© University Press of Kansas. All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission of the Press. Contents List of Maps, Tables, and Illustrations ix Preface xv Selected Abbreviations xxi Part I. Defeating German Relief Attempts, 1–19 December 1942 1. Competing German and Soviet Dilemmas 3 Context 3 Hitler, Manstein, and Paulus 4 The Stavka, Vasilevsky, and Vatutin 20 2. The Southwestern Front’s Battles along the Krivia and Chir Rivers, 1–15 December 39 Context: German Relief Plans 39 Soviet Plans and Preliminary Operations, 1–6 December 40 The Chir (Tormosin) Offensive, 7–15 December 46 3. The Stalingrad Front’s Defense against Operation Wintergewitter (Winter Tempest), 1–19 December 86 The Kotel’nikovo Axis and Preparations for Wintergewitter, 1–12 December 86 Operation Wintergewitter and the Battle for Verkhne-Kumskii, 12–19 December 107 4. The Don and Stalingrad Fronts’ Battle for the Stalingrad Pocket, 1–15 December 159 The Offensive, 1–5 December 159 Preparing the Way for 2nd Guards Army, 6–15 December 185 Conclusions 206 Part II. The Expanding Soviet Offensive, 16–31 December 1942 5. Operation Little Saturn and the Tormosin Offensive, 16–31 December 223 Context 223 Operation Little Saturn, 16–31 December 227 5th Tank, 5th Shock, and 2nd Guards Armies’ Tormosin Offensive, 16–31 December 245 © University Press of Kansas. All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission of the Press. viii Contents 6. The End of Wintergewitter and Donnerschlag (Thunder Clap) and the Stalingrad Front’s Kotel’nikovo Offensive, 16–31 December 1943 286 Wintergewitter and Donnerschlag, 16–23 December 286 The Climax of Wintergewitter, 19–24 December 297 The Stalingrad Front’s Kotel’nikovo Offensive, 24–27 December 317 The Consequences of German Defeat 327 7. The Stalingrad Pocket, 16–31 December 333 Sixth Army’s Situation on 16 December 333 Combat Operations, 16–23 December 342 After Donnerschlag, 24–31 December 351 Conclusions 376 Part III. Operation Ring: The Destruction of Sixth Army, 1 January–2 February 1943 8. Sixth Army’s Situation, Preliminaries, and the Don Front’s Plan, 1–9 January 395 The Expanding Soviet Offensive 395 Sixth Army’s Situation 398 Preliminary Operations 407 Preparing Operation Ring [Kol’tso] 419 9. Destruction: The First Stage, 10–17 January 433 The Ultimatum 433 The Soviet Advance to the Rossoshka River, 10–14 January 435 From the Rossoshka River to Pitomnik, 15–17 January 481 10. Destruction: The Second Stage, 18–25 January 495 The Lull, 18–21 January 495 The Soviet Advance, 22–25 January 510 11. Destruction: The Finale, 26 January–2 February 529 Rokossovsky’s Plan 529 The Soviet Advance and Liquidation of Sixth Army’s Southern Pocket, 26–30 January 530 Paulus’s Surrender and the Soviet Liquidation of Sixth Army’s Northern Pocket, 31 January–2 February 559 The Aftermath 571 Conclusions 578 12. Context, Conclusions, and Summary Judgments 585 Notes 609 Selected Bibliography 679 Index 699 © University Press of Kansas. All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission of the Press. Maps,Tables, and Illustrations MAPS 1. Army Group Don’s plan Wintergewitter [Winter Tempest], 1 December 1942 12 2. 5th Tank Army’s battle along the Chir River: situation, 2 December 1942 43 3. Situation along the Chir River, 6 December 1942 45 4. Situation along the Chir River, 7 December 1942 50 5. Situation along the Chir River, 8 December 1942 57 6. Situation along the Chir River, 9 December 1942 61 7. Situation along the Chir River, 11 December 1942 66 8. Situation along the Chir River, 13 December 1942 72 9. Situation along the Chir River, 15 December 1942 82 10. Fourth Panzer Army’s situation at 2200 hours, 10 December 1942 99 11. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 11 December 1942 105 12. Stalingrad Front’s Kotel’nikovo defense, 12–23 December 1942 108 13. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 12 December 1942 109 14. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 13 December 1942 116 15. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 14 December 1942 122 16. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 15 December 1942 126 17. 4th Mechanized Corps’ fight for Verkhne-Kumskii, 14–15 December 1942 127 18. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 16 December 1942 132 19. 4th Mechanized Corps’ fight for Verkhne-Kumskii, 16–17 December 1942 133 20. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 17 December 1942 138 21. 1378th Rifle Regiment’s defense at Verkhne-Kumskii, 16–18 December 1942 139 22. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 18 December 1942 144 23. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 19 December 1942 149 24. 3rd Guards (4th) Mechanized Corps’ withdrawal to the Myshkova River, 19 December 1942 150 25. Stalingrad pocket, 1 December 1942 162 26. Sixth Army’s Western Front, 1 December 1942 163 27. Stalingrad pocket’s Western Front, 4–5 December 1942 171 28. Stalingrad pocket’s Western Front, 6–7 December 1942 186 29. Stalingrad pocket, 8–10 December 1942 191 © University Press of Kansas. All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission of the Press. x Illustrations 30. Stalingrad pocket’s Western Front, 7–10 December 1942 193 31. Stalingrad pocket’s Western Front, 11–14 December 1942 203 32. Operation Little Saturn: opposing force, 16 December 1942 229 33. Operational plan for Little Saturn 231 34. Soviet Little Saturn and Kotel’nikovo offensives, 16–31 December 1942 234 35. Situation along the Chir River, 16 December 1942 246 36. Situation along the Chir River, 18 December 1942 249 37. Situation along the Chir River, 19–20 December 1942 251 38. Situation along the Chir River, 22–24 December 1942 257 39. Plan for the Tormosin offensive: situation on 23–24 December 1942 260 40. 5th Tank Army’s advance on Chernyshkovskii: situation on 25–26 December 1942 263 41. 5th Tank Army’s advance: situation on 27 December 1942 266 42. 5th Tank Army’s advance: situation on 28 December 1942 268 43. 5th Tank Army’s advance: situation on 29 December 1942 269 44. 5th Tank Army’s advance: situation on 30–31 December 1942 270 45. Tormosin offensive: situation on 29 December 1942 274 46. Tormosin offensive: situation on 30 December 1942 278 47. Tormosin offensive: situation on 31 December 1942 282 48. Donnerschlag (Thunderclap): Sixth Army’s breakout plan, 17 December 1942 288 49. Wintergewitter and Donnerschlag, 19–23 December 1942 289 50. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 20 December 1942 299 51. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 21 December 1942 303 52. LVII Panzer Corps’ advance, 22 December 1942 310 53. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 23 December 1942 312 54. Kotel’nikovo offensive: Stalingrad Front’s plan 319 55. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation on 24 and 25 December 1942 322 56. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation on 26 and 27 December 1942 325 57. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 29 December 1942 328 58. Kotel’nikovo axis: situation at 2200 hours, 30 December 1942 329 59. Stalingrad pocket, 20 December 1942 345 60. Sixth Army’s revised plan for Donnerschlag (Thunderclap), 26 December 1942 362 61. Initial plan for Operation Kol’tso (Ring), 27 December 1942 373 62. Final plan for the first stage of Operation Kol’tso (Ring), with Stavka corrections 375 63. Stavka’s offensive plans, 13 December 1942–20 January 1943 396 64. Stavka’s offensive plans, 20–26 January 1943 397 65. Stalingrad pocket’s Western Front, 2 January 1943 402 © University Press of Kansas. All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission of the Press. Illustrations xi 66. Stalingrad pocket’s Western Front, 5 January 1943 410 67. Stalingrad pocket’s Western Front, 6 January 1943 412 68. Stalingrad pocket’s Western Front, 8 January 1943 414 69. Don Front’s Operation Kol’tso (Ring), 10 January–2 February 1943 420 70. Opposing forces in the Stalingrad region, 10 January 1943 430 71. Operation Ring, 10–13 January 1943 436 72. 62nd Army’s attack plan, 9 January 1943 445 73. Operation Ring, 13–17 January 1943 478 74. Operation Ring, 17–25 January 1943 499 75. Operation Ring, 25–31 January 1943 533 76. 284th Rifle Division’s positions, 26–28 January 1943 535 77. Destruction of Sixth Army’s Southern Pocket, 28–31 January 1943 544 78. Destruction of Sixth Army’s Northern Pocket, 28 January– 2 February 1943 545 TABLES 1. Assembly and concentration of forces designated to participate in Operation Wintergewitter 41 2. Combat strength of selected 62nd Army formations fighting in Stalingrad city, 1–3 December 1942 168 3. Dispositions of the Stalingrad Front’s 2nd Guards and 51st Armies at dawn on 22 December 1942 (from right to left or west to east) 307 4. Combat rating and mobility of infantry, panzer-grenadier, and pioneer battalions subordinate to Sixth Army’s divisions, 16 November and 15 December 1942 335 5. Comparison of the combat strength of Sixth Army’s combat battalions (grenadier [infantry], panzer-grenadier, and pioneer), 16 November and 15 December 1942 338 6. Approximate locations of opposing forces in and around Sixth Army’s Stalingrad pocket, 16 December 1942 340 7. Combat rating and mobility of infantry, panzer-grenadier, and pioneer battalions subordinate to Sixth Army’s divisions, 15 and 21 December 1942 352 8. Comparison of the combat strength of Sixth Army’s combat battalions (grenadier [infantry], panzer-grenadier, and pioneer), 15 and 21 December 1942 354 9. Combat rating and mobility of infantry, panzer-grenadier, and pioneer battalions subordinate to Sixth Army’s divisions, 21 and 28 December 1942 367 10.