When Panzers Raced Against Time to Save the 6th Army at Stalingrad

On 19th November 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus, attacking the flanks of the German 6th Army and surrounding them in Stalingrad.

Hitler refused any requests for permission to break out of Stalingrad, instead ordering the 6th Army to hold fast in "Fortress Stalingrad".

Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, a masterful tactician, was appointed to the Southern Russia Theatre as the commander Army Group Don.

Hitler ordered Manstein to relieve the trapped 6th Army and salvage the situation. To achieve this objective, Hitler transferred the 6th Panzer Division, then resting in France, to the Eastern Front.

They were to lead the way for Operation Winter Storm. This is their story.

#ww2tanks #tankbattle #stalingrad

[jamesmullikin]

That is the downside of blitzkrieg battle doctrine, if your opponent isn't knocked out with a decisive blow. there isn't a plan B only blitzkrieg.

[dittoditto]

It's not called the 6th Panzer Division for nothing. The army's commander throughout its existence, SS-Oberstgruppenführer Josef Dietrich said in early 1945: "We call ourselves the 6th Panzer Army, because we've only got 6 Panzers left. LOL

[alexbowman]

Panzer general Hans Valentin Hube was ordered by Hitler to fly out the kessel to which he replied “I took my men into Stalingrad, I’ve ordered them to fight to the last bullet, I intend to stay and show them how”. Hitler sent in some of his personal SS guards and an unsuspecting Hube was ordered to Paulus’s HQ where he was jumped by the SS guards and dragged onto a plane out with a pistol at his head. Just over 1 year later Hube died in a plane crash.

[creightonleerose]

These vids are interesting, well done bearing top-notch editing/production value(s)!
Thank you for sharing these historical data-points & participants accounts with us. A short 15 min vid takes some serious TIME to assemble, present & properly narrate. That fact isnt lost on me...;)

I'd read in one of my books an account of either a panzer crewmen or associated/attached MOT panzer-grenadier trooper from within the pocket, being pretty close to the MLR/Axis=Allied termination lines, well outside/West of Stalingrad city limits proper. He'd said the weather was near blizzard/white out conditions during the OP, w/knee, thigh or even waist deep snow drifts in many places, he recalled the sense of buoyancy & lift in spirits of just hearing of the coming plan concerning the relief corridor being punched through to them...
-Then when they began hearing the distant sounds of combat, flashes n' deep thumps on the horizon, growing ever n' ever closer by the hour, by the coming/nearing volume of sounds, flash & thunder of it all. Many of those motorized forward units had received orders & began furiously busying themselves with equipment, no matter how exhausted they or their machines may have been. As they would be the very units used to punch <<forward<< to help meet the advancing German relief corridor, in order to connect & then reinforce the flanks of that 'tunnel'...

-He'd said the sheer happiness & excitement of looming rescue &/or relief shared by all was then swiftly replaced by an even heftier crushing fatigue, bitterness & a horrendous, sense of futility. Bearing an almost palpable morale-drop when 'OP Winter-Tempests' peak advance then peetered out, those relief units made it to within 15 to 17KM's of the very point elements & front lines of the German upon pocket itself. Which in terms of motorized divisions isnt all that far to go, & secondly, def within heavy arty range, but the conditions where just so dour, tough & extreme, Im sure many were surprised they'd even made it THAT FAR to begin with?!

-He'd said the sense of dread that took many a man over upon hearing the immense amount of thumps & flashes in the distance, only to begin to then dwindle, then disappearing entirely in obvious retreat, fading to near nothing with the forced subsequent German retreat & abandonment of the initial relief plan....Ugggh right?

Keep up zee great werk!

[davidkubik]

thi is some good quality stuff, thanks for this, love the sounds background

[tonnywildweasel]

Excellent vid! Thanks, appreciate it a lot 👍
Greets from the Netherlands ✌, T.

[AlaskaErik]

Contrary to what was stated in the video von Manstein never issued the breakout order to 6th Army.

[kiowhatta]

It has been proven Manstein procrastinated and never gave the actual breakout order even though Paulus urged him to do so.

[Gnosis]

If the 6th Panzers were sent to the east on 14 Nov 1942 how was their mission to save the 6th Army? Operation Uranus didn't kick off until the 18th and the Army wasn't officially surrounded until the 22nd of November.

More than likely they were en route to the east when Uranus began and were redirected to Stalingrad.

Also, the Stalingrad relief force was never promised 12 divisions. Manstein asked for 12 divisions but was never told by OKH he would receive those 12 divisions. The 5 divisions that gathered for the operation were scrapping the bottom of German manpower at the moment as the Soviets launched Operation Mars on Army Group Center maybe a week after Uranus, which was a larger operation than the one at Stalingrad.

The operation never called for the 6th Army to break out to the Myshovska(don't no spelling don't feel like looking it up) river. The 6th army didn't have enough fuel or ammunition to fight their way that far and was clear about that from the beginning. Manstein never ordered the breakout, he lied in his book about the 6th Army to save his prestige. Paulus never ordered his army to break out because he knew it was absolutely impossible for his Army to make it that far. The problem is most historians take their information from Manstein and it has been proven through records that he ALOT.

[phillipchapman]

I incredible and sad for brother to kill brother.

The war between Russia and Germany shows in no matter how well trained, or how good the equipment or tactics or strategy, or even how determined one is. If you haven’t got the numbers to realistically see it through you are far less likely to win and almost certainly likely to lose big - all the way to Berlin it seems. Russia had the numbers, Germany didn’t. If your going to fight a titan, you’d damn best be sure you made all necessary considerations and preparations, or don’t bother at all. I wonder if as I hear Mr H felt it was only a matter of time before Russia attacked West, he’d have faired better not exhausting his forces trying to conquer, but used the time to dig in and prepare. Then maybe the Russians will have been similarly ground down in their attacks and the people of Russia and Stalin’s armies may have become demoralised compared to the fervour and grit they had when defending their homeland and then pressing on to Berlin.

Attacking scenarios often seem to use a greater amount of resources compared to a well dug in defence where you pick off your enemy as they come to you.
Says me the arm chair general not 😂 . How about we don’t fight each other and just get on with our lives.

[kiowhatta]

The only hope in relieving Stalingrad Manstein proposed was to give him operational freedom over the 1st Pz army in the Caucasus.
While risky, significant armoured units like the III Pz Corps and SS Wiking could have been withdrawn North to give Manstein the necessary forces.
Manstein said to Hitler: ‘give me operational freedom over all of army group South and I will give you the oil of the Caucasus.’

This was the only option available and if 57th Pz Corps could almost reach Stalingrad then those additional forces might have had the strength to breakthrough-and even perhaps retain a position near the general area.
Additionally, the II SS Pz Corps ought to have been rushed asap to the area despite it being involved in Case Anton, the occupation of Vichy France?
What the hell was it doing there when standard German divisions could have done the job.
Also, the evacuation of the Rhzev salient would have shortened the line in AGC’s area which held the 2nd & 3rd Pz armies.
Every risk should have been taken to rescue 6th army which consisted of many valuable divisions capable of being rehabilitated, re-equipped and aided in the overall plan to retake the original positions on the Volga.
I’ll never understand why Hitler didn’t allow Manstein a free hand in throwing the absolute very last gamble to stay in the war.

[edward]

Manstein never gave that breakout order to Paulus on December 19th

[mikesbaseballcards]

Great combat footage I've never seen b4. When i see this footage i just can't believe my Opa survived the eastern front in Army Group South. He was at the Maikop oilfields & Sebastopol. Was a Corporal. I actually have a photo of my Opa on the eastern front with a fellow soldier standing in the snow next to a kubelwagen. My Uncle Willie was captured by the Russians sent to Siberia & didn't come back until 1955. He was at our house one time when I was a little boy & was so drunk my Tante Martha had to take him home.

[rogercude]

Stalin was always worried that the Allies would work out a deal with Hitler so they didn't have to invade Europe. That way he could bring all his forces to the East.

[jasonmussett]

Excellent documentary. Great footage. Thanks👍

[adrianariaratnam]

A well narrated piece, with excellent footage. Thanks.

[obedlucksom]

Thanks for the video, i have always been eager that even Heinz Guderian couldnot save the 6th army, i have heard that he nearly made it to the 6th army.

[RememberingWW]

18:12 Manstien never gave Paulus the "Thunderclap" breakout order. This is false.

[briankorbelik]

Von Hunersdorff and Franz Bake will be heard from again. 57th Panzer Korps achieved wonders considering it's size. However, before, during, and after Winterstorm, the 11th Panzer Division, (the Ghost Division from their adopted logo and the 16th Motorized Infantry Division, continually created small miracles from the German side. The 11th Panzer, before, during, and after, Winter Storm, would March into position all night, then fight during the days, over and over for weeks, and only gawd knows the times that they were successful at that. The 11th Panzer Division was Das Heer's miracle division. And one of the best PD's ever. This info I read in the late '60's from, Paul Carrell's " Hitler Moves East". And then there was the then 16th Motorized InfantryPanzergrenadier division, who got to the Astrakan rail line and dispensed false info to the rail yard in far off Asrtakan.

[asullivan]

Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job enabling viewers to better understand what/whom the orator was describing. Special thanks to veteran soldiers/civilians Sharing personal information/combat experiences. Enabling historians to replicate diaries/memoirs for future generations to better appreciate the hardships/sacrifices that those in combat endured. A valiant effort but it was all in vain to save the surrounded Stalingrad German military forces. The WW-1 dispatch runner 🏃‍♀️ corporal Hitler. Was to blame for that catastrophic military operations failure.