Timeline
June
22nd , 1941- Operation
Barbarossa begins and Germany invades the Soviet Union
July 9th,
1942- German army begins its push towards Stalingrad
July 19th,
1942- Stalingrad Defense Committee ordered to prepare for
war by Stalin
August 23rd,
1942- Stalingrad becomes an inferno as 1,000 tons of
incendiary bombs are dropped. 40,000 casualties in the first week alone.
August 28th,
1942- Children and women finally begin to be evacuated
across the Volga
September 2nd,
1942- Germany again bombs the city and Stalingrad is a
smoldering ruin
September
21st, 1942- Germans have spread out over the center of the
city by fighting through the Mamayev Kurgan and Tsaritsa Gorge.
October 1942-
Stalingrad has been bombed into an industrial wasteland.
Fighting has become intimately savage as men are forced to kill each
other in hand-to hand struggles, 'Rattenkrieg'. Germany ends up at one
point occupying 90% of the city. Heroes such as Pavlov and Zaitzef
emerge as pivotal players in keeping Stalingrad from falling into
German hands during this perilous time.
November 19th,
1942- Operation
Uranus is
launched with the purpose of
surrounding and eliminating the threat posed by the Sixth army. The
Sixth army is surrounded, marking the beginning of the end for Germany
November 24th,
1942- Filed Marshall Manstein arrives at German
headquarters. Hitler decides that the Sixth Army can still be supplied
by air and orders their suicide. This also may have been the decision
that lost the war for Hitler and Germany.
November 26th,
1942- The Soviets realize Germanys plan to supply the
Sixth army by air and mobilize all their planes in an effort to starve
out the Sixth Army.
November 28th,
1942- Stalin believes he is victorious with the iron
ring encircling Paulus and the Sixth Army of 270,000 within Stalingrad.STalingras
December
3rd, 1942- Plan Saturn is launched calling for the destruction
of the Germans inside of Stalingrad followed by flanking the Germans in
the Caucasus
December 12th,
1942- Manstein launches his three-phase operation to
relieve Stalingrad. The Germnas are reduced to 1/3 of their rations due
to Soviet success in shooting down supply planes. Hand to hand
slaughter inside of Staligrad.
December 19th,
1942- Hitler refuses to give the order for the Sixth's
breakout to meet up with the Fourth. Hitler refuses to abandon the
Volga. Manstein attempts to convince Paulus to move out but Paulus
refuses until he receives orders from Hitler.
December 28th,
1942- Stalin places General Rokossovsky to handle the
Sixth in Stalingrad. Rokossovsky had 212,000 men 6,500 guns, 2,500
tanks, and 300 aircraft
January 8th,
1943- Generals Voronov and Rokossovsky offer Germans
surrender.
January 10th,
1943- Russians resume bombardment of the Sixth in light
of no response from Germany
January 14th,
1943- Pitomnik Airfile dis captured by the Russians and
the capabilities of German airlifts alleviated.
January 17th,
1943- Soviets continue to squeeze the walls of the
cauldron and report killing 25,000 Germans
January 21st,
1943- Gumrak airport taken and the Sixth is left on an
island of death.
January 31st,
1943- Paulus surrenders
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