‘Every Man A Fortress'

By September 27th the Germans had successfully taken over the center of Stalingrad, had control of ninety percent of the city, and rations were becoming even scarcer with their control of the central pier. Stalingrad had been so destroyed by the panzer onslaughts and Luftwaffe bombings that the city was nothing but a pile of rubble. It was said to resemble a blown out industrial forest. This created problems for the Germans because they could not engage in the large conflicts of which they were so experienced. Their tanks had trouble operating in such a chaotic, crowded environment and could be easily crippled in the narrow streets. The fighting shifted to violent, relentless conflicts. Suddenly the tank and artillery batteries were replaced in significance by machine guns and flame-throwers. Armed with machine guns and flame-throwers, the Russians began to develop their own version of Blitzkrieg. Chuikov realized that to combat the Germans effectively he would have to take away the advantage of their tanks and planes and engage them within Stalingrad. The Russians would utilize small, heavily armed strike forces to attack German strongpoints. The Russians would barrage the German points and then vanish into the rubble as quickly as they had come. As well as new combat tactics, all of Russia was coming together in an effort to re-supply Stalingrad with everything from artillery to rations.

 

Street fighting in Stalingrad. One of the most famous pictures regarding the battle. TFS

By the end of September the Russian army had all but been obliterated. Reinforcements were beginning to pour in to Stalingrad but were being held out for the planned offensive that would be launched by mid-November. The adopted strategy was to keep the Germans at bay until Operation Uranus could be effectively launched. As the reinforcements crossed the Volga to fight at Stalingrad, the burning city showed the hell they were embarking into. Chuikov was only utilizing 1/3 of the reinforcements to fight the battle at Stalingrad.

With this new style of fighting came the emergence of different tactics to fight off the German onslaught. Night attacks played an increasingly pivotal role in the fighting. The Russians utilized their U-2 biplanes and twin-engine night bombers to harass the Germans all night. From the ground Russians utilized the sewer systems to creep in amongst the Germans and raise hell. Bands of Russians would create strongholds within the city and hold out against German onslaughts. The most famous example would have to be Pavlov’s House. Jakob Pavlov, a Russian Sergeant, and three other men captured a building roughly two-hundred and fifty yards from the Volga. Pavlov and his men killed over a hundred Germans and stood as a symbol of patriotism for the motherland. Pavlov’s House was also significant because of the group that made up the fighting force. Civilians holding out in the basement as well as Georgians and Ukranians rushed to help. Pavlov’s House stood as a symbol of a united Soviet Union against a German enemy.

Pavlov’s house is a perfect example of the type of fighting that was going on within the city. Fighting within the city was so brutal and chaotic that distance was no longer measured in miles but yards. Distances between armies were insanely small and both sides were consistently on edge. It was often noted that Germans and Russians would be in the same building but on different floors. It was in this style of fighting that we saw the emergence of the sniper.

Pavlov in front of the house he heroically defended, courtesy of http://katardat.org/marxuniv

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