WINTER STORM

In July of 1942, the German Army unleashed the summer offensive into southern Russia. This operation, known as "Fall Blau" (Case Blue), drove to Stalingrad on the Volga and deep into the Caucasus Mountains capturing much of Russia's oil producing region. By September, Stalingrad was the focal point of the war on the Eastern Front. The German 6th Army fought from building to building, making slow advances through what was now a rubbled city. By mid-November, only a few strongholds along the river banks remained in Russian hands. Although the Germans had secured most of the city, they had suffered high losses in trained men and material. To replace these losses, they stripped the forces on either side of Stalingrad, leaving their flanks protected by the 3rd and 4th Rumanian Armies. On November 19th, the Russians began a major offensive against these Rumanian armies, and on November 22nd the two Russian pincers closed around the 6th Army in Stalingrad. Hitler would not consider giving up Stalingrad and Air Marshal Goering assured him that the Luftwaffe could keep Stalingrad supplied by air indefinitely. The Russians began to push toward Stalingrad forcing its defenders to form a circular perimeter defense. By the time the fronts stabilized in early December, there was 35 miles between "Fortress Stalingrad" and the nearest German forces to the west.
General Erich von Manstein, commander of the newly formed Army Group Don, immediately began to formulate a plan for the relief of Stalingrad. For this operation, he moved the LVII Panzer Korps (Lt.Gen. Friedrich Kirchner) under the 4th Panzer Army (Col.Gen. Hermann Hoth) into position 65 miles southwest of Stalingrad. Although this location was further away from Stalingrad than the direct approach from the west, it was not as well defended and had fewer obstacles. The main offensive forces available to the LVII Korps were the 6th (Maj.Gen. Erhard Raus), 17th (Maj.Gen.
Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin) and 23rd (Maj.Gen. Hans von Boineburg-Lengsfeld) Panzer divisions. The 6th Panzer division had just been refitted in the west, while both the 17th and 23rd Panzer divisions were considerably below strength. The operation to relief Stalingrad was code named "Winter Storm."
Facing the LVII Panzer Korps were the forces under the control of the 51st Soviet Army. They contained six rifle divisions and two tank brigades forming no more than a light screen, since no attack was expected from this direction.
Led by the 6th and 23rd Panzer Divisions, the attack by the LVII Panzer Korps initially made good progress. By the end of the first day, the 6th Panzer Division had advanced to Samchin, about one-third of the way to Stalingrad. Early reports indicated that except for the 126th and 302nd Soviet Rifle Divisions, no new Russian forces had been introduced into the battle area. On the night of December 12/13, however, the Russians ordered the 13th Tank Corps and the 4th Mechanized Corps to block the path of the German panzer divisions. At the same time, the Russians ordered the 2nd Guards Army from the ring encircling Stalingrad, into a position to stop the German relief force. The attack continued to make good progress on the second day, although Russian resistance was becoming more determined. Led by the dashing and energetic Colonel Huhnersdorff of the 11th Panzer Rgt., 6th Panzer Division (Kampfgruppe Huhnersdorff) crossed the Aksay River, where it was met by the Russian 4th Mechanized Corps. The Soviet counter-attack forced Huhnersdorff back to the banks of the Aksay. The fighting between the 6th Panzer Division and the 4th Mechanized Corps continued through December 17th. One hundred miles to the west, the Soviets began "Little Saturn" on December 16th. This operation by the 1st and 3rd Guards Armies and the 5th Tank Army, all but crushed the Italian 8th Army and Army Detachment Hollidt. It also forced von Manstein to pull the 6th Panzer Division away from "Winter Storm" and use it to try a plug the large gap caused by the disintegration of the Italian Army.
During the night of December 17/18, the Germans reorganized for one last attempt to reach Stalingrad - now only 35 miles away. All the tanks from both the 17th and 23rd Panzer Divisions (37 operational vehicles) were combined in the 39th Panzer regiment of the 17th Panzer Division. At dawn on December 18th, the remnants of these two panzer divisions would attempt to drive up the road and secure the bridge, four miles to the north, which was the last remaining natural obstacle between them and the entrapped 6th Army. What they didn't know was that the Soviet 13th Tank Brigade was prepared to block their path.