During late February Manstein reorganized his remaining Panzer troops the best that he could but, there was noe the feeling that the next Soviet onslaught  would be unstoippable, wherever it struck.
Stalin now sent his strategic genius, Marshal Georgi Zhukov, to supervise the final destruction of Manstains Army group.
In a matter of days Zhukov tanks coverd more than 160Km, and most of the Mansteins army group  22 divisions  found iself cut off in a huge Kessel or pocket centred around the town of Kamenet Podolsk.

The cut off troops include include the cream of the waffen SS  and Wermacht panzer units.

Command of the trapped troops  fell to the first Panzer Army Commander, Colonel-General Hans Hube. The one-armed tank commander had actually served under Paulus at Stalingrad, and he would soon put into practice some of the lesson he had learned in the Kessel pockets.

The air bridge provided Hubes men with just enough supplies for them to keep fighting and moving, by this stage of the war  the Luftwaffe had finally manstered this type of operation.
Hube and Manstein however, were determinated not to repeat the the mistakes mad at Stalingrad. Manstein devised a plan for Hube to attack directly eastward, cutting trough the Russian lines and meet up with the rescue forces moving east.
Hitler hated the plan cos it gave up huge amount of territory. For days he sat on his hands and refuse to make a decision. On 24 March Manstein threathened to issue the breakout order anyway. On this rare occasion the Fhurer backed down.

The rescue operation was a major success for Manstein, but the Fhurer saw it entirely differently. Wars are not won with brillantly organized retreats.
The saviour of the Eastern front was relived and replaced by Field Marshall Walter Model, who had a reputation for issuing fight to the last man and bullet orders. He was more to Hitler liking.

