On to Stalingrad: Operation Winter Thunderstorm and the Attempt to Relieve Sixth Army, December 1942

The first English translation of a German account of the attempt to relieve the Nazis’ Sixth Army at Stalingrad during World War II.

In late November 1942, Soviet forces surrounded General Friedrich Paulus’ Sixth Army in a pocket at the Russian city of Stalingrad. In response the Germans planned a relief operation, Operation Winter Thunderstorm, intended to break through the Soviet forces and open the pocket, releasing the encircled units. The 6th Panzer Division was the spearhead of the German relief force. The attack started on 12 December 1942 and was aborted on 23 December after heavy Soviet counterattacks. This failure sealed the fate of the German Sixth Army in Stalingrad.

This account of the operation was first published in German in 1956, written by the well-respected military historian and retired German officer, Horst Scheibert, who was a tank commander in 6th Panzer Division during the attempt. Utilizing many excerpts from war diaries, and telegrams sent during operations, it is a unique account of the entire operation from the situation in mid-November through the two German offensives, the Soviet counteroffensive, and ongoing fighting until early January. This book includes 16 maps from the original edition and is the first English translation of this important German account.

Praise for On to Stalingrad

“Rich and detailed like very few of its kind are, with a crisp writing style and critical eye for the events of the battlefield that almost makes you feel as if you were there with Sixth Panzer. On to Stalingrad is a book so compelling that it simply should not be overlooked for your personal and professional enjoyment.” —ARMOR Magazine

“Offers a unique viewpoint from an actual veteran who is able to provide an immediate military analysis of this mostly forgotten operation of the Stalingrad campaign.” —New York Journal of Books

© 2023 Casemate (Ebook): 9781612008073

Translators: Janice W. Ancker

Release date

Ebook: April 4, 2023