August 1942

Eastern Front

The Soviet forces trapped in the Don bend are destroyed, the 62nd Army losing 35,000 men killed and captured. Kalach falls to the 6th Army as its pincers again meet up behind the remnants of the 62nd Army. The Soviets are retreating across the river in force, destroying the Don bridges as they go.

The acrimonious relationship between Hitler and Field Marshal Halder hits rock bottom as Halder argues that the primary objective of the campaign remains the capture of Moscow. Hitler counters that it is oil that is vital to Germany and pins his planning upon the capture of the Caucasus oilfields. As the fighting around Stalingrad intensifies, however, Hitler becomes obsesses with the capture of the city, throwing more and more forces into the exposed salient that will jut out to the Volga.