The development of the battle was just as Shulka expected. Manstein led the 11th Army to bypass Surovino without hesitation.
This was not only because the war in Stalingrad was urgent, but also because Manstein believed that if a German armored division could block the Soviet attack on the flanks, then there was no need to worry too much.
If Manstein did anything, it was that it assigned two additional infantry divisions to cooperate with the German 9th Panzergrenadier Division to defend Surovino... If it is dangerous for one division to block the enemy's army, then add another
With two divisions and a Romanian Army, this should not be a problem.
The Soviet Supreme Command had nothing to do about this situation.
After all, Shevchenko failed to break through the defense line despite heavy casualties when supervising the battle. Then the German army immediately increased its troops to strengthen the defense line. So it is normal for the 51st Army to be blocked.
But this normal result was that Manstein's troops were heading directly towards Karachi.
This made the Don River Front feel uncomfortable.
The staff officers in Rokossovsky's headquarters were busy, and telegrams from various units flew to the desktop of the headquarters like snowflakes.
"Comrade Rokossovsky, the 57th Army is in urgent need of supplies!"
The 57th Army was the main force that crossed into Karachi to encircle Stalingrad. According to the orders of the Supreme Command, they abandoned the logistics troops as quickly as possible on the muddy roads and penetrated directly into Karachi.
In some respects this approach was correct, as it did cut off the supply of German troops in Stalingrad.
But the effect of cutting off supplies is unsatisfactory.
Because the German 6th Army in Stalingrad maintained a strong combat effectiveness, they were stationed along the Volga River and the Don River, and defended both ends of the opening of the two rivers, forcibly opening up a more than 200 kilometers long for themselves.
The defense depth is more than 100 kilometers wide.
Although there are problems with this defensive depth, for example, part of Stalingrad is still in the hands of the Soviet army, and the defense lines at both ends of Germany are not stable.
But even so, the German army, with its deep defense, opened two airports in the controlled area.
As a result, German transport planes transported supplies to the German-controlled areas in batches.
Obviously, with this kind of air transportation, the German army surrounded by Stalingrad would not be defeated so easily.
On the other hand, the Soviet 57th Army was short of supplies due to its long-distance attack deep into the enemy's occupation of Karachi. At the same time, German reinforcements rushed to Karachi in batches... This put the Soviet army in a very embarrassing situation. At this time, no one knew who it was.
Who to encircle? While the Soviet army was encircling the German 6th Army, it was also semi-encircled by the German 6th Army and the 11th Army.
Moreover, the Soviet 57th Army should be said to be very dangerous, because they don't even have a retreat, let alone the space like the German 6th Army to open an airport and use air transportation to survive.
So, this is actually a comparison of who can survive longer.
In this battle, the Soviet army was obviously no match for the German army.
"We should knock out the enemy's airfield!" the staff officer said to Rokossovsky.
"I know this, Comrade Margelov!" Rokossovsky replied.
If you want to win this battle, you must either increase the strength and vitality of your intervening troops, shorten the enemy's resistance time, or use both.
"The problem is that we don't have air superiority!" Rokossovsky said.
Although the Soviet Air Force has carried out large-scale reforms, the reformed Soviet Air Force has only enhanced its limited combat effectiveness, reaction speed and command efficiency. It cannot reverse the advantages and disadvantages of the Soviet and German Air Forces in one step.
Therefore, the German army used air power that was obviously superior to the Soviet army, that is, a large number of fighter planes were distributed behind Stalingrad. As soon as they discovered that the Soviet fighter planes were taking off, these fighters immediately flew to the area around Stalingrad to join the battle.
Because the German fighter planes had the advantage and were waiting for work... To be precise, the German army basically determined that the targets of the Soviet attack were the two transport airports located in the Stalingrad-controlled area.
As mentioned before, if you know the enemy's attack target, everything will be easier. The German army can set traps in the air and wait for the Soviet fighter planes to come.
As a result, the German army forcibly created a safe airspace over Stalingrad, and German transport planes could safely take off and land in this safe airspace to transport supplies.
The German army did not even use anti-aircraft artillery in the Stalingrad area... This was a strategy of the German army to save supplies: anti-aircraft artillery consumes a large number of artillery shells, and these artillery shells need to be transported by transport aircraft, which consumes transportation capacity.
At the same time, the German army believed that the problem could be solved by using the air force, so it did not need ground anti-aircraft artillery support at all. This could ensure the supply of Stalingrad to the maximum extent.
"We can't attack from the air, we can only attack from the ground!" the staff officer added.
Rokossovsky shook his head.
The map is clearly marked. The German army has located two transport airports in the central area of the German-controlled area. The closest distance to the contact line between the enemy and ourselves is more than 40 kilometers.
In other words, if you want to control or suppress the German airport from the ground, you have to advance at least thirty kilometers so that the artillery range can reach the airport.
However, the German defense in Stalingrad was solid. The Soviet troops surged upward one after another, but fell to the enemy's guns one after another.
Prior to this, the Soviet army's battle in Stalingrad was mainly defensive, and urban street fighting was obviously more advantageous in defensive warfare.
Now that the Soviet army has launched a counterattack and the German army is on the defensive, the battle situation becomes even more difficult.
"Comrade Rokossovsky!" The correspondent reported at this time: "Comrade Tolbukhin reported that they found the enemy's reconnaissance force, and it is speculated that the enemy's 11th Army has arrived at our Karachi defense line!"
"So fast!" Rokossovsky couldn't help but raise his head and look in the direction of the correspondent. After a pause for a few seconds, Rokossovsky ordered: "Let them confirm!"
"yes!"
In fact, there was no need to confirm. Rokossovsky knew without a doubt that it was the German 11th Army.
This is not only because the German army has always been famous for its speed, but also because the German army is eager to rescue Stalingrad. As the saying goes, rescuing troops is like putting out fires. The 11th Army will definitely rush to Karachi day and night non-stop.
At this time, the 57th Army had just had time to build a line of defense on Karachi.
Watching the small black flag representing the enemy on the map being inserted in the direction of Karachi, cold sweat broke out on Rokossovsky's forehead.
"If only..." Rokossovsky sighed: "It would be great if Shulka was here, he will definitely find a way!" (To be continued)