Germans focus on Stalingrad September 1942

By early September 1942 it was obvious the German attacks in the Caucasus had been spent, List was sacked and if the Germans did manage to capture any oil sites, they would be wrecked before capture.

So lets say Hitler same time as he sacked List on September 9th 1942, abandons any further offensives into the Caucasus, just holding existing ground and pulls divisions: SS Wiking, 13th Panzer, and the Slovak mobile division, and 1 other German infantry division out of Army group A and reinforces Army group B for its October 1942 Tractor factory attack into Stalingrad and if can't be deployed into Stalingrad because of supply or space issues or just after the city falls, deployed as a reserve behind the Romanians.

Can the Germans take Stalingrad AND/OR prevent its encirclement by the Soviets in November 1942.
 
In my opinion Stalingrad was not a valuable objective, should have sent Von Paulus to help get oil fields in Caucaus even if oil fields are destroyed it could be rebuilt.
Reinforcements nor time doomed the Stalingrad mission it was Germany's lack of proper defenses on the flanks that did them in.
 

Deleted member 1487

In my opinion Stalingrad was not a valuable objective, should have sent Von Paulus to help get oil fields in Caucaus even if oil fields are destroyed it could be rebuilt.
Reinforcements nor time doomed the Stalingrad mission it was Germany's lack of proper defenses on the flanks that did them in.
The Caucasus is meaningless if your flank folds when pushed as per OTL. If somehow Hitler realized this and didn't think the Soviets were decisively beaten by this point, then its a question of how long it would take to redeploy those forces and how long before they could be rehabbed. As it was they took damage and wear and tear from the distance traveled (same on the way back out) so wouldn't be fully combat effective. The meager units pulled out wouldn't hold the flank, which as you point out is more important than Stalingrad. So no the OP scenario is not going to solve a thing.
 
The meager units pulled out wouldn't hold the flank, which as you point out is more important than Stalingrad. So no the OP scenario is not going to solve a thing.

What is it going to take to hold that flank in November? Hitler wouldn't agree to evacuations of territory already gained.

I am thinking that without attacking torward Tupase or across the Terek, that would mean extra supply for the artillery barrage, more replacements and a stuka strike or two extra for Stalingrad that the complete collapse of the Soviet bridgehead west of the Volga in Stalingrad might happen in October.
(Army group A has advanced far enough the sea of Azov and the Don is open for supply barges so maybe feeding in extra supply is possible)

So with an extra handful of divisions from army group A and an extra couple of divisions no longer needed in Stalingrad, maybe an 8-10 division reserve, is that enough to hold on to Stalingrad?

To get more divisions means evacuating the Demanysk bulges probably. Not sure Hitler is ready for that. I can see him not advancing someplace but evacuating something already gained not so much.
 

Deleted member 1487

What is it going to take to hold that flank in November? Hitler wouldn't agree to evacuations of territory already gained.
Nothing that Hitler would allow. Even if he were rational the most rational option would have been to retreat back to the Don for all of AG-South no later than October, conducting a scorched earth campaign the entire way. Then as pressure increases in November on the flanks pull back again to the start line by December, scorch earthing it the entire way. That way what remains of German strength is preserved and a strong fall back line is already waiting, while the scorched earth campaign blunts Soviet ability to move men forward to challenge them in winter. Come spring mud holds of major attacks and by Summer the Germans have a very strong line with the pull back from Rzhev and Demyansk. Then when pressure gets too great doe a phased pull back to the Panzer Line:
Map_of_dnieper_battle_grand.jpg
 
Nothing that Hitler would allow. Even if he were rational the most rational option would have been to retreat back to the Don for all of AG-South no later than October, conducting a scorched earth campaign the entire way. Then as pressure increases in November on the flanks pull back again to the start line by December, scorch earthing it the entire way. That way what remains of German strength is preserved and a strong fall back line is already waiting, while the scorched earth campaign blunts Soviet ability to move men forward to challenge them in winter. Come spring mud holds of major attacks and by Summer the Germans have a very strong line with the pull back from Rzhev and Demyansk. Then when pressure gets too great doe a phased pull back to the Panzer Line:
Map_of_dnieper_battle_grand.jpg

The Nazis could have pulled back to the Don and would have had a significant place to defend from.
 
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