Comments by "James the Other One" (@jamestheotherone742) on "Was Reaching the Volga North of Stalingrad the WRONG move? BATTLESTORM STALINGRAD E12" video.

That's pretty optimistic for a Russian.
9
benvolio mozart Except if the Germans had refused the trap and the war of attrition and kept biting off whole chunks of the Soviet Army that had been their success to this point. I donno as @ Nicholas Conder wrote, historically the die was already cast not only by the mentality of German leadership (Hitler) but also the limitations of their logistics. But this was really the last time they could have made this change, and the shock of losing an entire corps (for the first time?) could have been that impitus.
4
If Wietersheim had died in place like a good Nazi, Paulus and crew (maybe even Hitler) might have realized that they in over their heads and called the drive on Stalingrad off. This would have left them out of the trap and in the freeer ground west of the Don. As it was they blamed him for the set back and kept bulling forward.
1
@25:45 "lost opportunities".... What you hinted at with your "what ifing", the German command became fixated upon reaching geographical objectives, Stalingrad, the Volga, etc. and lost sight of fighting the bewegungkrieg with the Soviet armies that were before them, and more ominously surrounding them. If they had taken the time to defeat the scattered Soviets in detail, much of the following tragedy might have been avoided.
1
@Vitross I didn't say static warfare. And it wasn't at this stage of the battle. Other than the Soviet units that were in the Stalingrad defensive belts, both armies were in the field. Paulus et. al strategy became centered on maneuvering to objectives, instead of maneuvering to encircle and destroy enemy formations. So in his haste to "just get there" he was the one who wound up enveloped.
1