Starting 23 October 1942, Romanian pilots flew a total of 4,000 sorties, during which they destroyed 61 Soviet aircraft. Despite the fact that the main German positions in the finished northern wing of the Railwaymen's House could not be seized, the Red Army men managed to occupy the foundation of the southern wing, predetermining the tactical plan for the next assault. The exhausted opponents dug themselves deeper into the ground. Despite daily artillery and mortar shelling, life continued on the bridgehead. The Luftwaffe also lost close to 1,000 highly experienced bomber crew personnel. The Front was reformed from reserve armies on 22 October 1942. Here were the positions of the last of the battalions of the 42nd Guards Regiment - the 3rd battalion of Captain A.E. The shock groups of the 295th Infantry Division, having crushed through the defenses of the 34th Guards Rifle Regiment, reached the Volga near the mouth of the Krutoy ravine. Pavlov was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union for his actions. They are worthy of being told about. Overy, Richard. [156] Hitler rejected it on a point of honour. This was the first major effort to clear the Milk House since mid-September. [80][81], The Red Army gradually adopted a strategy to hold for as long as possible all the ground in the city. The German air arm found itself spread thinly across Europe, struggling to maintain its strength in the other southern sectors of the Soviet-German front. The strike was planned at the most vulnerable point of Rodimtsevs divisions defense - the Dolgiy and Krutoy ravine area, where the joint was with the 284th Rifle Division. On the eve of that day the 295th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht received replenishment and the task to finally get to the Volga on its site. Machine gun crew of Art. On September 23 and 24, the enemy probed the front line - in the course of short skirmishes and clashes, the front line gradually emerged. Initially, supply flights came in from the field at Tatsinskaya,[142] called 'Tazi' by the German pilots. The series quickly became popular, and it was read on the radio by Yuri Levitan. Rodimtsev , the entire command of the 42nd Guards Rifle Division and the 3rd battalion of this regiment. On August 23, Paulus's mobile formations were spread out on their approach to Stalingrad. Millions were killed, wounded, missing, or captured in what was perhaps the most brutal battle in modern history. He argues that, though it is "easy to argue that from the summer of 1942 the Soviet army fought because it was forced to fight," to concentrate solely on coercion is nonetheless to "distort our view of the Soviet war effort. Luftflotte 4 flew 1,250 sorties on 14 October and its Stukas dropped 550 tonnes of bombs, while German infantry surrounded the three factories. "He described the situation in very sombre terms", recorded Raus. At the start, Stalingrad was no more than a name on the map to us. At night, the small bridgehead was revived and resembled an anthill: the soldiers hastily unloaded the boats with ammunition, and the commanders raised small groups of replenishment for positions. The next night, Junior Sergeant Ya.F. Stalingrad was strategically important to both sides as a major industrial and transport hub on the Volga River. rata kad nemaka vojska duboko je zagazil. The Gerhardt Mill ruins in Volgograd, Russia - Dreamstime Later, the reports from the field found interesting insignia on the Germans killed on the shore, - in the night attack, paratroopers, veterans of the landing on Crete took part. The other would start from the Chir front west of the Don, which was little more than 60 kilometres (40mi) from the edge of the Kessel, but the continuing attacks of Romanenko's 5th Tank Army against the German detachments along the river Chir ruled out that start-line. Hiwi often proved to be reliable Axis personnel in rear areas and were used for supporting roles, but also served in some front-line units as their numbers had increased.[126]. Of its three regiments, one was completely smashed and the other only had three battalions remaining. Taking this advice to heart, Pavlov ordered the building to be surrounded with four layers of barbed wire and minefields, and set up machine-gun posts in every available window facing the square. Romanian forces destroyed 62 Soviet tanks on 20 November for the cost of 25 tanks of their own, followed by 65 more Soviet tanks on 22 November, for the cost of 10 tanks of their own. [2], The position was quickly fortified under the command of Lieutenant Ivan F. Afanasiev, who ordered the men to lay landmines in all approaches to the square, barbed wire around the perimeter of the apartment block, and to position multiple machine guns in the windows as well as a PTRS anti tank rifle. In the reports of the regiment on irretrievable losses it was noted: on October 1, 77 men were missing and 130 Red Army men died, for October 2 - 18 more and 83 people, respectively. He had been crouching over another cesspool, and now, noticing us, he was hastily pulling up his pants, and then he slunk away into the door of the basement. Pavlov's "House" was rebuilt after the battle and is still used as an apartment building today. Due to a limited number of available aircraft and having only one available airfield, at Pitomnik, the Luftwaffe could only deliver 105 tonnes of supplies per day, only a fraction of the minimum 750 tonnes that both Paulus and Zeitzler estimated the 6th Army needed. Unsuccessful, the surviving fighters of the assault group only managed to crawl back to their trenches at night. In addition to the main attack on the Krutoy ravine, subdivisions of the 295th Infantry Division attacked the positions of the 3rd battalion of the 39th Guards Rifle Regiment on Republican street, where the battalion was struck from the side of the unfinished "Railwaymen's House" at the junction between the 3rd Battalion of the 42nd Guards Rifle Regiment and 2nd battalion of the 34th Guards Rifle Regiment. In October, two attempts to capture the "Railwaymen's House" ended in failure. Okhlobystin. For two months, subdivisions of the 34th and 42nd Guards Rifle Regiments tried to knock out the Germans from these fortified points. [94] Soviet nurses not only treated wounded personnel under fire but were involved in the highly dangerous work of bringing wounded soldiers back to the hospitals under enemy fire. This would allow the Germans in the city to fight on temporarily while a relief force was assembled. Arte documentary. By mid-November, the Germans, at great cost, had pushed the Soviet defenders back into narrow zones along the west bank of the river. The fame of the building might be due to the fact that it was not at the center of the October fighting, which had shifted to the north of Stalingrad. South of the mound, in the central and southern districts of the city occupied by the Germans, the command of the 6th Army left the 71st and 295th Infantry Divisions, which were drained in the September battles and were only suitable for defense. [116] From 21 August to 20 November, the German 6th Army lost 60,548 men, including 12,782 killed, 45,545 wounded and 2,221 missing. Some of the loadouts also seemed out of place, such as the STG 44. A ceremonial Sword of Stalingrad was forged by King George VI. At a meeting shortly after the Soviet encirclement, German army chiefs pushed for an immediate breakout to a new line on the west of the Don, but Hitler was at his Bavarian retreat of Obersalzberg in Berchtesgaden with the head of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Gring. He studied 11,237 letters sent by soldiers inside of Stalingrad between 20 December 1942 and 16 January 1943 to their families in Germany. Some were kept in the city to help rebuild it. By the end of July, the Germans had pushed the Soviets across the Don River. - Real History Online, The Sword of Stalingrad- An Award From King George VI, The reconnaissance group of Sergeant Pavlov Ya.F., which seized the building. The Soviets built up a large number of artillery batteries on the east bank of the Volga. After being put on public display in Britain, this was presented to Stalin by Winston Churchill at the Tehran Conference later in 1943. For Russians, 75 Years Later, Stalingrad Is a Battle to Remember A soldier prepares to throw a grenade. (60 days)[8], "One of the most famous episodes of the Stalingrad battle was the defence of 'Pavlov's house', which lasted for fifty-eight days. In violation of all regulations, the comrade ordered the barrels of mortars to be positioned almost vertically. The Luftwaffe retained air superiority into November, and Soviet daytime aerial resistance was nonexistent. There is a hope of clearing North Africa of Germans in the near future Russia is scoring wonderful successes in Southern Russia. General Richthofen informed Manstein on 27 November of the small transport capacity of the Luftwaffe and the impossibility of supplying 300 tons a day by air. The Battle of Stalingrad: The Battle that Broke Hitler On 23 August the 6th Army reached the outskirts of Stalingrad in pursuit of the 62nd and 64th Armies, which had fallen back into the city. After landing, the groups managed to establish supplies, and Rodimtsev had his own small fleet - about 30 rowing boats and vessels. German archives do not support the claim for heavy fighting for the building, and Soviet military archives attach no particular importance to the house as a defensive structure. Soviet forces reached the entrance to the German headquarters in the ruined GUM department store. The USSR lost 4,341 tanks destroyed or damaged, 15,728 artillery pieces and 2,769 combat aircraft. [123] The link-up of the Soviet forces, not filmed at the time, was later re-enacted for a propaganda film which was shown worldwide. The book begins well, with Barbarossa, and follows German advances into Stalingrad, but then the details scatter. Having graduated with honors from the Central School of Sniper Instructors, Chekhov was not only a good shooter, but he was also able to train comrades in his specialty, many of whom later surpassed him. [45], On 25 July the Germans faced stiff resistance with a Soviet bridgehead west of Kalach. A view from the German side. "L-shaped house" was a five-six-story "Stalinka", from the upper floors from which German spotters could view almost the entire bridgehead of the 13th Guards Rifle Division. The Battle of Stalingrad was fought between the German 6th Army and a large number of Soviet Armies lasted from 23 August 1942 until 2 February 1943 for control of the city of Stalingrad in the south-western Soviet Union. After a series of strong blows from two German divisions that reached their peak on September 22, the 13th Guards Division found itself in a very difficult situation. Specialists from industrial enterprises and party workers lived in Pavlovs house. On 5 September, the Soviet 24th and 66th Armies organized a massive attack against XIV Panzer Corps. 1, suffered particularly heavy losses. Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group. 227 of 27 July 1942 decreed that all commanders who ordered unauthorised retreats would be subject to a military tribunal. [192][193][194] The Red Army had the initiative, and the Wehrmacht was in retreat. After German intentions became clear in July 1942, Stalin appointed General Andrey Yeryomenko commander of the Southeastern Front on 1 August 1942. Very close to it were huge five and six-story buildings occupied by the German infantry - the "Railwaymen's House" and "L-shaped house". The mill was put into operation, and flour sales began on 1 August 1900. [28]:522 In the east, the Germans had stabilised a front running from Leningrad south to Rostov, with a number of minor salients. A reconnaissance and assault group of four soldiers, led by Sergeant Pavlov (it included Red Army men A.P. The strategic benefit of the house was that it defended a key section of the Volga bank. Fierce fighting for the mill lasted for several months: it was bombed, and blown up numerous times, but the German Army failed to take it, or pass around it. "[91] Infantryman Lev Lvovich's explanation, for example, is typical for these interviews; as he recalls, "[i]t was a necessary and important step. School number 6 by September 17 was already burned out during the fighting. Chekhov. The VVS bases in the immediate area lost 201 aircraft between 23 and 31 August, and despite meagre reinforcements of some 100 aircraft in August, it was left with just 192 serviceable aircraft, 57 of which were fighters. [176] According to a contemporary Soviet report, 5,762 guns, 1,312 mortars, 12,701 heavy machine guns, 156,987 rifles, 80,438 sub-machine guns, 10,722 trucks, 744 aircraft; 1,666 tanks, 261 other armoured vehicles, 571 half-tracks and 10,679 motorcycles were captured by the Soviets. The senior lieutenant was 23 years old. The battle for the German-Romanian airfield at Karpova lasted two days, with Romanian gunners destroying numerous Soviet tanks. But, like most wartime legends created by the employees of GlavPU RKKA [Main Political Directorate of the Red Army], the official history of the defense of Pavlov's House has little to do with reality. In 1985 a memorial was erected, listing the names of the garrison. Some bombers performed adequately the Heinkel He 111 proved to be quite capable and was much faster than the Ju 52.[138]. The 685th Regiment of the 193rd Infantry Division was transferred to Rodimstev, and the bloodied 34th Guards Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel D.I. HISTORY Milkhouse With the restoration of the house, the Cherkassov movement began. Photo taken at the mouth of the Dolgiy ravine. During the defence of Stalingrad, the Red Army deployed five armies in and around the city (28th, 51st, 57th, 62nd and 64th Armies); and an additional nine armies in the encirclement counteroffensive[51] (24th, 65th, 66th Armies and 16th Air Army from the north as part of the Don Front offensive, and 1st Guards Army, 5th Tank, 21st Army, 2nd Air Army and 17th Air Army from the south as part of the Southwestern Front). For several days the Germans managed to secure themselves: in the ruins not only machine guns were equipped, but also positions of small-caliber guns, and along the walls barbed wire was strung. By the wicked irony of fate, it was on October 1 in the central newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda that the article "Heroes of Stalingrad" was published with the letter-vow of Rodimtsevs guardsmen [to fight to the death], which was sealed literally with blood. Anyway, it was Zhukov, having designated a new landmark for the artillerymen as "Pavlov's House", who laid the first stone in the foundation of the legend. [123] A similar plan had been used a year earlier at the Demyansk Pocket, albeit on a much smaller scale: a corps at Demyansk rather than an entire army. The Germans attacked the building several times a day. During the preparations for the attack, Marshal Zhukov personally visited the front and noticing the poor organisation, insisted on a one-week delay in the start date of the planned attack. Hence it was ineffective in relieving the 6th Army. Some 266 Junkers Ju 52s were destroyed; one-third of the fleet's strength on the Eastern Front. The Germans could not go further. [77] Assigned to counterattack at the Mamayev Kurgan and at Railway Station No. The Germans used aircraft, tanks and heavy artillery to clear the city with varying degrees of success. 114,000 Italians and 105,000 Hungarians were killed, wounded or captured (from December 1942 to February 1943). A low-level Soviet envoy party (comprising Major Aleksandr Smyslov, Captain Nikolay Dyatlenko and a trumpeter) carried generous surrender terms to Paulus: if he surrendered within 24 hours, he would receive a guarantee of safety for all prisoners, medical care for the sick and wounded, prisoners being allowed to keep their personal belongings, "normal" food rations, and repatriation to any country they wished after the war. The additional distance became another obstacle to the resupply efforts. 160 aircraft were destroyed and 328 were heavily damaged (beyond repair). On 18 September, the Soviet 1st Guards and 24th Army launched an offensive against VIII Army Corps at Kotluban. [129] The American historian Gerhard Weinberg wrote that Manstein distorted his record on the matter. The German 6th Army was only a few dozen kilometres from Stalingrad. "As quick as lightning, the Panzergrenadiers jumped from their wagons. On the left flank were the lines of the 39th Guards Rifle Regiment of Major S.S. Dolgov, in the center - the 42nd Guards Rifle Regiment of Col. IP. [138] He ignored the limited mobility of the army and the difficulties of disengaging the Soviets. Whilst the building was originally captured by Pavlov, the commander of the position was Lieutenant Afanasev. [160], On 30 January 1943, the 10th anniversary of Hitler's coming to power, Goebbels read out a proclamation that included the sentence: "The heroic struggle of our soldiers on the Volga should be a warning for everybody to do the utmost for the struggle for Germany's freedom and the future of our people, and thus in a wider sense for the maintenance of our entire continent. The initial advance of the 6th Army was so successful that Hitler intervened and ordered the 4th Panzer Army to join Army Group South (A) to the south. The burden of the initial defence of the city fell on the 1077th Anti-Aircraft Regiment,[58] a unit made up mainly of young female volunteers who had no training for engaging ground targets. The 6th Panzer Division, arriving from France, was a vastly more powerful formation, but its members hardly received an encouraging impression. Battle of Stalingrad - Definition, Dates & Significance - History The British historian Antony Beevor noted the "sinister" message from the Stalingrad Front's Political Department on 8 October 1942 that: "The defeatist mood is almost eliminated and the number of treasonous incidents is getting lower" as an example of the sort of coercion Red Army soldiers experienced under the Special Detachments (later to be renamed SMERSH). Dom Pavlova) was a fortified apartment building which Red Army defenders held for 60 days against the Wehrmacht offensive during the Battle of Stalingrad. Searching for missing soldiers in Stalingrad. Of the 31 defenders of Pavlovs house, three were killed during his defense lieutenant mortarman A.N. 227"not one step back"Sergeant Pavlov was ordered to fortify the building and defend it to the last bullet and the last man. However, the participants themselves - fighters and commanders of the 13th Guards Rifle Division - attached much more importance to these events than the notorious legend. The strongpoints of the division in the ruins of the brewery and in the cellars of the NKVD prison were bad for an article about the heroic defenders of Stalingrad, and the Germans firmly holed up in the Railwaymens House and the L-shaped House. [111], The Soviet bomber force, the Aviatsiya Dal'nego Deystviya (Long Range Aviation; ADD), having taken crippling losses over the past 18 months, was restricted to flying at night. Medical officers of the 13th Guards Rifle Division. It aimed to break through to the Sixth Army and establish a corridor to keep it supplied and reinforced, so that, according to Hitler's order, it could maintain its "cornerstone" position on the Volga, "with regard to operations in 1943". Yeryomenko and Commissar Nikita Khrushchev were tasked with planning the defence of Stalingrad. Here lay more more [sic?] Battle for Stalingrad - WAR HISTORY ONLINE [136], The director of Luftflotte 4, Wolfram von Richthofen, tried to get this decision overturned. The speech contained an oblique reference to the battle, which suggested that Germany was now in a defensive war. Description. ", "Why was the Battle of Stalingrad So Significant? "[168], Around 91,000 exhausted, ill, wounded, and starving prisoners were taken. Battle of Stalingrad began exactly 80 years ago, on Aug. 23, 1942 - NPR Stalingrad is a 1993 German anti-war film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier. At four in the morning on 2 February, Strecker was informed that one of his own officers had gone to the Soviets to negotiate surrender terms. At 00:30, Berlin time units of the 295th Infantry Division and the attached units secretly accumulated to the west of the tramway bridge and seeped through the drainage pipe in the mound along the slopes of the Krutoy ravine to the banks of the Volga. The public mood was sullen, depressed, fearful, and war-weary. [162], On the next day, the southern pocket in Stalingrad collapsed. Pursuing the enemy, the fighters, among other things, were able to rescue several groups of Red Army men who had been captured earlier. We all knew where we stood after we had heard it. In the first case, with the support of artillery and mortar fire, the assault team was able to reach the building and even penetrate inside, having had a grenade fight. Sources differ on the number flown out: at least 25,000 to at most 35,000. The Stukas claimed 41 of the 106 Soviet tanks knocked out that morning, while escorting Bf 109s destroyed 77 Soviet aircraft. It has been argued that whilst the house was heavily fortified, there were limited assaults against it and it was amongst the first buildings in Stalingrad to be restored after the war, having received comparatively limited damage. Inside the pocket (German: Kessel, literally "cauldron"), there were also around 10,000 Soviet civilians and several thousand Soviet soldiers the Germans had taken captive during the battle.

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