Counteroffensive near Stalingrad, operation "Uranus": course, dates, participants. Yaroslav fires Encirclement of the 6th German army under the command of Paulus

August 7

The formations of the 6th and 12th armies remaining in the encirclement were again assigned the task of breaking through on August 7, mainly in the east and south direction. On the contrary, the command of the XXXXIX enemy ak for the first time during the operation decided to abandon active offensive operations. The troops of the corps were supposed to force the encircled Soviet troops to surrender, while trying to incur the least losses (10). The 125th infantry division, with the support of the 97th infantry division, was tasked with encircling the Zelenaya Brama forest and further advancing towards Podvysokoye. The 1st and 4th Ged went on the defensive in order to prevent possible breakthroughs in the eastern and southern directions.
On the night of August 7, the northern group attempted to break through from the Podvysokoye region to the east through the northern flank of the 1st Gued. The main blow fell on the positions of 98 hep. Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, part of the Soviet troops still managed to break through. One large group moved southeast to Vladimirovka, the other - south to Rassokhovatets. But it was difficult for them to escape from the encirclement, since on the eastern bank of the river. Sinyukha was waiting for them in readiness for the troops of the XIVth MK of the enemy. With the onset of morning, the Germans undertook a cleansing of the rear areas, during which the commander of the 12th Army, General P.G., was taken prisoner. Ponedelin and the commanders of the 8th Rifle Corps, General M.G. Snegov and the 13th Rifle Corps, General N.K. Kirillov. During the breakthrough, the commander of the 24th MK, General V.I., died from a heart attack. Chistyakov.
Unsuccessful attempts to break through and the capture of the headquarters and command of the group led to the demoralization of the troops remaining in the encirclement. By this time they were deprived of food, ammunition and full medical care, were under constant artillery and mortar fire and air attacks. The most combat-ready units either suffered significant losses and were bled dry, or died during breakthroughs. In addition, during August 5-7, after the destruction of the headquarters of the 6th and 12th armies, there was no longer a unified command of the fighting. The command of the 49th sk represented by General S.Ya. Ogurtsova under these conditions could not take over the leadership of all the encircled troops.
For these reasons, with the onset of the morning of August 7, mass surrender began. The first to capitulate was the main part of the southern group, which held out in the Kopenkovatoe area. In the strip of the 97th pd approx. At 0300, two defectors reported that 16,000 to 20,000 people were ready to surrender if the Germans stopped their artillery shelling. When the enemy agreed, the capitulation of the Podvysokoye region began. This made it possible for the units of the 97th Infantry Division and the 1st Ged to go on the offensive and occupy this village by 10.20.
During the night, the 125th Infantry Division withstood several attempts to break through, and therefore only at 8.00 its units were able to go on the offensive on Podvysokoye. After a short resistance in the area with. Nebelivka - Forest Zelenaya Brama there was a mass surrender of the Red Army, sometimes in groups up to a company. By noon, all advancing divisions (97th and 125th infantry divisions, 1st and 4th regiments) of the enemy met in Podvysokoye. The organized resistance of the remnants of the troops of the 6th and 12th armies was finally broken, and the encirclement was basically liquidated. The last attempt to break through the Soviet troops was made on August 8, and it was successful. The control of the 2nd MK and parts of the 11th TD escaped from the encirclement. Parts of the 49th sk failed to break through, and on August 10 its command was captured. Scattered groups of Red Army soldiers continued to resist and attempt to infiltrate through the German battle formations until August 13-15.
During the battle, the Southern Front lost 2 armies, 6 corps and 17 divisions were defeated. Two army commanders, four corps commanders, 11 division commanders were captured, two corps commanders and 6 division commanders (11) were killed. According to German data, up to 103 thousand military personnel were captured, the number of those killed reached 20 thousand people (12). More than 10 thousand people escaped from the encirclement (13), but the equipment and weapons were lost. Enemy losses were much lower. According to the headquarters of the XXXXIXth ak, his total losses amounted to 107 officers and 2770 non-commissioned officers and privates (14), excluding the wounded and missing. The number of deaths in parts of the XIVth MK and XXIVth ak is unknown, but, apparently, comparable to the above (15). But they were incomparable with the huge losses suffered by the troops of the Southern Front.
That. The 6th and 12th armies cannot defeat the enemy east of the river. Sinyukha, they could not break out of the encirclement in an organized manner. The goal of the command of the Southern Front to restore communications with the Southwestern Front with their help remained unfulfilled. The German troops, in the main, completed their task and destroyed these armies west of the Dnieper. But due to the resistance of the troops of the 6th and 12th armies, part of the mobile forces of the E. Kleist group was pinned down (16), as a result of which the enemy could not complete the encirclement of the remaining forces of the Southern Front. This made it possible for the Soviet troops to retreat behind the river in an organized manner. Dnieper and try to create a strong defense on its left bank.

Notes
1. In given period The 6th Army was led by Lieutenant General I. N. Muzychenko, the 12th Army by Major General P. G. Ponedelin. On July 25, for the convenience of control and coordination of the actions of the troops, they were combined into the so-called. "Ponedelin's group".
2. Combat order of the commander of the troops of the 6th Army No. 0084 dated August 5, 1941 for the withdrawal of troops from the encirclement // Collection of military documents of the Great Patriotic War. Issue . 39. M ., 1959. C . 231-232.
3. Steets H. Gebirgsjager bei Uman. Heidelberg, 1955. S. 89; Breymayer H. Das Wiesel. Gtschichte der 125. Infanterie-Division. 1940-1944. Langenau-Ulm, 1983.S. 73.
4. Dolmatovsky E.A. Decree. op. S.68, 102, 310.
5. Summer 1941. Ukraine. Kyiv, 1991. S. 317. During the shelling, the chief of artillery of the 6th Army, Major General G.I. Fedorov and commander of the 37th sk brigade commander S.P. Zybin.
6. It is difficult to establish the exact number of armored vehicles used in the breakthrough. E. A. Dolmatovsky believed that two tanks participated in the attack (Dolmatovsky E.A. Decree. Op. C. 72). The Deputy Chief of Staff of the 6th Army, Colonel M. A. Meandrov, during interrogation by the Germans testified that the army columns were covered by ten tanks (Steets H. Op. cit. S. 97-98). In addition, it is known that army commanders P.G. Ponedelin and I.N. Muzychenko, members of the Military Councils P.M. Lyubavin and M.V. Grulenko, chief of staff of the 6th army N.P. Ivanov, commander of the 8th sk M.G. Snegov and group commander P.S. Fotchenkov.
7. It is quite difficult to determine the approximate number of breakthrough groups due to the lack of many data. It is only known that in the Sokolov group there were up to 6,000 people, in the 99th SD - approx. 500 people, in the 141st Guards Rifle Division - approx. 1 000 people
8. Year 1941. Southwestern Front. Lvov, 1970. S. 233.
9. The command of the breakthrough groups was also captured: General Ya.I. Tonkonogov - in the Emilovsky forest, commander A.D. Sokolov - at the village. Olshanka, Colonel V.P. Krymov - near the village. Trojan. A group of the Military Council of the 6th Army, headed by brigade commissars P.M. Lyubavin and M.V. Grulenko was destroyed near the village. Levkovka. On August 7, the commander of the army, General I.N., was also captured. Muzychenko.
10. Steets H.Op. cit. S. 105.
11. Great Patriotic War. 1941-1945. Book. 1: The ordeal. M., 1988. S. 189.
12. Ibid. S. 188.
13. Recording of negotiations on a direct wire by G.M. Malenkov with the command of the Southern Front // Russian archive. The Great Patriotic War. T. 5 (1). M., 1996. S. 111.
14. Steets H. Op. cit. S. 111.
15. Nevertheless, the losses suffered by the enemy turned out to be high for him, since for the entire previous month they amounted to only 50 officers and 2112 non-commissioned officers and privates killed, i.e. about the same as for 10 days of August.
16. See, for example: Münzel O. Panzer-Taktik. Neckargemünd, 1959, pp. 79, 81.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ak - army corps
ged - mountain chasseur division
hep - mountain chasseur regiment
GSD - mining rifle division
mk - mechanized corps
pd - infantry division
pp - infantry regiment
ptabr - anti-tank artillery brigade
sd - rifle division
sk - rifle corps
td - tank division
The number of troops of the 6th and 12th armies that were surrounded
In the research literature, especially domestic, to date, this issue remains hotly debated and there is no consensus. I. A. Dugas and F. Ya. Cheron, with reference to the diary of F. Halder, deduce the number of those surrounded as follows. According to German data, 103 thousand people were taken prisoner, and up to 200 thousand people were killed, but the number of dead is clearly overestimated, and the number of wounded is underestimated. After a series of calculations, the authors came to the following result: 103 thousand people were taken prisoner. (of which 34 thousand were wounded), 33 thousand were killed and 116 thousand were wounded, of which 82 thousand were not registered by the enemy, died of wounds and can be classified as dead. That. 252 thousand people were surrounded. But these authors did not take into account approximately 11,000 who escaped, and in this case, the number of those surrounded should have been 263,000 people.
The authors of the four-volume book The Great Patriotic War, also relying on German data and information from the 228 TsAMO Foundation, cite the following data. The strength of the 6th and 12th armies on July 20, 1941 was 129.5 thousand people, of which 103 thousand people were captured. But, 200 thousand were recognized as dead, which clearly contradicts the initial number of those surrounded. One of the direct participants in the events, the former head of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 6th army, Colonel V.A.
Unfortunately, the reporting documents of the command of the 6th and 12th armies and the Military Council of the Southern Front also bring little clarity to this issue. It is known that after the transfer of armies from the Southwestern Front to the Southern Front, data were requested on the status of these formations. But they did not have accurate numerical data, the personnel were calculated as a percentage of the state. Based on the Combat Report No. 040 of the headquarters of the 6th Army and the Combat Report of the Military Council of the Southern Front No. 0018 / op on July 26-27, 1941, there were approximately ... people in the divisions. , but they do not include border regiments

Great Patriotic and World War II. And it began with a successful Red Army offensive, code-named "Uranus".

Prerequisites

The Soviet counter-offensive near Stalingrad began in November 1942, but the preparation of the plan for this operation at the Headquarters of the High Command began in September. In autumn, the German march to the Volga bogged down. For both sides, Stalingrad was important both in a strategic and propaganda sense. This city was named after the head of the Soviet state. Once Stalin led the defense of Tsaritsyn from the Whites during the Civil War. Losing this city, from the point of view of Soviet ideology, was unthinkable. In addition, if the Germans had established control over the lower reaches of the Volga, they would have been able to stop the supply of food, fuel and other important resources.

For all the above reasons, the counteroffensive near Stalingrad was planned with particular care. The process was favored by the situation at the front. The parties for some time switched to positional warfare. Finally, on November 13, 1942, the counter-offensive plan, code-named "Uranus", was signed by Stalin and approved at Headquarters.

original plan

How did the Soviet leaders want to see the counteroffensive near Stalingrad? According to the plan, the Southwestern Front, under the leadership of Nikolai Vatutin, was to strike in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe small town of Serafimovich, occupied by the Germans in the summer. This grouping was ordered to break through at least 120 kilometers. Another shock formation was the Stalingrad Front. Sarpinsky lakes were chosen as the place of his offensive. After passing 100 kilometers, the armies of the front were to meet with the Southwestern Front near Kalach-Soviet. Thus, the German divisions that were in Stalingrad would be surrounded.

It was planned that the counteroffensive near Stalingrad would be supported by auxiliary strikes of the Don Front in the area of ​​Kachalinskaya and Kletskaya. At Headquarters, they tried to determine the most vulnerable parts of the enemy formations. In the end, the strategy of the operation began to consist in the fact that the blows of the Red Army were delivered to the rear and flank of the most combat-ready and dangerous formations. It was there that they were least protected. Thanks to good organization, Operation Uranus remained a secret for the Germans until the day it was launched. The unexpectedness and coordination of the actions of the Soviet units played into their hands.

Encirclement of the enemy

As planned, the counter-offensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad began on November 19. It was preceded by a powerful artillery preparation. Before dawn, the weather changed dramatically, which made adjustments to the plans of the command. Thick fog did not allow aircraft to take off, as visibility was extremely low. Therefore, the main emphasis was on artillery preparation.

The first under attack was the 3rd Romanian army, whose defenses were broken through by Soviet troops. In the rear of this formation were the Germans. They tried to stop the Red Army, but failed. The defeat of the enemy was completed by the 1st Tank Corps under the leadership of Vasily Butkov and the 26th Tank Corps of Alexei Rodin. These parts, having completed the task, began to move towards Kalach.

The next day, the offensive of the divisions of the Stalingrad Front began. During the first day, these units advanced 9 kilometers, breaking through the enemy defenses on the southern approaches to the city. After two days of fighting, three German infantry divisions were defeated. The success of the Red Army shocked and disconcerted Hitler. The Wehrmacht decided that the blow could be smoothed out by a regrouping of forces. In the end, after considering several options for action, the Germans transferred two more tank divisions to Stalingrad, which had previously operated in the North Caucasus. Paulus, until the very day when the final encirclement took place, continued to send victorious reports to his homeland. He stubbornly repeated that he would not leave the Volga and would not allow the blockade of his 6th Army.

On November 21, the 4th and 26th Southwestern Fronts reached the Manoilin farm. Here they made an unexpected maneuver, turning sharply to the east. Now these parts were moving straight to the Don and Kalach. The 24th Wehrmacht tried to stop the advance of the Red Army, but all its attempts came to nothing. At this time, the command post of the 6th Army of Paulus urgently relocated to the village of Nizhnechirskaya, fearing to be caught by the attack of Soviet soldiers.

Operation "Uranus" once again demonstrated the heroism of the Red Army. For example, the advance detachment of the 26th Panzer Corps crossed the bridge over the Don near Kalach in tanks and vehicles. The Germans turned out to be too careless - they decided that a friendly unit equipped with captured Soviet equipment was moving towards them. Taking advantage of this connivance, the Red Army destroyed the relaxed guards and took up a circular defense, waiting for the arrival of the main forces. The detachment held its positions, despite numerous enemy counterattacks. Finally, the 19th tank brigade broke through to him. These two formations jointly ensured the crossing of the main Soviet forces, which were in a hurry to cross the Don in the Kalach region. For this feat, commanders Georgy Filippov and Nikolai Filippenko were deservedly awarded the title of Hero. Soviet Union.

On November 23, the Soviet units took control of Kalach, where 1,500 soldiers of the enemy army were captured. This meant the actual encirclement of the Germans and their allies who remained in Stalingrad and the interfluve of the Volga and Don. Operation "Uranus" at its first stage was successful. Now 330 thousand people who served in the Wehrmacht had to break through the Soviet ring. Under the circumstances, the commander of the 6th Panzer Army, Paulus, asked Hitler for permission to break through to the southeast. The Fuhrer refused. Instead, the Wehrmacht forces, located near Stalingrad, but not surrounded, were united in a new army group "Don". This formation was supposed to help Paulus break through the encirclement and hold the city. The trapped Germans had no choice but to wait for the help of their compatriots from outside.

Unclear prospects

Although the beginning of the Soviet counter-offensive near Stalingrad led to the encirclement of a significant part of the German forces, this undoubted success did not mean at all that the operation was over. The Red Army continued to attack enemy positions. The Wehrmacht grouping was extremely large, so the Headquarters hoped to break through the defense and divide it into at least two parts. However, due to the fact that the front narrowed noticeably, the concentration of enemy forces became much higher. The counteroffensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad slowed down.

Meanwhile, the Wehrmacht prepared a plan for Operation Wintergewitter (which translates as "Winter Thunderstorm"). Its goal was to ensure the elimination of the encirclement of the 6th Army under the leadership of the Blockade, the Don Army Group was supposed to break through. The planning and conduct of Operation Wintergewitter was entrusted to Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. The main striking force of the Germans this time was the 4th Panzer Army under the command of Hermann Goth.

"Wintergewitter"

At the turning points of the war, the scales tilt to one side or the other, and until the last moment it is not at all clear who will be the winner. So it was on the banks of the Volga at the end of 1942. The beginning of the counter-offensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad remained with the Red Army. However, on December 12, the Germans tried to take the initiative into their own hands. On this day, Manstein and Goth began to implement the Wintergewitter plan.

Due to the fact that the Germans delivered their main blow from the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe village of Kotelnikovo, this operation was also called Kotelnikovskaya. The blow was unexpected. The Red Army understood that the Wehrmacht would try to break the blockade from the outside, but the attack from Kotelnikovo was one of the least considered options for the development of the situation. On the way of the Germans, seeking to come to the rescue of their comrades, the 302nd Rifle Division was the first. She was completely scattered and disorganized. So Gotu managed to create a gap in the positions occupied by the 51st Army.

On December 13, the 6th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht attacked the positions occupied by the 234th Tank Regiment, which was supported by the 235th Separate Tank Brigade and the 20th Anti-Tank Artillery Brigade. These formations were commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Diasamidze. Also nearby was the 4th mechanized corps of Vasily Volsky. Soviet groups were located near the village of Verkhne-Kumsky. fighting Soviet troops and units of the Wehrmacht for control of it lasted six days.

The confrontation, which went on with varying success on both sides, almost ended on December 19. The German grouping was reinforced by fresh units that came from the rear. This event forced the Soviet commanders to retreat to the Myshkovo River. However, this five-day delay in the operation played into the hands of the Red Army. During the time that the soldiers fought for every street of Verkhne-Kumsky, the 2nd Guards Army was brought up to this area nearby.

critical moment

On December 20, the army of Goth and Paulus was separated by only 40 kilometers. However, the Germans, who were trying to break through the blockade, had already lost half of their personnel. The advance slowed down and eventually stopped. Goth's powers are over. Now, to break through the Soviet ring, the help of the encircled Germans was needed. The plan for Operation Wintergewitter, in theory, included additional plan"Donnerschlag". It consisted in the fact that the blocked 6th Army of Paulus had to go towards the comrades who were trying to break the blockade.

However, this idea was never realized. It was all about Hitler's order "not to leave the fortress of Stalingrad for anything." If Paulus broke through the ring and connected with Goth, then he would, of course, leave the city behind. The Fuhrer considered this turn of events a complete defeat and disgrace. His ban was an ultimatum. Surely, if Paulus had fought his way through the Soviet ranks, he would have been tried in his homeland as a traitor. He understood this well and did not take the initiative at the most crucial moment.

Manstein's retreat

Meanwhile, on the left flank of the attack of the Germans and their allies, the Soviet troops were able to give a powerful rebuff. The Italian and Romanian divisions that fought on this sector of the front retreated without permission. The flight took on an avalanche-like character. People left their positions without looking back. Now the road to Kamensk-Shakhtinsky on the banks of the Severny Donets River was open for the Red Army. However, the main task of the Soviet units was the occupied Rostov. In addition, the strategically important airfields in Tatsinskaya and Morozovsk, which were necessary for the Wehrmacht for the rapid transfer of food and other resources, became naked.

In this regard, on December 23, the commander of the operation, Manstein, gave the order to retreat in order to protect the communications infrastructure located in the rear. The maneuver of the enemy was used by the 2nd Guards Army of Rodion Malinovsky. The German flanks were stretched and vulnerable. On December 24, Soviet troops again entered Verkhne-Kumsky. On the same day, the Stalingrad Front went on the offensive towards Kotelnikovo. Goth and Paulus were never able to connect and provide a corridor for the retreat of the encircled Germans. Operation Wintergewitter was suspended.

End of Operation Uranus

On January 8, 1943, when the position of the encircled Germans finally became hopeless, the command of the Red Army issued an ultimatum to the enemy. Paulus had to capitulate. However, he refused to do so, following the order of Hitler, for whom a failure at Stalingrad would have been a terrible blow. When the Headquarters learned that Paulus was insisting on his own, the offensive of the Red Army resumed with even greater force.

On January 10, the Don Front proceeded to the final liquidation of the enemy. According to various estimates, at that time about 250 thousand Germans were trapped. The Soviet counter-offensive at Stalingrad had already been going on for two months, and now a final push was needed to complete it. On January 26, the encircled Wehrmacht grouping was divided into two parts. The southern half turned out to be in the center of Stalingrad, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Barricades plant and the tractor plant - the northern half. On January 31, Paulus and his subordinates surrendered. On February 2, the resistance of the last German detachment was broken. On this day, the counter-offensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad ended. The date, moreover, became the final one for the entire battle on the banks of the Volga.

Results

What were the reasons for the success of the Soviet counter-offensive at Stalingrad? By the end of 1942, the Wehrmacht had run out of fresh manpower. There was simply no one to throw into battles in the east. The rest of the energy was exhausted. Stalingrad became the extreme point of the German offensive. In the former Tsaritsyn it choked.

The key to the whole battle was precisely the beginning of the counter-offensive near Stalingrad. The Red Army, through several fronts, was able to first encircle and then eliminate the enemy. 32 enemy divisions and 3 brigades were destroyed. In total, the Germans and their Axis allies lost about 800 thousand people. The Soviet figures were also colossal. The Red Army lost 485 thousand people, of which 155 thousand were killed.

For two and a half months of encirclement, the Germans did not make a single attempt to break out of the encirclement from the inside. They expected help from the "mainland", but the removal of the blockade by Army Group "Don" from the outside failed. Nevertheless, in the given time, the Nazis set up an air evacuation system, with the help of which about 50 thousand soldiers got out of the encirclement (mostly they were wounded). Those who remained inside the ring either died or were captured.

The plan for the counteroffensive near Stalingrad was successfully carried out. The Red Army turned the tide of the war. After this success, a gradual process of liberation of the territory of the Soviet Union from Nazi occupation began. In general, the Battle of Stalingrad, for which the counteroffensive of the Soviet armed forces was the final chord, turned out to be one of the largest and bloodiest battles in the history of mankind. The battles on the burnt, bombed and devastated ruins were further complicated by the winter weather. Many defenders of the motherland died from the cold climate and the diseases caused by it. Nevertheless, the city (and behind it the entire Soviet Union) was saved. The name of the counter-offensive at Stalingrad - "Uranus" - is forever inscribed in military history.

Reasons for the defeat of the Wehrmacht

Much later, after the end of World War II, Manstein published his memoirs, in which, among other things, he described in detail his attitude to the Battle of Stalingrad and the Soviet counter-offensive under it. He blamed Hitler for the death of the encircled 6th Army. The Fuhrer did not want to surrender Stalingrad and thus cast a shadow on his reputation. Because of this, the Germans were first in the boiler, and then completely surrounded.

The armed forces of the Third Reich had other complications. Transport aviation was clearly not enough to provide the encircled divisions with the necessary ammunition, fuel and food. The air corridor was never used to the end. In addition, Manstein mentioned that Paulus refused to break through the Soviet ring towards Goth precisely because of the lack of fuel and the fear of suffering a final defeat, while also disobeying the order of the Fuhrer.

On December 12, 1942, Operation Winter Thunder began - the offensive of German troops under the command of Erich von Manstein from the Kotelnikovsky region in order to rescue the 6th Army of Friedrich Paulus in the Stalingrad region.

The actions of the German command

On November 23, 1942, in the Kalach-on-Don area, Soviet troops closed the encirclement around the 6th Wehrmacht Army. The command of the 6th Army was preparing to break through the encirclement. The breakthrough was supposed to take place on November 25 after the regrouping necessary for the concentration of strike forces in the southwest. It was planned that the army would act at dawn with the right flank east of the Don to the south-west and force the Don in the Verkhne-Chirskaya area.

On the night of November 23/24, Paulus sent an urgent radio message to Hitler asking for permission to break through. He noted that the 6th Army was too weak and unable to hold the front for a long time, which had more than doubled as a result of the encirclement. In addition, she had suffered very heavy casualties in the past two days. It was impossible to stay surrounded for a long time - large supplies of fuel, ammunition, food and other supplies were needed. Paulus wrote: “Fuel supplies will soon run out, tanks and heavy equipment in this case will be motionless. The ammunition situation is critical. There is enough food for 6 days.”

Hitler, on the evening of November 21, when the headquarters of the 6th Army, which was in the path of the offensive of Soviet tanks, moved from the Golubinsky region to Nizhne-Chirskaya, gave the order: “The army commander with headquarters should go to Stalingrad, the 6th Army should take up all-round defense and await further instructions." On the evening of November 22, Hitler confirmed his first order: "The 6th Army to take up all-round defenses and wait for a deblocking offensive from outside."

On November 23, the commander of Army Group B, Colonel-General Maximilian von Weichs, sent a telegram to Hitler's headquarters, where he also spoke of the need to withdraw the troops of the 6th Army without waiting for outside help. He noted that it was impossible to supply an army of twenty divisions by air. With the available fleet of transport aircraft, in favorable weather, only 1/6 of the food needed for one day can be transferred to the "cauldron" daily. The army's supplies will run out quickly and can only be extended for a few days. Ammunition will be quickly used up as the encircled troops fight off attacks from all sides. Therefore, the 6th Army needs to break through to the southwest in order to maintain it as a combat-ready force, even at the cost of losing most of the equipment and property. Losses in a breakthrough, however, "will be much less than in the starvation blockade of the army in the cauldron, to which the events now developing will otherwise lead it."

Boss general staff ground forces (OKH), General of the Infantry Kurt Zeitzler also insisted on the need to leave Stalingrad and throw the 6th Army to break through the encirclement. The details of the operation to withdraw the 6th Army from the encirclement, scheduled for November 25, were agreed between the headquarters of Army Group B and the 6th Army. On November 24, they were waiting for Hitler's permission to surrender Stalingrad and the order to withdraw the 6th Army from the encirclement. However, the order never arrived. On the morning of November 24, a report from the Air Force command was announced that German aviation would provide air supply to the encircled troops. As a result, the main command is Hitler, head of the OKW ( supreme command Wehrmacht) Keitel and the chief of staff of the operational leadership of the OKW Jodl, - finally inclined to the opinion that the 6th Army would hold out in the encirclement area until it was released by releasing large forces from outside. Hitler informed the 6th Army: "The Army can trust me that I will do everything in my power to supply it and release it in time...".

So Hitler and High Command The Wehrmacht hoped not only to free the 6th Army from encirclement, but also to restore the Volga front. Paulus proposed to withdraw the troops, but at the same time he himself admitted that "under certain conditions, there were prerequisites for the planned operation to unblock and restore the front." The German command needed positions on the Volga in order to maintain the strategic initiative, and as a basis for further offensive warfare. The supreme military-political leadership of the Third Reich still underestimated the enemy. Hitler and his generals clearly saw the situation and the threat of disaster. However, they did not believe in the offensive capabilities of the Russians and believed that the available forces and reserves of the Red Army were thrown into the Battle of Stalingrad, that they were not enough to win a complete victory.

At the cost of great efforts, the German command managed to restore the front and stop the further offensive of the Soviet troops southwest and south of Stalingrad on the outer front of the encirclement. At the turn of the river Chir, the retreat of the 3rd Romanian army, defeated and thrown back by the Soviet troops, was suspended. In the bend of the Don between the mouth of the river. Chir and the area of ​​st. Veshenskaya (mainly along the Chir River), the enemy organized a defense. In addition to the 3rd Romanian Army, hastily assembled German battle groups (each up to a reinforced regiment) were pulled here. Then a fresh 17th Army Corps arrived in the same area, taking up defense along the river. Chir and r. Curve near Dubovsky. Parts of the German 48th Panzer Corps, defeated by the Soviet troops during the encirclement operation, occupied the gap between the 3rd Romanian Army and the 17th Army Corps. Thus, at the turn of the river. Chir command of the enemy created a new front of defense near Stalingrad. The German troops also managed to create a stable line of defense in the encirclement area.

Meanwhile, in the area of ​​Kotelnikov, east of the Don, the 4th Panzer Army under the command of Colonel General Goth was preparing to attack. In the coming days, she was supposed to break through the encirclement and launch an offensive on a wide front. At the same time, an army group under the command of General of the Infantry Hollidt was to attack from the area west of the upper reaches of the Chir from the flank of the enemy advancing to the south. The 48th Panzer Corps, under the command of General of Panzer Troops von Knobelsdorff (headquartered in Tormosin), together with the newly arrived 11th Panzer Division and still awaiting formations, was to advance from the bridgehead east of Nizhne-Chirskaya. However, in the Tormosin area, the Germans failed to create such a strong deblocking grouping, which was concentrated in the Kotelnikovo area. Attempts to attack in this direction were unsuccessful. In continuous battles, the German 11th Panzer Division suffered heavy losses.

Formation of Army Group "Don"

The preparation and conduct of the deblocking operation was entrusted to the Don Army Group, created by order of the OKH on November 21, 1942. It was located between Army Groups A and B. The command of this army group was entrusted to Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. It included: the Hollidt task force (in the Tormosin area), the remnants of the 3rd Romanian army, the 4th German tank army (re-created from the control of the former 4th tank army and formations that arrived from the reserve) and 4- I am the Romanian army as part of the 6th and 7th Romanian corps. The Hollidt group as a strike force included the 48th Panzer Corps (with the 11th Panzer Division) and the 22nd Panzer Division; 4th Tank Army - 57th Tank Corps (6th and 23rd Tank Divisions).

Divisions from the Caucasus, near Voronezh, Orel and from Poland, Germany and France were hastily transferred to reinforce the Don Army Group. Manstein was also subordinate to the troops surrounded in the Stalingrad region (6th Army). The group was reinforced by a significant force of reserve artillery. Army Group "Don" occupied a front with a total length of 600 km, from the village of Veshenskaya on the Don to the river. Manych. It consisted of up to 30 divisions, including six armored and one motorized (16th motorized division), not counting the troops surrounded at Stalingrad. In front of the troops of the Southwestern Front were 17 divisions from the Don Army Group, and 13 divisions (united into the Goth Army Group) opposed the troops of the 5th Shock Army and the 51st Army of the Stalingrad Front.

The most recent and powerful division was the 6th Panzer Division of Major General Routh (160 tanks and 40 self-propelled guns). This division, along with the 23rd Panzer Division, and then the 17th Panzer Division, was part of the 57th Panzer Corps of General Kirchner's Panzer Troops. This corps became the main armored fist with which the German command tried to make a breach in the encirclement. After heavy winter fighting in 1941-1942. in the Moscow area, the 6th Panzer Division was transferred to France in May 1942 for replenishment and rearmament, the 11th Panzer Regiment, which was armed with Czechoslovak Skoda-35 vehicles, received new German vehicles instead. The connection had strong frames. Along with experienced chief corporals, it had a core of non-commissioned officers and officers. The units were cohesive and had combat experience. X. Scheibert (commander of the 8th tank company of the 11th tank regiment) in his book: “To Stalingrad, 48 kilometers. Unblocking strike of the 6th Panzer Division, December 1942" noted: "The combat effectiveness of the division can be assessed as outstanding. Everyone felt his great superiority over the enemy, believed in the strength of his weapons, in the preparedness of the commanders.

On the morning of November 27, an echelon of the 6th Panzer Division arrived at Kotelnikovo. Just at this time, after artillery shelling, Soviet units broke into the city. A few minutes later, the division suffered the first losses. By December 5, the 6th Panzer Division was completely concentrated in the Kotelnikovo area, its motorized infantry and artillery took up defensive positions about 15 km east of the city.

Erich von Manstein, put by Hitler at the head of the Don Army Group and ordered to release the Stalingrad Paulus group, was a tried and tested commander who gained fame in many operations. Manstein, as commander of the 11th Army, became famous during the conquest of the Crimea. For the capture of Sevastopol, Manstein was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. Then the 11th army under the command of Manstein, as having successful experience siege and assault operations, were transferred for the decisive assault on Leningrad. However, the offensive of the Soviet troops of the Volkhov Front thwarted the plans of the German command. Paulus described him as a military leader who "enjoyed the reputation of a man with highly qualified and an operational mind and able to defend his opinion before Hitler.

"Winter Thunderstorm"

On December 1, the command of the army group gave the order to conduct Operation Winter Thunderstorm (Operation Wintergewitter, from German Wintergewitter - “winter storm”). The plan of the operation provided for the following: the 4th Panzer Army was to launch an offensive with the main forces from the Kotelnikovo area east of the river. Don. The start of the offensive was planned no earlier than December 8th. The army troops were asked to break through the front of the cover, hit the rear or flank of the Soviet troops occupying the inner front of the encirclement to the south or west of Stalingrad, and defeat them. The 48th tank corps from the Hollidt group was supposed to strike at the rear of the Soviet troops from the bridgehead on the Don and Chir rivers in the Nizhne-Chirskaya area.

The 6th Army, in accordance, was asked to hold its former positions in the "cauldron". However certain moment, indicated by the headquarters of the army group, the 6th army was to attack on the southwestern sector of the encirclement front in the direction of the river. Donskaya Tsaritsa and link up with the advancing 4th Panzer Army.

Thus, Manstein decided to deliver the main blow from the Kotelnikovo area. Although the German troops, entrenched at the turn of the river. Chir at Nizhne-Chirskaya, were only 40 km from the encircled troops of Paulus, while the Kotelnikov group (the Goth army group) was removed from them before the start of the offensive at a distance of 120 km. Nevertheless, Manstein decided to attack from here.

This was largely due to the difficult situation on the river. Chir, which was formed for the German troops. As soon as the Soviet troops strengthened the encirclement, they immediately began attacking enemy positions along the river. Chir. The center of these attacks was the lower reaches of the river and the bridgehead at its mouth near the Don. As a result, the Germans exhausted all offensive possibilities here. The troops, united under the command of the 48th Panzer Corps, repelled these attacks. However, when the Hollidt strike group, which was intended as the main force for the deblocking operation, managed to approach the German defensive front along the river at the end of November. Chir, the newly created 48th Tank Corps had already exhausted its forces. Thus, the 48th Panzer Corps not only failed to contribute to the unblocking counterattack with the help of the operation from the Chirsky bridgehead, moreover, it was forced to surrender this position already on December 15, which was closest to the troops surrounded in Stalingrad.

The German command postponed the start of the deblocking strike to December 12. This had to be done because of the delay in the concentration of troops intended for the offensive. Hollidt's group did not have time to take their starting positions for the offensive due to insufficient road capacity, and the 4th Panzer Army was waiting for the arrival of the 23rd Panzer Division, which was delayed due to the thaw in the Caucasus. In addition, Manstein had to abandon the idea of ​​two strikes. So, of the seven divisions intended for the Hollidt group, two had already been involved in battles on the front of the 3rd Romanian army, and the operational state did not allow them to be recalled back. The 3rd Mountain Division did not arrive at all, by order of the OKH, it was transferred to Army Group A, and then to Army Group Center. Army Group "A" also detained the artillery of the reserve of the main command. The activation of the Red Army units on the front of the 3rd Romanian Army exhausted the capabilities of the 48th Panzer Corps, which could not simultaneously repel attacks and launch a counteroffensive. Thus, Manstein decided to give up two deblocking blows. It was finally decided that the main blow was to be delivered by the 4th Panzer Army.

On December 11, Manstein gave the order to start the operation. The situation on the southern sector of the front worsened, and it was necessary to advance. It was decided to strike with the forces of the 6th and 23rd Panzer Divisions, which were later joined by the 17th Panzer Division. General Paulus Manstein proposed a counter strike from the Stalingrad area.

The whole world knew about the encirclement of the 6th German Army, but only German propaganda did not utter a word about it. She carefully concealed the fact that the Red Army had completed the encirclement of this army and was successfully fighting to destroy it. As early as January 25, German radio boastfully asserted: "If our soldiers are retreating in some places, it is only in order to, having reorganized and replenished their material forces, go on a new offensive." However, you cannot hide an awl in a bag. On the same day, a few hours later, a new, unexpected note comes through in the radio broadcasts: “In the Stalingrad region, the situation has escalated to a large extent ... The enemy managed to crush our front line ... His offensive was preceded by a literally fiery flurry of unimaginable force, after which his tanks rushed along the mutilated trenches of our grenadiers ... The ring around Stalingrad shrank even more tightly. But on February 1, the German information bureau reported "the news of the end in Stalingrad." It was forced to admit "the loss of the army" and thereby emphasize "the seriousness of the failure suffered." Further, Goebbels' office makes a stunning historical discovery. It compares the defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad with the largest defeats in the history of wars and then tries to prove that these defeats were ... victories!

As is known, the Russian people have beaten the German invaders more than once in the past. Thus, the Teutonic Knights suffered a severe defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg. But it turns out, as the German Information Bureau reported on February 1, that the German people are proud of Tannenberg. The Russian army defeated Frederick II at Kunersdorf, but it turns out that the Germans should be proud of that too. Finally, the German Information Bureau believes that " the greatest thing Napoleon was, according to military historians, not Austerlitz, but the crossing of the Berezina, made by him during the retreat from Moscow in the face of two Russian armies located on both sides of the river. What "military historians" can prove that Napoleon's defeat in Russia and his flight across the Berezina is his victory - this is the secret of Goebbels. It is known that Schlieffen wrote something opposite on this issue: "Only Berezina imposes the stamp of the most terrible Cannes on the Moscow campaign." But if we continue the analogy, then the situation of the 6th German army turned out to be much worse than that of the Napoleonic troops retreating from Moscow: it could not leave, was surrounded and is now completely destroyed. If the Goebbels department is still trying to prove that the defeat of the 6th Army at Stalingrad is a "victory", then we can say: a few more such "victories", and humanity will be liberated from the Nazi horde.

The balancing act of German propaganda has another very important background. The fact is that in the Stalingrad region, not a random grouping of German troops was destroyed, but the color of the German armed forces, an army that had passed a victorious path through the countries of Europe and was led by one of the major German generals.

Hitler was proud of his 6th Army, its huge strike force, its officers and soldiers. The personnel divisions of the 6th Army were formed almost exclusively from pure Aryans - in Brandenburg, in Dresden, in Baden-Baden. Some units, such as the 79th Infantry Division, formed in August 1939, consisted almost exclusively of young people between the ages of 22 and 28 - young people. Many of the soldiers were outright Nazis. According to the testimonies of the prisoners, in some units for every five soldiers there was at least one member of the Nazi Party.

Hitler entrusted the 6th Army with the most responsible tasks. She was supposed to strike the first blow to the West. On May 10, 1940, the 6th Army, on the orders of Hitler, treacherously invaded little Belgium. Having broken the resistance of the Belgian army along the line of the Albert Canal, the 6th Army swept through the country like a whirlwind, sowing death and destruction everywhere. During the campaign in France, the 6th Army was part of Group B, commanded by the notorious Colonel General Bock. Colonel General Reichenau was then at the head of the 6th Army. The personnel divisions of the 6th Army passed through many countries of Western Europe. After marching on Brussels and Paris, they participated in the conquest of Yugoslavia and Greece. Even before the war, they tasted the intoxicating fruits of easy victories: they participated in the occupation of Czechoslovakia.

From the first day of the war with the USSR, Hitler threw the 6th Army to the east. It was she who in 1942, bleeding, made her way from Kharkov to Stalingrad. It was she who was entrusted by Hitler with the implementation of the most important part of his crazy strategic plan -. At the head of the 6th Army, he placed generals with extensive practical experience in the two world wars, as well as experience in preparing these wars. The Soviet generals, who carried out the Stalinist plan to defeat the German group with such brilliance and skill, had experienced and dangerous opponents in front of them.

The commander of the 6th Army, Friedrich Paulus is. He is 53 years old, of which 33 he was in the army. During the war of 1914-1918. he was a combat officer, and by the end of it he became an officer of the general staff. Paulus then participated in operations on the western front, in the Balkans and on the southern front. After the defeat of the German army in 1918, von Paulus did not resign. He served for a long time in the military ministry, and then was the chief of staff of the tank troops. Thus, he took an active part in the preparations for the Second World War.

Hitler immediately nominated Paulus, appointing him to a very responsible post - the chief of staff of the army, Field Marshal Reichenau. Together with her, Paulus passed through Poland in the fall of 1939, and the following year he took part in the defeat of France. Shortly after Petain's surrender, in September 1940, Paulus was appointed Chief Quartermaster of the General Staff of the German Army. Thus, by the time of the piratical attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union, Paulus was already playing a major role among the Nazi generals. In January 1942, he was promoted to general of the tank troops, and a year later he received the rank of colonel general. But at that time, he, along with his entire 6th Army, was already surrounded. In the midst of the fighting, when the Red Army squeezed its iron ring and delivered terrible blows to the encircled German group, Hitler awarded Paulus an oak leaf to the knightly order of the iron cross. He then awarded Paulus the rank of Field Marshal. But the next day, Paulus.

On February 3, Hitler was still trying to deny this fact. He seeks to brighten up the failure of his strategic plans by creating an artificial halo around the 6th Army. To this end, his headquarters published a special supplement to the summary: "The loudspeakers offer to surrender in German, but everyone, without exception, continues to fight where they stand." All without exception? Hitler knows that this is a lie, and, moreover, easily exposed. Further, he nevertheless remarks melancholy: "A few German and allied soldiers surrendered alive to the Soviet troops." A few are more than 91 thousand soldiers, i.e. almost a third of the entire army of Paulus. Hitler still prefers to remain silent about his 2,500 officers, about 24 generals, and finally, about Field Marshal Paulus himself, who were taken prisoner. However, the fate of the entire army cannot be silenced! And on the same day, Hitler's headquarters published a special message: "The 6th Army under the exemplary command of von Paulus was defeated." Defeated - this is a completely new word for Hitler, who on January 30, through the mouth of Goebbels, declared that the word "surrender" was forever deleted from the German lexicon.

The Red Army defeated one of the most powerful fascist armies, formed from selected units, extremely saturated with equipment, and having an experienced command. Hitler consoles the Germans: "New divisions of the 6th Army are already being formed." But everyone understands that these will be ersatz divisions. The same fate will befall them. They will be defeated, just as the personnel divisions of the 6th German Army were defeated in the Stalingrad region. // Lieutenant colonel .
_____________________________________
("Red Star", USSR)*
("Pravda", USSR)

IN THE LIBERATED STALINGRAD. German cars captured among rich trophies.

A picture of our special photocorrespondent A. Kapustyansky. Delivered on a plane piloted by Senior Lieutenant Shchupakovsky

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Stalingrad celebrates victory
Rally of defenders and residents of the city

Snow-covered, pitted with bombs and shells Square of the Fallen Fighters. In the center of it lies a wrecked German bomber. Dead cars stand on the tram lines, riddled with bullets and shell fragments. Around the square - the ruins of multi-storey buildings. The charred building of the Central Department Store, the destroyed building of the post office, the House of the Book, the House of the Commune, in which Comrade Stalin held a meeting on the issue of food in southern Russia in 1918. The broken building of the city theater, where a lion survived on the steps at the entrance with a head pierced by fragments of bombs.

The Square of the Fallen Fighters looks stern and strict today. Miraculously survived in the center of its monument to 54 Red Army soldiers who died during the defense of Tsaritsyn. Just three days ago there was a battle with the remnants of the German group. Today, on this square of the heroic Stalingrad, cleared of the fascist pack, the defenders of the city and its inhabitants have gathered to celebrate the glorious victory over the sworn enemy. The square is decorated with red banners of victory.

On the podium of the rally - N.S. Khrushchev, Chuyanov, generals Chuikov, Shumilov, Rodimtsev, chairman of the city council Pigalev, secretary of the city committee of the party Piksin, many other commanders of the Stalingrad army and leaders of city organizations. At 12 noon Comrade. Pigalev opens the rally. On behalf of the working people of the city, he warmly thanks the winners of the Battle of Stalingrad - the fighters and commanders of the Don Front:

The days of the most difficult trials are behind us. Glory forever to the heroes of Stalingrad, whose blood won the victory! Glory to our brave fighters and commanders, glory to Comrade Stalin!

Tov. Pigalev gives the floor. This name is well known to the entire Red Army, to the entire Soviet people. A talented military leader, holder of the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree, speaks in the city, which his troops defended during the most difficult days of the siege.

Comrades, - says General Chuikov, - today, in these moments, we remember all the days of the heroic defense of the city. We, we did not surrender to the enemy the city bearing the name of the great Stalin. Our fighters knew that the fate of the motherland was in their hands, that the motherland remembers its army and warms it with maternal care ...

The soldiers of the 62nd Army listen to the speech of their commander and remember what efforts this historic victory was worth. Their thoughts are carried away to hot fighting days. They see their general appearing in the most critical combat areas. The general was always with the troops, experiencing with them both the bitterness of failure and the joy of victory.

Tov. Chuikov speaks of the glorious defenders of Stalingrad, of talented commanders and courageous fighters, that ardent faith in the triumph of our cause brought success.

What the Germans got near Stalingrad are flowers, - the general ends his speech. - The final reckoning with the Nazi army is yet to come. For the destroyed Stalingrad, for our fallen comrades, we will repay the enemy in full. We know that the historic victory at Stalingrad will affect the entire course of the war. We will smash and destroy the enemy, driving him out of our homeland.

Tov. Chuikov proclaims a toast in honor of the Supreme Commander Comrade Stalin. A multi-voiced “hurrah” rumbles on the square.

Commander of the 13th Order of Lenin speaks Guards division Hero of the Soviet Union Guards Major General Rodimtsev:

The guards withstood the onslaught of a numerically superior enemy. Their perseverance and steadfastness were not broken. The annals of the great battle of Stalingrad will forever record the names of the soldiers-guards - the staunch defenders of the Volga stronghold. Today our division is celebrating 140 days of its stay in Stalingrad. On the very first day, we drove the enemy back, did not allow him to spread in the city. Then I told the commander: the guards came to Stalingrad, and they would rather die than leave it. The guardsmen fought to the death, and, having stood, they won. It is hard for us to look at this tormented city, in which there is not a single inch of land, where there would be no cruel traces of war. And each of us longs for revenge. The enemy paid us for this with hundreds of thousands of his soldiers and officers. Here, among the ruins of the city, we swear to the motherland and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the great Stalin - to continue to beat the enemy in the guards way, in the Stalingrad way.

Lieutenant-General Shumilov is on the podium. His troops fought the Germans on the distant approaches to Stalingrad and did not let the enemy go to the Volga south of the city.

On February 2, 1943, - says the general, - we heard the last shot in Stalingrad. With the capitulation of the northern group of Germans, an operation unprecedented in history, carried out according to the ingenious strategic plan of Comrade Stalin, ended. Our fighters stopped the Germans, did not let them go to the Volga, and Stalingrad became a grave for the Nazi invaders.

The secretary of the Stalingrad Regional Committee of the CPSU (b) and a member of the Military Council of the Front Comrade. Chuyanov. He talks about how the whole country helped the courageous defenders of Stalingrad.

Comrade Stalin personally supervised the defense of the city. Comrade Malenkov, secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, came here in difficult days to the burning city. The talented General Eremenko and the staunch Bolshevik, a faithful disciple of Comrade Stalin, N.S. Khrushchev, were sent here.

Our city is burned, tormented, wounded, - says comrade. Chuyanov, - you see the ruins of Stalingrad. We swear to our Party and Motherland that we will restore Stalingrad, and its powerful industry will once again forge victory over the Nazi army.

The troops and workers of Stalingrad greeted with a storm of applause the appearance on the podium of a member of the Military Council of the Front, Comrade N.S. Khrushchev. His bright speech, dedicated to the defenders of Stalingrad, is listened to with intense attention.

Comrades, - says N. S. Khrushchev, - we have gathered here today on a historic day when our soldiers, having completed the defeat of the Germans in the Stalingrad region, are celebrating their glorious victory over their sworn enemy. The Germans failed to escape from the Volga. Today we, like old friends, having gathered together after a long separation, look at each other. Each of us has a lot to say.

Tov. Khrushchev speaks about the enormous role of the 62nd Army, about its commander Comrade. Chuikov, a member of the Military Council, Lieutenant General Gurov.

Anyone who has been here knows how difficult it was for the 62nd on the banks of the Volga under enemy fire. The army under the command of General Shumilov also played an important role. This army also had to endure heavy battles with the enemy ...

All our efforts, - says in conclusion comrade. Khrushchev, - should be aimed at improving military skills. The day is not far off when the victorious banner of Lenin-Stalin will once again fly over all the cities of our country. Our cause is right, true, we will defeat the enemy! Long live the glorious Red Army! Long live our glorious fighters and commanders - the defenders of Stalingrad! Hurray for our Stalin!

“Hurray” thunders on the square in honor of the great commander, Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Comrade Stalin, in honor of the Red Army led by him, in honor of the courageous defenders of Stalingrad.

The Stakhanovite N of the factory comrade is speaking. Sidnev. He warmly thanks the troops on behalf of the working people of Stalingrad and declares the readiness of the workers to tirelessly forge powerful weapons for the final victory of the Red Army.

Secretary of the city committee of the CPSU (b) comrade. Piksin announces greetings to the People's Commissar of Defense Comrade Stalin. Again, the square is heard "hurrah". The troops and workers once again greet their leader, whose name the victorious city bears. // Major . Senior Lieutenant .
______________________________________
* ("Izvestia", USSR)
("Red Star", USSR)

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PROGRAM CHANGE. In connection with the defeat and destruction of the German troops near Stalingrad, mourning was declared throughout Germany and all entertainment establishments were closed.

Rice. B. Efimova.

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Stalingrad

Oh, you, the standards of grandfather's victories,
Russia's majestic joy!
Having dispelled
Hitler's
Rave,
Between you the banner of Stalingrad burns.
Its fires burn like orders,
He is the true heir to your glory,
In it the wind flown from Poltava,
And the powder smoke of Borodin.
Soldiers of the Caucasus! Before Stalingrad,
Out of respect for his banner
Lower the banner, but only to
So that then they make noise nearby.
To cover yourself with immortality,
Like Stalingrad, we would drive the mob.
Here is a jubilant rush of rage,
Here honor begets honor, and glory begets glory.

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THE MARSHAL'S SIGN OF DIFFERENCE "MARSHAL'S STAR" AND THE ORDERS OF Suvorov FIRST DEGREE.

February 4 p. in the Kremlin Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR comrade. Kalinin M.I. presented the marshal's insignia "Marshal's Star" and the Order of Suvorov of the first degree to the Marshal of the Soviet Union comrade. Zhukov G.K.

Orders of Suvorov of the first degree were awarded to comrade. Kalinin M.I. Air Force Colonel General Novikov A.A. and lieutenant general of aviation comrade. Golovanov A.E.

IN THE PICTURE: comrade. M. I. Kalinin congratulates comrade G. K. Zhukov on receiving the "Marshal's Star" and the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree. Center: Secretary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR A.F. Gorkin. Photo by F. Kislov. (TASS photo chronicle).

________________________________________ ______
|| Pravda No. 27, January 27, 1943
* || Izvestia No. 14, January 17, 1943
* || Izvestia No. 26, February 2, 1943
|| Pravda No. 31, January 31, 1943
|| "Red Star" No. 10, January 13, 1943

Information about the war can be obtained from many sources. Archives are declassified, scientific and historical research is published, memoirs are published by participants in the events, and finally, there is documentary newsreel. However, there is another valuable source of information. This is a front view photo. A photograph allows you to capture the feelings and emotions of a soldier in combat everyday life. Photography, like nothing else, is capable of reflecting all the horror, senselessness and tragedy of war. Sometimes front-line photography says more than archival documents.

Below are front-line photographs of soldiers and officers of the 6th Army of the Wehrmacht, who participated in the Battle of Stalingrad.

ON THE APPROACHES TO STALINGRAD

1) Nothing portends trouble. Crossing of the 3rd Motorized Division across the Don. While the offensive is developing successfully, July-August 1942.


2)


3)


4) Halt. August 1942.

BATTLE IN THE CITY

5) The German infantry captured the Krasny Oktyabr plant in Stalingrad.


6) German infantry is preparing to attack


7)


8) Mortar crew at the wrecked T-34 tank.

9) Hauptmann Friedrich Winkler gives the order to non-commissioned officers of the 305th division. A captured Soviet PPSh is visible at the one standing on the left. Hauptmann will be taken prisoner in February 1943 and will die in a POW camp in Beketovka.


10) Friedrich Winkler. A typical image of an officer - the commander of assault infantry groups. Usually, Wehrmacht officers liked to take a pretentious staged photo against the background of damaged Soviet equipment. Here the situation is different: a haggard, unshaven face, a tired look, concentration and maximum attention.

11) Ober-lieutenant with PPSh. Often there are photos when soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht use captured PPSh, which have proven themselves well in close combat in the city.

12) Machine-gun crew changes position.

13) A German infantryman sets up a flag on one of the buildings in Stalingrad. So far so good...

14)

15) In rare moments of calm.

16) Halt near the bakery, September 1942

17) Street fight.


18) The officer gives commands to the non-commissioned officers (judging by the patch on the far right and the binoculars on everyone else). The most concentrated faces. A typical front-line photo, there is a tense situation before the battle.


19) Infantry at the destroyed factory "Barricades"


20)


21) Wounded before being sent from Stalingrad.


22) Artillery crew.

DEFEAT

23) Destroyed German tank Pz.Kpfw. III and the dead crew. Note that next to the one lying on the lower right is a helmet (did you ride on the armor of a tank?).


24) Killed Germans. In the background is a cemetery for Wehrmacht soldiers...

25) A dead German against the background of a road sign. Significantly, the inscription Stalingrad is on the top plate...

26) Dead Germans with signs of frostbite.

27)

RESULTS

28) Captured Germans

29) Instead of shoes, solid lumps ...

30) A column of captured Germans, Italians, Romanians.

31) Children are walking along with the prisoners in the column. Apparently, they are sent to the rear. The child has a bundle, presumably a supply of food.


32) Significant photo... The column of Germans is walking quietly, not paying attention to their killed comrade. Apparently, the corpse had already been repeatedly driven by trucks.

33) The captured commander of the 6th Army, Field Marshal Friedrich von Paulus.


34) Legendary photo, one of the visual symbols of the victory of the Red Army. Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus (left), Chief of Staff of the 6th Army, Lieutenant General Arthur Schmidt and Paulus' adjutant Wilhelm Adam in captivity.

35) The highest command staff of the 6th Army, taken prisoner in Stalingrad.


36) Cemetery of soldiers and officers. There were hundreds of such cemeteries in the Stalingrad region.


37) The whole horror of the war is on the faces of prisoners of war, who miraculously did not die from the cold.


38)


39) And finally, helmets... the 6th Army collapsed in Stalingrad.