Stalingrad Front K.K. Rokossovsky, who was transferred from command of Bryansk Front; Gordov was removed to the "STAVKA" reserves. Southeastern Front was disbanded, and Yeryomenko was put in command of the reorganized Stalingrad Front, with the 62nd, 64th, 57th, 51st and 28th Armies under command. This command structure would remain for the duration of the battle. As of Nov. 19, Stalingrad Front commanded five field armies, plus the 8th Air Army. On January 1, 1943, Stalingrad Front was renamed as the new Southern Front. Stalingrad Front The Stalingrad Front was a front, a military unit encompassing several armies, of the Soviet Union's
Battle of Stalingrad away from the oil-rich Caucasus, which had been Hitler's original grand-strategic objective. The Royal Romanian Air Force was also involved in the Axis air operations at Stalingrad. Starting 23 October 1942, Romanian pilots flew a total of 4,000 sorties, during which they destroyed 61 Soviet aircraft. The Romanian Air Force lost 79 aircraft, most of them captured on the ground along with their airfields. After three months of slow advance, the Germans finally reached the river banks, capturing 90% of the ruined city and splitting the remaining Soviet forces into two narrow pockets. Ice floes on the Volga now prevented