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25K img., Yak-7 of the 586 IAP-PVO Soviet Fighter Tactics
   The Soviet pincers closed around the German forces in the Stalingrad area at Kalach on 23 November 1942. With the ring around Stalingrad finally closed, Iosef Stalin and the Stavka proceeded with their larger plan for a general winter offensive. This plan, code named Operation Saturn, was for the encirclement, and eventual elimination of all German forces in the Donets Basin.
   On 25 November 1942, the Luftwaffe Ju-52/3m transports, having to fly through turbulent snowstorms, were constantly harassed by Soviet fighter aircraft. This resupply mission delivered less than a third of the minimum of the daily supplies required. By the end of the second day of the airlift only 130 tons of supplies had been delivered.
52K img., Yak-7 of the 586 IAP-PVO   It was also on 25 November 1942 that the German Generaloberst der Flieger ( Luftwaffe General) Wolfram von Richtofen, commander of Luftflot IV, reported to Adolf Hitler that he had only 298 Ju-52 transports available for the airlift. Richtofen calculated that his command would need at least 500 Ju-52 aircraft to successfully complete the Stalingrad airlift operations.
   Because of his lack of transport aircraft, Richtofen recommended that the German 6 Armii be allowed to attempt to break out. Hitler refused to consider this line of reasoning any further and Richtofen was left without a solution for his airlift requirements. In desperation, Richtofen pulled He-111 bombers from combat operations and pressed them into service as transports.
45K img., Yak-7 of the 586 IAP-PVO    The German transports during this airlift operation flew along very strict aerial lanes to and from Stalingrad. The Luftwaffe had provided the transports with navigational aids that helped guide them to the airfields around Stalingrad. The Luftwaffe placed great confidence in their abilities to complete the airlift to relieve the German 6 Armii trapped at Stalingrad because of their precision electronic navigational and bombing devices known as X-Gerate and Y-Gerate (electronic device or apparatus).

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