The agony of 1st Cavalry's and 20th Infantry Division's 12,607 men in Stalingrad endured to the end of January 1943. Believing that 20th Division represented a weak link in the southern perimeter, the Soviets had attacked its 82nd Regiment on 31 November but were firmly repulsed, leaving ten tanks knocked out in the Romanian positions. Further attacks on 3 and 10 December also failed. The Germans awarded more than 50 Iron Crosses for these actions, and the division's commander, General Tataranu, was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 17 December.
Fortunately the Romanian infantry and cavalry used the same 7.92mm round as the Germans, and could be kept supplied with small-arms ammunition. However, although the two divisions had reached Stalingrad with half their artillery and anti-tank guns intact, they soon ran out of shells and the Germans, who did not use compatible rounds, had thereafter to be relied on for artillery support. 20th Division's infantry regiments were therefore distributed around the German IV Corps. 1st Cavalry Division's horses were eaten by 6th Army during December, and its personnel were then distributed in combat teams to a variety of German divisions in XIV Panzer Corps.
Regular external contact with 20th Infantry and 1st Cavalry was lost on 13 January when General Tataranu, an influential former Deputy Chief of the Army Staff and supporter of General Iacobici, flew out of the pocket without authority, to complain to Antonescu that Romanian commanders were being deprived of control of their troops. Antonescu was furious that he deserted his division, and would have put him before a court martial had Hitler not intervened at the request of General Jaenecke, his German corps commander inside the pocket. The remnant of 20th Division appears to have been kept in the line until 26 January, when it finally collapsed, the day after 6th Army could no longer supply its rations.
Only between two and three thousand Romanians survived to go into captivity. Field Marshal Paulus, the commander of 6th Army, said to them:
"In the circumstances the fighting spirit and leadership displayed by the Romanian units in the army under my command deserve special commendation. With the assistance of heavy weapons of the normal German type issued to them, and thanks to determined leadership by their officers, these troops fought gallantly and showed great steadfastness in the face of all the hardships to which they were subjected."
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