Chapter 12: The First Intimate Encounter with Paulus

On the main plane, 15 days had passed; on the traversable plane, 30 days had passed. Wang Fan's figure once again appeared on the Soviet-German battlefield of World War II, at the scene of the Battle of Stalingrad. At this time, the date on the traversable plane was December [X]. Let us first see what changes occurred on the entire battlefield during the period from November [X], 1942, to December 19, during Comrade Xiao Wang's absence

On November 19, when Paulus's 6th Army was stuck in a dilemma of advancing or retreating in Stalingrad, two Soviet forces met at Kalach, placing Paulus's army in an encirclement. At this time, Hitler was lingering forgetfully in his villa in the Alps. Facing the encirclement of the 6th Army, Chief of Staff Zeitzler argued strenuously that Paulus should immediately lead his troops to break out toward the southwest. This would have been entirely possible within a week of being surrounded. Zeitzler had almost convinced Hitler. But just then, Göring popped up; he vowed to Hitler that his Luftwaffe could deliver 500 tons of combat materiel to the encirclement every day. Göring spoke such irresponsible big words and missed the opportunity for battle because, since the Battle of Britain, his Luftwaffe's status in Hitler's eyes had plummeted. To regain Hitler's trust, Göring wanted to "show off his skills" at a critical moment like Stalingrad. Finally, Hitler ordered Field Marshal Manstein to form "Army Group Don" to unify the command of the Stalingrad front.

On November [X], Manstein received the order, but the train he was on was damaged by Soviet partisan mines, causing a delay. It wasn't until November 24 that he arrived at the Army Group B headquarters in Starobelsk. By then, the Soviet forces had completed the encirclement of Paulus. Because the 6th Army was not permitted to break out, he had to organize relief forces. The reality was that the German army was extremely lacking in reserves; the strength of the four understrength infantry divisions and one barely assembled armored division they possessed was negligible compared to the powerful 160 Soviet divisions within the encirclement. Left with no choice, Manstein could only organize his existing forces into two operational groups: the "Hott" operational group centered on the 48th Panzer Corps (located in the Tormosin area, 70 km from Stalingrad) and the "Hote" operational group centered on the 57th Panzer Corps (located in the Kotelnikovsky area, 130 km from Stalingrad). He planned to implement a centripetal pincer attack toward Stalingrad via two routes, with the 57th Panzer Corps as the main force and the 48th Panzer Corps as the supporting force, to strike the Soviet forces in a combined assault to achieve the effect of surprise.

However, due to continuous pressure from the north by Soviet forces in the Chir River region, the "Hott" group was pinned down and unable to move. In effect, only the "Hote" group could shoulder the relief mission alone; the code name for the entire relief mission was "Winter Storm." But because the reinforcements summoned by Hitler were slow to arrive, the relief operation originally scheduled for December 8 was forced to be postponed, and the situation of the 6th Army grew increasingly critical. On the 12th, with a heavy heart, Manstein strictly ordered the "Hote" group to launch an offensive amidst heavy snow. (At this time, Manstein had already received reports that only 31 Panther tanks remained within the 6th Army.) This move carried immense risk; if the Soviet forces broke through the fragile defensive lines on the flank of Army Group Don, they could reach a fatal position that would sever all rear communication lines for the two German army groups on the southern flank. To save the 6th Army, Manstein was gambling the fates of both Army Group Don and Army Group A; he called it a "race between life and death" (Manstein's memoirs mention this in detail, noting he stayed up all night making the decision).

During the first week of fighting, Manstein made steady progress. Centered around 230 tanks, the "Hote" group broke through the Soviet lines and reached the banks of the Meshkov River on the 19th, advancing to within only 54 miles of the 6th Army. By nightfall, the surrounded troops could see the signal flares from the reinforcements on the other side of the snow-covered steppe. Hitler's High Command was immersed in an atmosphere of optimism. However, at this critical moment, the Soviet High Command decisively modified its original campaign intent. The Southwest Front, which had been preparing for a deep thrust toward Rostov, now turned its attention to Manstein.

On December 16, the main forces of the Southwest Front commanded by General Vatutin, along with a portion of the Voronezh Front—totaling over 400,000 men and more than 1,000 tanks—launched a powerful offensive under the support of over 300 aircraft from two Luftwaffe corps. They targeted the Italian 8th Army, which was responsible for covering the entire German southern flank, including the deep rear of the German forces in the Caucasus direction. Two days later (December 18), the entire front of the Italian Army, held by seven Italian divisions and one German division, was breached. The Italian forces lost their ability to conduct organized resistance and fled in disarray, as the Soviet forces began to penetrate deep into the German defensive depth. Manstein sensed that this was the last chance to save the 6th Army; he summoned great courage and resolutely disobeyed Hitler's orders, issuing a command to Paulus to break out immediately. However, the weak-willed Paulus stubbornly remained in place, abandoning this single lifeline.

Manstein requested that the surrounded Paulus organize forces to attack southwest and break through the Soviet encirclement to meet the "Hote" group, together cutting a "corridor." But Paulus telegraphed Manstein that their fuel reserves could only allow the tank units to travel 19 km, and they could only take supporting action once Hoss's relief forces reached within 32 km of the encirclement. But when Hoss's 57th Panzer Corps rushed across the Aksay River, they were only 45 km from the encirclement, which was the maximum extent of the relief force's advance.

Had history followed its original trajectory, it would have looked like this: The "Hott" group met stubborn resistance from fresh Soviet troops on the north bank of the Meshkov River, and even after Manstein deployed his final reserves, he failed to break the Soviet defense. For nearly a week (from approximately December 19 to December 24), the intensity and consequences of the fierce fighting here were immeasurable. After the war, the German general Merzin in his famous *Tank Battles* believed that the turning point of Germany's fate was decided in these battles. To stop the Soviet offensive, the Germans not only deployed the "Hott" group and all available air support but also brought in eight divisions from other sectors of the Soviet-German front and Western Europe; however, because they were committed to the fight piecemeal, they failed to turn the tide. By the 23rd, Vatutin's forces had moved south 180 km, piercing directly to the north side of Tormosin and threatening the flanks and rear of the entire Army Group Don. The "Hott" group was forced to retreat from the Chir River toward the northern Donets, and a gap over 100 km wide appeared in the German line north of Millerovo. With a heavy heart, Manstein pulled the elite 6th Panzer Division from the "Hote" group and turned it northwest to stop the incoming tide of Soviet troops.

It wasn't until the end of the month that the German forces exerted every effort to finally hold the lower Don between the northern Donets and the Sea of Azov, preserving their last retreat route. But the Italian 8th Army and the Romanian 3rd Army had both been crushed, with over 60,000 taken prisoner. By this time, the strength of the "Hote" group had greatly diminished, with only 35 tanks remaining; their offensive had reached its limit. Seizing the opportunity, the Soviet Stalingrad Front launched a counteroffensive on the 24th. By the 26th, the entirety of the German 57th Panzer Corps had been exhausted, and the remaining troops providing flank cover began to retreat. [Kotelnikovsky fell into Soviet hands; thus, the German forces had been pushed back to an area within 0 km of Stalingrad. The last glimmer of hope to save the 6th Army had actually been extinguished. In the end, Manstein could only abandon the 6th Army and leave it to fate.]

"So, the current time is the critical moment when the 'Hote' group has just reached the banks of the Meshkov River, advancing to within only 54 miles of the 6th Army. The Germans thought they could successfully rescue the 6th Army, but ended up failing to break the Soviet defense even after using their last reserves, and later, due to pressure on other fronts, they gradually withdrew the relief forces!" After listening to Yadi Blue's account of what had happened during his 30-day absence, Wang Fan murmured a summary.

"Yes. If we help the 6th Army now, they should be able to successfully break out of Stalingrad and rendezvous with the 'Hote' group, achieving a reversal of the entire campaign!"

"Just a breakout? I'm thinking of much more than just that result!!" As Wang Fan spoke, a strange smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and then he vanished from the spot.

Paulus was born in Breitnau, the son of a teacher. His father had once attempted to secure a degree for Paulus from the Naval Academy, but was unsuccessful. Subsequently, Paulus was sent to the University of Marburg in Hesse to briefly study law, but he was soon weeded out. Having faced repeated setbacks, the frustrated Paulus entered the 111th Infantry Regiment as a candidate officer in February 1910. After World War I, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles and was compelled to downsize its military. However, Paulus was retained and transferred to the 11th Infantry Regiment in Stuttgart after the disarmament, serving as a company commander. During the turbulent period from 1921 to 1933, he held various nominal positions, and between 1934 and 1935, he served as a commander of a motorized brigade. In 1939, he was promoted to Major General.

In 1939, Paulus became the commander of the German 10th Army. He was also one of the primary planners of Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, "Operation Barbarossa." On September 1, 1939, the German army officially invaded Poland, marking the beginning of World War II. Paulus's 10th Army participated in battles against Poland, Belgium, and France (during the latter two, the 10th Army had been renamed the 6th Army), which allowed him to accumulate a certain amount of combat experience, indispensable for his future roles on the Eastern Front. In September 1940, upon the recommendation of General Halder, Chief of the Army General Staff, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff (First Inspector of Supplies). In December 1941, upon the recommendation of Field Marshal Reichenau, he was appointed commander of the 6th Army. Subsequently, the 6th Army was dispatched to the Eastern Front for the Soviet-German War and tasked with participating in the Battle of Stalingrad.

Overall, Paulus was a diligent and capable officer; most of his work was done by overseeing its completion. Hitler clearly valued him, as in just 11 months of 1942, he was rapidly promoted from Lieutenant General to Colonel General. Paulus's humble origins and modest appearance were favored by the Nazi Party. He maintained consistent respect and a deep friendship with Halder; he was not the type of petty man who excelled at flattery. However, Paulus lacked the decisive character required of an outstanding commander at critical junctures. Although Halder once described Paulus as calm and composed, "passive and reactive" might have been a more accurate description. He was a steadfast follower of Hitler's orders; even when orders diverged significantly from the actual situation on the battlefield, he continued to obey Hitler, adjusting his forces according to his commands, even when later surrounded by the enemy.

On December [X], somewhere in Stalingrad, at the temporary headquarters of the German 6th Army, General Paulus was alone in the innermost room of the headquarters, studying the map of the entire battlefield. The "Hote" group had reached the banks of the Meshkov River yesterday, advancing to within only 54 miles of the 6th Army. This news was extremely exhilarating and morale-boosting, but their advance today was going very poorly, meeting stubborn resistance from Soviet forces on the north bank of the Meshkov River. Field Marshal Manstein demanded that he immediately lead the 6th Army to attack southwest, break through the Soviet encirclement, and rendezvous with the "Hote" group. However, considering the Führer's order to "hold out until Easter, then re-attack once reinforcements arrive to completely occupy Stalingrad," and the fact that the 6th Army's fuel was insufficient and the tanks could not move far, Paulus thought it over and decided not to issue the breakout order.

Urban warfare in the surrounding cities was continuing and becoming even more intense. The Soviet troops, who had originally been contracted into corners of the city, also began their offensive upon hearing of the Soviet counterattack outside. The entire 6th Army was being attacked from both front and rear. Paulus sensed that the day had come for him and the 6th Army to decide their fate.

"As a military decision-maker, indecisiveness is the most terrifying thing!" A voice suddenly rang out behind Paulus. He spun around abruptly, his hand reaching for the pistol at his waist, but when he saw the face of the person behind him, he froze on the spot, his hand suspended in mid-air in a daze.