September 1942

Eastern Front

Chuikov arrives in Stalingrad to take command of the battered 62nd Army. Since August 23 the 6th Army has suffered 7,700 killed and 31,000 wounded. With the battle for Stalingrad barely underway, Zhukov leaves for Moscow, where Stalin informs him that he and Vasilevsky must come up with a solution to relieve the pressure on the 62nd Army.

The build up of German forces clearly indicate that the Ostheer is pinning its hopes on the capture of Stalingrad. As the Germans prepare to launch their offensive, both the 6th Army and the 4th Panzer Army are heavily committed in and around Stalingrad, a total of 590,000 men with 10,000 artillery pieces and nearly 1,000 panzers facing the 590,000 Soviets of the Stalingrad and Southeast Fronts, who have 7,000 artillery pieces, 600 tanks and 389 aircraft between 65 rifle divisions, 4 cavalry divisions, 7 rifle brigades, 34 tank brigades and 6 motorized brigades. The Stalingrad Front deploys the 21st and 4th Tank Armies on the northern bank of the Don, facing the XI Corps' 4 infantry divisions, while VIII Corps' 2 infantry divisions confront the 66th, 1st Guards and 24th Armies on the 40-mile sector between the Volga and the Don. The XIV Panzer Corps' 3rd Motorized Division faces north, 60th Motorized is split between the northern wing and Stalingrad and the 16th Panzer faces Stalingrad. Inside Stalingrad and to the south, the Southeast Front deploys the 62nd and 64th Armies inside the city, the 57th and 51st Armies on the left flank between the Sarpa lakes. From Rynok to Kuporosnoye the 62nd Army has 54,000 men with 900 artillery pieces and 110 tanks while the 64th Army holds the line from Ivanovka with 40,000 men, 1,100 artillery pieces and a handful of tanks. This sector sees the commitment of the bulk of the 6th Army and the 4th Panzer Army. From Orlovka to the Tsaritza River are the 71st, 76th, 295th, 100th and 389th Infantry Divisions of the LI Corps, while south of the Tsaritza is the 94th Infantry, 29th Motorized and the 14th and 24th Panzer Divisions of the XLVIII Panzer Corps. With the increasing commitment of the XLVIII Panzer to the fighting inside the city, the 4th Panzer Army relinquishes control of Kempf's corps to the 6th Army. This leaves Hoth with only the 287th and 371st Infantry Divisions of the IV Corps and the VI Rumanian Corps. These weak forces face the 64th and 57th Armies.