The news of the Soviet rendezvous at Mamayev Hill was like a bolt from the blue sky to Paulus, who clenched the battle report he had just received with both hands and stared at the conference table in front of him without saying a word.

Seeing Paulus's reaction, Chief of Staff Schmidt felt that it was time to do his duty and gave advice to Paulus. He coughed lightly and then spoke: "Your Excellency, the Russians have joined forces at Mamayev Gang and divided our defensive line into two separate parts, north and south, and the situation is very unfavorable to us. Now the encirclement is getting smaller and smaller, and we can't hold on like this anymore. ”

Paulus turned his head to look at his chief of staff, frowned and asked, "Chief of Staff, what do you mean?!" ”

Without waiting for Schmidt to speak, Schlemmer, the commander of the 14th Panzer Corps, stood up and said, "Your Excellency Commander, we should immediately concentrate our forces and break out."

"Breakout?!" Paulus's eyes widened in surprise when he heard Schlemmer say this, and he turned his head to look at Schmidt, wanting to hear what he would say. Schmidt, who was standing aside, saw Paulus's gaze on him, and quickly bowed his head slightly, expressing his agreement with Schlemmer's suggestion.

Paulus did not think about the breakout, but the troops lacked fuel, ammunition and food, and the fuel in the tank mailbox could barely travel dozens of kilometers. Even if they were lucky enough to break through the encirclement of the Soviet army, they would have to march hundreds of kilometers on the vast snowy field to join up with the Don Army Group in Manstein. To march more than 100 kilometers in an area where air supremacy has been completely lost is simply self-defeating.

There is also a more important point, that is, Hitler once ordered to hold all the positions occupied in the Stalingrad area, and if he did not ask for instructions, he would retreat without permission, and when he returned to Germany, it would be strange not to be removed from his post and investigated.

Therefore, he shook his head and said decisively: "No, the Führer ordered us to hold on to the existing positions, and we must not leave Stalingrad until we have received his permission to break through." ”

Although Paulus rejected the proposal to break out, Kurzbach, the commander of the 51st Army, still held on to the last glimmer of hope and said: "Your Excellency Commander, we can't hesitate any longer, we only have this way left at present, if we hesitate any longer, our 200,000 troops will be eaten by the Russians little by little." ”

"That's right, Your Excellency, Commander." As soon as Schlemmer waited for Kurzbach to finish speaking, he immediately added: "As long as we break through the Russian encirclement, then we will still be the most elite troops in Germany." ”

Seeing that the two army commanders were persuading Paulus, Schmidt felt that the iron was hot and said: "Your Excellency, the two generals are right, the first thing we need to do now is to preserve our strength. ”

Seeing that the chief of staff and the two army commanders were persuading Paulus to break through, several other army and division commanders sitting at the table also echoed: "Yes, Your Excellency Commander, stay here, we will be wiped out by the Russians sooner or later, it is better to organize troops to break through as soon as possible." ”

Seeing that his generals were inclined to organize troops to break out immediately, Paulus couldn't help but worry. After repeated weighing, he finally nodded and said, "Okay, since everyone thinks that only breaking through is the best choice." Then the Chief of Staff immediately sent a telegram to Berlin, reporting our predicament here to the High Command, asking for their next instructions. ”

An hour later, Schmidt received a call back from Hitler. He came to Paulus's side with a telegram, and when he leaned down and was about to start his report, Paulus raised his hand to stop him: "Chief of Staff, please read the Führer's telegram in public, I think everyone is anxious to know what the final reply from the High Command will be to us." ”

Schmidt nodded, then stood up straight in front of the many officers and began to read out Hitler's latest order: "Führer's Second Order: 1. In order to relieve the 6th Army, a heavy group of tank corps will be assembled in mid-February in the area southeast of Kharkov;

2. The assembled forces will launch an offensive south of the Don River in the direction of Stalingrad from mid-February, weather permitting, with the aim of liberating the 6th Army. This task will be carried out by tank groups and other rapid corps transferred from Army Group A and Army Group Don.

3. Army Group Don and Army Group B should create the best conditions for rapid grouping and support for combat. ”

The final signature reads: "Adolf Hitler".

After listening to Hitler's latest order, the generals present suddenly injected a shot of cardiotonic like a dying patient, and they became re-energized, and all of them said impassionedly: "We will never surrender to the Russians!" ”

"For the honor of Germany, for the sake of the Führer, we will fight to the end!"

"Very well, gentlemen!" Seeing that his subordinates had rekindled their fighting spirit, Paulus also said emotionally: "The troops that have relieved us are regrouping, and as long as we continue to hold on, we will definitely be able to break the Russian encirclement of us." Now I order, at once, to make the telegram of the High Command known to the whole army by radio, and order all the officers and men of the 6th Army to brace their spirits and fight for the honor of the soldiers, for the Third Reich! ”

Manstein, more than 100 kilometers away, also received this telegram from Hitler, and he hurriedly summoned officers at and above the division level of his unit to the headquarters to attend an emergency military meeting.

When Manstein finished reading Hitler's telegram, Hott sighed and said: "Your Excellency, the ground transportation and supply lines of the 6th Army have been cut off by the Russians, and the little supplies supplied by air alone cannot even maintain their daily consumption, where can they maintain until February. I think maybe surrender is a good way out for them. ”

After Manstein waited for Hort to finish speaking, he first glared at him, then looked around at the officers present, and said with a serious expression: "Ladies and gentlemen, as a German veteran, I would like to share my opinion: I think that an army must not surrender as long as it still has combat effectiveness!" As long as there is war, the concept of honor of the military must be maintained, and even a hopeless battle cannot be used as a reason to surrender.

If a commander at the front feels that his situation is no longer sustainable, and immediately surrenders to the enemy, then no one can win a war. General Paulus and his 6th Army must try to continue the fight and pin down the Russians for as long as possible before they are completely annihilated by the Russians. The longer they are pinned, the greater their contribution to the war as a whole. ”

When Manstein said this, Hott sighed in his heart and said secretly: "Since the high command does not agree to the breakthrough of Paulus and their surrender, it seems that the 6th Army will not be able to escape the fate of the total annihilation at Stalingrad!" ”

Hitler's latest order to Paulus was intercepted by the Soviets. After reading the contents of the telegram, Rokossovsky handed the telegram to the other chiefs of the Front to cross, and said to Voronov with relief: "Paulus thought that Hitler would organize troops to rescue him, but he never dreamed that we would be able to wipe out the entire encirclement before the German army was completed." ”