This episode we’re starting the week-to-week coverage of the battle and it’s the end of July 1942.

As we’ve heard, Hitler had split his Southern Army in two sending the Fourth Panzers to the Black Sea to secure the coast while the 6th Army continued onwards towards the Don River.

Hitler had ignored General Halder’s protestations about the buildup of Soviet troops to the East of these units – at least a million men were now based across the Volga River and in the Caucuses. The Soviets were also producing at least 500 tanks a month which was almost the same number Germany’s massive manufacturing sector was churning out – and Hitler didn’t believe that either.

He also thought the Russians were close to collapse. They weren’t.

On the 28th July 1942 Hitler was celebrating the capture of Rostov in the South and his southern Army’s rapid drive towards the Don River where the Soviet army faced annihilation.

If the German army made it west of the Don River, they would then be able to challenge Soviet troops on the Volga and in Moscow, Joseph Stalin was aware what that would mean. The Germans would cut his country in two and seize the all-important Black Sea ports feeding material into Moscow.

In other theatres there was even more bad news. A large allied shipping convoy with the code name PQ-17 on its way to Russia had been destroyed in the Barents Sea.

In his office in the Kremlin, Stalin was pacing back and forth listening to the latest report on the war presented by General Vasilevsky. It was full of the words retreat, withdrawal, surrender.

Apparently this is where Stalin blurted

“They’ve forgotten my Stavka order!” which he had issued in August 1941.

“That was anyone who removed their insignia during battle and surrendered would be regarded as a malicious deserter who’s family would be arrested.”

The deserters would be shot dead on the spot.

“They’ve forgotten it!” he yelled. “Write a new one along the same lines.” He ordered Vasilevsky.

The General had a few hours to redraft the order and then report back to Stalin who was seething now convinced that some of his own army had lost their nerve and needed severe disciplining.