Stalingrad became the place where the radical turning point of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War took place. And it began with a successful Red Army offensive, code-named "Uranus".
Background
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 took control of the lower Volga, they could stop the supply of food, fuel and other important resources.
For all of the above reasons, the counteroffensive at 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 plancounter-offensive, codenamed "Uranus" was signed by Stalin and approved by the Stavka.
Initial 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 surprise and coordination of the actions of the Soviet units played into their hands.
Enemy encirclement
As planned, the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad began on November 19th. It was preceded by a powerful artillery preparation. BeforeAt 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 units, 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 near 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.
November 21 The 4th and 26th Panzer Corps of the Southwestern Front reached the Manoilin farm. Here they made an unexpected maneuver, turning sharply to the east. Now these partsmoved straight to the Don and Kalach. The 24th Panzer Division of the 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 all-round 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 of the Soviet Union.
On November 23, Soviet units took control of Kalach, where 1,500 soldiers of the enemy army were taken prisoner. 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, Paulusasked 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 Soviet counteroffensive 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 Friedrich Paulus. The blockade was supposed to be broken by Army Group Don. The planning and conduct of Operation Wintergewitter was entrusted to Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. This time, the 4th Panzer Army under the command of Hermann Goth became the main striking force of the Germans.
Wintergewitter
At the turning points of the war, the scales tilt to one side, then to the other, and until the lastAt the 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 struck their main blow from the area of the 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 Goth 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. The fighting of the Soviet troops and units of the Wehrmacht for control over it lasted six days.
The confrontation, which went on with varying success on both sides, almost ended on December 19th. The German grouping was reinforced by fresh units that came from the rear. This event forced the Sovietcommanders to retreat to the river Myshkovo. However, this five-day delay in the operation played into the hands of the Red Army. While the soldiers were fighting for every street in Verkhne-Kumsky, the 2nd Guards Army was pulled 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 the 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 Soviettroops 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 prompt transfer of food and other resources, became exposed.
In this regard, on December 23, Manstein, the commander of the operation to break the blockade, 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 has been suspended.
Completion of Operation Uranus
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 Stavka learned that Paulusinsists on its own, the offensive of the Red Army resumed with even greater force.
On January 10, the Don Front began 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 counteroffensive 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 start of the counter-offensive near Stalingrad became the key to the whole battle. 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 thousandpeople, 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 of the counteroffensive at 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 the deathsurrounded by Hitler's 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 Hoth precisely because of the lack of fuel and the fear of suffering a final defeat, while also disobeying the order of the Fuhrer.
