1942: Operation Fall Blau Konstantin Rokossovsky

1 1942: operation fall blau

1.1 retreat don
1.2 operation uranus
1.3 stalingrad

1942: operation fall blau

in march 1942 rokossovsky badly injured shell splinter. rumored valentina serova mistress of rokossovsky during time. while s true serova, working hospital volunteer, met rokossovski several times while recovering wound, there no evidence lovers. rokossovski had mistress @ time, dr. lt. galina talanova, whom had daughter in 1945. after 2 months in moscow hospital rokossovsky reunited briefly 16th army.

retreat don

during 1942 wehrmacht commenced operation fall blau , switched axis of offensive moscow , attacked southward eastern ukraine towards don-volga river line, rostov, voronezh, stalingrad , caucasus beyond. there germans hoped secure fresh supplies of oil fuel armies. unlike days of 1941 stiffening soviet army maintained relatively order in retreat, backing along defensive line along don river.

on 13 july 1942 rokossvsky given first operational level command, sign of growing stature. battles of smolensk , moscow had no measure resulted in red army victory front line formations under command central frustrating wehrmacht efforts achieve same , reflected in stalin s decision make him commander of bryansk front stavka expected main line of german attack renewed against moscow in 1942—rokossovsky trusted officer counted on in tight squeeze.

as german offensive turned south, , toward voronezh, bryansk sector turned out quiet stavka shuffled 38th army general vatutin s voronezh front, during heated battle of voronezh, germans attempted ford don river, , compromise entire soviet don river defense. rokossovsky recounts in memoirs during summer stalin phoned him ask whether did not find situation dull liking , recalled moscow undertake command of new operation:

plan concentrate strong force (no less 3 combined armies , several armoured corps) on flank of enemy occupying country between don , volga purpose of counter-attacking south , south-east vicinity of serafimovich.

subsequent events delayed attack , shelved, later resurrected operation uranus vatutin playing lead role, walsh asserts rokossovsky being selected lead attack symptomatic of standing , importance of location indicator of significant, impending soviet operations.

operation uranus

by fall of 1942 german army had pulled along new soviet defense @ don , volga rivers, centered @ stalingrad, , had broken through south of rostov toward strategic oil centers of tblisi , baku. stalin determined stalingrad should not fall, , red army given strict orders hold city @ cost. battle of stalingrad became struggle control of city drew in combatants both sides in brutal house house fighting.

operation uranus

on september 28, 1942, @ zhukov s urging, rokossovsky given overall command of 65th army (4th tank army), 24th army , 66th army, brought don front part of stalin s criticized reorganization of southern front in preparation planned soviet counterattack @ stalingrad: operation uranus . put rokossovky s armies directly opposite xi, viii , xiv corps of 6th army, including 16th panzer , 14th panzer divisions, of destroyed in ensuing battle.

with german forces heavily engaged @ stalingrad , spread thinly due deep penetrations caucasus, wehrmacht increasingly reliant on romanian , italian allies cover flanks of extended line, on north along don, , south along volga. operation uranus kicked off on november 17 intention of making double envelopment of paulus s men @ stalingrad breaking through flanks. southwestern front commanded general vatutin overwhelmed 3rd romanian army north of rokossovsky s don front, while yeryomenko s stalingrad front began own attack south of stalingrad. rokossovsky s don front played largely subordinate role in main attack, 66th army supported vatutin s attack north outflanking left extreme of german line met romanian 3rd army, while 24th , 65th squeezed german defenders—pinning them in place pincers of main attacks rapidly enveloped them.

in less week, in face of deteriorating weather , blizzard conditions, soviet forces had sealed gap behind stalingrad, , had begun reinforce investment around city in order prevent attempted escape. no organized effort made 6th army break out, , operation winter storm , mid december german effort relieve encircled army, failed break soviet defenses. after, soviets launched operation little saturn , consolidated position.

stalingrad

on december 28 stalin gave rokossovsky task of mopping stalingrad pocket. had @ disposal 212,000 men, 6,500 guns, 2,500 tanks, , 300 aircraft, used against assortment of 200,000 defenders short on food, fuel, , ammunition, including russian hiwis , romanians , germans; in 1 example, half 6th army s 297th infantry division fighting force russian, artillery detachment rationed 1 , half shells day. on january 8, 1943, rokossovsky ordered cease-fire , sent delegation offer terms of surrender paulus did not respond, , resistance continued better part of month.

on january 10, don front launched operation ring reduce stalingrad pocket beginning 55-minute barrage 7000 rocket launchers, artillery , mortars. defenders fought tenaciously, lines collapsed, causing don front 26,000 casualties, , destroying half tanks in first 3 days of operation.

on january 15 rokossovsky promoted rank of colonel general.

on january 16 main airfield used supply beleaguered 6th army fell, , after pause of few days, offensive renewed capturing last operational airfield , driving german city proper on january 22.

rokossovsky interrogates paulus @ don front hq: general rokossovsky, marshal voronov, translator nikolay dyatlenko , paulus (left right)

on same day general paulus asked hitler permission surrender refused. on 26 january soviets had broken surrounded germans 2 pockets, , on january 31, southern pocket collapsed , paulus surrendered. within 4 days last significant group of defenders surrendered rokossovky s command, ending battle marked high-water mark of german advance during soviet-german war.

troops of don front @ 4pm on february 2nd, 1943 completed rout , destruction of encircled group of enemy forces in stalingrad. twenty-two divisions have been destroyed or taken prisoner. — konstantin rokossovsky