I'm a bit curious about people's opinion on Stalingrad, once Uranus began. What could have prevented the destruction of the Sixth Army? What could be done, and what was impossible?

Personally, I believe the only hope would have been an immidiate all-out attempt to strike back west, as soon as the extent of the Soviet counter-offensive was realized. At this time the German forces still had some options and mobility, while the Red Army was disorganized by the advance and fighting to close the sack. Of course, the rapid Soviet advance combined with political considerations and inertia in the German high command made this impossible. The window of opportunity for this option closed in a couple of days.

Moving on, I often see the opinion that Paulus should have been allowed to strike out from Stalingrad as the relief attempt under von Manstein approached the city, in order to link up.

This always seemed bogus to me. At this time the Sixth Army had lost any mobility it previously had. In fact, it seems unlikely to me that the ragged and starving survivors could have been coerced into any effective form of force capable of driving back the Soviets dug in around them on the steppe. It's one thing for such a desperate, depleted and exhausted force to stay dug in and defend their "homes", if you will, fighting with incredible determination and desperation to defend their only form of fleeting safety. It's quite another thing to use them offensively.

Opinions?

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"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"