Chapter 85 Appendix (3)

HIGHLY SECRET (transmission by officers only) December 19th at 14:35 Three copies (third) To: Chief of the Army General Staff and please forward it to the head of state immediately As a result of the development of the situation on the side of Army Group B and its cessation of the arrival of any reinforcements, the present situation on the side of Army Group Don has rendered it hopeless that the Sixth Army will be rescued in the near future. Due to the weather and the inappropriate strength of the troops, the possibility of air transportation has been lost. In other words, according to the experience of four weeks, this army group can no longer sustain in the fortified area.The Fifty-seventh Panzer Army, relying solely on its own strength, has clearly been unable to contact the Sixth Army on the ground, let alone cut a corridor. Therefore, I now think that the only way to rescue the Army is to break through to the southwest. Last chance for most of the crew and remaining maneuvering parts.

The first objective of this breakthrough operation was to make contact with the 57th Panzer Corps on the Yerik Myshkova River.To achieve this goal, the Sixth Army would have to be forced to move gradually to the southwest, and as this movement advanced, the divisions would abandon their defenses to the north. While this operation is still in progress, it is necessary to use appropriate fighters and bombers to ensure the safety of the airlift. Since there were now signs that the enemy was putting pressure on the Romanian Fourth Army, forces should be drawn quickly from the Caucasus to protect the deep right flank of the Fifty-seventh Panzer Corps.

As a result of the delay, the 57th Panzer Corps may be frustrated on or north of the Mischkova River, or be held back by an attack on its right flank.At the same time, the Sixth Army also needed a few days to regroup and refuel before it could start operations. The food in the encirclement can be maintained until December 22, and the physical strength of the troops has already been seriously weakened (only 200 grams a day in the past two weeks).According to Sixth Army reports, most of the mules and horses had starved or been slaughtered for food. Field Marshal Manstein, Commander-in-Chief of Army Group Don