Stalingrad was in original plans
by Luka Bilić
It was a huge blunder attacking Stalingrad, it wasn’t even in original plans, it was all only for its name’
-Stalingrad was in original plans, clearly marked, of course no one knew in advance that focal point of the campaign would be there, but as early as first days of August, general Hausinger, chief of operations planning at OKW asserted based on development of things that ‘entire southern campaign would be decided at Stalingrad’.
The goal was to get the oil to the south, but there weren’t many troops there, main action was all along on the northern flank, on Stalingrad axes. It was there that Red Army managed to make a stand, as Germans failed to destroy 62nd and 64th armies in the open. They weren’t only fighting in Stalingrad, there was huge pressure from the north, 4 multi army strong offensives (Kotluban offensives). So it was there where was the focal point of Soviet military effort and it was very logical for the Germans to parry there, not elsewhere.
Now what were the options Germans had? To stop in the open steps right before Stalingrad and let battered 62nd and 64th armies recuperate and endanger their flank? To allow Soviets to use the city as cover for harboring striking forces into their flank while they crouch in featureless barren steps?
Or they could storm the city, finish off the defending armies and use Volga as strong and logical defensive position of their flank. The city seemed ripe for collapse, as it actually was, and Germans never before failed to take a city in determined assault.
And yes it was also the city with a pretty name, why would we scorn that reason in war, to attain prestige, boost morale, but this was all behind very logical reasons stated above and original planing.
From the original pre Blau ‘Siegfried’ map(picture) is visible that Stalingrad was among original goals of campaign, what’s more, Don south of Rostov wasn’t to be crossed at all before Stalingrad was captured, and this was the real mistake- Stalingrad wasn’t actually given enough priority early on. The division of effort, reassignment of 4th Panzer army to the thrust south and conducting both eastern and southern trust simultaneously, all contrary to original plans classifies among bigger Getman blunders and Hitler was main culprit.
To be continued..
It was a huge blunder attacking Stalingrad, it wasn’t even in original plans, it was all only for its name’
-Stalingrad was in original plans, clearly marked, of course no one knew in advance that focal point of the campaign would be there, but as early as first days of August, general Hausinger, chief of operations planning at OKW asserted based on development of things that ‘entire southern campaign would be decided at Stalingrad’.
The goal was to get the oil to the south, but there weren’t many troops there, main action was all along on the northern flank, on Stalingrad axes. It was there that Red Army managed to make a stand, as Germans failed to destroy 62nd and 64th armies in the open. They weren’t only fighting in Stalingrad, there was huge pressure from the north, 4 multi army strong offensives (Kotluban offensives). So it was there where was the focal point of Soviet military effort and it was very logical for the Germans to parry there, not elsewhere.
Now what were the options Germans had? To stop in the open steps right before Stalingrad and let battered 62nd and 64th armies recuperate and endanger their flank? To allow Soviets to use the city as cover for harboring striking forces into their flank while they crouch in featureless barren steps?
Or they could storm the city, finish off the defending armies and use Volga as strong and logical defensive position of their flank. The city seemed ripe for collapse, as it actually was, and Germans never before failed to take a city in determined assault.
And yes it was also the city with a pretty name, why would we scorn that reason in war, to attain prestige, boost morale, but this was all behind very logical reasons stated above and original planing.
From the original pre Blau ‘Siegfried’ map(picture) is visible that Stalingrad was among original goals of campaign, what’s more, Don south of Rostov wasn’t to be crossed at all before Stalingrad was captured, and this was the real mistake- Stalingrad wasn’t actually given enough priority early on. The division of effort, reassignment of 4th Panzer army to the thrust south and conducting both eastern and southern trust simultaneously, all contrary to original plans classifies among bigger Getman blunders and Hitler was main culprit.
To be continued..
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