Stalingrad Now and Then (Volgograd)

It has more names than most cities but due to wars, change in countries etc we now have it named Volgograd since 1961. Stalingrad is one of the most famous battles in WW2. It lasted months and is well known for the number of casualties and ultimate defeat of the over stretched Germans on the eastern front.

Snipers played a huge part in this long battle. Moving from bullet / bomb broken building to building, it was an excellent environment to hide and snipe off soldiers from afar. After the war the city was left flattened, the buildings that were left were unstable. One famous building left to this day is:

It is part of a museum tour, where people can safely see first hand a typical war torn building from WW2. Note the bomb ridden roof and virtually every window as bullet marks around it. Snipers snipers snipers! No wonder tunnels and underground safe area's were often used for both soldiers and civilians.

Stalingrad why is it such a famous battle from WW2?

 There are a number of reasons why Stalingrad is still to this day a very famous battle that took place in WW2. It was crucial in stretching the Germans to breaking point, the Russians clung on to the city 

from the river side by pouring troops into a virtually ruined city. Hitler dug his heels in  against his top military peoples advice; they would not leave Stalingrad until the bitter end and ultimately defeat. Books, movies have recorded how Stalingrad played out and enlighted the public of the seige!

 

Two things that are associated with Stalingrad are Snipers and the cold weather. The city had so many snipers on both sides dug in movement around the buildings was almost impossible. Much of the movement was done at night or in tunnels under the ruined buildings. The weather meant many troops on both sides suffered, inadequet shelter, clothing and rations meant it was hell on earth, especially as the battle lasted for what seemed years.

The Germans initially had huge numbers in Stalingrad, over time the sheer amount of troops they needed to send there to keep pushing the Russians back came at a huge price and at the expense of weakening them on the Western front. The Russians had what is seemed millions of recruits to fill in the now growing death toll (1 million Russians died in Stalingrad with over 13,000 shot for deserting). Men, women and young boys it didn't matter the 'Zerg' was all important and in the end proved a key factor. The photo shows 62nd Stalingrad Army marching in Odessa.

Deep Snow trenches Stalingrad WW2

You can find lots of photo's of the long battle at Stalingrad but I find its hard to find ones that show the true horror of the cold that killed so many troops. Temperatures on -30c were not uncommon and men had to spend weeks in the open with little rations avoiding tank and bullets raining down on them. 1000's if not 10,000s died due to the cold. How about spending a week in the trench above with leaky boots, worn out uniform and wet gloves?

WW2 Stalingrad / Leningrad starvation

A farewell in Leningrad, in the spring of 1942. The German Siege of Leningrad caused widespread starvation among citizens, and lack of medical supplies and facilities made illnesses and injuries far more deadly. Some 1.5 million soldiers and civilians died in Leningrad during the siege - nearly the same number were evacuated, and many of them did not survive the trip due to starvation, illness, or bombing.

Snipers Stalingrad WW2

Stalingrad was a nasty street to street, building to building battle. Snipers were key in taking out soldiers and high ranking officers from afar. Here we can see snipers taking position in a ram shackled building. Sure looks cold.

Battle of Stalingrad WW2

One of my favorite battles in WW2 was the epic encounter at Stalingrad, many say this overstretching of German resources was the downfall of Hitlers grip on the war. The photo above shows how the city was virtually destroyed from the bombings.

Action shot of troops heading for cover under fire.