Trouble in Stalingrad (November 1942)

General Friedrich Paulus

November 1942

From the middle of October, we observed major enemy troop movements to the north of Kletskaya, and we sensed a major offensive about to be launched. Nonetheless we decided that the attacks on Stalingrad should be continued. I notified the Supreme Headquarters of the situation – the weakness of the Stalingrad front and the exposure of the flank. 

Finally, on November 19, the Russians launched the offensive they had been preparing for. For the next few days, we were pressed back by the Russians’ attacks. The situation is grave and to make things worse, our supplies were running low. On the 21st of November, we proposed to the Army Group Headquarters for the permission to withdraw to the Don. The proposal was accepted, but on the very same day, we received a direct order from the Army Headquarters that the Sixth Army will hold the Stalingrad-Volga front whatever happens. 

Friedrich Paulus

Time Has Come To FIght BACK. (November 1942)

Zhukov, Stalingrad

November 18 1942

Everything should be in place for our counteroffensive by tomorrow. Stalin has assured his expediency in this culminating operation. Our plan would unfold along a 250-mile front. As the Axis defenses were penetrated, the Soviets will cut the Germans off from most of their reserves and sever their lines of communications. We will mainly attack the more vulnerable Rumanians. The main plan is to weigh in when their offensives have failed and prevent them from even getting over to their defenses. The Stalingrad operation is in all respects already prepared. We are about to make the Nazis pay.

Zhukov, Stalingrad

Corporal Gunter's Diary (November 1942)

6 November 1942

Surprisingly, we were not deployed to the front immediately. We were shipped to a so-called “winter position” where the trains are situated. We hear that the trains could no longer travel into Stalingrad and supplies had to be brought into the city in smaller batches. Our reginment is now understrength and fighting in small units.

Whatever happened to the news we had been hearing? The successes of the German Army’s advances? 

Corporal Gunter

Red Army Spirit (November 1942)

Stalin , Stalingrad

November 4 1942

How desperate we were in our efforts to slow the German advance into Stalingrad, especially around the Don Bend. Nazi forces have already broke through to the south of Stalingrad and moved deeper into the city as days passed. Installing Zhukov as my direct deputy was imperative if we were to save Stalingrad. Sending him to Kamyshin on Aug 29 was the only way. We have to strike an offensive immediately but Zhukov wanted to hold it off till the 5th of September only to report that our forces were not able to penetrate the Nazi defenses. Nonetheless the wait was worth it as our training of the forces and strategic reserves were close to completion by November.

Our Counteroffensive plans were only known by me, Zhukov and Vasilevsky. The Stalingrad Front would be renamed the Don Front, and the Southeastern Front renamed, the Stalingrad Front, both were effective on 28 September. Despite the German onslaught, my focus remains on the counteroffensive, to drive the bloody Germans out once and for all. 9th November and 10th November for this counteroffensive to begin at the Don and Stalingrad Front respectively. The Germans had better be ready.

Stalin , Stalingrad

Corporal Gunter's Diary (October 1942)

October 1942

My name is Gunter and I am a corporal in the German Army. Today s the day we have all been waiting for, the day we will be en route to the Eastern Front. The past six months was hectic beyond measure, with training at the Stablak Centre in East Prussia. Training is now finally over and we are now full fledge front line soldiers.

I am now on board a train along with 300 freshly trained privates, but no one knows which front line we are heading to. Here I sit penning my new diary with the fields of Russia passing by, like a window of moving pictures.

Off we go towards a new era, a bright new future! :)

Heil Hitler!
Gunter

Personal Diary of General Freiherr v. Richthofen (September 1942)

General Freiherr v. Richthofen

16 September  1942

…The mopping-up in the city is progressing only very slowly, in spite of the fact that the enemy is weak and in no shape for hard fighting. The truth is that our own troops are both few in numbers and listless in spirit, and the High Command already has its eyes turned towards Astrakhan. With a little more combined and spirited action we could finish off Stalingrad in a couple of days.

General Freiherr v. Richthofen

Objective: Stalingrad (July 1942)

General Friedrich Paulus

July 1942

In January 1942, I handed over my duties as OQuI and took over the command of the Sixth Army. Our primary objective is the oil fields of the Caucasus which is essential to the war. This shift of operations objectives have left us completely departed from the original plans of operation Barbarossa.

From the summer this year, we were able to resupply our troops in terms of both men and equipment. In addition allied troops began pouring in, adding to our strength. We began bombing Stalingrad heavily, effectively reducing it to rubble.

We split Army Group South into two subgroups, Army Groups “A” and “B”. Army Group “A” will be securing the flank of the Caucasian operations while Army Group “B” will be defending the stretch from south of Stalingrad to north of Voronezh.

The Supreme Headquarters assessed that Russian fighting strength is on a rapid decline and gave the order to take Caucasus and Stalingrad. I feel rather nervous about this, for it will be stretching the front even more. The Fuhrer himself read the resistence of the Russians at Stalingrad as “purely a local affair” and ordered the capture of Stalingrad as quickly as possible.

Friedrich Paulus