At Gumenlak Airport, a Ju-52 transport aircraft, affectionately called "Junkers Mother" by German soldiers, struggled to land on the runway with black smoke coming from its tail.
Dozens of German soldiers quickly surrounded the plane and opened the cabin door. The soldiers were disappointed to find that instead of the bread and sausages they wanted, there were boxes of cold grenades.
"We had a total of six planes. We were surrounded by Russian fighter jets on the way. Two of them were shot down by ground anti-aircraft fire. My plane was also shot. God bless, I have been praying that the ammunition in the cabin would not explode, otherwise
There will be no bones left of us." The pilot was shivering when he was helped out of the cockpit, his eyebrows were covered with frost, and the protective cover of the cockpit was also broken.
Gumenlak is the only operational airport in Volgograd. In the past few months, the German army has been transporting supplies to the besieged German troops and transporting wounded soldiers through Gumenlak Airport.
"Let's take a rest and drink some hot water. Sorry, this is all we have now." A German lieutenant brought a cup of hot water to the hungry pilot. They arrived in Volgograd after several hours of hard work.
When January came, the 6th Army was also running out of ammunition and food. The Germans ate up all the food they could eat. A piece of bread mixed with sawdust, bark, and moldy would cause the German soldiers to rob it.
What the 6th Army needed most was food and a telegram allowing the 6th Army to surrender.
The supplies sent by the base camp were mostly guns and ammunition, and there were very few medicines. It was obvious that the base camp hoped that the 6th Army would persist until the last soldier was left.
"Thank you, the situation is very difficult now, let's go on next." The pilot hesitated to speak.
The lieutenant was silent, he knew what the pilot wanted to say.
All the surrounded officers and soldiers of the 6th Group have realized that they have no way to retreat and can only die with the Russians. In the future, fewer and fewer "Junkers" will be able to reach Volgograd.
While the lieutenant was chatting with the pilot, the ground crew was unloading ammunition from the transport aircraft, completely vacating the cabin, and stuffing as many wounded as they could into the cabin that had to be transferred to the rear for treatment.
Getting on the plane does not mean that you can escape. "Junkers Aunt" will still face Russian fighter planes on the way back. In order to increase the chance of escape, "Junkers Aunt" will take off at night, leaving the remaining
It all depends on God's mood.
In a department store not far from the airport, General Schmidt, chief of staff of the 6th Army, was persuading Army Commander Paulus to leave Volgograd early.
Mustache was right. No German marshal had ever been captured before, and Schmidt didn't want Paulus to be the first.
Even if he died on the plane, he would still be considered dead in battle.
"No, I won't leave. I want to stay with my legion, no matter what the outcome is." Paulus looked expressionless. Even if he escaped back to Berlin, Paulus would inevitably be liquidated.
Mustache did not want Paulus to die, and he did not want to see Paulus become a deserter.
Mustache wanted Paulus to perform a miracle and lead the 6th Army to victory.
Even the Italians can explode with amazing combat effectiveness in desperate situations, why can't the Germans?
If it can't be done, it must be Paulus' problem and has nothing to do with the mustache.
It’s no one’s trust.
"Marshal, this is not to evade responsibility. You have done everything you can do. The Führer will understand you and you can still serve the Führer." Schmidt was already determined to die. Someone had to be responsible for the failure of the 6th Army.
"I am no longer working for someone, I am working for the empire. If you want to leave, the plane is at the airport. I will never leave Volgograd." Paulus' hatred of the mustache was palpable.
Today's mustache is no longer the savior who filled German tables with bread and milk.
From this perspective, the Germans are also the wrong people. They chose a madman as the head of state in a difficult situation, and now they have to pay for this mistake.
The battle should not have ended like this.
If Mustache had listened to the advice of Halder and Zeitzler and voluntarily gave up the attack on Volgograd, then Germany would not have suffered such heavy losses and would have left green hills without worrying about firewood.
If Mustache can allow the 6th Army to retreat, then the 260,000 German troops can be saved and will not be besieged by the Russians in Volgograd.
If Army Group A and Manstein had been more resolute, the outcome of the battle might have been rewritten.
All of this is meaningless now. There are more than one million Russian troops besieging the 6th Army, but there are no reserves in the hands of Mustache. All troops are exhausted and unable to launch an attack in the severe cold winter.
Like last year's Battle of Moscow, winter once again became the German army's biggest opponent.
No, the situation now is more dangerous than last year. Last year, the German army at least did not lack fuel.
The damage to the "Junkers Mother" was very serious. There was a big hole in the tail position and multiple bullet holes in the wings. The ground crew who tried to repair it felt that they had no way to start. Even if they managed to repair it, the ground crew were not sure whether the aircraft could still be repaired. Fly.
Not to mention crossing the Russian blockade.
Major General Goretzka, who is in charge of airport operations, is worried about the lack of fuel in "Aunt Juncker".
After "Junkers Aunt" landed, the fuel was almost exhausted and it had to be replenished before flying back.
"The fuel stored at the airport is seriously insufficient. We don't have enough fuel." Colonel Cross, the airport's logistics manager, was at a loss. Aunt Juncker was also helpless when there was no fuel.
"There will never be enough fuel. Add as much as you can, at least to ensure that you can fly out of the encirclement." Major General Goretzka tried his best not to cut off the hope of the officers and soldiers of the 6th Group.
As long as there are still planes that can land at the airport, the officers and soldiers of the 6th Group will not lose hope.
The battle was brutal and fierce, and the positions of both sides were intertwined. Many ordinary officers and soldiers of the 6th Army are still unaware of the fact that the 6th Army has been surrounded by Russian troops. Only senior officers know how serious the situation is.
Senior officers such as Paulus and Schmitz could be willing to die, but not all officers and soldiers were willing to die in Volgograd.
If the true situation is announced, a mutiny may immediately occur. Even if only part of the German troops on the defense line surrender to the Russians, the defense line will collapse instantly.
"There is still oil in the tank of the 14th Army," Colonel Cross hesitated. As long as there is oil, everything else is not important.
Major General Goretzka remained silent. This is just drinking poison to quench thirst. The 14th Army is the garrison force of the airport. If the plane cannot take off, then the airport has no meaning.
The Russians also know the importance of the airport to the 6th Army, and they send bombers every day to bomb the airport indiscriminately.
Airport ground staff try their best to maintain the operation of the airport. After the bombers leave, they clean up the garbage on the runway and repair the runway as quickly as possible. This work is repeated every day.
The situation around the airport is also very bad. Almost all buildings have been destroyed. German anti-aircraft firepower is scattered in the ruins. Half a meter of snow has become the best camouflage for tanks. Russian bomber pilots look down from above. The entire city
It was all a vast expanse of white, and the bombing efficiency was not very high.
Because of this, the airport can still operate to this day.
Major General Goretzka took the initiative to find Major General Franz, commander of the airport security force.
Major General Franz's command post is in the basement of a building. In the severe cold weather, Major General Franz's command post is as warm as spring. There are some oil drums thrown in the room at the door of the basement. No need to ask, Major General Franz is there.
Use precious fuel for heating.
Major General Goretzka looked at the oil drum with a gloomy expression.
The airport's fuel supply is already so tight, but the armored troops are using fuel for heating. Why don't you all freeze to death!
"We don't have much fuel left. We really don't have any extra fuel for you. You should know that if the armored forces run out of fuel, they will lose all combat capabilities." Major General Franz probably just had dinner, and the room was still filled with smoke.
With the smell of grilled sausages, the red wine glasses on the table haven't even had time to be cleared away.
Of course, this may also be because Major General Franz uses red wine glasses more frequently.
"General, your and my only mission is to ensure the smooth operation of the airport. This is the hope of all of us." Major General Goretzka suppressed his anger and patiently persuaded Franz.
"Hope! We are trapped in this damn place now. The Russians have ten times more troops than we do, and they are still increasing. We are unable to attack, break out, and even maintain our defense line. You tell me
Where is the hope? Pray to God to defeat the Russians?" Major General Schmitz's face was red, and his uniform was stretched tight. It seemed that Major General Schmitz had good nutrition and gained a lot of weight during this period.
"As long as we haven't lost, we can't lose hope. As a soldier, you shouldn't say such things, and you shouldn't even think about it!" Major General Goretzka is determined. Even if he is in a desperate situation, he must maintain the honor of being a soldier.
.
"Ha, it's the damn Junker aristocratic tradition again. Our country has been ruined by you damn guys. You only think about war, victory, and glory every day. The whole country has been dragged into the abyss by you. You should be
"Responsible for all this" Major General Schmitz was full of alcohol and spoke nonsense.
The Junker aristocracy suffered heavy losses in the last world war, but they still have huge influence in Germany.
When Mustache came to power, he reached a compromise with the German Junker aristocracy and gained support from the Junker aristocracy. Major General Goretzka was a member of the Junker aristocracy.
Schmitz, on the other hand, came from a civilian family. His mustache allowed the Junker nobles to enter the army, but he would not let the Junker nobles control the army. He must cultivate new groups to balance the Junker nobles' control over the army.
"Sober up, Schmitz, this is not what you should say." Major General Goretzka's face was filled with frost, and his hand was already on the holster on his waist.
"Ha, what do you want to do? Enforce military law on me? Sorry, you don't have the power. This is my command post, not yours." Major General Schmitz looked crazy and laughed wildly.
Major General Goretzka turned around and left. He really did not have the authority to deal with Schmitz. The one who had the authority was Paulus.
Paulus had no regard for Schmitz.
The Don Front's attack was very resolute, closing in step by step, gradually compressing the 6th Army's living space.
In terms of tactical literacy, the veterans of the 6th Army are still much better than the recruits of the Don Front.
The gap in other aspects is too big. The recruits of the Don Front can at least have a full stomach, but the soldiers of the 6th Army are hungry. If Rokossovsky is not so anxious and encircles the 6th Army without attacking, he can also
The army group was trapped to death.
The Russians hate the invaders so much that they will not let the invaders live even one minute longer even if they pay a huge price.
The current Russian army has greatly improved compared to the Russian army at the end of last year.
Last year, the Russian army not only had new soldiers, but also lacked weapons and ammunition, as well as a serious shortage of tanks.
The situation has improved a lot this year. Aid from southern Africa and the United States has continued to arrive in Russia. Through a large-scale industrial relocation, Russia has finally passed the most difficult stage. Industrial production has begun to resume, and hundreds of brand-new T34s arrive every day.
On the battlefield, the 6th Army even lacked shells for its anti-tank guns and was unable to do anything against the T34.
Molotov cocktail?
Sorry, you also need gasoline to make Molotov cocktails.
If the Germans had enough gasoline, they would not be in this situation today.
Under the crazy attack of the Don Front, the 6th Army's defense line was collapsing.
The Russians are now smarter and take full advantage of their weapons and equipment. If they encounter stubborn resistance from the German army, they will either use tank troops to attack or call for artillery support, giving the German army no chance to fight hand-to-hand.
More and more German soldiers died due to diseases. Long-term malnutrition caused many German soldiers to suffer from snow blindness. Some German soldiers even voluntarily walked out of their bunkers due to hallucinations and were exposed to the sight of Russian snipers.
During the Battle of Volgograd, Russia produced countless excellent snipers. The most outstanding sniper killed 224 German soldiers in three months. He was the prototype of the character in "At the Gate".
On the 19th, Paulus sent another telegram to Mustache, clearly expressing his hope that Mustache would allow the 6th Army to surrender.
Mustache refused again and called back stating: Surrender is impossible and the 6th Army should fulfill its heroic responsibilities in Volgograd until the last man.
On the 22nd, the Don Front occupied Gumenlak Airport, completely cutting off the supply of the 6th Army.
On the 31st, the Russians attacked Paulus' headquarters in the department store. Paulus sent his last telegram to Berlin and then ordered the headquarters staff to surrender.
The battle finally ended, and the Russians captured a German marshal, 23 German generals, 2,000 officers below the school level, and 91,000 German soldiers.
