The position of Hitler’s army surrounded by Soviet troops at Stalingrad
became more desperate. The German command was hurriedly elaborating plans
for their surrounded group’s salvation. But there was no unanimity among
the command’s top officials. Commander Paulus suggested organizing breakthrough
of his troops in the southeastern direction so as to take them out from
the Stalingrad mousetrap. But Hitler and his aides Keitel and Jodle were
against the plan. If they left Stalingrad, this would mean they lost prestige
in the eyes of the whole Reich. Hitler demanded that the surrounded troops
keep their positions at any cost and promised to crush the Red blockade.
The Nazis made the first attempts to de-block the surrounded troops
in late November and early December 1942, but not having enough forces
they failed. Hence, Hitler ordered to form a new group of armies, called
DON to be led by Field Marshal General Mainstein.
Under the plan for de-blocking of the 6th army, which was called the
Winter Thunder Storm Operation, the Nazi group was to amass quickly near
the cities of Kotelnikov and Tormosin.
But the Soviet troops’ action made Mainstein expend its force prematurely.
Blows by Soviet partisans on railway roads suspended deliveries of reserves
to Stalingrad. As a result, the German command failed to gather enough
forces to break the blockade. The de-blockade had been delaying all the
time. Finally, the time had come when the operation could not be suspended
any longer. The surrounded troops’ position worsened, and Mainstein decided
to advance with help of the only one group on a narrow front section, not
waiting till the attack group was amassed at Tormosin. It was agreed that
the 6th army would help them, smashing a counter blow as the de-blocking
troops came up.
On December 12th the DON group launched the Winter Thunder Storm Operation.
Bloody fighting raged in the south of Stalingrad. Hitler’s armies tried
to advance, using more new tank divisions regardless of the huge losses.
In four days they managed to reach the Aksai River, 600 kilometers of the
surrounded group.
That’s the opinion from the other side. Paulus headquarters’ scout Officer
Joachim Vider reminiscences:
“In the second week of December we learnt (only in the headquarters)
that the DON army group led by Field Marshal General Mainstein launched
the long-awaited operation to release the surrounded 6th army. Soon this
good news reached the forefront. The slogan “Mainstein Is Coming!” flashed
throughout the area, inspiring soldiers, primarily on the western section
of the mousetrap where the situation was the most difficult. This inspired
hope for early salvation. Hitler was expected to fulfill his promise at
any cost. Everyone looked forward to a large-scale operation to free the
army. Everyone was confident it would be a success. The German army hailed
the news that Field Marshal Mainstein was ordered to lead the operation.
His talent commanded respect in the headquarters and guaranteed the success
for the pending operation and strengthened our confidence in favorable
aftermath”.
But these aspirations faded away as the German armies met fierce resistance
by the Soviet troops. Sergeant Rasporkin recollects:
“After a long pass our detachments entered a battle. They placed guns
point-blank, without even digging in. We couldn’t hang fire, because the
German tanks had already broken our advance infantry positions.
The fighting was brutal on both sides. Our mariners from the Volga River
were sent to hold the fort in infantry and they were killed and Hitler’s
tanks crushed the bodies. But why?! They were already dead! Both they and
we loathed intensively each other. We paid dearly for the defeat of Mainstein”.
Each soldier did everything in his power to stop the enemy and prevent
him from crossing the Mishkova River.
That is such an example. Defending his position soldier Ivan Kaplunov
knocked out five Nazi tanks by anti-tank gunfire. Even wounded he kept
on fighting. Later he was decorated posthumously with a title of Hero of
the Soviet Union.
But the Nazi command took its own measures. It regrouped the forces,
replenished them with a new tank division from the Western front, creating
a new powerful attack group with 300 tanks.
On December 19th, in the morning after powerful artillery and aircraft
preparations the German armies resumed offensive on Stalingrad. The tank
group broke the Soviet defence on the Aksai River and, as the day came
to a close, reached the Mishkova River. About 40 kilometers left before
Paulus’s 6th army. But the defence there was extremely strong.
Before December 22nd the enemy carried out severe attacks at the Mishkova
River, but failed to break through towards the surrounded units of the
6th army. The Soviet troops commanded by General Rodion Malinivosky finally
stopped the group led by Mainstein.
Aircraft helped much the Soviet armies. They were bombing the Nazi divisions
heading for Stalingrad around the clock.
On December 24th the Soviet forces took the counter-offensive, and Hitler’s
troops near Kotelnikov was routed. The attempt to save the 6th army failed.
The enemy was thrown 200 kilometers away from Stalingrad.
Joachim Vider recollects:
“Alas, all our hopes faded away. Anxious news came in – the Russian
tank units took a blitz counter-offensive, waging fighting with an army
that was to help us. In a parallel with the Soviet offensive in the west
of the Don River this blow placed Mainstein’s army in a very difficult
situation”.
As for German Field Marshal-General Erich Von Mainstein, he wrote about
his defeat at Stalingrad after the war: “In winter 1942 I realized that
we would not win in the war against the Soviet Union. We failed to maintain
the far-stretching front in Russia. I understood the Soviet troops would
finally crush us, moving step by step”.
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