On November 23, 1942, on the fifth day after the start of the counteroffensive in the Kalach-Khutor area, the Soviet troops of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts closed the encirclement ring around the Stalingrad enemy group. Paulus suggested that Hitler withdraw the troops of the 6th Army from positions on the Volga; there were still chances for part of the group to break through until the ring of Soviet troops became denser. However, the German high command, not wanting to retreat, left Paulus’s army in the “cauldron”, promising to release the encircled troops.

On November 22, the columns of the headquarters of the German 6th Army arrived in Nizhne-Chirskaya, where Paulus and the army chief of staff Schmidt were located. There was also Colonel General Hoth, commander of the 4th Panzer Army. At this time, a radiogram was received from Hitler. Hoth and his staff were recalled to carry out other tasks. Paulus and Schmidt were ordered to immediately fly into the emerging “cauldron” and set up an army command post near the Gumrak station. It also became known that General Hube's 14th Panzer Corps, which was supposed to stop the advance of the Russian troops by attacking them from the flank, was pushed east of the Don, as was the 11th Army Corps. The strategically important bridge across the Don at Kalach was given up without a fight. The route to the south - the retreat route of the 6th Army - was largely cut off. The advanced detachments of the Russians went to Kalach.

Soviet troops continued to develop their offensive. To connect with the troops of the Stalingrad Front moving from the southeast, the mobile formations of the Southwestern Front had to cross the river on the move. Don. The only bridge across the Don in the offensive zone of the 26th and 4th tank corps was at the Berezovsky farm near the city of Kalach. The Germans also perfectly understood the meaning of this point. To cover the approaches to the bridge in the Kalach area, the Germans occupied a bridgehead on the western, high bank of the Don, facing the rear, since it was believed that Soviet troops would try to occupy Kalach. The bridge was prepared for destruction. However, the enemy was unable to either hold the bridge in his hands or blow it up.

Soviet T-34 tanks with armored soldiers on the march in the snowy steppe during the Stalingrad operation. Photo source: http://waralbum.ru/

On the night of November 21-22, the 26th Tank Corps occupied the settlements of Dobrinka and Ostrov. Corps commander Rodin decided to take advantage of the darkness to suddenly capture the bridge crossing over the Don. The execution of this task was entrusted to the forward detachment under the command of the commander of the 14th motorized rifle brigade, Lieutenant Colonel G. N. Filippov. The forward detachment included: two motorized rifle companies of the 14th motorized rifle brigade, five tanks of the 157th tank brigade and an armored vehicle of the 15th separate reconnaissance battalion. At 3 a.m. on November 22, the advance detachment began moving at high speed along the Ostrov-Kalach road. Lieutenant Colonel Filippov led a squad of cars and tanks with their headlights on to deceive the enemy. Indeed, the Germans mistook the column for their own (a German training unit equipped with captured Russian tanks) and the enemy defenses were passed through without firing a single shot. In the rear of the enemy, the detachment met the cart of a local resident, who showed the way to the crossing and talked about the German defense system. At 6 o'clock, calmly approaching the crossing, part of the detachment passed in vehicles across the bridge to the left bank of the Don and signaled to the rest with a rocket. In a short battle that was unexpected for the enemy, the bridge guards were killed. The detachment occupied the bridge, and then even made an attempt to capture the city of Kalach on the move. The enemy put up organized resistance and tried to recapture the crossing. Filippov's detachment took up a perimeter defense and steadfastly repulsed all attacks by superior enemy forces, holding the bridge until its corps approached.

On this day, the main forces of the 26th Corps fought serious battles at the line of the state farm “Victory of October” (15 km west of Kalach) and “10 Years of October”. Here the enemy, relying on a pre-prepared anti-tank area, stubbornly resisted the advance of corps units to the crossing. The Germans used previously damaged tanks, which were converted into fixed firing points. Only at 14:00, having made a roundabout maneuver, the 157th Tank Brigade was able to take heights 162.9 and 159.2. The enemy suffered heavy losses and retreated. The 19th Tank Brigade of Colonel N.M. Filippenko, overcoming enemy resistance, by 17:00. part of the forces reached the crossing of the river. Don, which was held by the advanced detachment of the corps. By 20 o'clock. The full brigade crossed the Don and concentrated in the forest north-eastern Kalacha. The 1st Tank Corps also advanced successfully. Tank brigades of the 4th Tank Corps crossed the Don along a captured bridge near the Berezovsky farm and secured a foothold on the eastern bank. Meanwhile, the cavalry and rifle units of the Southwestern Front consolidated their gains. Part of the front forces conducted combat operations to destroy enemy troops who found themselves in the rear of the rapidly advancing Soviet mobile formations.

On this day, the enemy group was completely blocked in the area of ​​​​Bazkovsky, Raspopinskaya, Belosoin. The divisions of the 4th and 5th Romanian corps (5th, 6th, 13th, 14th and 15th infantry divisions) were surrounded by the rifle units of the 21st and 5th tank armies. The Romanians were still fighting back, hoping for outside help. However, these hopes were not realized. Even on the night of November 22-23, south of Golovsky, part of the forces from the encircled group capitulated. Among the Romanians captured by Soviet troops were the commander of the 5th Infantry Division, General Mazarin, the commander of the 6th Infantry Division, General Lascar, the chief of staff of the 6th Infantry Division, Lieutenant Colonel Cambrai, and other commanders. The remaining Romanian troops fought back in Raspopinskaya. By the end of the day, Brigadier General Traian Stanescu, who commanded the encircled Romanian troops, sent envoys to negotiate surrender.

The Romanians were laid out the terms of capitulation: all soldiers and officers who surrendered were guaranteed life, good treatment and the safety of personal belongings with each one. All weapons, as well as horses, carts and other military equipment were subject to surrender to Soviet troops. On the night of November 23-24, and then all day on November 24, the Romanians folded and surrendered. Then the columns of prisoners moved to the rear. In total, 27 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were captured in the Raspopinskaya area, and a significant amount of weapons and other military trophies were captured. The rifle units of the 21st and 5th tank armies, freed after the liquidation of the Raspopin group, continued to move in a southeastern direction, strengthening the front of the troops on the western bank of the Don.

On the same day, Soviet troops liberated Kalach. At 7 o'clock in the morning, the 19th Tank Brigade of the 26th Tank Corps began an attack on the enemy garrison in the city of Kalach. By 10 o'clock, Soviet tanks burst into the city, but the Germans stubbornly resisted. They stopped the advance of our troops on the northwestern outskirts of the city. Then units of the 157th Tank Brigade, which by this time had moved to the right bank of the Don, came to the aid of the attackers. The brigade's motorized rifle units began to cross the Don on the ice and then attacked the enemy from the southwestern outskirts of Kalach. At the same time, tanks pulled up to the high right bank of the Don opened fire on enemy firing points and a concentration of his vehicles. The enemy did not expect a blow from this side and wavered. Our troops attacked again on the northwestern outskirts of the city. By 2 p.m. the town of Kalach was liberated.

The remaining mobile formations of the front also successfully advanced, breaking enemy resistance and liberating populated areas. “All the enemy’s attempts to prevent the encirclement turned out to be late,” noted K.K. Rokossovsky. - The Nazi formations, tank and motorized, transferred from the Stalingrad area to the site of the breakthrough, were introduced into battle in parts and, falling under the blows of our superior forces, were defeated. With them we got the same picture as with the Red Army units in the battles in the big bend of the Don. Having failed to make a fundamental decision to withdraw in time, the fascist German command, like ours in its time, tried to apply small “patches” to the ever-widening huge gap in the Stalingrad direction.”

During November 20 - 23, the 65th Army of the Don Front, with its right-flank formations, together with the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps of the 21st Army of the Southwestern Front, captured the settlements of Tsimlovsky, Platonov, Orekhov, Logovsky, Verkhne-Buzinovka, Golubaya, Ventsy. The defeated German troops, including the 14th Panzer Division, retreated to Stalingrad. The 24th Army, conducting an offensive along the left bank of the Don, encountered strong enemy defenses and therefore did not have much success.

The troops of the shock group of the Stalingrad Front solved their main task. Having broken through the front on the left flank of the 4th Romanian Army, rifle formations of the 57th and 51st armies moved after their mobile formations - the 13th Tank and 4th Mechanized and 4th Cavalry Corps. The Germans, trying to hold back the advance of the 57th Army, threw units of the 29th Motorized Division into battle. They had little success, but were defeated in the battles of November 21-22. By the end of November 22, formations of the 64th and 57th armies covered the enemy’s Stalingrad group from the south and southwest. All German escape routes to the south and southwest were closed.

In the offensive zone of the 51st Army, on the left wing of the front’s strike group, General Volsky’s 4th Mechanized Corps was moving ahead of other advancing formations. As early as November 20, units of the corps occupied Plodovitoe, on November 21 - Art. Abganerovo and st. Tinguta. As a result, our troops cut the Stalingrad-Salsk railway and interrupted telegraph and telephone communications. The work of the main highway through which the Stalingrad Wehrmacht group received reinforcements, equipment and ammunition was disrupted. The 4th Cavalry Corps, which entered the breakthrough after Volsky’s formation, performed a 65-kilometer march-maneuver with the task of cutting off the enemy’s escape route to Abganerovo. Colonel Tanaschishin's 13th Tank Corps continued to move northwest, interacting with General Volsky's formation.

On the afternoon of November 22, units of the Volsky mechanized corps, breaking through to meet the troops of the 5th Tank Army of General Romanenko, captured the Sovetsky farm. At this time, formations of the 51st Army and the 4th Cavalry Corps, advancing on the outer flank of the encirclement of the enemy group, advanced in the direction of Kotelnikovo. The troops of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts were separated by a distance of only 10 - 15 km after the 26th and 4th tank corps entered the Kalach area, and the 4th mechanized corps entered the Sovetsky area. The German command, trying to preserve the path to retreat, sent the 24th and 16th tank divisions from Stalingrad to Kalach and Sovetsky. However, our troops repelled all enemy counterattacks. On November 23 at 16:00, the 45th and 69th tank brigades of the 4th tank corps and the 36th mechanized brigade of the 4th mechanized corps linked up in the area of ​​the Sovetsky farm.

Thus, on the fifth day after the start of the counteroffensive in the Kalach area, the Soviet farm, troops of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts closed the ring of operational encirclement around the enemy’s Stalingrad group.

An attempt to immediately destroy the German group

A large enemy group - the 6th and part of the forces of the 4th German Tank Army - consisting of 22 divisions with a total number of about 330 thousand people was surrounded. In addition, during the offensive, Soviet troops defeated the 3rd Romanian Army, five divisions of which were destroyed or captured, and inflicted a serious defeat on the formations of the 4th Romanian Army. The enemy's 48th Tank Corps, which constituted its operational reserve, was also destroyed.

At the same time, there was no continuous front. The total length of the external front was over 450 km. However, only about 270 km were actually covered by troops. The minimum distance between the external front and the internal one was only 15 - 20 km (Sovetsky - Nizhne-Chirskaya and Sovetsky-Aksai). This was in the most dangerous directions, where the enemy could launch a unblocking counterattack. The Germans did not have a continuous line of defense either. A huge gap over 300 km wide was made at the enemy front (from Bokovskaya to Lake Sarpa).

On November 23, Paulus, not yet knowing that the encirclement had closed, raised the question of withdrawing from the Volga positions in a radiogram to Hitler. “The army will soon be on the verge of destruction if it is not possible, by concentrating all its forces, to defeat the enemy troops advancing from the south and west,” the German commander reported. - To do this, it is necessary to immediately remove all divisions from Stalingrad and significant forces from the northern sector of the front. The inevitable consequence of this should be a breakthrough in the southwestern direction, since with such insignificant forces it is impossible to organize the defense of the eastern and northern sections of the front... Considering the current situation, I once again ask you to give me freedom of action...".

On November 24, Hitler gave the order to hold on: “The troops of the 6th Army are temporarily surrounded by the Russians... The army personnel can be sure that I will do everything to ensure the normal supply of the army and free it from encirclement in a timely manner. I know the brave personnel of the 6th Army and its commander and am confident that you will all do your duty.” At this time, part of the Stalingrad group could still break out of the weak encirclement ring. However, the high command, not wanting to withdraw troops from the Volga, left Paulus’s army in the “cauldron”, revealing a complete lack of understanding of the disaster that occurred at Stalingrad and dooming the 6th Army to death. The German command was preparing for the relief of the 6th Army. To solve this problem, Army Group Don began to be formed.

The strategic initiative passed into the hands of the Soviet command. Colonel General A. M. Vasilevsky, as a representative of Headquarters, was in the troops of the Southwestern Front on the evening of November 23. He discussed the operational situation with his command, and then spoke by telephone with the commanders of the Stalingrad and Don fronts. Realizing that the enemy would try to rescue his troops surrounded in the Stalingrad area, they decided to liquidate the encircled Wehrmacht group as soon as possible. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief approved the assessment of the situation and the proposals of the Chief of the General Staff.

On the night of November 24, the troops received a directive to dismember the encircled group and destroy it piece by piece with strikes in converging directions towards Gumrak. At the same time, the 21st Army of the Southwestern Front, reinforced by the 26th and 4th Tank Corps, was supposed to operate from west to east; from the north - the 65th, 24th and 66th armies of the Don Front; from the east and south - the 62nd, 64th and 57th armies of the Stalingrad Front. The operation was supported on the external front by troops of the 1st Guards and 5th Tank Armies of the Southwestern Front: they were supposed to gain a foothold on occupied lines along the Krivaya and Chir rivers, blocking the enemy’s path from the southwest. From the south along the Gromoslavka, Aksai, Umantsevo line, support for the operation was entrusted to the 4th Cavalry Corps and rifle divisions of the 51st Army of the Stalingrad Front.

On the morning of November 24, troops on three fronts attacked the enemy. The 65th and 24th armies of the Don Front fought to encircle the enemy's Trans-Don group. The 65th Army of P.I. Batov led an offensive in the direction of Vertyachiy and Peskovatka. The Germans fought back fiercely and launched counterattacks, relying on well-prepared defenses. Having advanced 25 - 40 km over the four days of the offensive, General Batov’s troops cleared the territory of the small bend of the Don from the enemy. The main forces of the army crossed the Don on the night of November 28.

The troops of the 24th Army were supposed to go to the Vertyachiy, Peskovatka area and, together with the 65th Army, complete the encirclement of the enemy’s Zadonsk group. However, despite heavy fighting, the troops of this army failed to solve this problem. During the intense struggle from November 24 to 27, the German command managed to withdraw its group from the small bend of the Don to the main forces surrounded at Stalingrad. The offensive of the 66th Army of the Don Front, which delivered the main blow from the Erzovka area in the direction of Orlovka, also did not lead to success. Her troops managed to unite in the area of ​​the village. Market with the group of Colonel Gorokhov, but it was not possible to unite with the main forces of the 62nd Army. The enemy was well entrenched in the Orlovka area and actively fought back. The Germans transferred the 16th and 24th tank divisions to the northern sector from the Marinovka area. From November 28 to November 30, heavy fighting continued. During the war, the Soviet 21st, 65th and 24th armies were able to take strong enemy strongholds - Peskovatka and Vertyachiy. In other areas the Germans held out.

Thus, attempts to immediately dissect and destroy the encircled group did not bring the expected results. The Germans fought fiercely and repelled the Soviet attacks. It turned out that a serious miscalculation was made in assessing the numerical strength of the German group that found itself in the “cauldron”. Initially it was believed that about 85 - 90 thousand people were surrounded, but in fact there were more than 300 thousand people. Therefore, the liquidation of the powerful Stalingrad Wehrmacht group required more thorough preparation and depletion of the enemy’s forces. In addition, it was necessary to strengthen the outer ring of encirclement and repel enemy attacks in order to free Paulus’s army.

Not a fairy tale, but a reality!.. About the feat of Georgy Filippov during the liberation of Kalach. Exactly 75 years ago. Kalach, how much there is in this word... When the fate of the war was being decided, all roads led to Kalach. The road was laid from the south by the Stalingrad Front, from the north by the South-Western Front. The latter needed to cross the Don and take the key point - Kalach. Any serious mistake threatened the failure of the entire operation. The previous similar operation, near Kharkov, ended in a huge failure and the capture of 200,000 of our soldiers. Therefore, in November 1942, especially correct planning and actions were required. On the evening of November 21, the shock fist of the Southwestern Front was located in the area of ​​the Ostrov farmstead in the Surovikinsky district. It is 20 kilometers from Kalach. The task facing the advanced units of the front was this: it was necessary to take the enemy by surprise. Therefore, the Don was supposed to be crossed with lightning speed. And Kalach had to be captured deafeningly quickly. The plan was thought out to the smallest detail. Motorized riflemen, tankers and scouts were sent to quickly capture the bridge at Kalach. And they were to be led by the selfless and tactically competent forty-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Filippov. He commanded a motorized rifle brigade, which carried out the offensive in an exemplary and very effective manner from November 19th. Filippov was assigned special fighters to carry out the most important special task. There were few of them, a little more than 200, but they were the best of the best. If Filippov’s detachment coped with its task - it captured the bridge opposite Kalach - then tank and motorized rifle brigades were to move out from Ostrov in order to liberate the populated area with a powerful blow. At 3 a.m. on November 22, Filippov’s squad set off at top speed and with headlights on towards Kalach. We had to move without clear landmarks through the territory controlled by the Germans and Romanians. The detachment overcame the first enemy barrier, suffering minor losses. 4 kilometers from the Don, at a fork in the road, 5 tanks and an armored vehicle joined the column. The column overcame the next barrier at dawn. The Germans and Romanians mistook the open column of armored vehicles and trucks for their own and let it through. Almost at the Don, the detachment met a cart with a local resident, Gusev. And this meeting turned out to be fateful. The driver said that the crossing opposite Kalach, towards which the Red Army soldiers were rushing, had recently been blown up. But the bridge near the Berezovsky farm is in good condition, and the Germans are not expecting an attack there, and therefore are guarding it with small forces. Like a fairy tale, the plot became even more amazing. It turned out that Gusev knows where and how the guards of the Berezovsky Bridge are located. The column with a magical navigator began to bypass the German stronghold at Berezovsky from the south, simultaneously refueling at a German fuel and lubricants warehouse. Then the Red Army soldiers went down to the Don and continued their further movement along its bank. At the bridge, Filippov made an important decision: he sent the infantry across thin ice to the island that connected the bridge in the middle of the river. There a battle ensued with the German guards, which the Germans quickly lost. And the tanks burst onto the bridge and, under German fire from Berezovsky, moved to the opposite bank. Soon the German guards were destroyed on both banks of the Don, and the most important strategic facility came under the control of the Red Army. The Filippovites transmitted a radiogram about the capture of the bridge, and a tank brigade advanced from Ostrov to Berezovsky. Filippov's thinned detachment took up a perimeter defense. Its main strength was the surviving 4 tanks. The defensive task was not an easy one. There was a powerful German fortified area in Kalach. Therefore, the defense had to be competent and extremely selfless. The Germans launched attack after attack on the positions of desperate daredevils. And the brave souls had to preserve the crossing at all costs. It was very, very difficult to stay on the patches of Kalachevo land. The Nazi attacks became more and more violent. And the Filippovites kept holding on and holding on. Fight after fight, hour after hour, minute after minute. In another battle, the Germans recaptured the western entrance to the bridge. After this, having received reinforcements, they deployed mortars. The forces of the Red Army became smaller and smaller. Communication with the corps commander was interrupted. The situation was becoming dramatic. But control over most of the crossing was not lost. At seven in the evening our tanks finally appeared on the banks of the Don - a tank brigade arrived in time! Soon the corps commander received a radiogram: “the order to seize the crossing has been completed!..” Three hours later, the attackers took up positions in the forest northwest of Kalach. And in the morning they were joined by a motorized rifle brigade. And the liberation of the strategically important settlement of Kalach began. The chief of staff of the 1st Guards Tank Army, Semyon Ivanov, described these events emotionally and almost accurately in his memoirs. He emphasized that the bayonets of Filippov’s men were equal in effect to the whole corps. That “a huge role was played by a rather rare combination in the character of its main character of courage, sometimes reaching the point of recklessness, with meticulousness in the execution of all the details of the statutory provisions. This affected, in particular, his creation in the shortest possible time of a perimeter defense impregnable to the enemy." And, friends, pay attention to Georgy Filippov’s presentation for the highest award of the Soviet Union, it is in the photo. This is something amazing!.. Also in the photo - the battle at the Berezovsky bridge. German aerial photography of the destroyed bridge at Kalach and the bridge at Berezovsky (at the bottom of the picture, across the island), a document from the museum-panorama "Battle of Stalingrad" and a map of the counteroffensive. On February 14, 1943, Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Filippov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union , and the magical navigator Gusev was awarded the Order of the Red Star. The post was prepared with the help of Evgeny Kalinkin.

Fierce battles of formations of the 64th Army, under the command of Shumilov, were fought in the Kuporosnoye, Zelenaya Polyana area from October 25 to November 1. The offensive included the 29th Rifle Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel A.I. Losev and the 7th Rifle Corps, commanded by Major General S.G. Goryachev. The advancing Soviet units advanced 3-4 km and captured the southern part of Kuporosnoye. Stubborn enemy resistance did not allow further advance, but this counterattack pinned down significant enemy forces.

The enemy in the second half of October 31 and November 1 (Sunday) threw up significant forces of infantry and tanks in the direction of Latoshinka, the Red October plant and partially to the 64th Army sector. On the morning of November 1, he launched a series of fierce attacks, sometimes turning into bayonet fighting.

At 6:30 a.m., after air and artillery preparation, the enemy went on the offensive. It involved five infantry (389th, 305th, 79th, 100th and 295th) and two tank (24th and 14th) divisions, reinforced by engineer battalions of the 294th Infantry Division deployed by plane from Rossosh, and the 161st Infantry Division, also delivered by plane from Millerovo. The offensive front, about five kilometers wide, went from Volkhovstroevskaya Street to the Banny ravine. The enemy delivers the main blow at the junction between the rifle divisions of Lyudnikov and Gorishny.

The 138th Rifle Division, with the attached 118th Guards Regiment of the 37th Guards Rifle Division, repelled attacks by infantry and tanks with aviation support from six hours and 30 minutes in the morning. As a result of fierce battles, only 6 people remained out of 200 bayonets in the 118th Guards Rifle Regiment; the regiment commander was seriously wounded. The enemy tried to encircle the division from the north and south, and to enter its rear from the bank of the Volga.

The troops of the Northern Group of Forces, by order of the army commander, from 10 a.m. with the support of the Volga Flotilla went on the offensive from the railway bridge at the mouth of Mechetka to the Tractor Plant. Despite strong enemy resistance, we slowly moved forward. There were continuous battles between our aviation and the enemy in the air.

The 95th Rifle Division repels enemy attacks with up to two infantry divisions with tanks. At 11:30 a.m., the Nazis brought reserves into battle, their infantry and tanks crushed the battle formations on the right flank of the 241st Infantry Regiment of the Gorishny Division, advanced 300-400 meters and reached the Volga at a front of 500-600 meters. The army was cut up for the third time, and Lyudnikov’s rifle division was cut off from the main forces. The remaining units of the division are fighting stubbornly in their previous positions, repelling the fierce attacks of the enemy.

The 45th and 39th Guards Rifle Divisions repelled two enemy attacks on the Red October plant. During the third attack, the enemy managed to partially push back the 117th Guards Rifle Regiment. The stubborn battle continues.

On Mamayev Kurgan, Batyuk’s division fought oncoming battles with the advancing enemy. The 284th Rifle Division repelled enemy attacks on Mamayev Kurgan. In the sector of the 1045th Infantry Regiment, the enemy managed to break into the regiment's battle formations, but a counterattack by reserves restored the situation. The fight continues.

At the front of the 13th Guards Rifle Division, attacks by small enemy groups were repulsed. By the end of the day, the enemy managed, despite the resistance of our troops, to occupy the southern part of the Barrikady plant and here also reach the Volga. The position of the 62nd Army was aggravated by the freeze-up that began on the Volga. (p.264)

The 95th Infantry Division repelled enemy attacks in the Benzobaki area with forces exceeding a battalion. 90 SP holds the Gas Tank area, where it is consolidated. 241 joint ventures and 685 joint ventures are fixed at the edge of the ravine, which is 150 m northeast of Mezenskaya. The 45th Infantry Division and the 39th Guards Infantry Division in their previous positions are fighting with small groups of infantry to improve their positions.

Operation of the crossing: in one trip the steamship "Pugachev" and BC No. 11, 12, 61 and 63 transported reinforcements of 167 people, food and ammunition for units. 400 wounded people were evacuated. According to incomplete data, during November 18, 1942, the enemy lost over 900 soldiers and officers killed and wounded. (p.279)

The enemy's defense was broken through simultaneously in several areas. The weather was foggy. When breaking through the defense, we had to abandon the use of aviation. At 7 o'clock 30 min. With a salvo of Katyusha rocket launchers, artillery preparation began. Firing at previously scouted targets, the artillery inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. 3,500 guns and mortars destroyed the enemy’s defenses. The crushing fire inflicted heavy damage on the enemy and had a terrifying effect on him. However, due to poor visibility, not all targets were destroyed, especially on the flanks of the attack group of the Southwestern Front, where the enemy offered the greatest resistance to the advancing troops. At 8 o'clock. 50 min. The rifle divisions of the 5th Panzer and 21st armies, together with tanks for direct infantry support, went on the attack.

The first echelon of the 5th Tank Army included the 14th and 47th Guards, 119th and 124th Rifle Divisions. Despite the disorganization of the defense of the Romanian troops by powerful artillery fire, their resistance was not immediately broken. Therefore, the advance of the 47th Guards, 119th and 124th Rifle Divisions of the 5th Tank Army was initially insignificant. By 12 o'clock, having overcome the first position of the enemy's main defense line, they advanced 2-3 km. Other connections also moved slowly. The 14th Guards Rifle Division, operating on the right flank of the army, encountered stubborn resistance from unsuppressed enemy firing points. Under these conditions, the army commander decided to bring into battle the success development echelon - the 1st and 26th tank corps. The tank corps went forward, overtook the infantry and with a powerful blow finally broke through the enemy defenses in the center between pp. Tsutskan, Queen.

The 1st Tank Corps under the command of Major General Tank Forces V.V. Butkov, interacting with the 47th Guards and 119th Rifle Divisions and the 157th Tank Brigade of the 26th Tank Corps, immediately captured the Klinov farmstead, in which Up to two artillery regiments and up to an infantry battalion defended, but when the advanced units approached Peschany, they encountered organized enemy resistance. During the first day of the offensive, the 1st Tank Corps advanced 18 km.

The 26th Tank Corps, moving in four columns to the left of the 1st Tank Corps, had two tank brigades at its head. When the 157th Tank Brigade approached state farm no. 2, and the 19th Tank Brigade - to the northern slopes of height 223.0, the corps met with stubborn resistance from units of the 14th Romanian Infantry Division. It was especially strong in the sector of the 19th Tank Brigade, which operated on the left flank of the 124th Infantry Division. Having passed the front line and overtaken its infantry in the area of ​​enemy artillery positions, the right group encountered serious fire resistance. The tankmen of Colonel Comrade Ivanov attacked the firing positions of Hitler’s artillery head-on, but this did not give a positive result. Only after going around the flank and going behind enemy lines did the artillerymen abandon their guns and run away. A sudden and daring attack by tanks from the front and rear was successful. The rear line was overcome on the move, also by bypassing and enveloping the resistance nodes.

The mobile group of the 5th Tank Army - the 1st and 26th Tank Corps - by the middle of the first day of the offensive, completed the breakthrough of the enemy's tactical defense and deployed further actions in the operational depth, paving the way for the infantry. The 8th Cavalry Corps was introduced into the resulting breakthrough neck (16 km along the front and in depth) in the second half of the day.

Active offensive operations were launched by the infantry, the 47th Guards Rifle Division in cooperation with the 8th Guards Tank Brigade and the 551st Separate Flamethrower Tank Battalion, overcoming stubborn enemy resistance along the way, by 14:00. 00 min. captured the settlement of Bolshoy and a height of 166.2. Continuing to tirelessly pursue the retreating enemy, the 8th Guards Tank Brigade with a landing force of 200 riflemen of the 47th Guards Rifle Division by 16:00. 00 min. approached Blinovsky, who at 20 o'clock. 00 min. was completely liberated, the 124th Rifle Division, interacting with the 216th Tank Brigade, overcoming enemy resistance and repelling his counterattacks on its left flank, approached Nizhne-Fomikhinsky by the end of the day and started a battle here.

During the first day of the offensive, the 5th Tank Army inflicted significant losses on the enemy. However, the pace of advance of the army formations did not quite correspond to the assigned task, with the exception of the 47th Guards Rifle Division, which was close to completing it. The enemy, by maneuvering operational reserves from the depths, threw the 7th Cavalry, 1st Motorized and 15th Infantry Divisions into the area of ​​Pronin, Ust-Medvedetsky, Nizhne-Fomikhinsky, which temporarily delayed the advance of Soviet units here. Stubborn enemy resistance in front of the front of the 14th Guards Rifle Division created a threat to the right flank of the 5th Tank Army and delayed the advance of the left flank of the 1st Guards Army.

The 21st army, advancing from the Kletskaya area, delivered the main blow at a front 14 km from Kletskaya to a height of 163.3 east of Raspopinskaya. In the first echelon of the army, the 96th, 63rd, 293rd and 76th rifle divisions attacked. The enemy tried to hold their positions here too; the 96th and 63rd rifle divisions advanced slowly. The 293rd and 76th rifle divisions operated more successfully in the direction of the main attack.

To speed up the advance of the infantry and ensure that the advancing troops reached the operational depth, the commander of the 21st Army, Major General I.M. Chistyakov, also used his mobile formations to complete the breakthrough of the enemy defense. A mobile group consisting of the 4th Tank and 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps, located on the left flank of the army, at 12 o'clock. 00 min. entered the breakthrough, the 4th Tank Corps under the command of Major General of Tank Forces A.G. Kravchenko moved in two echelons, along two routes. The right column of the 4th Tank Corps, consisting of the 69th and 45th Tank Brigades, on the night of November 20 (at 1:00 a.m.) reached the area of ​​farm No. 1, the Pervomaisky state farm, Manoilin, having fought 30- 35 km. By the end of November 19, the left column of the corps, consisting of the 102nd tank and 4th motorized rifle brigades, had advanced to a depth of 10-12 km and reached the area of ​​Zakharov and Vlasov, where it encountered stubborn enemy resistance.

The 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps under the command of Major General I. A. Pliev, fighting with the retreating enemy, advanced in the direction of Selivanov, Verkhne-Buzinovka, Evlampievsky, Bolshenabatovsky. On the line of the villages of Nizhnyaya and Verkhnyaya Buzinovka, the enemy, trying to hold back the advance of our units, opened strong artillery and mortar fire. General I. A. Pliev decided to bypass Nizhne-Buzinovka from the south with units of the 6th Guards Cavalry Division and attack the enemy from the rear. Units of the 5th and 32nd Cavalry Divisions, together with T-34 tanks, advanced from the front to the enemy trench line. The battle lasted two hours. After the 6th Guards Cavalry Division struck from the rear, the enemy’s defenses were penetrated to the full depth.

The main blow was delivered by formations of the 65th Army, commanded by Lieutenant General P.I. Batov. At 7 o'clock 30 min. regiments of heavy guards mortars fired the first salvo. Artillery preparation was carried out against pre-selected targets. At 8 o'clock. 50 minutes - 80 minutes after the start of the artillery barrage - the rifle divisions went on the attack.

The first two lines of trenches on the coastal hills were taken immediately. A battle broke out for the nearest heights. The enemy's defense was built according to the type of individual strong points connected by full-profile trenches. Each height is a strongly fortified point. The ravines and hollows are mined, the approaches to the heights are covered with wire and Bruno spirals. Units of the 27th Guards Rifle Division, cooperating on the right with the 76th Rifle Division of the 21st Army, were advancing well. In the center of the 65th Army, where the 304th Rifle Division of Colonel S.P. Merkulov was advancing, the enemy forced the attackers to lie down with heavy fire. The troops of this division and the 91st Tank Brigade, with a breakthrough front width of 2.5 km, advanced in the Kletskaya, Melo-Kletsky sector.

Soviet divisions had to overcome stubborn enemy resistance in terrain inaccessible to the attackers. By 16:00 the diabolical triangle of altitudes in the direction of the main attack (135.0, 186.7 and Melo-Kletsky) was finally cracked. But the pace of advance of the strike group is still low. Units and subunits of the 304th, 321st and 27th Guards Rifle Divisions continued to engage in fierce battles with the stubbornly resisting enemy. By the end of the day, the troops of the 65th Army with their right flank advanced into the depth of the enemy’s position up to 4-5 km, without breaking through the main line of his defense; the 304th Infantry Division of this army occupied Melo-Kletsky after a stubborn battle. The enemy retreated in the direction of Tsimlovsky.

In the 57th Army, commanded by Major General F.I. Tolbukhin, artillery preparation was supposed to begin at 8 o'clock. But in the morning the fog intensified, and visibility deteriorated sharply. It started snowing. The front commander, Colonel General A.I. Eremenko, postponed the start of artillery preparation by one hour, then by another hour. But the fog began to gradually dissipate. The signal was given to begin artillery preparation at 10 o'clock. After a salvo of heavy “eres” - M-30 rocket mortars, a general cannonade of guns and mortars began, which lasted up to 75 minutes. The 57th Army, with the forces of the 422nd and 169th Rifle Divisions, broke through the enemy’s defenses on the front between lakes Sarpa and Tsatsa, striking to the south and southwest. The enemy was forced to retreat to the line Tonenkaya gully, Shosha gully, 55th km crossing, Morozov gully. Having completed the immediate task, the troops of the 57th Army turned in the direction of the collective farm named after. March 8 and further to the northwest, covering the Stalingrad enemy group from the southwest.

At 8:30 a.m., after artillery preparation, the 51st Army went on the offensive under the command of Major General N.I. Trufanov. The 51st Army with its main forces advanced from the inter-lake region of Tsatsa and Barmantsak in the general direction of Plodovitoe, Verkhne-Tsaritsynsky, and Sovetsky. Supporting the actions of the main forces from the north, the 15th Guards Rifle Division of the 51st Army struck the enemy from the Sarpa, Tsatsa interlake area in the direction of the Privolzhsky state farm.

Units of the 64th Army under the command of Lieutenant General M.S. Shumilov went on the offensive at 14:20. The 64th Army went on the offensive with formations of its left flank - the 36th Guards, 204th and 38th Rifle Divisions. Having broken through the enemy’s defenses on the front south of Elkha, the troops of this army advanced 4-5 km by the end of the day, clearing the village of the enemy. Andreevka.

In the afternoon of November 20, when the shock groups of the Stalingrad Front broke through the enemy’s defenses in all three sectors of the offensive, mobile formations were introduced into the gaps formed - the 13th Tank and 4th Mechanized Corps under the command of Colonel T.I. Tanaschishin and General Major of Tank Troops V.T. Volsky and the 4th Cavalry Corps under the command of Lieutenant General T.T. Shapkin. Mobile front troops rushed deep into enemy defenses in the northwestern and southwestern directions.

The 13th Tank Corps of the 57th Army was introduced into the breakthrough at 16:00 in two echelons and moved in two columns in the general direction of Nariman. By the end of the day, he had covered a distance of 10-15 km. The 4th Mechanized Corps of the 51st Army was introduced into the breakthrough at 13 o'clock in one echelon in the offensive zones of the 15th Guards and 126th Rifle Divisions, the 4th Cavalry Corps entered the breakthrough at 22 o'clock following the 4th mechanized corps, developing an offensive in a westerly direction. Under the blows of the advancing Soviet troops, the 6th Romanian Army Corps operating here withdrew to the Aksai area with heavy losses.

In the morning, units of the 39th Army crossed the Molodoy Tud River, but in the central sector the infantry was stopped by powerful enemy fire, and the attackers had to retreat back across the river. On the flanks of the army, Soviet troops managed to advance up to 5 km. During the day, the army applied unrelenting pressure on the German fortifications and pinned down the German reserves to make it easier for the large force attacking in the south.

After an hour of artillery preparation, units of the 39th Army of the Kalinin Front began an offensive across the Molodoy Tud River at 10 o’clock. The snowfall stopped, visibility improved significantly and aviation was able to participate in preparations for the attack. The artillerymen managed to suppress German strongholds, which yesterday caused serious damage to infantry and tanks. Units of the army crossed the river and quickly entrenched themselves in the forests on the far bank of the river. By nightfall, the attacking Soviet troops pushed the Germans back two kilometers from the front line and, after heavy fighting, captured the village of Palatkino. German infantry, supported by tanks, repeatedly launched counterattacks, but they were all repulsed.

At dawn on November 26, after artillery preparation, units of the 22nd Army of the Kalinin Front, with the support of two Katukov tank brigades, resumed the offensive. On the banks of the Luchesa, the 280th Infantry Regiment of the 185th Infantry Division of Colonel Andryushchenko crossed the frozen river and entrenched itself on its northern bank. Unable to withstand the aggressive Soviet attack, the Germans abandoned their forward positions north of the river and retreated to the fortified village of Griva. New positions were located along the front slopes of the ridge between the Luchesa and the tributary flowing into the Luchesa from the north. When Andryushchenko's two regiments approached Griva, the Germans met them with deadly fire. The accompanying tanks of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade fell behind the infantry at the river crossing, and without their support the Soviet attack stalled at noon. In the Tolkachi sector, Colonel Karpov several times launched his 238th Rifle Division into an attack on German fortifications and captured an enemy stronghold before darkness fell. His losses were also extremely high, and by the end of the day Karpov abandoned further attacks.

On the night of November 25-26, in the offensive zone of the 41st Army of the Kalinin Front, the infantry of General Povetkin's 6th Rifle Corps, with the support of Solomatin's advanced armored detachments, made their way through the forest east of the Vishenka River. There was little resistance. The armored vehicles slowly moved along forest paths through the positions of Vinogradov’s infantry, to the village of Spas on the Vena River, located three kilometers away. On November 26 at 10:00, Solomatin’s tanks and Povetkin’s infantry resumed their joint offensive to the east, to the Nacha River. Solomatin left the weakened 150th Rifle Division and 219th Tank Brigade on the left flank to destroy the surviving German strongholds south of Bely. In the center of the breakthrough, Vinogradov's 75th Rifle Brigade resumed the offensive, led by Major Afanasyev's 4th Tank Regiment and accompanied by the remaining units of Lieutenant Colonel V. I. Kuzmenko's 35th Mechanized Brigade. The enemy's resistance was suppressed, Afanasyev's armored vehicles crossed the forest and broke into an open field west of Vienna. While the main part of Solomatin's corps successfully expanded the breakthrough zone, the 219th Tank Brigade of Colonel Ya. A. Davydov and the 150th Infantry Division of Colonel Gruz tried to destroy the enemy south of Bely. German troops continued to hold Boudinot.

At the end of the day, the forces of the 41st Army resumed their attacks. Supported by Colonel Ya. A. Davydov's assembled 219th Tank Brigade, Gruz's 150th Rifle Division broke German resistance at Dubrovka, advanced and encountered even stronger resistance when attempting to capture Vlaznevo and positions opposite Maryino in the Vena River valley. The advance of the 219th Tank Brigade was again stopped by fierce resistance and enemy fire from Maryino. Meanwhile, a fierce battle continued south of Baturyn, in which the 19th Mechanized Brigade entered. During a grueling battle in heavy snow, villages changed hands until darkness forced the enemy to temporarily stop fighting. Despite the fierce fighting and huge losses on both sides, Baturine remained in German hands. Tarasov's troops, attacking German fortifications south of the city, suffered enormous losses in two days of fierce battles.

Battle of Stalingrad. During November 28-30, the fierce struggle of all three fronts continued. During these battles, the troops of the 21st, 65th and 24th armies managed to capture heavily fortified enemy resistance centers - Peskovatka and Vertyachim. In other sectors, the enemy continued to hold occupied positions. From November 24 to November 30, stubborn battles also took place on the outer front of the encirclement. The troops of 10 rifle divisions, one tank and three cavalry corps operating here suffered significant losses in previous battles. Overcoming stubborn enemy resistance, the troops of the 1st Guards and 5th Tank Armies of the Southwestern Front entrenched themselves along the lines of the Krivaya and Chir rivers. At the same time, formations of the 51st Army and the 4th Cavalry Corps of the Stalingrad Front fought in the southwestern sector of the outer front of the encirclement. Front troops reduced the area occupied by the enemy by more than half - to 1,500 km² (from west to east - 40 km and from north to south - from 30 to 40 km). F. Paulus was awarded the rank of Colonel General.

Transcaucasian Front. The troops of the Northern Group of the Transcaucasian Front began an offensive on the northern bank of the river. Terek. On November 30, the 4th Guards Kuban Corps struck the rear of the Mozdok enemy group.

Sovinformburo. THE ADVANCE OF OUR TROOPS CONTINUES

I. UNDER STALINGRAD. During November 30, our troops near Stalingrad, overcoming enemy resistance, advanced 6-10 kilometers and occupied a number of fortified points. During the battles from November 26 to 30, the enemy left up to 20,000 corpses of soldiers and officers on the battlefield.

II. ON THE CENTRAL FRONT. During November 30, our troops on the Central Front, overcoming enemy resistance and repelling counterattacks by his infantry and tanks, successfully continued the offensive and occupied several settlements.

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Chronicle of the Great Patriotic War 1941: June · July · August · September · October · November · December 1942: January ... Wikipedia

Chronicle of the Great Patriotic War 1941: June · July · August · September · October · November · ... Wikipedia

On November 23, 1942, the troops of the Stalingrad and Southwestern fronts united near the village of Sovetsky, 18 km from Kalach. An enemy group with a total number of 330 thousand people was surrounded - 22 divisions and 160 separate units (6th Field Army and part of the forces of Hoth's 4th Panzer Army).

Hitler's command seeks to save the troops surrounded at Stalingrad from defeat by an external blow. Army Group Don is hastily formed under the command of Field Marshal Manstein (30 divisions, of which 7 are tank and motorized). Manstein decided to create two strike groups: one in the Kotelnikovo area, the other in the Tormosino area. He assured Hitler that with a strike from two directions he would break the blockade and free the encircled German troops. According to the plan of Hitler's command, Soviet troops were supposed to find themselves between a “hammer and a hard place.”

Trufanov N.I. The offensive of the Nazi troops began on December 12, 1942 from the Kotelnikovo area. The Soviet troops were faced with the task of stopping the enemy’s advance. The enemy was opposed by two armies: the 5th shock army of Major General M.M. Popov and 51st - Major General N.I. Trufanova. German troops outnumbered our troops in men by 2 times, and in tanks by more than 6 times. The most difficult situation developed in the zone of the 51st Army. Heavy battles broke out between the Aksai and Myshkova rivers. Nazi troops managed to reach the river. Aksai - there was a real danger of them breaking through the outer front of the encirclement.

The enemy sought to develop success in area x. Verkhne-Kumsky, since the most convenient roads to Stalingrad passed here. In the Verkhne-Kumsky area, the 1378th Infantry Regiment of the 87th Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel M.S. operated exceptionally skillfully. Diasamidze. Diasamidze The regiment's soldiers repulsed up to 10 attacks from the enemy, who had multiple superiority in forces, over the course of 5 days, destroyed up to 2 infantry battalions and 40 tanks. At critical moments of the battle, the commander personally led the soldiers into the attack, was wounded twice, and fought surrounded at the regiment's command post. The regiment's soldiers steadfastly held the occupied line.

In the battles in the Verkhne-Kumsky area, tank crews of the 55th separate tank regiment, Lieutenant Colonel A.A., also distinguished themselves. Aslanova. His regiment, fighting on the Don lines, destroyed 30 tanks and 50 enemy vehicles, and up to two companies of infantry. Aslanov himself burned twice in the tank.

Heavy fighting broke out in the area of ​​the village of Gromoslavki and the Nizhne-Kumskoye farm. The enemy, having broken through the defense line of our troops, reached the Myshkova River by the end of the day on December 19th. Soviet soldiers fought to the death, repelling numerous attacks by enemy tanks and infantry. At this time, an armor-piercing officer of the 98th infantry division performed a heroic feat. Private Ilya Kaplunov. Five tanks rushed to his position. Ilya Kaplunov Kaplunov destroyed all five with well-aimed shots from an anti-tank rifle, but he himself was seriously wounded. Having regained consciousness, Kaplunov saw four more tanks in front of him, bleeding, the courageous fighter knocked out three of them and was wounded again, the last one - the ninth tank - was blown up by a grenade. Near him, his comrades found Ilya’s body.

By the end of December 22, the offensive of the Nazi troops had foundered, and the next day they went on the defensive.

Thus, in defensive battles, Soviet troops and, above all, the 51st army in the Aksai-Myshkova interfluve, at the cost of incredible efforts and sacrifices, thwarted the enemy’s plan to break through to Stalingrad, and won precious time for the approach of our reserves.

On the morning of December 24, the well-equipped and equipped 2nd Guards Army of Lieutenant General R.Ya. Malinovsky and the 51st Army of General N.I. Trufanov went on the offensive, which was successful.

On December 29, the advancing units of the 7th Tank Corps captured the city of Kotelnikovo. On December 31st, the 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps liberated Tormosino.

The troops of the Stalingrad Front completed the task assigned to them, defeating Manstein’s strike force.

Having suffered huge losses, the remnants of the Don Army Group were thrown back 200-250 km under the joint attacks of the Stalingrad and Southwestern fronts. from Stalingrad. The fascist German troops failed to release their encircled group in the Stalingrad area.

This was facilitated by the operation of the Soviet troops, code-named "Little Saturn". The main goal of which was to direct the main blow of our troops to the southeast, towards Morozovsk and Nizhny Astakhov, to defeat Army Group Don.

On December 16, 1942, at 9:30 a.m., following the instructions of the Supreme High Command, the troops of the Southwestern and left wing of the Voronezh Front went on the offensive in the Middle Don region. Front commanders assigned the main role in achieving the success of the operation to armored and mechanized troops.

On January 8, 1943, the Soviet command presented the command of the encircled troops with an ultimatum to surrender, but, on Hitler’s orders, it rejected it. On January 10, the liquidation of the Stalingrad pocket by the forces of the Don Front began (Operation “Ring”). At this time, the number of encircled troops was still about 250 thousand, the number of troops on the Don Front was 212 thousand. The enemy stubbornly resisted, but Soviet troops moved forward and on January 26 cut the group into two parts - the southern one in the city center and the northern one in the area of ​​​​the tractor plant and the plant "Barricades". On January 31, the southern group was liquidated, its remnants, led by Paulus, surrendered. On February 2, the northern group was finished. This ended the Battle of Stalingrad.

Vanguard of Death [Front diary of a Wehrmacht scout 1942-1945] Kubek Willi

November 23, 1942

Wake up at 5 am, line up from 6.20 and 7 am.

The weather is as if to order - even the sun is peeking through. From 13 to 14 drill training, today for some reason it’s even pleasant.

Russian artillerymen fired about 20 shells, all of which exploded near the garrison guard.

After the drill hour we eat. And this is also nice today.

Afterwards we decorate our home and prepare dinner - fried potatoes with canned spinach (3 cans). Three pretty Russian girls came from somewhere, and the whole reconnaissance group flirted with them. Dances are organized at the apartment of non-commissioned officer Gerber, fortunately there is a captured gramophone and even records.

The Ivans didn’t show up today. I write my diary until 10 p.m.

November 3, 1942 I get up at 6.30 in the morning. The train leaves at 7.43. Who knows when I am destined to return here again? If at all destined. In Eisleben the parking lot is one hour. Since I’m not allowed to travel on fast trains, I have to wait for the next regular one. Idiot order

November 4, 1942 Through Berlin and Breslau we reach Przemysl at 16:00. We drag our luggage in the dark, note the evidence, then in “Block 5” we find a place to spend the night. After that we have dinner. We tried to stay the night here, but nothing came of it. At about 22 o'clock we took the train, 4

November 5, 1942 The road through the General Government is still distinguished by some diversity. But as soon as we found ourselves in Russia, a dreary, monotonous landscape began. There’s nothing to look at out the window. I’m finishing my last homemade sandwich today. In the evening we receive allowance -

November 6, 1942 At about 8 am we are in Znamenka, here we get off, and the train is sent back empty. We go to the waiting room and have breakfast. Here we also receive allowance: 100 g of butter and 300 g of sausage. Having eaten and made the necessary inquiries, we go located five minutes away

November 8, 1942 In the morning, the non-commissioned officer roared: “Rise!” Well, just like in the barracks! Here, like it or not, get out. We wash ourselves in some sort of poorly equipped washbasin in the basement and head straight with our luggage to the luxurious dining room. For 30 pfennigs you can get here

November 9, 1942 Wake up today at the same hour as yesterday, wash and have breakfast in the same place. Afterwards we immediately rush to the station and stay in the Red Cross hall. At least it’s warm and cozy there. At 10 o’clock we pick up our luggage and stand in an endless queue of three rows. It's cold, just like

November 10, 1942 Somewhere around noon the heating is turned off and it gets cold. The sun is shining dimly. The landscape is terribly monotonous - the same gray, dreary steppe. There is only one thing left - to kill time by reading. The train makes stops, but they are so short that

November 11, 1942 Around midnight we reach Taganrog. And we trudged these last 90 kilometers to Bataysk for 6 hours! And then we stand for another 2 hours without reaching the station. Finally, the station. Everywhere is full of people - in the waiting room, at the food station. There's no need to even move your legs -

November 12, 1942 I slept wrapped in a blanket, only my feet were frozen. Around 5 am we continue on our way. The road is getting worse and worse. The first snow has already fallen here, now it has turned into mush, especially if we go down into the valley. We barely trudge through Tikhorets - there is a lot ahead

November 13, 1942 As expected, wake up at 5 am. We calmly get ready, receive our allowance, have breakfast and go to the station. There, from vacationers preparing to go to Germany, we learn sad news about the fate of our 13th Tank Division. I take this opportunity to unpack my suitcase.

November 14, 1942 Around 6 a.m. we get up and the cleaners come out onto the street. We wash up, have breakfast and again trudge to the station to wait for the service train, it should be at 9.30, but, as a rule, it appears 8 hours late. It’s good at least that there is no so cold, but still many hours

November 17, 1942 Rise at 5.30, formation at 6.30. We are greeted by our new commander, Oberleutnant Mielke. He was sent to us instead of Ike - Ike was wounded in the stomach on the same fateful day of September 11. After formation, I lay out my things and take away the things that had accumulated during my

November 18, 1942 If every day continues in the same spirit as yesterday, you see, we will be left without a ceiling. Rising and formation - the same as yesterday. I was assigned as a tank gunner in a heavy 8-wheeled armored vehicle of a non-commissioned officer Shatsa. In the first half of the day they dig for us

November 28, 1942 When the guard woke me up at half past one in the morning, I felt that I had gotten enough sleep. So I walk briskly to the post. The shows were asleep, and 2 centimeters of snow had fallen. I have been given the task: if the noise of the battle intensifies, immediately raise the commander. But the front

November 29, 1942 Both in Stalingrad and here the Russians decided to make a fun life for us, trying to break through the front. Already at 3.30 we got up. At 4.15 the non-commissioned officer must report that the group is ready. I quickly remove the machine gun, take away the magazines, others help me bring all this stuff into

November 30, 1942 From 2.30 to 3.30 I was again on duty behind the machine gun. They're shooting in the distance. Having waited for the shift, I wandered back into the house, and at 6 again to the post. Before I could see each other, the madhouse began again - the relatively calm night had passed. You have to lie in a trench - shells fall