§ Quantized History #20

§ ≡ A quantum of Quantized History { #19 « #20 » #21 }
February 1, 1943 » The German 6th Army surrenders at Stalingrad


Russian soldiers lead German POWs past Stalingrad grain silo — February 1943

Paulus was promoted by Hitler to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall on January 31, 1943 ostensibly in part because until that day no German Field Marshal had ever surrendered. In other words, Adolf Hitler expected Paulus to commit suicide, but Paulus soon surrendered to the Soviet Forces, contrary to orders by his political chief. The remaining forces of the 6th Army, under the independent command of General Karl Strecker, surrendered three days after in the Tractor Factory, at the north of Stalingrad. Although that was not the definitive end of the 6th Army on this occasion, it was one of the worst military disasters in German history. For the first time, an entire German field army had been completely destroyed.

Red Army on the Stalingrad Axis

• Representatives of the STAVKA: Army General G. K. Zhukov
  Colonel-General of Artillery N. N. Voronov; Colonel-General A. M. Vasilevesky
• Stalingrad Front: Colonel-General A. I. Yeremenko
  N. S. Khrushchev
  • 62nd Army: General V. I. Chuikov
  • 64th Army: General M. S. Shumilov
  • 57th Army: General F. I. Tolbukhin
  • 51st Army: General N. I. Trufanov
  • 28th Army: Lt. General V. F. Gerasimenko
  • 8th Army: General T. T. Khryukin
• Don Front: Colonel-General K. K. Rokossovsky
  
• South-West Front: Colonel-General N. F. Vatutin