Herman Goering1941
Advises Hitler the Luftwaffe can keep the Army supplied in Stalingrad, a mistake
Germany · Warfare / World War, 2nd. Chronological records rendered directly from the World History Database.
Advises Hitler the Luftwaffe can keep the Army supplied in Stalingrad, a mistake
Bock has been dismissed & Paulus placed in charge of capturing Stalingrad
The splitting of Army Group South enabled the launching of Operation Edelweiss and Operation Fischreiher, the two main thrusts of the Army Groups. Both groups had to achieve their objectives simultaneously.
The success of the initial advance was such that Hitler ordered the 4th Panzer Army south to assist the First Panzer Army to cross the lower Don river.
This assistance was not needed and Kleist later complained that 4th Panzer Army clogged the roads and that if they had carried on toward Stalingrad, they could have taken it in July.
When it turned north again two weeks later, the Soviets had gathered enough forces together at Stalingrad to check its advance
Reaches Kotelnikovo 125 miles south west of Stalingrad
Helps capture Kalach near Stalingrad
Placed in full charge of capturing Stalingrad after the dismissal of Bock
Helps capture Kalach near Stalingrad
The Swastika is raised over Mount Elbrus
Leads the 16th Panzer Division across the River Don
The 6th Army crossed the Don and Army Group B established a defensive line on one of its bends.The 6th Army reached the northern suburbs of Stalingrad later that day, beginning the Battle of Stalingrad
The 6th Army reach the Volga north of Stalingrad
After the Luftwaffe attack Stalingrad & kill 40,000 Pauluss 6th Army attack
Attacks Stalingrad from the south West
After defeating the last Soviet counter-attacks, 6th Army resumed its offensive on 2 September, linking up with 4th Panzer Army the following day. On 12 September, the Germans entered Stalingrad
Advances across the Volga into the southernmost suburb of Stalingrad
Most of Stalingrad is captured but the 6th Armys flanks are exposed
3rd Romanian Army had been transferred from Caucasus on 10 September, to take over Italian positions on the Don, opposite the Soviet bridgeheads. The Romanians were understrength and had only around six modern anti-tank guns per division.
3rd Romanian Army, on the Don River west of Stalingrad, and 4th Romanian Army, south-east of Stalingrad, had been under constant Soviet attack since September.
Hitler ordered 6th Army to remain on the defensive, rather than try to break out. It was intended the army would be supplied by air, but the quantity of supplies necessary was far beyond the ability of the Luftwaffe to carry. 6th Armys strength diminished and the Soviets gained the upper hand inside the city. Hitler forbids any retreat or surrender, they are "liquidated" by 25 January 1943
The Soviets launched Operation Uranus, a two-pronged counter-offensive against the flanks of 6th Army. With the battle for the city and the exhaustion of 4th Panzer Army, the flanks were mainly guarded by Romanian, Hungarian and Italian soldiers.
The bulk of the German tank reserve, the 48th Panzer Corps, consisted of about 180 tanks, half being obsolete Panzer 35(t)s. The two Romanian armies were routed and 6th Army, with parts of 4th Panzer Army, were encircled in Stalingrad.
The 6th Army is completely encircled by the Red Army
The Stalingrad fronts link up, 330,000 Germans are encircled. Hitler orders the 6th Army to hold their position
The south west & Stalingrad fronts link up, 330,000 Germans are encircled. Hitler orders "Where the German Soldier sets his foot, there he remains"
Following the success of Operation Uranus, the Red Army began Operation Saturn, to cut off Army Group A and all troops east of Rostov.During the German relief operation at Stalingrad, Soviet forces had been redeployed, lesser objectives substituted, and the operation renamed "Little Saturn".
Spearheaded by some of the first Tiger tanks, the offensive got within 48 km (30 mi) of the southern 6th Army front, but the Germans made no attempt to break out.
The attack fell on Eighth Italian Army and the remnants of 3rd Romanian Army, and led to the destruction of most of Eighth Army. A relief operation called Operation Winter Storm began.
The failure was followed by a siege that lasted for almost three months, during which 6th Army was destroyed
Sets the Panzers rolling to relieve Paulus trapped 6th Army. Manstein is 30 miles away from Stalingrad
Zhukov drives Hoths army back across Kotelnikov
Zhukov drives the Germans back from the north & sth. Supply lines can no longer reach Paulus on land
Claims the Luftwaffe can supply the encircled German army at Stalingrad by air
Commands the 4th Panzer Army at the Battle of Stalingrad
Rokossovsky sends in a request for the German 6th Army to surrender, this is refused
Put in command of the air supply of Stalingrad by Hitler, Goerings deputy
The last German airfield at Gumrak is captured
The Russians offer Paulus the chance to surrender but Hitler rejects the offer
The Russians offer Paulus the chance to surrender but Hitler rejects the offer
Makes Paulus Field Marshal because a German Field Marshal has never been captured
Hitler promotes Paulus to Field Marshal because no Field Marshal has ever surenderred
Paulus, with 25 other generals, surrenders to the Russians
The Germans have lost 600,000 & the Russians 400,000. Paulus surrenders the 6th Army at the Battle of Stalingrad
The remainder of the German forces in Stalingrad lay down their arms
The disaster at Stalingrad was the end of Case Blue and the territorial gains had been reversed by the end of 1943, except for the Kuban bridgehead on the Taman peninsula, retained for a possible second offensive to the Caucasus, which was held until 9 October 1943
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