Winter Storm: The Battle for Stalingrad and the Operation to Rescue 6th Army (Stackpole Military History Series) by Wijers Hans

Author:Wijers, Hans [Wijers, Hans]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780811745871
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Published: 2012-06-01T05:00:00+00:00

German guns fire.

“Outside, a flak battery is barking. Ten Russian bombers circle over the city. Their bombs fall into the ruins without effect; their on-board weapons do us no damage. After this thunder and lightning, a paralyzing pause begins. The noise of battle actually diminishes. No flares go up. Questions followed by questions scurry across the wire. A runner from the hall has just arrived with 1st Lieutenant Fiedler: ‘Sergeant Major Fetzer [second storming party] has run into massive enemy resistance in the forehall. The enemy is everywhere and nowhere. Therefore, the advance has been contained and beaten back. The Russians are counterattacking. We have to yield despite brave defense. No communications to the first and second storming parties.’

“Hand grenades and aimed machine-gun fire had pinned down the first storming party shortly after the start of their attack. From observation post, Planz one can see out men jump back from the fore hall. And Limbach’s storming party? After the wounding of Sergeant Major Limbach, Sergeant Bernd nearly had reached the main hall with exceptional zeal when he was enfiladed from the windows of the fore hall. With some men, he fell shortly before his objective. The rest withdrew into the starting positions. We learned this from Fiedler’s command post.”

Helmut Walz again: “It is time. All was in vain. I can’t understand where the Russian has gotten his strength. It is inconceivable. I am seized by an impotent rage. For the first time in this war, I am faced with a task that I cannot solve. If Hall 4 is attacked with small storming parties, then the strength is insufficient to advance in depth over all the obstacles and roll up the cleverly built defensive system once and for all. If one attacks with stronger forces, they can’t deploy in the narrow room. They only offer a better target and are knocked out in whole squads. This means that Hall 4 can’t be taken in a direct assault. At least not with our means. This realization shocks me: in other campaigns I was able to surpass all obstacles. Continuous fronts, fortified lines, extended river and canal positions, heavily armed resistance nests, cities and villages we all have taken. Always our means were sufficient: fire, petrol, explosives, fog, smoke, steel, iron, various metals, and rubber. And now, just before the Volga stands this lousy factory hall that can’t be taken. I feel myself become very small. I request a talk with the general. In the meantime a report from the doctor comes in. A hundred and ten wounded passed through his hands, sixty men from my battalion and from Sprenger—which is 50 percent of the entire attack strength.

“Some of the wounded have such wounds that they won’t live to see their arrival at the main field hospital. Thirty of the Croats have been killed. Fifty are lying in the first aid post and wait for transportation. Apart from that the doctor again is in his old location. I flip for a short time.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.