Sweet Home Stalingrad
 

      Weary soldiers as the end draws near, http://images.google.com    

    The reality was that the 6th was doomed the moment they got surrounded. Stalingrad had become the new home of the 6th Army. Hitler’s promise to supply the army with the Luftwaffe was a disaster. Of the three-hundred tons that were supposed to be dropped, only seventy five tons were arriving. The original number of five-hundred tons had been dismissed immediately as an unrealistic goal. The Germans would attempt to supply the 6th with a force of 550 bombers, 350 fighters, 100 Reconnaissance planes and a small number of supply planes. This force was no match when compared to the one thousand two hundred and fifty planes maintained by the Russians. The Soviet goal shifted to the starving of the 6th. Zhukov told the air forces to prevent the supply of Stalingrad so that the Germans would starve to death.

Frozen soldier, http://katardat.org/marxuniv

            By November 30yh Operations Uranus and Saturn had come to a close and the Germans were enclosed by two rings of forces. The strategy of air supply was a disaster for multiple reasons. The Luftwaffe would have to fly two hundred fifty planes on four trips each day over hostile territory.  The Luftwaffe did not have the planes or the manpower to perform such a massive operation. The only hope left for the Germans was Manstein and his incoming assault.

            December 1st-15th bloody hell raged through Stalingrad. The Russian forces constricted their ring around the Germans and rations began to dwindle. It was remarked in numerous accounts that Doberman pinscher was the new favorite. There seemed to be no hope until it was announced that Manstein was beginning his advance.  

Manstein would attack the south west of the Soviet barricade with his XIV Panzer division and would link up with the 6th that would be attempting to drive south west from the inside. However it seemed that his valiant effort by Manstein was doomed form the start. Manstein did not have a large enough force to penetrate the Soviet ring and Paulus would not listen to Mansteins order to fight his way out. Having not heard any direct orders from Hitler, Paulus refused to order his men to fight their way out of the city. Manstein tried to convince Hitler to issue the order for the sixth to punch out but Hitler would not budge. Manstein could not penetrate the south west flank on his own and was forced to retreat; the 6th army was doomed to die an icy death in Russia.