July 17th 1942 year at the turn of the Chir River, the advanced units of the 62nd Army of the Stalingrad Front entered into battle with the vanguard of the 6th German Army.
The battle of Stalingrad began.
For two weeks, our armies managed to hold back the onslaught of superior enemy forces. By July 22, the 6th Army of the Wehrmacht was additionally reinforced with another tank division from the 4th Panzer Army. Thus, the balance of forces in the Don bend changed even more in favor of the advancing German grouping, which already numbered about 250 thousand people, over 700 tanks, 7,500 guns and mortars, up to 1,200 aircraft supported them from the air. While the Stalingrad front had about 180 thousand personnel, 360 tanks, 7,900 guns and mortars, about 340 aircraft.
And yet, the Red Army managed to reduce the pace of the enemy's offensive. If in the period from July 12 to July 17, 1942, the enemy advanced 30 km daily, then from July 18 to 22 - only 15 km per day. By the end of July, our armies began to withdraw troops to the left bank of the Don.
July 31, 1942 selfless resistance Soviet troops forced the Nazi command to turn from the Caucasian direction to Stalingrad 4th Panzer Army under the leadership of colonel general G. Gotha.
Hitler's original plan to capture the city by July 25 was thwarted, the Wehrmacht troops took a short pause to pull even larger forces into the offensive zone.
The defense zone stretched for 800 km. August 5 to facilitate the management of the stake decision the front was divided into Stalingrad and Southeast.
By mid-August, German troops managed to advance 60-70 km to Stalingrad, and in some areas only 20 km. The city was transformed from a front-line city into a front-line city. Despite the continuous transfer of more and more forces to Stalingrad, parity was achieved only in human resources. The Germans had more than two-fold superiority in guns and aviation, and four-fold in tanks.
On August 19, 1942, shock units of the 6th combined arms and 4th tank armies simultaneously resumed their offensive against Stalingrad. On August 23, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, German tanks broke through to the Volga and reached the outskirts of the city.... On the same day, the enemy launched a massive air raid on Stalingrad. The breakthrough was stopped by the forces of the militia and the NKVD detachments.
At the same time, our troops in some sectors of the front launched a counteroffensive, and the enemy was driven back 5-10 km to the west. Another attempt by German troops to seize the city was repulsed by the heroically fighting Stalingraders.
On September 13, German troops resumed their assault on the city. Especially fierce battles took place in the area of the station and Mamaev Kurgan (height 102.0)... From its summit it was possible to control not only the city, but also the crossings across the Volga. Here, from September 1942 to January 1943, one of the fiercest battles of the Great Patriotic War unfolded.
After 13 days of bloody street fighting, the Germans captured the city center. But the main task - to capture the bank of the Volga in the Stalingrad region - the German troops could not fulfill. The city continued to resist.
By the end of September, the Germans were already on the outskirts of the Volga, where the administrative buildings and the pier were located. Here stubborn battles were fought for every house. Many of the buildings received their names during the days of the defense: "Zabolotny's house", "L-shaped house", "dairy house", "Pavlov's house" other.
Ilya Vasilievich Voronov, one of the defenders of "Pavlov's house", having received several wounds in the arm, leg and stomach, pulled out the safety pin with his teeth and threw grenades at the Germans with his good hand. He refused the help of orderlies and crawled to the medical aid station himself. The surgeon removed more than two dozen fragments and bullets from his body... Voronov stoically underwent amputation of a leg and hand, losing the maximum amount of blood that was allowed for life.
Distinguished himself in battles for the city of Stalingrad from September 14, 1942.
In group battles in the city of Stalingrad, he destroyed up to 50 soldiers and officers. On November 25, 1942, he took part in the assault on the house with his own crew. He boldly moved forward and with machine gun fire ensured the advancement of the units. His crew with a machine gun broke into the house first. An enemy mine knocked out the entire crew and wounded Voronov himself. But the fearless warrior continued to shoot at the focus of the counterattacking Nazis. Personally, with a machine gun, he defeated 3 attacks of the Nazis, while destroying up to 3 dozen Nazis. After the machine gun was destroyed and Voronov received two more wounds, he continued to fight. During the battle of the 4th counterattack of the Nazis, Voronov received another wound, but continued to fight, pulling out the safety pin with his healthy hand and throwing grenades with his teeth. Being seriously wounded, he refused the help of orderlies and crawled to the medical aid station himself.
For courage and courage shown in battles with the German invaders, he is presented with a government award with the Order of the Red Star.
No less serious battles were fought in other parts of the city defense - on Bald Mountain, in the "ravine of death", on the "Lyudnikov Island".
A huge role in the defense of the city was played by the Volga military flotilla under the command of the rear admiral D.D. Rogacheva... Under continuous enemy air raids, the ships continued to ensure the passage of troops across the Volga, the delivery of ammunition, food and the evacuation of the wounded.
Of course, 1 German soldier can kill 10 Soviet soldiers. But when the 11th comes, what will he do?
Franz Halder
The main target of Germany's summer offensive campaign was Stalingrad. However, on the way to the city it was necessary to overcome the Crimean defense. And here the Soviet command unwittingly, of course, but made life easier for the enemy. In May 1942, a massive Soviet offensive began in the Kharkov region. The problem is that this offensive was unprepared and turned into a terrible disaster. More than 200 thousand people were killed, 775 tanks and 5,000 guns were lost. As a result, the full strategic advantage in the southern sector of hostilities was in the hands of Germany. The 6th and 4th German tank armies crossed the Don, and began to advance inland. The Soviet army retreated, not having time to catch on to the advantageous lines of defense. Surprisingly, for the second year in a row, the German offensive was completely unexpected for the Soviet command. The only advantage of 1942 was that now the Soviet units did not allow themselves to be easily surrounded.
The beginning of the battle of Stalingrad
On July 17, 1942, the troops of the 62nd and 64th Soviet armies entered the battle on the Chir River. In the future, it is this battle that historians will call the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad. For a correct understanding of subsequent events, it should be noted that the successes of the German army in the offensive campaign for 42 years were so amazing that Hitler decided, simultaneously with the offensive in the South, to intensify the offensive in the North, capturing Leningrad. This is not just a historical retreat, because as a result of this decision, the 11th German army under the command of Manstein was transferred from Sevastopol to Leningrad. Manstein himself and also Halder opposed this decision, arguing that the German army might not have enough reserves on the southern front. But this was very important, since Germany was simultaneously solving several problems in the south:
- The capture of Stalingrad as a symbol of the fall to the leaders of the Soviet people.
- Capturing the southern regions with oil. It was a more important and more mundane task.
On July 23, Hitler signed directive number 45, in which he indicated the main targets of the German offensive: Leningrad, Stalingrad, the Caucasus.
On July 24, Wehrmacht troops captured Rostov-on-Don and Novocherkassk. Now the gates to the Caucasus were completely open, and for the first time there was a threat of losing the entire Soviet South. The 6th German Army continued its movement towards Stalingrad. Panic was evident in the Soviet troops. In some sectors of the front, the troops of 51, 62, 64 armies were withdrawn and retreated even when the enemy reconnaissance groups approached. And these are only those cases that are documented. This forced Stalin to begin reshuffling the generals in this sector of the front and to take up a general change in the structure. The Voronezh and Bryansk fronts were formed instead of the Bryansk front. Vatutin and Rokossovsky were appointed commanders, respectively. But even with this, the decisions could not stop the panic and the retreat of the Red Army. The Germans were advancing towards the Volga. As a result, on July 28, 1942, Stalin issued Order No. 227, which was called "not a step back."
At the end of July, General Jodl announced that the key to the Caucasus was in Stalingrad. This was enough for Hitler to make the most important decision of the entire offensive summer campaign on July 31, 1942. According to this decision, the 4th Panzer Army was transferred to Stalingrad.
Battle of Stalingrad Map
The order "Not one step back!"
The peculiarity of the order was in the fight against alarmism. All who retreated without orders were to be shot on the spot. In fact, it was an element of regression, but this repression paid off in the sense that it could instill fear and force Soviet soldiers to fight even more courageously. The only problem was that Order 227 did not analyze the reasons for the defeat of the Red Army during the summer of 1942, but simply carried out repressions against ordinary soldiers. This order underlines the hopelessness of the situation at that point in time. The order itself emphasizes:
- Despair. The Soviet command now realized that the failure of the summer of 1942 threatened the existence of the entire USSR. Just a few jerks and Germany will win.
- Contradiction. This order simply shifted all responsibility from Soviet generals to ordinary officers and soldiers. However, the reasons for the failures of the summer of 1942 lie precisely in the miscalculations of the command, which could not foresee the direction of the enemy's main attack and made significant mistakes.
- Cruelty. By this order, everyone was shot, indiscriminately. Now any retreat of the army was punishable by firing squad. And no one understood why the soldier slept - they shot everyone.
Today, many historians say that Stalin's order No. 227 became the basis of the victory in Stalingrad battle... In fact, it is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. History, as you know, does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, but it is important to understand that Germany by that time was at war with almost the whole world, and her advance to Stalingrad was extremely difficult, during which the Wehrmacht troops lost about half of their regular strength. To this it must also be added that the Soviet soldier knew how to die, which is repeatedly emphasized in the memoirs of the generals of the Wehrmacht.
The course of the battle
In August 1942, it became absolutely clear that the main target of the German strike was Stalingrad. The city began to prepare for defense.
In the second half of August, reinforced troops of the 6th German Army under the command of Friedrich Paulus (then still just a general) and the troops of the 4th Panzer Army under the command of Hermann Gott moved to Stalingrad. On the part of the Soviet Union, armies took part in the defense of Stalingrad: the 62nd Army under the command of Anton Lopatin and the 64th Army under the command of Mikhail Shumilov. In the south of Stalingrad was the 51st Army of General Kolomiets and the 57th Army of General Tolbukhin.
August 23, 1942 was the most terrible day of the first part of the defense of Stalingrad. On this day, the German Luftwaffe launched a powerful airstrike on the city. Historical documents indicate that over 2,000 sorties were flown on that day alone. On the next day, the evacuation of civilians across the Volga began. It should be noted that on August 23, German troops managed to reach the Volga in a number of sectors of the front. It was a narrow strip of land north of Stalingrad, but Hitler was delighted with the success. These successes were achieved by the 14th Panzer Corps of the Wehrmacht.
Despite this, the commander of the 14th Panzer Corps von Wittersgyen turned to General Paulus with a report in which he said that it was better for the German troops to leave this city, since with such enemy resistance it was impossible to succeed. So much von Wittersgjen was struck by the courage of the defenders of Stalingrad. For this, the general was immediately removed from command and put on trial.
On August 25, 1942, fighting began in the vicinity of Stalingrad. In fact, the Battle of Stalingrad, which we are briefly reviewing today, began on this very day. The battles were fought not only for every house, but literally for every floor. A situation was often observed when "puff pies" were formed: on one floor of the house there were German troops, and on the other floor there were Soviet troops. This is how the city battle began, where German tanks no longer had their decisive advantage.
On September 14, the troops of the 71st Infantry Division of Germany, commanded by General Hartmann, managed to reach the Volga in a narrow corridor. If we recall what Hitler said about the reasons for the offensive campaign of 1942, then the main goal was achieved - shipping along the Volga was stopped. However, the Fuehrer, under the influence of successes in the course of the offensive campaign, demanded that the Battle of Stalingrad be ended with the complete defeat of the Soviet troops. As a result, a situation arose when Soviet troops could not retreat because of Stalin's order 227, and German troops were forced to attack because Hitler maniacally wanted it.
It became obvious that the Battle of Stalingrad would be the place where one of the army was completely killed. The general alignment of forces was clearly not in favor of the German side, since the army of General Paulus had 7 divisions, the number of which was decreasing every day. Along with this, the Soviet command transferred 6 fresh divisions in full equipment here. By the end of September 1942, in the Stalingrad region, 7 divisions of General Paulus were opposed by about 15 Soviet divisions. And these are only the official army units, where the militias, of which there were a lot in the city, are not counted.
On September 13, 1942, the battle for the center of Stalingrad began. The battles were fought for every street, for every house, for every floor. There were no more buildings left in the city that were not destroyed. To demonstrate the events of those days, it is necessary to mention the summary for September 14:
- 7 hours 30 minutes. German troops went to Akademicheskaya Street.
- 7 hours 40 minutes. The first battalion of mechanized forces is completely cut off from the main force.
- 7 hours 50 minutes. Fierce battles are being waged in the area of the Mamaev Kurgan and the railway station.
- 8 ocloc'k. The station was taken by German troops.
- 8 hours 40 minutes. We managed to recapture the station.
- 9 hours 40 minutes. The station was captured by the Germans again.
- 10 hours 40 minutes. The enemy is half a kilometer from the command post.
- 13 hours 20 minutes. The station is ours again.
And this is only half of one typical day in the battles for Stalingrad. It was a city war, for all the horrors of which the troops of Paulus were not ready. In total, from September to November, it was repelled in more than 700 attacks by German troops!
On the night of September 15, the 13th Guards Rifle Division, commanded by General Rodimtsev, was transferred to Stalingrad. Only on the first day of the battles of this division, it lost more than 500 people. At that time, the Germans managed to significantly advance towards the center of the city, as well as capture the height "102" or, more simply, Mamayev Kurgan. The 62nd Army, which fought the main defensive battles, these days had a command post, which was only 120 meters away from the enemy.
During the second half of September 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad continued with the same ferocity. At this time, many German generals were already perplexed why they were fighting for this city and for each of its streets. At the same time, Halder had repeatedly emphasized by this time that the German army was in an extreme degree of overwork. In particular, the general spoke of an imminent crisis, including because of the weakness of the flanks, where the Italians were very reluctant to fight. Halder openly addressed Hitler, saying that the German army did not have reserves and resources for a simultaneous offensive campaign in Stalingrad and the North Caucasus. By a decision of 24 September, Franz Halder was removed from his post as chief of the general staff of the German army. His place was taken by Kurt Zeisler.
During September and October, there was no significant change in the state of affairs at the front. Likewise, the Battle of Stalingrad was one huge cauldron in which Soviet and German troops destroyed each other. The confrontation reached its climax, when the troops were a few meters from each other, and the battles were literally in the bayonet. Many historians note the irrationality of the conduct of hostilities at the Battle of Stalingrad. In fact, this was the moment when it was not the art of war that came to the fore, but human qualities, the desire to survive and the desire to win.
For the entire time of the defensive stage of the Battle of Stalingrad, the troops of the 62nd and 64th armies almost completely changed their composition. From what did not change, there were only the name of the army, as well as the composition of the headquarters. As for ordinary soldiers, it was later calculated that the lifetime of one soldier during the Battle of Stalingrad was 7.5 hours.
Start of offensive actions
At the beginning of November 1942, the Soviet command already realized that the German offensive on Stalingrad had exhausted itself. The Wehrmacht troops no longer had that power, and were pretty battered in battles. Therefore, reserves began to flock to the city more and more in order to conduct a counter-offensive operation. These reserves began to accumulate secretly in the northern and southern outskirts of the city.
On November 11, 1942, the Wehrmacht troops, consisting of 5 divisions, commanded by General Paulus, made a last attempt at a decisive assault on Stalingrad. It is important to note that this offensive was very close to victory. In almost all sectors of the front, the Germans managed to advance to such a stage that no more than 100 meters remained to the Volga. But the Soviet troops managed to hold back the offensive, and in mid-November 12 it became clear that the offensive had exhausted itself.
Preparations for the counter-offensive of the Red Army were carried out in the strictest secrecy. This is quite understandable, and you can demonstrate this clearly with the help of one very simple example... Until now, it is absolutely unknown who is the author of the outline of the offensive operation at Stalingrad, but it is known for certain that the map of the transition of Soviet troops to the offensive existed in a single copy. Also noteworthy is the fact that literally 2 weeks before the start of the Soviet offensive, postal communication between families and soldiers was completely suspended.
On November 19, 1942, at 6:30 in the morning, artillery preparation began. After that, the Soviet troops went on the offensive. Thus began the famous Operation Uranus. And here it is important to note that such a development of events was completely unexpected for the Germans. At this point, the disposition was as follows:
- 90% of the territory of Stalingrad was under the control of the troops of Paulus.
- Soviet troops controlled only 10% of the cities located on the Volga itself.
General Paulus later stated that on the morning of November 19, the German headquarters was convinced that the Russian offensive was purely tactical. And only by the evening of that day, the general realized that his entire army was under the threat of encirclement. The response was lightning fast. The order was given to the 48th Panzer Corps, which was in the German reserve, to immediately move into battle. And here Soviet historians They say that the late entry of the 48th Army into battle was due to the fact that field mice gnawed electronics in tanks, and precious time was lost during the period of its repair.
On November 20, a massive offensive began in the south of the Stalingrad Front. The front line of the Germans' defense was almost completely destroyed thanks to a powerful artillery strike, but in the depths of the defense, the troops of General Eremenko met with terrible resistance.
On November 23, in the area of the city of Kalach, a German group of troops with a total number of about 320 people was surrounded. Later, within a few days, it was possible to completely encircle the entire German group located in the Stalingrad region. Initially, it was assumed that about 90,000 Germans were surrounded, but it soon became apparent that this number was disproportionately larger. The total encirclement was about 300 thousand people, 2000 guns, 100 tanks, 9000 trucks.
Hitler was faced with an important task. It was necessary to determine what to do with the army: to leave it surrounded or to make attempts to leave it. At this time, Albert Speer assured Hitler that he can easily provide the troops that are in the Stalingrad encirclement with everything they need through aviation. Hitler was just waiting for such a message, because he still believed that the Battle of Stalingrad could be won. As a result, the 6th Army of General Paulus was forced to take up a perimeter defense. In fact, it stifled the outcome of the battle. After all, the main trump cards of the German army were on the offensive, not on the defensive. Nevertheless, the German group, which went over to the defensive, was very strong. But at this time it turned out that the promise of Albert Speer to equip the 6th Army with everything necessary was impracticable.
It turned out to be impossible to capture the positions of the 6th German army, which was on the defensive, outright. The Soviet command realized that a long and difficult assault lay ahead. At the beginning of December, it became obvious that a huge number of troops, which had enormous strength, had been surrounded. It was possible to win in such a situation only by attracting no less force. Moreover, it was very necessary good planning to succeed in the fight against the organized German army.
At this point, in early December 1942, the German command created the Don Army Group. Erich von Manstein took over command of this army. The task of the army was simple - to break through to the troops who were surrounded in order to help them get out of it. thirteen tank divisions moved to the troops of Paulus to help. The operation, dubbed "Winter Thunderstorm", began on December 12, 1942. Additional tasks of the troops that moved the direction of the 6th Army were: protection of Rostov-on-Don. After all, the fall of this city would speak of a complete and decisive failure on the entire southern front. The first 4 days, this offensive of the German troops was successful.
Stalin, after the successful implementation of Operation Uranus, demanded that his generals develop a new plan to encircle the entire German group located in the Rostov-on-Don area. As a result, on December 16, a new offensive by the Soviet army began, during which the 8th Italian Army was defeated in the first days. However, the troops did not manage to reach Rostov, since the movement of German tanks to Stalingrad forced the Soviet command to change their plans. At this time, the 2nd Infantry Army of General Malinovsky was withdrawn from its positions and was concentrated in the area of the Meshkov River, where one of the decisive events of December 1942 took place. It was here that Malinovsky's troops managed to stop the German tank units. By December 23, the thinned tank corps could no longer move forward, and it became obvious that it would not get to Paulus's troops.
Surrender to German troops
On January 10, 1943, a decisive operation began to destroy the German troops who were surrounded. One of major events These days refer to January 14, when the only German airfield, which was still functioning at that time, was captured. After that, it became obvious that the army of General Paulus did not even have a theoretical chance of breaking out of the encirclement. After that, it became absolutely obvious to everyone that the Soviet Union won the Battle of Stalingrad. These days Hitler, speaking on German radio, announced that Germany needed a general mobilization.
On January 24, Paulus sent a telegram to the German headquarters, where he said that the catastrophe at Stalingrad was inevitable. He literally demanded permission to surrender in order to save those German soldiers who were still alive. Hitler forbade surrender.
On February 2, 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad was completed. More than 91,000 German soldiers surrendered. 147,000 killed Germans lay on the battlefield. Stalingrad was completely destroyed. As a result, in early February, the Soviet command was forced to create a special Stalingrad grouping of troops, which was engaged in clearing the city of corpses, as well as demining.
We briefly reviewed the Battle of Stalingrad, which brought about a radical change in the course of the Second World War. The Germans not only suffered a crushing defeat, but they were now required to make incredible efforts in order to keep the strategic initiative on their side. But this did not happen anymore.
Like a victory Soviet Union in the Battle of Stalingrad was reflected in the course of the war. What role did Stalingrad play in the plans of Nazi Germany and what were the consequences. The course of the Battle of Stalingrad, losses on both sides, its significance and historical results.
Battle of Stalingrad - the beginning of the end of the Third Reich
During the winter-spring campaign of 1942, the situation on the Soviet-German front was unfavorable for the Red Army. A number of unsuccessful offensive operations were carried out, which in individual cases had some small-town success, but generally ended in failure. Soviet troops were unable to take full advantage of the 1941 winter offensive, as a result of which they lost very advantageous bridgeheads and areas. In addition, a significant part of the strategic reserve, intended for large offensive operations, was involved. The headquarters incorrectly determined the directions of the main attacks, suggesting that the main events in the summer of 1942 would unfold in the north-west and center of Russia. The southern and southeastern directions were given secondary importance. In the fall of 1941, orders were given to set up defensive lines in the Don, North Caucasus and Stalingrad direction, but they did not have time to complete their equipment by the summer of 1942.
The enemy, unlike our troops, completely possessed the strategic initiative. Its main task for the summer and autumn of 1942 was to seize the main raw material, industrial and agricultural regions of the Soviet Union. The leading role in this was assigned to Army Group South, which suffered the least losses since the beginning of the war against the USSR and had the greatest combat potential.
By the end of spring, it became clear that the enemy was striving for the Volga. As the chronicle of events showed, the main battles will unfold on the outskirts of Stalingrad, and later in the city itself.
The course of the battle
The Battle of Stalingrad in 1942-1943 will last 200 days and will become the largest and bloodiest battle not only in World War II, but in the entire history of the twentieth century. The course of the Battle of Stalingrad itself is divided into two stages:
- defense on the approaches and in the city itself;
- strategic offensive operation of the Soviet troops.
The parties' plans for the beginning of the battle
By the spring of 1942, Army Group South was split into two, A and B. Army Group A was intended for an offensive in the Caucasus, this was the main direction, Army Group B - for a secondary attack on Stalingrad. The subsequent course of events will change the priority of these tasks.
By mid-July 1942, the enemy captured the Donbass, drove our troops back to Voronezh, captured Rostov and managed to force the Don. The Nazis entered the operational space and created a real threat to the North Caucasus and Stalingrad.
Battle of Stalingrad map
Initially, Army Group A, advancing in the Caucasus, was transferred to an entire tank army and several formations from Army Group B to emphasize the importance of this direction.
After crossing the Don, Army Group B was intended to equip defensive positions, simultaneously occupy the isthmus between the Volga and Don and, moving in the interfluve, strike in the direction of Stalingrad. The city was ordered to occupy and then advance with mobile formations along the Volga to Astrakhan, finally disrupting transport links along the main river of the country.
The Soviet command made a decision with the help of a stubborn defense of four engineering-unfinished lines - the so-called contours - to prohibit the capture of the city and the exit of the Nazis to the Volga. Due to the untimely determination of the direction of movement of the enemy and miscalculations in the planning of military operations in the spring-summer campaign, the Stavka was unable to concentrate the necessary forces in this sector. The newly created Stalingrad Front had only 3 armies from the deep reserve and 2 air armies. Later, it included several more formations, units and formations of the Southern Front, which suffered significant losses in the Caucasian direction. By this time, serious changes had taken place in the command and control of the troops. The fronts became directly subordinate to the Headquarters, and its representative was included in the command of each front. On the Stalingrad front, this role was played by General of the Army Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov.
The number of troops, the ratio of forces and means at the beginning of the battle
The defensive stage of the Battle of Stalingrad began difficult for the Red Army. The Wehrmacht had superiority over the Soviet troops:
- in personnel by 1.7 times;
- in tanks by 1.3 times;
- in artillery by 1.3 times;
- in planes more than 2 times.
Despite the fact that the Soviet command continuously increased the number of troops, gradually transferring formations and units from the depths of the country, the troops did not succeed in completely occupying the defense zone with a width of more than 500 kilometers. The activity of enemy tank formations was very high. At the same time, the aviation superiority was overwhelming. The German Air Force enjoyed complete air supremacy.
Battle of Stalingrad - battles on the outskirts
On July 17, the advance detachments of our troops engaged the enemy vanguard. This date marked the beginning of the battle. In the first six days, they managed to slow down the pace of the offensive, but still it remained very high. On 23 July, the enemy attempted to encircle one of our armies with powerful flanking attacks. The command of the Soviet troops in a short time had to prepare two counterattacks, which were carried out from 25 to 27 July. These attacks prevented the encirclement. By July 30, the German command had thrown all reserves into battle. The offensive potential of the Nazis was exhausted. The enemy went over to a forced defense, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements. Already on August 1, the tank army, transferred to the army group "A", was returned back to the Stalingrad direction.
During the first 10 days of August, the enemy was able to reach the outer defensive circuit, and in some places and break through it. Due to the active actions of the enemy, the defense zone of our troops increased from 500 to 800 kilometers, which forced our command to divide the Stalingrad Front into two independent ones - the Stalingrad Front and the newly formed South-East, which included the 62nd Army. Until the end of the battle, V.I. Chuikov was the commander of the 62nd Army.
Until August 22, hostilities continued on the outer defensive contour. Stubborn defense was combined with offensive actions, but it was not possible to keep the enemy on this line. The enemy overcame the middle contour almost on the move, and from August 23, battles began on the internal defensive line. On the near approaches to the city, the Nazis were met by the troops of the NKVD of the Stalingrad garrison. On the same day, the enemy broke through to the Volga north of the city, cutting off our combined arms army from the main forces of the Stalingrad Front. German aviation inflicted enormous damage that day with a massive raid on the city. The central regions were destroyed, our troops suffered serious losses, including an increase in the number of deaths among the population. The number of deaths and deaths from wounds was more than 40 thousand - old people, women, children.
On the southern approaches, the situation was no less tense: the enemy broke through the outer and middle defensive lines. Our army launched counterattacks, trying to restore the situation, but the Wehrmacht troops were methodically advancing towards the city.
The situation was very difficult. The enemy was in the immediate vicinity of the city. Under these conditions, Stalin decided to strike a little further north to weaken the enemy's onslaught. In addition, it took time to prepare the city defensive bypass for the conduct of hostilities.
By September 12, the front line came close to Stalingrad and passed 10 kilometers from the city. It was urgently necessary to weaken the onslaught of the enemy. Stalingrad was in a semi-circle, covered from the northeast and southwest by two tank armies. By this time, the main forces of the Stalingrad and South-Eastern fronts occupied the city defensive circuit. With the withdrawal of the main forces of our troops to the outskirts, the defensive period of the Battle of Stalingrad on the outskirts of the city ended.
City defense
By mid-September, the enemy had practically doubled the number and armament of its troops. The grouping was increased due to the transfer of formations from the west and the Caucasian direction. A significant proportion of them were the troops of the satellites of Germany - Romania and Italy. At a meeting at the headquarters of the Wehrmacht, which was located in Vinnitsa, Hitler demanded from the commander of Army Group B, General Weiche, and the commander of the 6th Army, General Paulus, to seize Stalingrad as soon as possible.
The Soviet command also increased the grouping of its troops, pushing reserves from the depths of the country and replenishing the existing units with personnel and weapons. By the beginning of the struggle for the city itself, the balance of forces was still on the side of the enemy. If there was parity in personnel, the Nazis outnumbered our troops in artillery by 1.3 times, in tanks by 1.6 times, in aircraft by 2.6 times.
On September 13, the enemy launched an offensive against the central part of the city with two powerful blows. These two groups included up to 350 tanks. The enemy managed to advance to the factory areas and come close to the Mamayev Kurgan. The enemy's actions were actively supported by aviation. It should be noted that possessing air supremacy, the aircraft of the Germans inflicted enormous damage on the defenders of the city. During the entire period of the Battle of Stalingrad, the aviation of the Nazis made an unthinkable number, even by the standards of World War II, sorties, turning the city into ruins.
Trying to weaken the onslaught, the Soviet command planned a counterattack. To accomplish this task, a rifle division was brought in from the headquarters reserve. On September 15 and 16, her soldiers managed to complete the main task - to prevent the enemy from reaching the Volga in the center of the city. Two battalions occupied the Mamayev Kurgan - the dominant height. Another brigade from the Headquarters reserve was transferred there on the 17th.
Simultaneously with the battles in the city north of Stalingrad, the offensive operations of our three armies continued with the task of pulling off part of the enemy forces from the city. Unfortunately, the advance was extremely slow, but it forced the enemy to continuously tighten up the defenses in this sector. Thus, this offensive played its positive role.
On September 18, two counterattacks from the Mamayev Kurgan area were prepared, and on the 19th. The strikes continued until September 20, but did not lead to a significant change in the situation.
On September 21, the Nazis renewed their breakthrough to the Volga in the center of the city with fresh forces, but all their attacks were repulsed. Fighting for these areas continued until September 26.
The first assault on the city by fascist German forces from 13 to 26 September brought them limited successes. The enemy reached the Volga in the central regions of the city and on the left flank.
From September 27, the German command, without weakening the onslaught in the center, concentrated on the outskirts of the city and factory areas. As a result, by October 8, the enemy managed to capture all the commanding heights on the western outskirts. From them one could see the city completely, as well as the riverbed of the Volga. Thus, the crossing of the river became even more complicated, the maneuver of our troops was constrained. However, the offensive potential of the German armies was coming to an end, and a regrouping and reinforcement was needed.
At the end of the month, the situation required the Soviet command to reorganize the control system. The Stalingrad Front was renamed the Don Front, and the South-East Front the Stalingrad Front. The Don Front included the 62nd Army, tested in the battle in the most dangerous sectors.
In early October, the headquarters of the Wehrmacht planned a general assault on the city, managing to concentrate large forces in almost all sectors of the front. On October 9, the attackers resumed their attacks on the city. They managed to capture a number of Stalingrad factory settlements and part of the Tractor Plant, cut one of our armies into several parts and reach the Volga in a narrow area of 2.5 kilometers. The enemy's activity gradually faded. On November 11, the last assault attempt was made. After the incurred losses, the German troops on November 18 went over to a forced defense. On this day, the defensive stage of the battle ended, but the Battle of Stalingrad itself was only approaching its climax.
Results of the defensive stage of the battle
The main task of the defensive stage was accomplished - the Soviet troops were able to defend the city, bleed the enemy strike forces and prepared the conditions for the start of the counteroffensive. The enemy suffered unprecedented losses. According to various estimates, they amounted to about 700 thousand killed, up to 1000 tanks, about 1400 guns and mortars, 1400 aircraft.
The defense of Stalingrad provided invaluable experience to commanders of all levels in command and control of troops. The methods and methods of warfare in the city, tested in Stalingrad, subsequently proved to be in demand more than once. The defensive operation made its contribution to the development of Soviet military art, revealed the leadership qualities of many military leaders, and became a school of combat skill for every soldier of the Red Army without exception.
Soviet losses were also very high - about 640 thousand personnel, 1400 tanks, 2000 aircraft and 12000 guns and mortars.
Offensive stage of the Battle of Stalingrad
The strategic offensive operation began on November 19, 1942 and ended on February 2, 1943. It was carried out by the forces of three fronts.
To make a decision on a counteroffensive, at least three conditions must be met. First, the enemy must be stopped. Secondly, it should not have strong immediate reserves. Thirdly, the presence of forces and means sufficient for the operation. By mid-November, all these conditions were met.
The plans of the parties, the balance of forces and means
On November 14, in accordance with Hitler's directive, German troops went over to strategic defense. Offensive operations continued only in the Stalingrad direction, where the enemy stormed the city. The troops of Army Group B took up defenses from Voronezh in the north to the Manych River in the south. The most combat-ready units were at Stalingrad, and the flanks were defended by Romanian and Italian troops. The army group commander had 8 divisions in reserve, due to the activity of Soviet troops along the entire length of the front, he was limited in the depth of their use.
The Soviet command planned to carry out the operation with the forces of the Southwestern, Stalingrad and Don fronts. The tasks were determined by him as follows:
- To the Southwestern Front - with a shock group of three armies, go on the offensive in the direction of the city of Kalach, defeat the 3rd Romanian Army and join the forces of the Stalingrad Front by the end of the third day of the operation.
- The Stalingrad Front - a shock group of three armies to go on the offensive in the northwestern direction, defeat the 6th Army Corps of the Romanian army and join up with the troops of the South Western front.
- Don Front - to encircle the enemy with strikes of two armies in converging directions, followed by destruction in a small bend of the Don.
The difficulty lay in the fact that in order to fulfill the tasks of the encirclement, it was necessary to use significant forces and means to create an internal front - to defeat the German troops inside the ring, and an external - to prevent the release of the encircled from the outside.
Planning for the Soviet counter-offensive operation began in mid-October, at the height of the battles for Stalingrad. The front commanders, by order of the Stavka, before the start of the offensive, managed to create the necessary superiority in personnel and equipment. On the Southwestern Front, Soviet troops outnumbered the Nazis in personnel by 1.1 times, in artillery by 1.4 times and in tanks by 2.8 times. In the zone of the Don Front, the ratio was as follows - in personnel - 1.5 times, in artillery - 2.4 times in favor of our troops, in tanks - parity. The superiority of the Stalingrad front was: 1.1 times in personnel, 1.2 times in artillery, and 3.2 times in tanks.
It is noteworthy that the concentration of strike groups took place secretly, only in the dark and in bad weather conditions.
A characteristic feature of the developed operation was the principle of massing aviation and artillery in the directions of the main strikes. It was possible to achieve an unprecedented density of artillery - in some areas it reached 117 units per kilometer of the front.
Complicated tasks were assigned to engineering units and subdivisions. There was a huge amount of work to be done to clear areas, sections of terrain and roads, and to establish crossings.
The course of the offensive operation
The operation began as planned on November 19. The offensive was preceded by a powerful artillery preparation.
In the first hours, the troops of the Southwestern Front wedged into the enemy defenses to a depth of 3 kilometers. Developing the offensive and introducing fresh forces into battle, our strike groups by the end of the first day advanced 30 kilometers and thereby enveloped the enemy from the flanks.
The situation at the Don Front was more complicated. There, our troops encountered stubborn resistance in the conditions of extremely difficult terrain and the saturation of the enemy's defenses with mine-explosive obstacles. By the end of the first day, the penetration depth was 3-5 kilometers. In the future, the troops of the front were drawn into protracted battles and the 4th tank enemy army managed to avoid encirclement.
For the Hitlerite command, the counteroffensive came as a surprise. Hitler's directive on the transition to strategic defensive actions was dated November 14, but they did not have time to pass to it. On November 18, in Stalingrad, the fascist German troops were still on the offensive. The command of Army Group B erroneously determined the direction of the main blows of the Soviet troops. On the first day, it was at a loss, only sending telegrams to the headquarters of the Wehrmacht with a statement of the facts. The commander of Army Group B, General Weiche, ordered the commander of the 6th Army to stop the offensive in Stalingrad and to allocate the necessary number of formations in order to stop the Russian pressure and cover the flanks. As a result of the measures taken, resistance in the offensive zone of the Southwestern Front increased.
On November 20, the offensive of the Stalingrad Front began, which in Once again was a complete surprise for the leadership of the Wehrmacht. The Nazis urgently needed to find a way out of the current situation.
The troops of the Stalingrad Front on the first day broke through the enemy's defenses and advanced to a depth of 40 kilometers, and on the second by another 15. By November 22, a distance of 80 kilometers remained between the troops of our two fronts.
Parts of the Southwestern Front on the same day crossed the Don and captured the city of Kalach.
The headquarters of the Wehrmacht did not stop trying to find a way out of a difficult situation. WITH North Caucasus two tank armies were ordered to be transferred, and Paulus was ordered not to withdraw from Stalingrad. Hitler did not want to put up with the fact that he would have to retreat from the Volga. The consequences of this decision will be fatal both for Paulus's army and for all German fascist troops.
By November 22, the distance between the forward units of the Stalingrad and Southwestern Fronts was reduced to 12 kilometers. At 16.00 on November 23, the fronts united. The encirclement of the enemy grouping was completed. In the Stalingrad "cauldron" were 22 divisions and auxiliary units. On the same day, the Romanian corps numbering almost 27 thousand people were taken prisoner.
However, a number of difficulties arose. Total length the outer front was very large, almost 450 kilometers, and the distance between the inner and outer front was insufficient. The task was to move the outer front as far as possible to the west as soon as possible in order to isolate the encircled group of Paulus and prevent its release from the outside. At the same time, it was necessary to create powerful reserves for stability. At the same time, the formations on the home front had to start destroying the enemy in the "cauldron" in a short time.
Until November 30, the troops of the three fronts tried to cut the encircled 6th Army into pieces, at the same time squeezing the ring. By this day, the area occupied by the enemy troops had halved.
It should be noted that the enemy stubbornly resisted, skillfully using reserves. In addition, his powers were assessed incorrectly. The General Staff assumed that about 90 thousand Nazis were surrounded, while the actual number exceeded 300 thousand.
Paulus turned to the Fuehrer with a request for independence in decision-making. Hitler deprived him of this right, ordered him to remain surrounded and wait for help.
The counteroffensive did not end with the encirclement of the group, the Soviet troops seized the initiative. Soon it was necessary to complete the rout of the enemy troops.
Operation Saturn and the Ring
The headquarters of the Wehrmacht and the command of Army Group "B" began to form in early December Army Group "Don", designed to unblock the group that was encircled at Stalingrad. This group included formations transferred from Voronezh, Orel, the North Caucasus, from France, as well as parts of the 4th Panzer Army, which escaped encirclement. At the same time, the balance of forces in favor of the enemy was overwhelming. In the breakthrough sector, he outnumbered the Soviet troops in men and artillery by 2 times, and in tanks by 6 times.
In December, the Soviet troops had to start solving several tasks at once:
- Developing the offensive, defeat the enemy in the Middle Don - for its solution, Operation Saturn was developed
- Prevent Army Group Don from breaking through to 6th Army
- Eliminate the encircled enemy grouping - for this they developed Operation Ring.
On December 12, the enemy launched an offensive. At first, using their great superiority in tanks, the Germans broke through the defenses and advanced 25 kilometers in the first day. For 7 days of the offensive operation, the enemy forces approached the encircled grouping at a distance of 40 kilometers. The Soviet command urgently deployed reserves.
Operation Saturn Minor Map
In the current situation, the Headquarters made adjustments to the plan for Operation Saturn. The troops of the Southwestern and part of the forces of the Voronezh Front, instead of striking at Rostov, were ordered to move it to the southeast, take the enemy in ticks and go into the rear of Army Group Don. The operation was named Little Saturn. It began on December 16, and in the first three days it was possible to break through the defenses and drive a wedge to a depth of 40 kilometers. Using the advantage in maneuverability, bypassing the centers of resistance, our troops rushed to the rear of the enemy. Within two weeks, they fettered the actions of Army Group Don and forced the Nazis to go on the defensive, thereby depriving the last hope of the troops of Paulus.
On December 24, after a short artillery preparation, the Stalingrad Front launched an offensive, delivering the main blow in the direction of Kotelnikovsky. On December 26, the city was liberated. In the future, the front troops were given the task of eliminating the Tormosin grouping, which they coped with by December 31. From this date, a regrouping began for an offensive on Rostov.
As a result of successful operations in the Middle Don and in the Kotelnikovsky area, our troops managed to thwart the Wehrmacht's plans to unblock the encircled grouping, defeat large formations and units of German, Italian and Romanian troops, and move the outer front 200 kilometers away from the Stalingrad "cauldron".
Aviation, meanwhile, took the encircled grouping into a tight blockade, minimizing the attempts of the Wehrmacht headquarters to establish supplies for the 6th Army.
Operation "Saturn"
From January 10 to February 2, the command of the Soviet troops carried out an operation codenamed "Ring" to eliminate the encircled 6th Army of the Nazis. Initially, it was assumed that the encirclement and destruction of the enemy grouping would take place in a shorter time, but the lack of forces of the fronts affected, which on the move could not cut the enemy grouping into parts. The activity of the German troops outside the cauldron pulled off part of the forces, and the enemy himself inside the ring by that time was by no means weakened.
The Headquarters assigned the operation to the Don Front. In addition, part of the forces was allocated by the Stalingrad Front, which by that time had been renamed the Southern Front and received the task of advancing on Rostov. The commander of the Don Front in the Battle of Stalingrad, General Rokossovsky, decided to dismember the enemy grouping with powerful dissecting strikes from west to east and destroy it in parts.
The balance of forces and means did not give confidence in the success of the operation. The enemy outnumbered the troops of the Don Front in personnel and tanks by 1.2 times and was inferior in artillery by 1.7 times and aviation by 3 times. True, due to lack of fuel, he could not make full use of motorized and tank formations.
Operation "Ring"
On January 8, a message was brought to the Nazis with a proposal for surrender, which they rejected.
On January 10, under the cover of artillery preparation, the offensive of the Don Front began. During the first day, the attackers managed to advance to a depth of 8 kilometers. Artillery units and formations supported the troops with a new accompanying type of fire at that time, which was called the "barrage".
The enemy fought on the same defensive lines on which the Battle of Stalingrad began for our troops. By the end of the second day, under the onslaught of the Soviet army, the Nazis began to randomly retreat to Stalingrad.
Capitulation of the Nazi troops
On January 17, the width of the encirclement was reduced by seventy kilometers. A repeated offer to lay down their arms followed, which was also ignored. Until the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, calls for surrender from the Soviet command came regularly.
On January 22, the offensive continued. In four days, the depth of the advance was 15 kilometers more. By January 25, the enemy was trapped in a narrow patch measuring 3.5 by 20 kilometers. The next day, this strip was cut into two parts, north and south. On January 26, in the area of Mamayev Kurgan, a historic meeting of two armies of the front took place.
Stubborn battles continued until January 31st. On this day, the southern group ceased resistance. The officers and generals of the staff of the 6th Army, led by Paulus, surrendered. On the eve of Hitler awarded him the rank of field marshal. The northern group continued to resist. Only on February 1, after a powerful artillery fire raid, the enemy began to surrender. On February 2, the fighting ceased completely. A report was sent to the Headquarters about the end of the Battle of Stalingrad.
On February 3, the troops of the Don Front began to regroup for further actions in the direction of Kursk.
Losses in the Battle of Stalingrad
All stages of the Battle of Stalingrad were very bloody. The losses on both sides were colossal. Until now, data from different sources are very different from each other. It is believed that the Soviet Union lost more than 1.1 million people killed. On the part of the German fascist troops, the total losses are estimated at 1.5 million people, of which the Germans account for about 900 thousand people, the rest are the loss of satellites. Data on the number of prisoners also vary, but on average, their number is close to 100 thousand people.
The losses of equipment were also significant. The Wehrmacht missed about 2,000 tanks and assault guns, 10,000 guns and mortars, 3,000 aircraft, 70,000 vehicles.
The consequences of the Battle of Stalingrad were fatal for the Reich. It was from this moment that Germany began to experience a mobilization hunger.
The significance of the Battle of Stalingrad
The victory in this battle was a turning point in the course of the entire Second World War. In numbers and facts, the Battle of Stalingrad can be represented as follows. The Soviet army completely defeated 32 divisions, 3 brigades, 16 divisions inflicted a heavy defeat, to restore the combat effectiveness of which it took for a long time... Our troops pushed the front line hundreds of kilometers away from the Volga and Don.
A major defeat shook the unity of the Reich's allies. The destruction of the Romanian and Italian armies made the leaders of these countries think about withdrawing from the war. The victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, and then successful offensive operations in the Caucasus, convinced Turkey not to join the war against the Soviet Union.
Stalingrad, and then Battle of Kursk finally consolidated the strategic initiative for the USSR. Great Patriotic War lasted two more years, but events did not develop according to the plans of the fascist leadership
The beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad in July 1942 was unsuccessful for the Soviet Union, the reasons for this are known. The more valuable and significant is the victory in it for us. Throughout the battle, formerly unknown to a wide circle of people, the military leaders went through the formation, gaining combat experience. By the end of the battle on the Volga, these were already the commanders of the great Battle of Stalingrad. Every day the front commanders were gaining invaluable experience in commanding large military formations, using new techniques and methods of employing various types of troops.
The victory in the battle was of great moral importance for the Soviet army. She managed to crush the strongest enemy, inflict a defeat on him, after which he could not recover. The exploits of the defenders of Stalingrad served as an example for all the soldiers of the Red Army.
The course, results, maps, diagrams, facts, memories of the participants in the Battle of Stalingrad are still the subject of study in academies and military schools.
In December 1942, the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was instituted. More than 700 thousand people have been awarded with it. 112 people became heroes of the Soviet Union in the Battle of Stalingrad.
The dates November 19 and February 2 became memorable. For the special merits of artillery units and formations, the day of the start of the counteroffensive became a holiday - the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery. The day of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad is marked as the Day of Military Glory. Since May 1, 1945, Stalingrad bears the title of a Hero City.
Taking into account the tasks to be solved, the peculiarities of the conduct of hostilities by the sides, the spatial and temporal scale, as well as the results, the Battle of Stalingrad includes two periods: defensive - from July 17 to November 18, 1942; offensive - from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943
The strategic defensive operation in the Stalingrad direction lasted 125 days and nights and included two stages. The first stage is the conduct of defensive combat operations by the front forces on the distant approaches to Stalingrad (July 17 - September 12). The second stage is the conduct of defensive actions to hold Stalingrad (September 13 - November 18, 1942).
The German command inflicted the main blow with the forces of the 6th Army in the direction of Stalingrad along the shortest path through the great bend of the Don from the west and southwest, just in the defense zones of the 62nd (commander - major general, from August 3 - lieutenant general , from September 6 - major general, from September 10 - lieutenant general) and 64th (commander - lieutenant general V.I. Chuikov, from August 4 - lieutenant general) armies. The operational initiative was in the hands of the German command with an almost double superiority in manpower and equipment.
Defensive hostilities by front forces on the distant approaches to Stalingrad (July 17 - September 12)
The first stage of the operation began on July 17, 1942, in the great bend of the Don, with combat contact between units of the 62nd Army and the forward detachments of German troops. Fierce fighting ensued. The enemy had to deploy five out of fourteen divisions and spend six days to approach the main defense zone of the Stalingrad Front troops. However, under the onslaught of superior enemy forces, Soviet troops were forced to retreat to new, poorly equipped or even unequipped lines. But even under these conditions, they inflicted significant losses on the enemy.
By the end of July, the situation on the Stalingrad direction continued to remain very tense. German troops deeply embraced both flanks of the 62nd Army, reached the Don in the Nizhne-Chirskaya area, where the 64th Army held the defenses, and created a threat of a breakthrough to Stalingrad from the southwest.
Due to the increased width of the defense zone (about 700 km) by the decision of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the Stalingrad Front, which was commanded by the Lieutenant General from July 23, was divided on August 5 into the Stalingrad and South-Eastern fronts. To achieve closer cooperation between the troops of both fronts, from August 9, the leadership of the defense of Stalingrad was united in the same hands, in connection with which the Stalingrad Front was subordinated to the commander of the troops of the South-Eastern Front, Colonel-General.
By mid-November, the advance of the German troops was halted along the entire front. The enemy was forced to finally go over to the defensive. This was the end of the strategic defensive operation of the Battle of Stalingrad. The troops of the Stalingrad, South-Eastern and Don fronts completed their tasks, holding back the powerful enemy offensive in the Stalingrad direction, creating the preconditions for a counteroffensive.
During the defensive battles, the Wehrmacht suffered huge losses. In the struggle for Stalingrad, the enemy lost about 700,000 killed and wounded, over 2,000 guns and mortars, over 1,000 tanks and assault guns, and over 1,400 combat and transport aircraft. Instead of a non-stop advance towards the Volga, enemy troops were drawn into protracted, exhausting battles in the Stalingrad region. The plan of the German command for the summer of 1942 was thwarted. At the same time, Soviet troops also suffered heavy losses in personnel - 644 thousand people, of which 324 thousand people are irrecoverable, 320 thousand sanitary people. Armament losses amounted to: about 1400 tanks, more than 12 thousand guns and mortars, and more than 2 thousand aircraft.
Soviet troops continued their offensive
The Battle of Stalingrad is one of the most significant in the history of the Great Patriotic War and World War II. Today, the battle at the walls of our city remains unsurpassed in international and political significance. In 1942, the fate of the entire civilized world was being decided at the walls of Stalingrad. The greatest battle in the history of wars unfolded in the area between the Volga and Don rivers.
During the years of Soviet power, Stalingrad turned into one of the largest industrial centers in the country. On the eve of the war, it had over 445 thousand inhabitants and had 126 industrial enterprises, including 29 enterprises of union and two republican significance.
The Stalingrad Tractor Plant - the firstborn of the socialist industry - provided the country with over 50% of the tractors then available in the USSR (300 thousand). The Krasny Oktyabr plant annually produced 775.8 thousand tons of steel and 584.3 thousand tons of rolled products. Large enterprises were the Barrikady plant, the shipyard, and Stalgres. More than 325 thousand workers and employees worked in Stalingrad and the region. There were 125 schools here, a number of higher educational institutions, theaters, art gallery, sports facilities, etc.
Stalingrad was a major transport hub with highways to Central Asia and the Urals. Of particular importance was the communication that ran here, connecting the central regions of the USSR with the Caucasus, through which the transportation of Baku oil passed.
During the war, Stalingrad acquired an exceptionally large strategic importance... When, in mid-July 1942, the advanced units of large enemy forces entered the great bend of the Don, the troops of the Southwestern Front, weakened in previous heavy battles, were not able to stop the further advance of the Nazis on their own. There was a real threat of an enemy breakthrough into the Stalingrad area.
On July 12, on the basis of the field command and the troops of the Southwestern Front, the Stalingrad Front was created, uniting the reserve 63, 62nd and 64th armies, as well as the 21st Army and the 8th Air Army of the Southwestern Front, which had retreated beyond the Don. Marshal of the Soviet Union SK Timoshenko was appointed commander of the Stalingrad front, NS Khrushchev was a member of the Front Military Council, and Lieutenant General P.I.Bodin was chief of staff. On July 23, Lieutenant General V.N. Gordov took over command of the front, and Major General D.N. Nikishev became the front chief of staff.
The newly created front was tasked with stopping the enemy and preventing him from reaching the Volga. Since the Nazis had already launched an offensive in the great bend of the Don, the troops of the Stalingrad Front had to firmly defend the line along the river. Don: from Pavlovsk to 8 Kletskaya and further south, from Kletskaya to Surovikino, Suvorovsky, Verkhne-Kurmoyarskaya.
The Battle of Stalingrad unfolded on a vast territory of 100 thousand square kilometers, at some stages on both sides more than 2 mln. Took part in it. people, more than 2 thousand tanks, 26 thousand guns, the number of aircraft exceeded 2 thousand units. On July 14, 1942, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Stalingrad region was declared a state of siege.
July 17, 1942 - the day of the beginning of the Stalingrad region. The first to meet the enemy were the Kletsky, Surovikinsky, Serafimovichsky, Chernyshkovsky districts of our region. The advance units of the 6th field army of the Wehrmacht under the command of Lieutenant General F. Paulus reached the Chir River and entered into battle with units of the 62nd Army.
In the great bend of the Don, on the distant approaches to Stalingrad, the great Battle of Stalingrad began. By the beginning of the battle, 14 German fascist divisions were nominated on the Stalingrad direction, in which there were 270 thousand soldiers and officers, 3 thousand guns, 500 tanks, 1200 aircraft.
The Soviet counteroffensive at Stalingrad lasted 75 days, from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943.
Research work, design and search type, is devoted to the study of the history and geography of the native land.
The relevance of our research is determined by the fact that the path to the cultural future goes through overcoming cultural forgetfulness. Monuments of culture, history of the country - part cultural heritage in the development of world civilization. The monuments of history and culture contain unique information on the history of interaction between man and nature.
In the second chapter of the work "Monuments dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad on the territory of the Volgograd region" we analyzed the legislative acts of the Volgograd region. And they found that on the territory of our region, in various districts, there are 559 monuments associated with the Battle of Stalingrad.
The paper presents a description of the monuments dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad, indicating their location. We also did a job of collecting information about specific people and events to which they are dedicated.
Alexey Dmitrievich Kostin, Volgograd Technical School of Railway Transport, branch of Rostov State University ways of communication ", Volgograd region, Russia.