..... In Stalingrad, it wasn´t the goal to bind hostile troops. They told this the Germans but the fact that the Hoot army was tasked to break the cauldron tells the true story. Hoot started his mission but was not successful. Only after that Hitler decided to sacrifice the troops. Stalingrad was a very important goal of the Germans.
No, Manstein had formed a special assembled Army Corps - Hoth and others were ordered by Manstein to break the Russian encirclement of Stalingrad in order for Paulus to break out and thus supporting Manstein's plan. Unfortunately Paulus (a weakling and Hitler believer) requested permission to break out of Stalingrad (with his still intact 6th Army) to meet up with Hoth spearheading the advance from the West - and then to reestablish a new front line, around Kalach (100km) west of Stalingrad, knowing that Stalingrad could not be held. Hitler refused this tactical promising pincer-movement, telling Paulus it is essential for the 6th Army to stay in Stalingrad in order to bind Russian troops - that might otherwise cut off the Wehrmacht units in the Caucasus. Therefore Manstein's plan was doomed to fail - and Paulus fate was sealed.
Hoth and others were only given the order to break the Russian encirclement, because Hitler had chosen to ignore Manstein and his own WH HQ warning, that the northern and southern flanks held by Italians, Rumanians and Hungarians would not be able to withstand a Russian offensive - which could lead to the entrapment of the 6th Army.
Before Stalingrad the Wehrmacht had never attacked or engaged into urban warfare a large city - not even to mention a huge city like Stalingrad- before having eliminated Russian forces and encircling the respective city. Thus making sure that Russian reinforcements could not support the respective city or launch a counterattack onto Wehrmacht units around and behind the encircled city. And exactly that was impossible in view of Stalingrad - due to Russian troops still holding parts of the Western bank (Stalingrad) and being in total control of the Eastern bank of the Volga.
Furthermore the Bohemian corporal had suddenly changed the initial sanctioned HQ plan to only take Stalingrad via Army Group South as a first, and then to move into the Caucasus. But then ordering a simultaneous attack onto Stalingrad and the Caucasus - thus splitting Army Group South into Army Group A (Caucasus) and B (Stalingrad) . Thus overstretching the already precarious Wehrmacht supply situation and even worse, therefore enabling large Russian forces to escape eastwards via the corridor the A and B movements had caused. These Russian troops then went to Stalingrad and additionally set up at the East Volga bank.
As for Bakhmut, Selensky was told to give up on it, by the West and later by his own army. But Selensky declared Bakhmut a fortress in December, a term the Germans used for cities that may not be given up on in WWII. Selensky stressed that Bakhmut is of great strategic importance in 2023. Its loss would open the lands for the Russian advance. He is in luck, his great offensive, even on the paper only, made the Russians prepare defenses instead of offensives. Now he lost Bakhmut, but Russia lost Wagner. We do now have a stalemate in the war and only time will tell how it will end.
Bachmuth is the exact replica of Stalingrad - with the Goebbels scholar ignoring the flanks around Bachmut - taking falsely into account that the RF wouldn't be able to perform two flanking outmaneuvers - South and North around Bachmut - and therefore impeding, lastly cutting of the supply lines into Bachmut. Instead of ordering an organized retreat out of Bachmut into the behind Bachmut set defense lines and meeting up with the UAF reserves - The Goebbels scholar ordered additional Brigades of the UAF reserves to go into Bachmut and to attack the Russian flanks. And was clearly outnumbered and outgunned by the Russians - just as Manstein's relief force under Hoth.
This logically happens if a former Comedian, and now Goebbels scholar, involves himself into military plannings and placing himself on-top of the UAF's CIC, Zaluzhny - who now is either paying the price of political sacrifice or is indeed out of action due to WIA.
