Sword of Stalingrad

By the end of August 1942, Army Group South (B) reached the Volga, north of Stalingrad. In a matter of days, 4th Panzer Army, with the 29th Motorized Division in the lead, headed for the river south of the city, …

1942-09-14

5978

By the end of August 1942, Army Group South (B) reached the Volga, north of Stalingrad. In a matter of days, 4th Panzer Army, with the 29th Motorized Division in the lead, headed for the river south of the city, effectively trapping Lieutenant General Chuikov and the men and women of the 62nd Army. Stalin's order of July 27 - "Not a step back!" - was no longer just an obligation but a necessity, and its slogan "There is no land behind the Volga!" the harsh reality that now faced all of the city's inhabitants. Having witnessed firsthand on the Russian steppe the devastating effectiveness of German Blitzkrieg tactics, Chuikov turned the carpet-bombing of the city to his advantage. Anchoring his defense lines in bombed-out buildings that overlooked strategically important streets and squares, he ordered Soviet troops to "hug the enemy". Always keeping the front lines as close to the Germans as physically possible, often a mere floor or door frame away, he successfully negated much of the Germans' firepower and combined arms superiority. At such close range, German infantry soon found themselves forced to fight on their own; or risk taking casualties from their own close air and artillery support! Key landmarks, such as the South Railway Station - which changed hands 14 times in 6 hours; and the Grain Elevator - where combat raged for weeks, became part of history. A year later, the city's defenders were collectively recognized for their courage with the gift of a ceremonial broadsword whose etching reads: "To the steel-hearted citizens of Stalingrad - the gift of King George VI - in token of the homage of the British people."

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

Game Type: Overlord

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Classified