I wanted to post this at "What happened today" but I think it is a thread by itself.

As you know well, the most horrendous battle of WWII started a sunny day like this sixty years ago.

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In 1942, Stalingrad was an industrial city along the Volga river. It had a population of some 600.000 people. The city had a length of 40 kilometres alongside the river Volga, but had only 1,5 kilometres wide. North of the city were the enormous factories (names which would become famous for the horrour lived there): tractor factory Dzerzhinsky, ammunition factory Barrikady and metal factory Red October. At the south it was the chemical factory Lazur and in front of Barrikady was Silikat. In front of the city was also hill 102, hill of Mamajev Kurgan. The South of the city was cut by river Tsaritsa, which ran East to the Volga, just before the railroad station Stalingrad-1. South of Tsaritsa there were the suburbs Minina and Yelshanka. At East of Stalingrad-1 there were little docks, vital for the suppliements from the Eastern side of the river.

Inside the city was the LXII Soviet Army, under Liuetenant general Vasili Chuikov, who had just replaced general Lopatin. Chuikov, aged 42, had fought in the Russian civil war and in the first years of the war had been military adviser in China, but he came back in 1942 and faced some attacks of IV Panzerarmee. He was not disappointed for the big defeats and his morale was high. He was a though, strong, timely man. His courage and great leadership would conduct his men to defeat the invader.



Liuetenant general Vasili Chuikov

The German Armies VI (Paulus) and IV Panzer (Hoth)were facing nine Soviet Armies (actually, nine army corps) in a front of 640 kilometres, defended by Stalingrad Front of Gordov and Southwest Front of Yeremenko.



General der Panzertruppe Friedrich Paulus



Generaloberst Hermann Hoth

Southwest Front of Yeremenko included Soviet Armies: LI, LVII, LXII and LXIV. LXII Soviet Army of Chuikov inside the city had 54.000 men, 900 guns (deployed on the Eastern side of the Volga) and 100 tanks.

In the other hand, Paulus' VI Army had 15 divisions, plus Hoth's 6 divisions. In total: 300.000 men. Northwest of the city was general Strecker XI Armeekorps (4 divisions) facing Soviet Armies XXI and IV Armoured, in the Northern riviera of the Don. On the right, North of Stalingrad were infantry divisions (76th and 113th) of general Heitz VIII Armeekorps and XIV Panzerkorps. In the West, general Von Seydlitz-Kurzbach's five divisions of LI Armeekorps would assault the city, supported by the 60th motorised division in the Southern flank.



Generalleutnant Walter von Seydlitz-Kurzbach.

Soth of Tsaritsa, was IV Panzerarmee of Hoth. Four divisions (94th infantry, 29th motorised, 14th and 24th Panzer divisions) were attacking Chikov's left flank. The remaining divisions of the IV Panzerarmee (297th and 371st divisions) were facing Shumilov's LXIV Soviet Army.

The offensive would start at 6.30 hours on September 14th 1942. Act I was starting.

[ 14 September 2002, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: General der Infanterie Friedrich H ]

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Great stuff Friedrich but for one detail. The battle actually started (not in the city limits mind you) it actually started in August--on the apporaches to Stalingrad. Now the battle as we all know it (inside city limits) started later.

Well said none the less Herr General.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Thanks, Carl!

And I DO know that the battle had started some time before. But it is considered that the real battle of Stalingrad (within the city itself) started a day like today, sixty years ago).

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Right but, you still have to add into it what happened before they reached the city. There were many cases of very difficult actions taking the Germans up to 8 assaults to defeat a Russian position. Case in point is a long piece I wrote about and is published on another site about Stalingrad. It has to do with the actions of an all female Anti-tank gun unit--with the Germans approaching the city limits.

If you can find the site (I no longer have its URL) it will be a large article on the first or second page of this site. The person who owns the site is named Vladimir.

If you can find it--read my article and you will see what I mean.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

OK. But I think you should be more precise. That sounds like a HUGE research... And I am already having real bad headaches. I don't need more... [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

At 6.20 hours of September 14th 1942, hundreds of aeroplanes, guns, men and tanks were thrown over the LXII Soviet Army. Chuikov had planned to make several counter attacks but he was smashed by the force of LI Armeekorps, which made two attacks, one at the North and the other at the Centre of the city (With divisions 71st, 76th and 295th infantry). In Tsaritsa, Hoth's IV Panzerarmee attacked Shumilov's LXIV Army. Divisions 24th Panzer and 94th infantry attacked through the suburbs of Minina. At their right flank, 14th Panzer and 29th motorised divisions push to the Volga in Yelshanka. Chuikov could see that the Germans were trying a Kesselschlacht, even within the city! The IV Panzeramee would do its own encirclement outside of the city and then would push and sweep the shores of the Volga, capturing the docks and cutting the Soviets from their supplies. Meanwhile, the LI Corps would have to link with Hoth's forces somewhere in the city and take the hill of Mamajev Kurgan, where was Chuikov's headquarters. He obviously had to abandon this place because of the heavy bombardments, letting the Soviet forces with a concrete leadership at the moment. The German attack made the Soviets retreat and stay on the buildings, trying to entrap the Panzers and recoinassence troops, but the Germans fought house by house in close combat and reached the Volga and station Stalingrad-1. The Soviet artillery shot over the Volga to try to repel the Germans without succes. Chuikov was at about to lose the controll over the battle and helped by a smoke courtain of the Soviet guns took his headquarters till the "Tsaritsyn bunker", North of Tsaritsa. There, at the middle of the very action, Chuikov had the perfect landscape of the real battle. If he lost the docks of the city, the battle would be over before it started. So, he sent his last reseve: a tank brigade with only 19 tanks... At dawn, he begged general Yeremenko to send the elite division through the Volga at night; 13th Guards division of major general Aleksandr Rodimstev with 10.000 men. There was no time for errors.

At 19.00 hours the division was ready to cross and did it. It came ashore and took the initiative back and made a brige head. The rest of the division went through the city and took positions in the right of Mamajev Kurgan. In the morning, the division was attacked by divisions 76th and 295th. The station Stalingrad-1 saw a firce battle on the 15th, it switched hands four times during the day, but at night it was held by the Soviets. On the 16th, the 13th Guards division kicked the 71st Infantry division out of the coast and again took back Stalingrad-1. On the 17th, the 76th Infantry division entered combat and reetook the station by the 19th and had the docks under fire. In the 20th, the 13th Guards division had only 2.700 men left, but it had saved the city.

In the 14th, the fight for Mamajev Kurgan had been horrible. The task of taking it was of the 295th Inafantry division. And the defendants were colonel Sologub's 112th division and the 9th motorised infantry brigade. The hill was extremely important, because from there the whole city, the suburbs and the Volga could be seen. Chuikov said: "That who has Mamajev Kurgan, has Stalingrad".

In the 16th, Chuikov ordered the regiments (42nd of the 13th Guard division and 46th of 112th division) to take the hill and hold it. After an artillery barrier of ten minutes they attacked; the 42nd on the North and the 46th on the South.
The Russians fought and reach the top but were immediately swept by the Luftwaffe and German counter attacks, made with bayonets and hand grenades. Chuikov swore: "We will hold Mamajev Kurgan at all costs!!!" And he kept his promise. During ALL the battle at Stalingrad, nor the Germans nor the Soviets ever had controll of it. But in September 17th, Chuikov had the Germans attacking the hill and the 13th Guard division collapsing. He needed reinforcements.

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

very good

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__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

German order of battle at Stalingrad, 14th September 1942.

Heeresgruppe "B" (GO Maximilian von Weichs)

VI Armee (GdP Friedrich Paulus)
Chief of Staff (GL Arthur Schmidt)

VIII Armeekorps (GdA Walter Heitz)
305. Infanteriedivision (GL Kurt Oppenländer)
384. Infanteriedivision (GL Eccard Freiherr von Gablenz)
389. Infanteriedivision (GL Erwin Jänecke)

XI Armeekorps (GdI Karl Strecker)
44. Infanteriedivision (GL Heinrich Deboi)
376. Infanteriedivision (GL Alexander Edler von Daniels)
100. Jägerdivision "Sanne" (GL Werner Sanne)

XIV Panzerkorps (GL Hans Valentin Hube)
3. Motorisierte Infanteriedivision (GL Helmuth Schlömer)
16. Panzerdivision (GL Günther Angern) [replaced Hube on the 15th September]
60. Motorisierte Infanteriedivision (GL Otto Kohlermann)
295. Infanteriedivision (GL Rolf Wuthmann)

XVII Armeekorps (GdI Karl Hollidt)
22. Panzerdivision (GL Wilhelm von Apell)
79. Infanteriedivision (GL Richard von Schwerin)
113. Infanteriedivision (GL Hans Sixt von Arnim)

LI Armeekorps (GdI Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach)
71. Infanteriedivision (GL Alexander von Hartmann)
76. Infanteriedivision (GL Karl Rodenburg)

IV Panzerarmee (GO Hermann Hoth)[The units at Stalingrad]

IV Armeekorps
94. Infanteriedivision (GL Georg Pfeiffer)
24. Panzerdivision (GL Arno von Lenski)
29. Motorisierte Infanteriedivision (GL Max Fremerey)
14. Panzerdivision (GL Ferdinand Heim)
297. Infanteriedivision (GL Max Pfeffer)
371. Infanteriedivision (GL Richard Stempel)

TOTAL: 4 Panzer divisions, 1 Jäger division, 3 motorised divisions and 13 infantry divisions. Along with other small combat and rear units: 350.000 men.

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Not really--it was one of only 2 or 3 sites on Stalingrad on the net. Just go to search engines and type in Stalingrad--and you will see it there somewhere

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.