House to House

After weeks of intense fighting in Stalingrad, the 6th Army had nearly taken the key Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works. But the German first line troops were spent after a week of bitter combat. The Russian commanders chose this moment to hurl …

1942-10-06

E11

After weeks of intense fighting in Stalingrad, the 6th Army had nearly taken the key Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works. But the German first line troops were spent after a week of bitter combat. The Russian commanders chose this moment to hurl their crack 37th Guards at the German ring that surrounded the embattled Russian defenders in the factory.

Stalingrad, Russia

In the Battle of Stalingrad, Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia. Marked by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in air raids, it is one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, with an estimated 2 million total casualties. After their defeat at Stalingrad, the German High Command had to withdraw considerable military forces from the Western Front to replace their losses. The German offensive to capture Stalingrad, a major industrial and transport hub on the Volga River that ensured Soviet access to the Caucasus oil wells, began in August 1942, using the 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army. The attack was supported by intense Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble. The battle degenerated into house-to-house fighting, as both sides poured reinforcements into the city. By mid-November, the Germans had pushed the Soviet defenders back at great cost into narrow zones along the west bank of the river.

Wikipedia: Battle of Stalingrad

German

Russian