“The situation is suddenly very fluid again,” he said. “Chuikov tells me that many of the German divisions that have been pushing into the suburbs of Volgograd have now suspended operations and they are pulling out.”
“Don’t sound so happy about that,” said Zhukov. “I’ve already had reports indicating they are crossing the Don to the south of Kalach. 5th Tank Army was virtually destroyed at Surovinko. Only 1st Guard Tank remains viable.”
“I have had to order the withdrawal of both 9th and 11th Rifle Corps in the Don Bend,” said Rokossovsky, “so that leaves the entire lower Don open to crossing operations. They are trying to break out at Kalach as well.”
“And they will,” said Zhukov.
“What about Operation Saturn?”
“It achieved a remarkable penetration, but they brought in yet another infantry division and managed to stop it four to six kilometers from Morozovsk. Now they are reinforcing that position further with elements of that damn Death’s Head Division. The question now is what to do about this development. What is your situation?”
“I managed to pull 11th Rifle Corps back. They are deployed south of the main road to Kalach. 9th Rifle Corps is getting beat up in the fight to stop their 48th Panzer Corps. But the flank is now hanging in thin air there, and they are beginning to push out patrols to the north. I have no mobile reserve, and 1st Guard Tank is still engaged. There is now a 30 kilometer gap in the front centered on Surovinko, and I have nothing to send there.”
There was silence for some time before Zhukov spoke again. “We have done what we could,” he said. “They have finally seen the error they made in crossing the Don with their best mobile divisions. So now our party is over. The only mobile force we presently have is 1st Tank Army near Morozovsk. I will have no choice but to suspend operations there and pull that force out. So we have driven them to the ropes, but those ribs are tougher than we thought. Now we move to the center of the ring again. As for 5th Shock Army, we will leave it where it is for the moment. That will keep a lot of forces preoccupied near Morozovsk.”
“And Volgograd?” asked Rokossovsky.
“The bad news is that they have taken the Volga Bridge. The good news is that they are now pulling out their better divisions, and it will be some time before they can move in significant reinforcements to replace them. Volkov’s dogs are moving up from Beketova. They have also begun reoccupying Sarpinskiy Island.”
“Like the scavengers they are,” said Rokossovsky. “They’ll take nothing we don’t give to them first.”
“This allows us some time to reorganize the defense of the city,” said Zhukov. “Unfortunately, with the bridge lost, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to get supplies in by river as we were doing. So now I must look to building up the 66th Army. That is the only force we can use to attempt to relieve the city.”
“How very strange,” said Rokossovsky. “Last year Volkov’s troops were sitting right where 66th Army is now, trying to get at Volgograd from the north. Now here we sit contemplating the same thing.”
“The tides of war become rip currents around places like that city,” said Zhukov. “Don’t worry, we will hold it again this year. I have given Sergei Kirov my word.”
“Like we promised him we would save Moscow?”
“That was different. That traitor, Beria, had everything to do with the difficulty there. That said, we still have a third of the city, for what it’s worth.”
“What is Volgograd worth? We get no supplies from it. Now that it is cut off like this, all the industry there will serve only to try and keep Chuikov supplied. Why do we sacrifice two armies there? They will be much needed elsewhere. And for that matter, how long can we leave these shock armies this far south of the Don with the Germans east of Voronezh?”
“It is winter,” said Zhukov. “Their operations will come to a halt, just as they did last year.”
“Only this year we have little left to throw at them,” said Rokossovsky.
“Be patient,” said Zhukov. “The factories in Leningrad are working night and day to build new tanks. There is more in the works than you realize. Everything depends on that city now—everything. Sergei Kirov has moved the government there now that Berzin has cleaned everything up after Beria’s treachery. If we can manage to hold on to Rostov and Volgograd until spring, then things will look a little different.”
“But what did we gain from all of this?” asked Rokossovsky. “2nd Guards Rifle Corps is nothing more than a headquarters now. We lost both 24th and 25th Tank Corps as well.”
“What did we gain?” Zhukov asked him back again. “Time, Konstanty, time. It was all about getting us to General Winter. Now we have time, and those tank corps will be replaced. Just wait and see.”
Things were already starting to look very different on the front as divisions began moving in all directions. A kampfgruppe from 3rd SS of four battalions and a company of tanks arrived at Morozovsk, but given the withdrawal that night of the 1st Tank Army, that front had already stabilized.
“Thank you for coming,” said Manstein. “Rest here tonight and we will see what things look like in the morning. I may be sending you right back east to join the rest of your division, only this time I have a ride for you. There is fresh rolling stock here, and the rail line is open, at least as far as Oblivskaya. I think 48th Panzer Korps, and the backbone in this infantry we deployed here, has won the day. Soon I will have Steiner bring out the rest of your Korps. Then we do some broken field running again. I am going to continue north into the gap in the front above Surovinko, and I expect that will soon move the enemy mobile group here. Tonight I must fly to meet with Halder to plan the redisposition of forces on the front. I will personally recommend that Totenkopf gets a unit citation for exceptional valor and skill in these battles along the Chir.”
For the Russians it was now a case of “so close but yet so far.” They had taken ground, taken losses to do so, but the premature offensive had threatened to bottle up the cream of Steiner’s SS, though Manstein was now taking steps to correct that. They had cut the rail line that had taken months for the Germans to convert, and now it would take another three weeks to a month to repair all that damage. The shuffling of forces that would soon be underway would give a much needed respite to the defenders if Volgograd. Steiner would have to swallow his pride and turn that battle over to someone else.
Come the 1st of November Manstein was meeting with the Führer to explain what had happened, and why he had made the decisions he took. “A city fight is no place for a Panzer Division,” he lectured. “Particularly that city. The streets are piles of rubble from the bombing and shelling, and the enemy moves through that debris like rats. In fact, the troops have already coined a name for the fighting: Rattenkrieg. They are in the sewers beneath the streets, and in the cellars of every building. We will leave the Assault Gun Battalions there, as they can give the infantry excellent fire support, but that is what we need now, good infantry. In my estimation, it will take no less than ten divisions.”
“Ten divisions?” It sounds like we will have a second Verdun there,” said Hitler.
Halder’s eyes narrowed. Here was Manstein again, the oh so reasonable, smooth talking General come to scavenge for more troops.