On the 12th of  September, the first German troops moved into the city, and they attacked straight into the Urban area. The armies engaged in close quarters house to house battles. Soviets established frontline positions as close as possible to the German lines, the safest place from German air and artillery attacks. Stalin ended up sending his top General Zhukov to supervise the entire Southern Front. Instead, Vasily Chuikov took over the 62nd army in the city. While the previous general set up for a counter offense, Chuikov pushed his troops into combat. When asked why he decided his task he said, “We will defend the city or die in the attempt." Reinforcements were ferried across the Volga (the longest river in Europe) under fire into the ruins with enough troops that made it to the other side to keep at least part of the city in Soviet hands.

         Soviet and German troop casualties were mounting, and ensuring the defense of Stalingrad Stalin issued order No. 227 on July 27, 1942 (also known as not one step backward). Armies were formed with another line of troops that acted as a last line of defense behind the leading forces. Officers and soldiers who deserted could be sent to penal battalion, which was a virtual death sentence. Red army troops built a maze of trenches (some dug by women and children) and damaged buildings and used the sewer system to sneak past the Germans.

 

         What made this battle relevant through the years was the infamous snipers. Both sides employed snipers, and the destroyed buildings of Stalingrad made it an ideal environment for cover. The most famous Soviet sniper was Vassili Zatsev. He had 225 confirmed kills and was celebrated as a hero. At the end of September and in mid- October the Germans came close to victory, but the Soviets clung on the to the part of the city’s northern factory district. The advance to Stalingrad brought other problems for the Axis powers. Hitler, the dictator of the Nazi Party, had fired several of his generals in the summer after arguments over his strategic plan. Now Hitler was making many command decisions himself. The winter caused problems for both the Soviets and the German, breaking down tanks and made weapons more difficult to operate. However, this served as an advantage to the Red Army, because they had better clothing for the freezing conditions with quilted jackets and fur hats. Stalingrad forced the Germans to bring in the Italian and Romanian armies to support the flanks of the 6th and 4th Panzer army. Fighting inside Stalingrad was weakening German forces and causing them to pull units from sides into the city.

 

         The Romanian and Italian troops were poorly trained and had low morale. This means they would be the first targets for the planned Soviet counteroffensive. It started with the Soviets attacking Hungarian positions north of Stalingrad on Nov. 19. Then on the South the next day was devastating the Romanian fronts. Within a week the two advancing Red army forces had joined up and cut Stalingrad off. (Operation Uranus) General Paulus leading the German army asked permission to break out and surrender which he could have done, but Hitler refused. Instead of promising to resupply the trapped German army by air.

 

         General Erich von Manstein was brought in to lead a relief attempt for the surrounded pocket but had to retreat before Christmas. The air supply effort also cost the Luftwaffe hundreds of transport aircraft, and only managed to deliver a fraction of its supplies.

 

Germany now short of fuel, food, and ammunition the German sixth army now faced superior forces all around them. The last German troops in the city would surrender on February 2nd, 1943. The battle of Stalingrad was a crushing blow to Nazi Germany, and the losses to the vermacht could not be replaced.

Daniella Salazar