July 1942

Eastern Front

The 4th Panzer Army reaches Boguchar, linking up with the XL Panzer Corps, encircling minor Soviet forces. The pocket yields just 14,000 prisoners, taking the total captured so far in the campaign to 80,000. Hitler takes this to be an indication that the Soviets are finished. The 4th Panzer Army is instructed to cross the Don at Konstantinovka and from there to head west toward Rostov to encircle the Soviet force that Hitler mistakenly believes is massed there. At the same time, the 1st Panzer Army is to move west along the Don to link up with the 4th Panzer. What remained of Army Group B's spearhead is left immobile in the Don Elbow, supplies having been redirected to the panzer armies. Paulus' 6th Army is left stranded in the Don Elbow, giving the Soviets the opportunity to build upp their defenses on the approaches to Stalingrad. Had Hitler carried the advance into the Don Elbow, it is likely that the 6th Army would have taken Stalingrad in mid-July. By the time the advance is resumed, the Soviets have had the time to deploy the 62nd and 64th Armies.