After the Germans threw three engineer battalions into the barricade factory, they did not achieve the results they expected. This made Paulus and his chief of staff, General Schmidt, particularly disappointed.
"Your Excellency, Commander," Schmidt came up behind Paulus who was looking up at the map and said to him: "Because the troops of Russian Colonel Sokov entered the barricade factory, our plan to seize the factory failed."
"It's this damn Sokov again. With him around, it will be difficult for our operation to succeed." Paulus turned to Schmidt and gritted his teeth and said: "It seems that we need to send more troops to strengthen The fortifications of the barricade factory, take out these damn Russian troops. Only by getting rid of them can it be possible to capture the factory."
"But, Your Excellency, Commander." After hearing Paulus's angry words, Schmidt said with a wry smile: "We have no mobile troops to mobilize now."
"November is simply a disastrous month for us." Paulus walked back to his desk and sat down, looking at Schmidt and continued: "At the beginning of the month, Rommel's Afrika Korps was in El Alamein. , was hit hard by Montgomery and had to retreat to Tripoli to protect itself. As a result, American troops took the opportunity to land on the west coast of Africa behind us and advanced towards Tunisia.
It was precisely because of the unfavorable war situation in Africa that the most elite 7th Armored Division, the Flag Guard Division, the Imperial Division and the Totenkopf Division were all pinned down in France. If the Führer could throw these four divisions into Stalingrad, I dare to say that Chuikov and his troops would not be able to hold on for more than 48 hours. "
"My Lord Commander, judging from the current situation, it is absolutely impossible for the head of state to transfer these four elite divisions to Stalingrad." After pouring cold water on Paulus, Schmidt reminded him: "According to the scouts' reports, the Russians not only massed forces in the middle reaches of the Don River northwest of Stalingrad, opposite the Romanian 3rd Army, but also invested a large number of troops south of the city. I think these actions of the Russians, Meaning they're going to run an offense."
"They launch a counterattack every month to try to drive our troops away from Stalingrad. But these attacks of theirs have been ruthlessly crushed by us, and this time will be no exception." Paulus finished. After saying this, he frowned and thought for a moment, and then said: "Chief of Staff, I remember that the two armies of the Romanian 4th Army south of the city are covering the flanks of General Hoth's 4th Armored Army, right?"
"Yes!" Schmidt nodded and said to Paulus: "Your Majesty Commander, I think it is necessary to remind you that except for the 1st and 13th divisions, the rest of the Romanian army's equipment is very poor. If they were attacked by the Russians, there was a chance the defenses would be breached."
"These two divisions have not made any achievements near Mamayev Hill during this period. I think there is no need for them to stay." Paulus was very dissatisfied with the Romanian army's record during this period. He was a little dissatisfied. He said angrily: "Let them return to their homes as soon as possible, and our troops will take over the vacated area."
"Your Excellency, Commander," after hearing that Paulus asked the two Romanian divisions near Mamayev Hill to return to their posts, Schmidt respectfully asked Paulus: "Which unit do you think should be used to replace them?" Where’s the defense?”
Paulus replied without hesitation: "Let Roski's 71st Infantry Division and Rodenburg's 76th Infantry Division take over the Romanian army's defense."
Regarding Paulus's order, Schmidt asked with some concern: "Your Excellency, Commander, I am worried that the troops may be attacked by the Russians when they change defenses..."
"Chief of Staff, don't worry. Even if the Russians knew that we were changing defenses, they would just stare blankly." In order to dispel Schmidt's doubts, Paulus specifically said to him: "According to intelligence, the cable that gives us a headache is Colonel Kov is currently at the barricade factory. As long as he is not on Mamayev Hill, the defenders there will not dare to act rashly."
"But, but, what if he notices the change of guard in our army and rushes back to Mamayev Heights?" The muscles on Schmidt's face twitched violently a few times. "I'm worried that he might organize some counterattack and let me The army fell into chaos..."
"It is not difficult to prevent him from leaving the barricade factory." Paulus said lightly: "Send the 336th Engineer Battalion to the barricade factory to assist the 305th Infantry Division in the attack. In this way, he will have to Concentrate on dealing with our army's attack and have no time to worry about the direction of Mamayev Heights."
"This is a good idea." Schmidt nodded and said: "It is said that the day the engineer battalion entered the barricade factory, it caught the Russians by surprise. If Sokov hadn't come out in time to resolve the crisis, I'm afraid our army would have occupied it. The whole factory.”
The two were studying how to seize the barricade factory when a communications officer walked in from outside. Schmidt hurriedly approached and asked, "What's the matter?"
The officer quickly took out the folder from his armpit, opened it, took out a telegram and handed it to Schmidt, saying: "Telegram from Berlin Base Camp."
Schmidt took the message and waved to the officer, indicating that he could leave. After he lowered his head and quickly read the contents of the telegram, he quickly walked towards Paulus and said, "Your Excellency, Commander, this is a telegram from the Führer. He asked us to quickly capture the remaining areas of Stalingrad."
While Paulus was reading the telegram, Schmidt continued: "The Führer believes that it is strategically meaningless for so many troops to be contained in one city by the Russians. We should end all this as soon as possible and move Troops were redeployed to other more important areas."
After reading the telegram, Paulus threw it on the table and said with a sneer: "There are more important regions. What other regions are as important as Stalingrad today?"
As soon as Paulus finished speaking, Schmidt said: "Your Excellency, Commander, now the Russians' supplies have been completely cut off, and their situation has become increasingly difficult. If we concentrate all our forces and launch a final attack on the Russians, A general attack will definitely capture this city completely."
"The Russians are in difficulty, aren't we in difficulty?" Paulus complained: "Since the Russians destroyed the supplies we had hoarded at Kotluban Station and the 564th Kilometer Station, our army's ammunition and supplies have appeared There was a serious shortage. In the past, before attacking the factory, we could use powerful artillery fire to cover the Russian positions. But now, the shells of each artillery do not exceed half a base, so that the attacking troops can receive artillery support. , has been greatly weakened.
Also, in this damn Russian winter, it keeps snowing every day, which prevents our air force from dispatching, causing us to lose air superiority, allowing the Russians to better hold their positions. "
Compared with Paulus, Schmidt was obviously more confident: "Your Excellency Commander, the Russian transportation line is interrupted and cannot be restored in a short time. I think we should take advantage of this rare opportunity to give the Russians the final One strike will completely crush their resistance."
Paulus knew that his chief of staff would not make such irresponsible remarks casually, so he nodded and said to him: "Chief of Staff, tell me your plan."
"Your Excellency, Commander, I admit that due to the Russian attack, we have had some problems with our ammunition and supplies." Schmidt said: "But it only takes us a few days to replenish the offensive capabilities for the forward troops." We need the ammunition and supplies we need. Once everything is ready, it won’t be too late to attack the Russians.”
"How long do you think it will take us to prepare?" Paulus asked.
"A week." Schmidt raised a finger and said: "I think it is completely possible to replenish ammunition and supplies to the frontline troops in a week. As long as our preparations are completed, we can launch a comprehensive Attack. From my perspective, let’s choose the attack time on November 18th.”
Paulus turned his head and glanced at the calendar on the wall, nodded slightly, and said: "Okay, we will make sure to launch the final general attack on the Russians on November 18th. We must capture those areas still controlled by the Russians before dark. Area."
After determining the time for the final general attack, Paulus remembered another important thing: "By the way, Chief of Staff, according to the reconnaissance of the Air Force, the Russian guerrillas who attacked the station took away a lot of supplies in the station. They moved to the camp in the forest. When are you going to send out the suppression troops to eradicate these damn guerrillas?"
Hearing Paulus's question, Schmidt hesitated for a moment, and then replied: "Your Excellency, Commander, our main task now is to completely capture Stalingrad. As long as we capture the city, we can then turn around and deal with these guerrillas." It’s not too late.” He was worried that Paulus would be stubborn and emphasized, “After all, we are now facing a situation of insufficient troops.”
"Chief of Staff, I thought about it for a moment. The Russians have assembled a large number of troops in the middle reaches of the Don River. They are obviously going to attack us, and there is only one Romanian 3rd Army there." Paulus waited for Schmidt to finish. He said thoughtfully: "I think we need to deploy troops to strengthen defense."
"Your Excellency, Commander!" Schmidt asked respectfully, "Where do you plan to deploy the troops?"
Paulus stood up and walked to the wall, looking up at the unit numbers marked on the map. After looking at it for a while, he raised his right hand and pointed at the map, turned to Schmidt and said: "Chief of Staff, call Lieutenant General Heim, commander of the 48th Armored Corps, and order him to deploy the 22nd Armored Division into the Romanian 3rd Army. Defense Zone.”
"What, dispatch the 22nd Armored Division?" Schmidt couldn't help but froze when he heard Paulus's order. He quickly glanced at the map, and then said: "Your Excellency, Commander, the 22nd Armored Division has been Deployed at the rear of the Italian 8th Army, 150 battalions away from the Romanian Army's defense area..."
"I know how far they are from the new defense zone. I have eyes." Paulus said with a straight face: "There are currently no troops with combat missions, only the 22nd Armored Division. Time is running out, so give the order immediately. Bar."
"Okay, I'll call Lieutenant General Heim and ask him to transfer the 22nd Armored Division south as soon as possible." After Schmidt finished speaking, he turned around and planned to return to his office, but he didn't take a few steps. Was stopped by Paulus. The latter pointed to the phone on the table and said to him: "Chief of Staff, just use my phone to call Lieutenant General Heim."
Schmidt returned to Paulus' desk, picked up the phone on the desk, and made a call to Lieutenant General Heim's headquarters. As soon as the phone call came through, he said bluntly: "General Heim, His Majesty the Commander ordered you to immediately dispatch the 22nd Armored Division into the defense area of the Romanian 3rd Army."
General Heim, who had been in reserve for several months, was overjoyed when he heard Schmidt say that he had a mission assigned to him. However, after he heard the other party's mission, his face immediately became frosty: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, I think it will take some time before the 22nd Armored Division can carry out your order. They cannot be mobilized at the moment."
Hearing what Heim said, Schmidt immediately widened his eyes and asked sternly: "General Heim, what is going on? What does it mean that the 22nd Armored Division cannot be mobilized temporarily?"
Paulus saw that Schmidt was angry, with a look of astonishment on his face. He leaned forward and leaned closer to the phone receiver, trying to figure out what Heim said wrongly that made Schmidt angry. He heard Heim complaining on the phone: "Because the 22nd Armored Division was in reserve and assigned to garrison in the rear of the Italian army, there was no chance of fighting, so the troops never actually got the fuel they needed for their tanks. If they want to set off, they first need to replenish enough fuel..."
Paulus didn't wait for Heim to finish, and said angrily to Schmidt: "Immediately arrange the logistics department to replenish the fuel needed for the march of the 22nd Armored Division."
Hearing that Paulus agreed to replenish fuel for his troops, Heim suddenly felt more relieved. He quickly assured Paulus: "Your Excellency, Commander, I immediately issued an order to the troops to prepare them for departure. At most In three hours, they can move towards the defense zone of the Romanian 3rd Army."
"Very good!" After hearing Heim's reply, Paulus nodded and said with satisfaction: "I hope your armored division can enter the designated defense area as soon as possible."
It was originally thought that as long as the 22nd Armored Division was replenished with enough fuel, they would be able to move towards the defense area of the Romanian 3rd Army within the specified time. But less than an hour later, Paulus received a call from Heim. The commander of the Armored Corps said anxiously on the phone: "Your Excellency, Commander, it's not good, something happened, something big happened." !”
Hearing what Heim said, Paulus couldn't help but feel a little in his heart, wondering whether the armored division was attacked by Russian guerrillas? He asked in a panic: "General Heim, don't be anxious, calm down, tell me quickly what happened?"
"I just received a call from Colonel Oberon, the commander of the 204th Armored Regiment. He said that 39 of the 104 tanks in the regiment could not start at all." Heim said urgently: "During the march, another 34 tanks broke down due to engine problems. In addition, there are many tanks whose turrets cannot rotate..."
"What the hell, what's going on?" After listening to the other party's report, Paulus asked angrily: "Tell me, why are so many tanks in the armored regiment malfunctioning?"
