The Road To Stalingrad

Operation Barbarossa

 
Map of Operation Barbarossa, courtesy of http://www.onwar.com

            On June, 22, 1941 Germany launched a three prong attack into Russia sparking four years of the most brutal and violent combat humanity has known. The front extended from the Baltic to the Black Sea and was crossed over by one and a half million German troops. Also an estimated three million fifty thousand troops awaited the invasion of the Soviet Union from Finland to the Black Sea.

Operation Barbarossa in the north was led by Field Marshall Wilhelm Von Leeb while Army Group center was led by Fedor Von Bock on order to advance to Moscow. Army Group South headed for the Caucasus under direction of Field Marshall Gerd Von Rundstedt. In light of Stalin’s great purge few great military minds had been left in Russia and Semyon Timoshenko was probably the best commander at the time. Germany’s initial blitz into Russia was met with little resistance it seemed as if the motherland was thrown into chaos.

Moving towards the city, http://images.google.edu

Stalin was astonished that the Germans would invade Russia. He was so taken aback that he did not address the people of Russia of the situation until over a week had passed.  At the outset of the invasion the Red Army was commanded by Stalin’s old military partners who had survived The Great Purge of the thirties. These men were used to the fighting of old and not familiar with the tactics required to engage Germany’s mobile army. By July 16th the Center Army Group and captured 600,000 prisoners themselves. Upon advance into Russian territory Hitler ordered a concentration of forces to sack Kiev. This concentration upon Kiev saved Moscow because by the time Kiev was taken, winter had settled in and the Zhukov was prepared to defend the capital.

On December 8th the Germans approached Moscow and were driven back brilliantly by Zhukov and with fresh forces of cavalry and infantry. The Germans were not prepared for the Russian winter and Army Group Center was entrenched. They were stuck in the frozen wasteland that was Russia in the wintertime and the Ostfront, as it was called, became legendary as a frozen hell. The German advance into central Russia had finally been halted.
 

Operation Blue

The German offensive that would culminate into Stalingrad began as Operation Blue. Prepared in April by Field Marshall Boch for Hitler and proposed the new double offensive for Germany in the South. The first offensive would move towards Voronezh and eventually work south forty miles to Korotoyak. The second phase of this Operation Blue would begin with a strike east of Kharkov with the 4th army advancing south of the Don. Once this advance was complete the Germans would have advanced to the confluence of Derkula and the Donets, a little under 200 miles west of Stalingrad. It would be at this point where the Germans would split, with the tst and 4th panzer divisions clearing the lower Don and thrusting towards Stalingrad. The 11th and 17th armies would remain in the eastern Donets Basin. The operation launched in July of 1942.

Hold up, http://katardat.org/marxuniv

Met with a heroic stand at Voronezh Operation Blue began. The Russian people fought bravely enough but were not match for the Wermacht. The Germans were equipped with far better weaponry and were the more experienced soldier. Although the first battle boosted Russian morale, it was hard to ignore that Russia did not stand a chance in this style of fighting. As Germany romped through southern Russia capturing thousands of prisoners and equipment, General Yeremenko was devising a strategy to combat the 750,000 Germans marching to his position. The Volga was the last line of defense and Yeremenko was intent of preventing the Germans from cutting acrss the Volga.