Chapter 44 Developments around Stalingrad

On November 21, in the Feterbsk area, the headquarters of the Eleventh Army received an order from the Army Headquarters, the content of which was to enable the armies engaged in fierce defensive battles west and south of Stalingrad. With closer coordination, we were promoted to the Don Army Group General Command and commanded the 4th Panzer, 6th and Romanian 3rd armies.Since we lacked a logistical unit, we were given the one that was intended for Marshal Antonescu.This unit is presided over by Colonel Finkh (Col‧Finkh), who is also an officer of the General Staff, with sound personality and excellent organizational skills.He solved all the supply difficulties that army groups often encountered.Unfortunately, airlift to the Sixth Army was outside its jurisdiction.When I was dismissed in April, 1944, Colonel Fink was transferred to serve in General Headquarters Western Front.I was later told that, under the complete command of the enemy's air, he was able to carry out the work of supply transportation as usual, almost to a perfect degree.But because of his relationship with the plot to assassinate Hitler, he was finally executed after July 20, 1944.

According to the order of the Army Headquarters, the task of the Don Army Group Headquarters was to stop the enemy's offensive and retake the positions previously occupied by our army. The reinforcements originally promised to us consisted of only one corps and one division, which was preparing to enter Millerovo, behind the future right flank of Army Group B.A comparison of the orders given to us and the forces proposed to be given to us proves otherwise that, when these orders were issued, Army Headquarters did not seem to have grasped the seriousness of the situation around Stalingrad, although the encirclement of the Sixth Army was there. Surrounded by one day.

Further information was obtained at Feterbsk, and at a railway station I had an opportunity to speak with Field Marshal Kruger and his chief of staff, Gen. Wohler.From these, I learned that the enemy had broken through the front of the Romanian Third Army with great force on the Don River, northwest of Stalingrad.In addition to one or two Russian tank armies, there are also a large number of cavalry with a total of more than 30 units.The same happened to the Romanian Fourth Army.This army was commanded by the Fourth Panzer Army. So, on leaving Feterbsk, I sent a telegram to the Chief of the General Staff, judging from the scale of the enemy's offensive, our task at Stalingrad could not have been merely to recover some positions.The forces we need to restore this situation should have the number of an army group and should not be used piecemeal as far as possible before the concentration is completed.

Chaisler agreed, allowing gradual buildups so that we could have an armored division and two or three infantry divisions. At the same time, I sent another telegram to Army Group B, asking them to order the Sixth Army to withdraw its troops from the existing defensive front as soon as possible, so as to secure the Don River crossing at Kalach in its rear.Whether this order was ever forwarded to the Sixth Army, I have never been able to know. Until we arrived at the headquarters of Army Group B in Starobilsk on November 24, from its commander-in-chief, General Col. In the conversation of Gen. V. Sodensteon, we have gained a clear conception of the recent past and the present situation.