Stalingrad. The Germans advance with Hoth, 200 tanks and two armored divisions, the 6th and 23rd, to break through the pocket of Paulus’s Sixth Army. In 24 hours, they cover 50 kilometers, cross the Aksay River, and arrive within 60 kilometers of the objective. From Stalingrad, comrades hear the booming cannon fire in the night, and word spreads: “They’re coming.” At this point, Paulus simply needs to move his tanks toward Hoth, but he has received different orders from Hitler. The T-34s of the 51st Soviet Armored Division stand in the way.
