The Unknown War - The Defense of Stalingrad - 01/05

The Unknown War - The Defense of Stalingrad - 01/05
Documentary series about 1941-45 The Great Patriotic War.
Made in 1970's. Narrated by Burt Lancaster.

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Unknown War, The (Neizvestnaya Voyna) Episode 1 of 20
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The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the purpose of ensuring possession of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd), which took place between 17 July 1942 and February 2, 1943, during the Second World War.

The start of Operation Blau had been planned for late May 1942.
However, a number of German and Romanian units that were involved in Blau were then in the process of besieging Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula.
Delays in ending the siege pushed back the start date for Blau several times, and the city did not fall until the end of June.
A smaller action was taken in the meantime, pinching off a Soviet salient in the Second Battle of Kharkov, which resulted in the pocketing of a large Soviet force on 22 May.

Blau finally opened as Army Group South began its attack into southern Russia on June 28, 1942.
The German offensive started well. Soviet forces offered little resistance in the vast empty steppes and started streaming eastward in disarray.
Several attempts to re-establish a defensive line failed when German units outflanked them.
Two major pockets were formed and destroyed: the first northeast of Kharkov on July 2 and a second, around Millerovo, Rostov Oblast, a week later.

Before the Wehrmacht reached the city itself, the Luftwaffe had rendered the Volga River, vital for bringing supplies into the city, virtually unusable to Soviet shipping.
Between 25 July and 31 July, 32 Soviet ships were sunk with another nine crippled.

The battle began with the heavy bombing of the city by the Generaloberst von Richthofen's Luftflotte 4, which in the summer and autumn of 1942 was the mightiest single air command in the world.
Some 1,000 tons were dropped.
The city was quickly turned to rubble, although some factories survived and continued production whilst workers joined in the fighting.
The Croatian 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment was the only non-German unit selected by the Wehrmacht to enter Stalingrad city during assault operations.

By the end of August, Army Group South (B) had finally reached the Volga, north of Stalingrad.
Another advance to the river south of the city followed.
By September 1, the Soviets could only reinforce and supply their forces in Stalingrad by perilous crossings of the Volga, under constant bombardment by German artillery and aircraft.

On September 5, the Soviet 24th and 66th Armies organised a massive attack against XIV Panzerkorps. The Luftwaffe helped the German forces repulse the offensive by subjecting Soviet artillery positions and defensive lines to heavy attack.
The Soviets were forced to withdraw at midday after only a few hours.
Of the 120 tanks the Soviets committed, 30 were lost to air attack.
Soviet operations were constantly hampered by the Luftwaffe.

On 18 September, the Soviet 1st Guards and 24th Army launched an offensive against VIII Armeekorps at Kotluban.
VIII Fliegerkorps dispatched wave after wave of Stuka dive-bombers to prevent a breakthrough.
The offensive was repulsed, and the Stukas claimed 41 of the 106 Soviet tanks knocked out that morning while escorting Bf 109s destroyed 77 Soviet aircraft, shattering their remaining strength.
Amid the debris of the wrecked city, the Soviet 62nd and 64th Armies, which included the Soviet 13th Guards Rifle Division, anchored their defense lines with strongpoints in houses and factories.
Fighting was fierce and desperate.

Lieutenant General Alexander Rodimtsev was in charge of the 13th Guards Rifle Division, and was awarded one of two "Heroes of the Soviet Union" for his actions in the battle.
The life expectancy of a newly-arrived Soviet private in the city dropped to less than 24 hours, while that of a Soviet officer was about 3 days.

Stalin's Order No. 227 of July 27, 1942, decreed that all commanders who order unauthorized retreat should be subjects of a military tribunal. "Not a step back!" was the slogan.
The Germans pushing forward into Stalingrad suffered heavy casualties.

Stalingrad 1942-1943:
http://www.youtube.com/user/grummeper#grid/user/8416F00B87C7C672

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[jaybee123100]

Russians did not fight for Stalin they fought for humanity

[123Armin321]

@altgovzen

"The Hitlers come and go, but the German people to stay!" (Stalin)

[jmm1233]

just completed cod5 , rtelated a post to this video , and i got to say the final mission was like , Yay

[jmm1233]

watch?v=37RupvjwHII

[123Armin321]

@altgovzen

So I agree with you.

[123Armin321]

@altgovzen

So I think, we are not so far from each other. Дружба?

[123Armin321]

@altgovzen

not "they", some of them

[123Armin321]

@altgovzen

dude, my grandparents votet communist, not Hitler. One of my grandfathers died in concentration camp. Thats not my own merit but my heritage. And who sold the anti-fascist German Democratic Republic to the successors of Hitler? It was your Gorbatchov.

[sphinx1020]

i have seen this and followed this on tv way back in 1978. the glorious stand of the soviet people in defense of their motherland against an invading army.

[sphinx1020]

i have seen this and followed this on tv way back in 1978. the glorious stand of the soviet people in defense of their motherland.