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Breakthrough on the Eastern Front

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Grand Falcon Railroad (U3267675) on Monday, 20th February 2006

  Does anything one think that if the German Army had have been bold enough to try an airborne attack on the Soviet rear echelon depots at Stalingrad thing might have been different - it's always something that makes me wonder why not try? After all the amount of transport aircraft they lost doing something wasteful could have been used to try something rather bold? Would the Soviets have expected it?
  
  The way I would look at it would be to fly around Stalingrad and not over it and then drop the para's and they could have run riot - even if the majority of them did become casualties the damage caused could have been very severe indeed - as I said above could you compare the loss of the entire Sixth Army (bar those flown out) to the risk with the possible sucess of what I'll call "Operation Eastern Eagle".
  
  Do you think the reason for the plan not being tried was the fear that the para's would just be massacred because they didn't have armoured support? If this was the fear why do you think the German forces didn't try to cross the Volga further up stream (maybe in an Arnhem style bridge seizure?)
  
  Feel free to tear me apart like a beseiged German Army.
  
  regards,
  
  NewcFalcon.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Local Hero (U3080508) on Monday, 20th February 2006

  After the huge paratroop losses during the German invasion of Crete, Hitler vowed to never use them again in that way - dropped from the air.
  
  They may have caused devastation for a while, but without heavy weapons such as artillery and tanks and with little chance of escape, the Russians would have eventually crushed them, leaving their plans for Operation Uranus, the encirclement of the 6th Army, to proceed unmolested.
  
  I don't think it would have had any appreciable effect in the long term, and would have almost certainly meant the loss of several thousand superbly trained men, which Germany could ill afford. Simple as that.
  
  All the Best
  
  Michael

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by Grand Falcon Railroad (U3267675) on Monday, 20th February 2006

  Hi Michael - as i said feel free to shoot my question down.
  
  I do honestly understand what you mean and I'm not being dogmatic in suggesting it either but I still can't see why not (after all if you don't buy a ticket you don't win the raffle) but the Crete fiasco must have weighed in Hitler's mind -Do you therefore think they could have been used to maybe capture a Volga crossing point further away from Stalingrad? Or would they have just been the first unit to be hit in the pincer movements of the impending Operation Uranus?
  
  As an additional question - any thoughts on why a unit couldn't have been sent down to the Caucasus to capture a key oil facility and defend it for as long as possible giving Fourth Army a chance to get there. Or is just an overestimate of what the 1st GR. Para Army could do in it's time? I'm thinking in coordination with an amphibious assault over the Black Sea from troops based in Sevastopol.

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