July 17, 1942, 70 years ago today, saw the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad – one of the epic and decisive battles in the Great Patriotic War. It would end on February 2, 1943, with capitulation of the entrapped northern German army that had already been broken up by that time.
Let’s try to imagine the scale of the Battle of Stalingrad: fighting went on for six and a half months. During this time our forces survived a defeat, a retreat to the Volga, the most difficult defense of a city lying in ruins, and a victorious offensive that ended in encircling and destruction of a strong German force. Participating in different phases of that battle were the units of Stalingrad, South-West, Don, Voronezh (left wing) fronts, Volga naval flotilla and Stalingrad air defense corps region. The cumulative losses of both sides in this battle exceeded 2 million people.
In summer 1942 the German command intended to fight through Soviet troops in Russia’s South to seize the rich agricultural regions of Don and Kuban as well as the oil-rich Caucasus. This was the mission of armies “A” and “B”. Stalingrad was assaulted by the sixth army of colonel general Friedrich Paulus which by July 17 counted about 270,000 troops, 3,000 artillery and trench mortars, about 500 tanks as well as the Eighth Italian and Third Romanian armies. The offensive was supported by Fourth Air Fleet (up to 1200 planes). Prior to July 23, the front units of 62nd and later 64th Soviet armies had contained the enemy. And then the Stalingrad front was formed – 160,000 troops; 2,200 artillery and trench mortars, and about 400 tanks. The front was supported by 454 planes of the Eighth Air Fleet plus 150-200 bombers of the long-range air force. Therefore Germans could ensure serious superiority in numbers on the main axis of their advance and in the air, which was no less important.
At the Big Bend of Don Germans tried to entrap the Soviet forces, enter the city of Kalach and burst through to Stalingrad from the west. They could not do that quickly, but the Soviet forces were retreating under the pressure of the enemy’s overwhelming might.
The defense operation began on July 17, 1942 at remote access ways to the city between the rivers Chir and Tsimla. By August 10, the Soviet troops retreated to the left bank of Don and improvised a defense on the airhead perimeter of Stalingrad where on August 17 they temporarily stopped the enemy. However on August 23 Germans penetrated to the Volga, north of Stalingrad.
Starting on September 12 fierce street fights commenced in Stalingrad defended by armies 62 and 64. On October 15 Germans struggled their way into the area of Stalingrad Tractor Works.
Forcing their way into the heart of Stalingrad, Germans suffered huge losses. Soviet reinforcements were spanning the river from the eastern bank under constant shelling and air attacks. The average life duration of newly arrived Soviet privates sometimes dropped below 24 hours. To resist the well-coordinated German war machine, the Soviet command decided to make a simple step: to keep the frontlines as close to the enemy as was physically possible (no more than 30 meters). It was hard for German tanks to drive in the midst of rubble. Therefore German infantry had to fight relying on their own skill or else be murdered by their own artillery and bomber aircrafts. Hence the deadly fight for each street, each plant and factory, every house, cellar or stairwell, when grenades, bayonets and daggers were put to use. By November Germans had seized almost the entire city, having split in two the Russian troops still holding on in Stalingrad. Yet they had to pay a very high price for this temporary success.
On November 11, the German army made its final attempt to seize the city. They succeeded in penetrating to the Volga south of Barrikady plant, but that was the acme of their achievements and on November 18 the main Nazi force shifted to a defensive stance.
The offensive of the South-Western Front and 65th Army of the Don Front commenced on November 19 of 1942, after a massive 80-minute artillery preparation. By the end of that day the defense of the Third Romanian Army was penetrated at two lengths. Soviets could move up considerable reserves under cover and create a serious advantage on the axis of their main thrust.
Strikes were dealt on the flanks of the enemy’s main force and on November 23, 1942 the assault was tightened. Pocketed were 22 divisions and more than 160 units of the 6th army and partly of the 4th tank army. On December 12, the German command made an attempt to deliver besieged forces, striking from the area of Kotelnikovo community, but Germans were rebuffed. Starting on December 16 the Soviet troops launched an offensive on the Middle Don and forced the German command to give up the idea to deliver the entrapped units once and for all. By the end of December 1942 the enemy was cut to pieces at the outer front of the trap and its remnants were routed 150-200 kilometers.
The Don Front under the command of marshal Rokossovsky was commissioned with inflicting an ultimate defeat on the enemy. The “Ring” operation implied consistent destruction of Nazi troops: first in the western and then in the southern part of the pocket ring, followed by splitting of the remaining force in two by means of a strike from west to east and liquidation of each group. The operation commenced on January 10, 1943. On January 26, the 21st army met the 62nd army in the area of Mamaev Mound and the hostile forces were cleaved in two.
On January 31, the southern group led by Friedrich Paulus (he received the highest military rank of field marshal from Hitler on the eve) surrendered, and on February 2, 1943 the northern group ceased resistance. Captured were 91,000 troops and about 140,000 were killed in the course of the offensive: 200 days and nights of fierce battles ended in a decisive triumph of the Russian Army. After the German forces were defeated at Stalingrad, Hitler announced three-day mourning in the Third Reich and the word Stalingrad became synonymous of the staunchness of the Russian Army and courage and valor of the Russian soldier.
Wikipedia and RIA Novosti materials were used in preparation of this text
Alexander Ryazatsev
