Summary of Seydlitz DOOMS the 6th Army! BATTLESTORM STALINGRAD E39

00:00:00 - 00:45:00

The video discusses the failed German airlift to Stalingrad during the Battle of Stalingrad. The airlift was unable to bring in enough supplies to save the 6th Army, which was eventually forced to retreat.

• 00:00:00 The Sixth Army was encircled and was in danger of being destroyed. The generals were divided on whether or not to break out. However, by the timevon Weichs and Paulus presented their proposals to Hitler, the relief attempt was already underway and there was no chance for an independent breakout.
• 00:05:00 The story of General Seydlitz and his orders to withdraw the 94th Infantry Division from the Northern Blocking Line in order to compel the other generals in the pocket to break out is recounted. Seydlitz's decision to issue Order 118 results in the division losing 200 men and officers and the unit barely existing at all. The Luftwaffe radioed the news of an unauthorized withdrawal directly to Hitler, and on the morning of the 24th, Hitler decreed that there would be no more talk of retreats. Paulus was still in charge of the northern front, but with the division now barely existing, he had less control over it.
• 00:10:00 The Soviet Union was running out of supplies and ammunition, and was beginning to make fewer and fewer gains in the Stalingrad pocket. The Germans, on the other hand, were still holding out. However, a Soviet attack on the pocket's southeast flank led to heavy losses, and a German counterattack prevented the Soviets from encircling the Germans. This led to the Soviet command deciding to end the offensive, which allowed the Germans to successfully withdraw from Stalingrad.
• 00:15:00 The video discusses the Battle of Stalingrad, specifically the 24th of November 1942, during which the 6th Army was forced to retreat due to poor logistics and fighting. The transcript excerpt discusses the German troops' attempt to retreat over the Don River. While many German troops were killed or injured during the retreat, the 14th and 24th Panzer Divisions, as well as two regiments of the 376th Infantry Division, were able to withdraw over the river. The pocket was shrinking, and huge areas of the map still didn't have a front line, although both sides were rushing to plug these gaps. In the pocket, the 6th Army had to cut rations by 50% on the 24th in an attempt to preserve the stock of food they had. However, due to the failed raid on Pavlov's house, the propaganda claimed that he held the house for 54 days, which was then repeated by other historians. The real story is that Pavlov's House held out for much longer than 54 days.
• 00:20:00 The 6th Army's failure to break out of Stalingrad leads to the dismissal of its commander, Seydlitz. He protests this to Paulus, and the Chief of Staff dismisses his concerns. Meanwhile, the Russians break through the lines, and Heim is arrested for not attacking earlier. Hollidt orders the 48th Panzer Corps to counterattack the Soviet bridgeheads, and they are successful.
• 00:25:00 This video shows the Battle of Stalingrad, focusing on the German 6th Army's defeat at the hands of the Soviet Union. Groups Fiebig, Adam, and the 14th Panzer Corps' rear services are shown fighting against Butkov's weakened 1st Tank Corps, which overcomes some German sentries and captures another village. Fiebig sends every Stuka and fighter he has against Butkov's tanks, but the Red Army Air Force is suffering from a lack of fuel and offers little resistance. Butkov has to sit on the defense awaiting much needed reinforcements, which come in the form of Chernyi's 158th Tank Regiment from the 57th Army. Group Pannwitz contains a motorized Romanian artillery battalion and 18 tanks, and Group Korne is a formidable force that is about to be committed against Shapkin's fatigued cavalry corps. However, the attacks of 57th and 64th Armies are reduced in scale and scope due to the arrival of reinforcements for the German 6th Army. Rodin's two remaining tank brigades field fewer than 30 working tanks, which isn't enough to pierce the enemy lines. And Kravchenko only has around 40 tanks at this stage, so Rodin and Kravchenko are compelled to use
• 00:30:00 The 6th Army was exhausted and receiving little help from the Luftwaffe, so Jeschonnek submitted calculations estimating that the airlift could succeed. However, the Luftwaffe was not able to deliver the supplies as scheduled and the army was eventually forced to retreat.
• 00:35:00 The video discusses how the airfield at Demyansk, which could only accept supplies during the day, was inadequate for the needs of the 6th Army, which was surrounded by the Soviet Union. The video also discusses how the Germans had fewer available transport aircraft than they had thought, due to logistics problems before Operation Uranus.
• 00:40:00 The video discusses how the airlift to Stalingrad was supposed to be an easy task, but ended up being more difficult because of the lack of available aircraft and pilots.
• 00:45:00 The video discusses the fact that the Germans attempted to save their 6th Army by using airdrops, but the airlift was only able to bring in a limited amount of supplies per day. This limited amount was eventually revised down to 300 tons, but realistically, the army would have been better off if they had received more. The video then discusses the question of whether or not the Germans could have attacked soon, before the airlift ran out, and the answer is that it would have been too late.