Final Act:
Ring Operation
After of the fail of the Operation Winter Storm, everybody discovered that it was impossible to save to the VI Army. The next soviets offensives placed Stalingrad far away from any rescue operation in winter. Meanwhile, the Stavka gave the chief of the conquer to the general Rokossovsky, that began the preliminaries in the last days of December.
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During the second fortnight of December, the VI Army realized an important effort for celebrating the Christmas. Many historians have left this psychological factor of side. Antony Beevor, in his work "Stalingrad", stands out this factor as one of the most important during December of 1942 in Stalingrad's area on the part of the German troops. From the beginning of month, the men were preparing himself for the Christmas, preserving small quantities of food. Nevertheless, the situation was deteriorating day by day.
The Christmas's day the temperature fell down to 25 º under zero. This day didn't come any flight of supplies and Paulus complained to Manstein that the VI Army needed a bigger quantity of food. In the Stalingrad's Kessel, the doctor Renoldi, general surgeon of the VI army, prohibited the evacuation for air of affected for frozen, because it was possible of that they were hurt themselves. There wasn't being fed for the Soviet prisoners (approximately 3.500 in the middle of December), which arose the mortality to 20 daily in Christmas. Even they were started devoting situations of cannibalism, which the Germans ignored it, because it supposed taking the food from his soldiers to give it to the Soviets.
Hitler meanwhile, had become convinced likewise that he was doing everything possible for the luck of Paulus's people, but he was very far from the reality. The German divisions were to the defensive because they hadn't enough material for facing the Soviet assaults. The artillery only was shooting bombs of grapeshot because the most explosive missiles couldn't be wasted. The 1st of January Hitler ordered a message to Paulus in whom he was assuring him, with an enormous optimism, that they would be rescued. The Führer was wishing that any that it was the end, it must be a glorious end, which will demonstrate the heroism of the VI Army, and it could to be adequately "sold" to the population. The 15th of January Hitler granted to Paulus the leaves of oak of the Cross of Iron, this "prize" had a double interpretation, but Paulus ignored it. The general Richtofen was feeling that the Luftwaffe was fulfilling an effort destined for the failure. The effort that besides would spend a bill in the future to them due to the loss of so many planes.
In the last days of December there was assigned the general Rokossovsky, commander of the front of the Don, like chief in the Operation Ring. The Operation Ring (Koltso) was consisting of the submission of the VI Army. 47 divisions, 5.610 cannons and heavy mortars, 169 tanks and 300 planes were given to Rokossovsky, in whole 218.000 men. The 8th of January, the Soviets did an attempt of delivering an ultimatum; nevertheless, the action of the Germans avoided it. On the following day, the Soviets managed to contact with the Germans, but these they pushed back to accept any ultimatum.
During that Christmas, the German Staff was wondering when it would begin the final assault against his positions. The hunger, the diseases and the continuous small assaults for wear; it had turned to the German troops in a cartoon of what they were once. Up to the beginning of the last Soviet assault, the bigger enemy was the hunger, the lack of salt added to the drama. The hunger of the German soldiers was dramatic, but the situation of others was even worse.
The Soviet prisoners were dying to a arise pace, only living twenty men when they were liberated. The images that the Soviet soldiers had to contemplate could make understandable his later attitude with regard to the German prisoners.
