Stalingrad by alexey isaev

Author:alexey isaev [alexey isaev]
Language: eng
Format: epub

On 27.9 the army’s southern flank began an offensive against the northern part of Stalingrad. While overcoming stubborn resistance, it achieved the goals assigned for the day. The western edge of the large railway loop, the commanding Height 107.5, and the quarters to the north-east of it, and the ravine north-west of Red October, were occupied and our units reached the railway south-east of Gorodishche along a broad front.

This success can be explained quite simply: the Germans would clear a path with a hurricane of artillery fire. The expenditure of ammunition by the LI Corps on 27 September was the impressive amount of 444 tons, including 346 rounds from 210mm howitzers and 2,044 rounds from 150mm field howitzers.⁵

One might raise the logical question: what could the defenders of Stalingrad put up against this hurricane of fire? It is well known that artillery batteries from the left bank of the Volga supported the 62nd and 64th Armies’ units fighting on the streets of the city. In his memoirs, Chief Artillery Marshal N.N. Voronov,⁶ while describing his visit to the Stalingrad area in September, writes: ‘The characteristic whistle of heavy shells could be heard from time to time. This was the famous trans-Volga artillery group firing on the enemy. The heavy and super heavy artillery had been moved beyond the Volga in a timely manner.’⁷ Further on, so as not to leave any doubts regarding ‘heavy and super heavy’ artillery, he writes of the presence of 203mm–280mm guns in this group.

However, Voronov’s words, unfortunately, are not confirmed by documents. For example, on 1 October 1942 seven gun artillery regiments, armed with six 107mm guns, eighteen 122mm howitzers, ten 122mm guns (122mm model 1931 A-19 guns), and thirty-nine 152mm guns (the exact type is not indicated, but they are most likely ML-20 152mm gun-howitzers) were in the front artillery group.⁸ A super-heavy artillery regiment with ten 203mm howitzers appears only in the reports from 20–25 October 1942.⁹ As of 1–5 December 1942 this same single regiment is listed as being subordinated to the front, to be sure, with thirteen 203mm guns already.¹⁰ According to data from the Red Army’s Main Artillery Administration, the expenditure of 203mm shells was 1,800 rounds for the entire second half of 1942.¹¹ The other fronts along the Stalingrad direction did not expend ammunition of this type. In its turn, the German Sixth Army expended 4,318 210mm shells just during the period 1–20 September (the beginning of the assault on Stalingrad and the fighting in the Kotluban’ area).¹² As they say, there’s no need for commentary. During the period being described, the LI Corps fired an average of 200–300 210mm rounds per day. The Germans’ weekly expenditure was 1,800 rounds.

Accordingly, one may state with a high degree of certainty that Voronov’s words are an idealized presentation of the front’s artillery group. ‘As it should have been’ and not ‘as it was’. The reasons for this are most likely to be found in shell production. In the Red Army 203mm

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.