, then destroying them in detail. If the Germans succeed, they may turn the tide of the war. By
On the evening of July 4, while the German units are assembling for their attacks, the Soviets begin the largest
