The airlift December 1942

 

To supply Sixth Army with 300 tons a day, the absolute minimum amount demanded by the army
(which really needed 500 tons) would necessitate an average of 150 fully laden Ju 52s landing in 
the pocket each day. (500 tons an average of 250 Ju 52s landing in the pocket, including loading,
unloading, losses, etc.  it would mean they needed 800 Ju 52s to realize the 500 tons each day.)

Of the six airfield inside the Stalingrad pocket, only Pitomnik was properly equiped to handle
large-scale operations. It even had lights, flare paths and signal equipments for night operations.

This is not complete, I tried to add as much info as I found. If someone can help me to complete,
please let me know. 

Ju 52 = Junker 52
He 111 = Heinkel 111

 
.
Date

 

Number and type

of airplanes flown in

 

Supply flown in

 

Kind of supply

 

1st 
Thuesday
? Ju 52 +  ? He 111
40 planes
77 tons
.
Ammo / Food
Medical supply
Heavy snow storms. Blind take-offs. Stalin orders to make the air-lift impossible. 
Between Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st t Soviet Airforce destroyed 28 planes in the pocket.
Most of them were Junker 52.
.
2nd 
Wednesday
? Ju 52 +? He 111
About 73 planes
143 tons
.
Ammo / Fuel
Medical supply
Not enough material for pre-heating the engines of the planes before take-off.  -30 degrees celsius.
Again several Ju52 and He 111 were lost.
.
3rd 
Thursday
No flights
.
0 ton 
.
No supply
.
Weather too bad. 
.
4th
Friday
49 Ju 52
17 He 111
140 tons
 .
Ammo / Fuel
Medical supply
Since the start of the air-lift until today 38 Ju 52 and 15 He 111 were lost. Temperature 25 
degrees celcius below zero.
.
5th
Saturday
6 Ju 52 
.
11 tons 
.
Ammo / Fuel / Food
Medical supply 
Blind take-offs .36 Ju 52 take-off. Only 6 reach Pitomnik due to the bad weather. Fog and 
snowstorms.
.
6th
Sunday
? Ju 52 + ? He 111
About 55 planes 
111 tons
.
Ammo / Fuel
Medical supply
Although the weather was not much better then the day before.
.
7th
Monday
? Ju 52 + ? He 111
About 190 planes
362 tons 
.
Ammo / Fuel / Food
Medical supply 
The first time they reached their goal of 300 tons.
.
8th
Thuesday
About 30 Ju 52 
70 He 111
210 tons
 .
Ammo / Fuel 
Medical supply 
Again the Ju52 planes were heavily attacked by the Russian Airforce.
.
9th
Wednesday
No flights
.
0 tons
 .
No supply
Weather too bad to take-off. During the day the Russians bombed Tatsinskaya airstrip.
4 Ju 52 and 75 m3 fuel were lost.
.
10th
Thursday
About 40 Ju 52
80 He 111 
240 tons
 .
Ammo / Fuel
Medical supply 
Preparations for Operation Winterstorm.The attempt to relief Sixth Army at Stalingrad.
Between the 10th and the 11th the Soviet Airforce destroyed 89 planes of the Luftwaffe.
The Soviet Airforce is bombing several German airodromes.
.
11th
Friday
40 Ju 52
80 He 111
210 tons
 .
Ammo / Fuel / Food
Medical supply
The weather was 'good' to fly. 6 Ju 52 were shot down by the Russian Airforce.
.
12th
Saturday
About 40 planes 
.
80 tons 
.
Fuel / Food
Medical supply 
Operation Winter Storm starts today and needs also air support. Richthofen's Luftflotte is very
busy. Attacking the Red Army for Winter Storm, flying supplies to Stalingrad and suplies to the
retreating German troops in the Caucasus.
.
13th
Sunday
No info found
 .

.
?
 .
Untill today 9000 wounded soldiers were evacuated out of the Stalingrad pocket.
.
14th
Monday
About 40 planes 
 .
80 tons
 .
80 tons of fuel 
.
Blind take-offs. At Pitomnik airstrip the landed planes could not take-off again, the weather is too
bad.
.
15th*
Thuesday
? Ju 52 + ? He 111
About 45 planes 
90 tons
 .
Fuel / Food
Medical supply 
Although the weather not allowed to take-off about, 45 planes flew into the pocket. To decrease their
losses the Germans changed tacticts. Instead of flying in small unprotected groups the Luftwaffe start 
supplying the pocket in larger groups of planes and they are flying in from various directions 
simultaneously, "a star raid". The groups were covered by  four to six Me-109's.
.
16th 
Wednesday
20 Ju 52
70 He 111 
174 tons
 .
Ammo / Fuel / Food
Medical supply 
2 Ju52 crashed down while landing at Pitomnik airport. Due to the heavy losses the Germans start 
supplying at night. 
.
17th 
Thursday
? Ju 52 + ? He 111
About 15 planes 
28 tons 
.
Ammo / Food
Medical supply 
At night Pitomnik was heavily bombeb by the Russians. Most of supply for went to Operation Winter 
Storm that started a few days ago. The Germans thought it was better to supply Operation
Winter Storm. The goal of that operation was to break the encirclement and provided 6th Army
with tons of food at once so that they could hold their position untill the end of winter.
.
18th
Friday
6 He 111
 .
10 tons 
.
Ammo / Fuel / Food
Medical supply 
Not possible to start the engines of Ju 86 and Ju 52. Bad weather. Too cold. He 111 had less 
problems to start.
.
Friday 18th and 19th, Saturday (at night) ? Ju 52 + ? He 111
? Ju 86 - About  35 pl.
70 tons
 .
Ammo / Fuel / Food
Medical supply 
After receiving only 10 tons of supply on friday, 6th Army asked extra supply. Chief of Staff of 6th
Army blamed the Luftwaffe that they did do everything to supply the 6th Army.
.
19th
Saturday
50 Ju 52 and 13 Ju 86 
About 73 He 111 
270 tons
 .
Fuel / Ammo / Food
220 tons  of med. supply
The Commander of Sixth Army asked for 1.800 tons of medical supply and 4.000 tons of fuel.
Richthofen understands that this is not possible to do.
.
20th
Sunday
80 Ju 52 and Ju 86 
About 100 He 111 
340 tons
.
Ammo / Fuel 
Medical supply / Food 
The weather was 'good'. When the weather was better to fly the German losses were higher.
The Russian counterattack against Operation Winter Storm is slowing down the German
advance to the encircled Sith Army.
.
21st 
Monday
40 He 111 
.
79 tons
 .
Ammo / Fuel/ Food
Medical supply 
The weather was too bad for the Ju 52 to take-off. 
.
22nd
Thuesday
No flights 
.
0 tons
 .
No supply 
.
Bad weather. Russians bombed Morozovskaya and advanced 20 km of Tatsinskaya airstrip. 
.
Thuesday 22nd + 23rd
Wednesday (at night)
? Ju 52 + ? He 111 +
? Ju 86 About 85 planes
177 tons
.
Ammo / Fuel
Medical supply / Food 
Russians are attacking at Tatsinskaya airstrip area.
.
23rd
Wednesday
? Ju 52 + ? He 111 
72 planes
141 tons
 .
Ammo / Fuel
Medical supply / Food 
Preparation to defend Tatsinskaya airstrip. Blind take-offs direction Stalingrad 
.
24th 
Thursday
No flights 
.
0 tons
 .
No supply 
.
Bad weather. Soviet forces overran Tatsinskaya airstrip. The Luftwaffe starts using Novocherkassk 
airstrip.
.
25th 
Friday
5 Ju 52 
.
7 tons
 .
Food 
.
On this Christmasday only 7 tons reached the Stalingrad pocket. The German advance of
Operation Winter Storm is stopped. 
26th 
Saturday
40 He 111 
.
78 tons
 .
Food 
Medical supply
Soviet threat to Morozovskaya was destroyed. He 111 returned to that airstrip. 
The Germans are retreating, the last hope to relief 6th Army is gone.
This is bad news for the encircled Germans at Stalingrad.
.
27th
Sunday
? Ju 52 
? He 111
127 tons
.
Food 
Medical supply
The Soviets pressed in on Morozovskaya again. He 111 on emergency evacuation alert. 
.
28th
Monday
18 Ju 52 
.
35 tons
.
Food 
Medical supply
Tatsinskaya airstrip was recaptured by the Germans. The Luftwaffe starts using the Salsk airstrip
to provide 6th Army.
.
29th
Thuesday
? Ju 52
? He 111 
124 tons
.
Food / Fuel
Medical supply 
Richthofen hopes to use Tatsinskaya airstrip again for the Stalingrad air-lift.
When Tatsinskaya airstrip was lost it was not longer possible to cover the tranportplanes
with fighter.
.
30th 
Wednesday
? Ju 52 + ? He 111 
? Ju 86
224 tons
.
Food / Fuel / Ammo
Medical supply 
Since the airlift began 18410 wounded or sick troops were evacuated out of the pocket.
The disorganisation of air transport
was such that as early as December the losses among the German troops at Stalingrad as 
a result of hunger and cold amounted to 400 or 500 soldiers and officers a day.
31st 
Thursday
? Ju 52 + ? He 111 
? Ju 86
310 tons
.
Food / Fuel / Ammo
Medical supply 
Hollidt annouces that he problably could not hold Tatsinskaya and Morozovskaya airstrip much 
longer. In 24 hours Erich Jeckstat managed to fly 4 times into the pocket. He received his
Ritterkreuz on March 14th 1943.  During the air-lift he had flown 41 times to theStalingrad pocket.

* 2 Ju 52 mit 4 tons of pepper and marjoram ?! Also Sixth Army could not use the boxes of condoms
and special equipment for pioneers they received. 

Notes : 
-Several pilots / planes flew twice a day.
-The army agreed to consume its remaining rations and then eat its 10.000 horses before
  asking provisions to be airlifted.
-Up until December 31st transport planes carried out 15 tons of mail.
-Up until December 31st transport planes brought 73 tons of mail in the pocket.
 

 
Sources : Books

Stopped at Stalingrad - Hayward
Luftbrücke Stalingrad - Franz Kurowski
The battle for Stalingrad - Rotundo (The 1943 Soviet General Staff Study)