The foundation was laid 23 August 1942 of the year, when the Luftwaffe made a massive bombardment of the city. killing 40 000 human. This exceeds official figures Allied air raids on Dresden in February 1945 (25 000 victims).
In Stalingrad, the Red Army, Wehrmacht and for some unknown reason, we have changed the methods of warfare. Red Army from the beginning of the war used the tactics of flexible defense waste in critical situations. command of the Wehrmacht, in its turn, avoiding major, bloody battles, preferring to bypass the large fortified areas. The Battle of Stalingrad both sides forget their principles and go on a bloody cutting.
Many German soldiers and officers, He had behind him a lot of battles, recalled, that in Stalingrad have the impression at times, that they were in some sort of parallel world, the atmosphere of absurdity, where traditional German pedantry and rationality volatilized. The German command was often given absolutely senseless orders. for example, in street battles for some minor plot, German generals could put a couple of thousands of their own boytsov.Odnim same of the most absurd moments was the episode, when German pilots- «supply vessels», dropped from the air in the closed «bloody cauldron» the men instead of food and clothing for women mink coats.
Yes, and during the battle, Soviets adopted the revolutionary innovation of psychological pressure on the enemy. So, of speakers, installed at an advanced, rushed favorite hits of German music, which is interrupted by reports of the victories of the Red Army at Stalingrad front sections. But the most effective tool was the monotonous beat of a metronome, which was interrupted by 7 impacts commentary in German: «every 7 seconds at the front killed one German soldier». Upon completion of the series of 10-20 «timer reports» from the speaker swept tango.
The Germans called Stalingrad “Hell on Earth”, “red Verdun”. In his memoirs, the former German soldiers and officers, who survived the battle of Stalingrad, as a mark unparalleled courage and even ferocity of Soviet soldiers, beating until the last bullet (then – to blows), to a man. Need to say, that despite all the fears of the Germans about their fate, to those, those who voluntarily surrender, Soviet soldiers were more than tolerant. who needed – received medical care
War under the ground
Yes, They fought at Stalingrad and underground. dungeons Stalingrad, Steel separate front portion during a long, bloody battle. According to the testimony of speleologists, current underground Volgograd – this, at least, 150 kilometers of tunnels, leaving the ground to a depth of five to 30 m, with stable stone arches, in some places the width of two horse-drawn carts, and even the narrow-gauge railway. This is the only known cave. The older tunnels – the better they are made. In tunnels Tsaritsyn times even lined roadways!
Dungeoneering was started back in the royal Rossii.Diakon In. Savvinsky still 1911 , he wrote, hundreds of men and women took part in the construction of the catacombs of the Holy Spirit Monastery. For plan, which was kept secret, there was supposed to build around 5000 tombs, build some chapels, and establish crypts for the monastic brotherhood and major donors.
Holder Construction monk Heliodorus attached underground structures fortification value: this explains the length of tunnels, which stretch to the hidden reaches far beyond the cloister. Built in the 30s is a huge industrial area full of different tunnels, mainly technical purpose. At that time there was still concrete reservoirs, and pipe, as well as other communications, require constant maintenance and inspection, laid stretched for dozens of kilometers in the vaulted stone galereyah.Takovye near legendary Stalingrad Tractor Plant (STZ), and plants «Red October» and «barricades» — it is here were the heaviest fighting.
There were also some type dungeon. At the beginning of the war in Stalingrad NKVD worked engineers and specialists of the Moscow Metro construction, they constructed another backup command post (KP). Similar objects, which for some reason, as one called «Stalin's bunker» Stalingrad KP was not completed — We do not have time or for some other reason. But tunnels unrealized object helped our soldiers sneak behind enemy lines, to evacuate the wounded and capture «languages».
During the fighting underground galleries are actively used both Soviet troops, and Germans. With their usual thoroughness the Germans investigated, and then used for their own purposes any tunnels. And there were in the tunnels even local fighting. Sniper Zaitsev often crawled under the ground in the territory of hardware plant. One day he was wounded in the foot and got through a narrow tube of a heating boiler room, the fascists closer.
Its underground tunnels were and the famous House of Pavlova.Odin of them led to an underground gasoline storage tanks, located in front of the house, where our hidden weapon emplacements. And when Fritz started without a break beating artillery at the windows of the building, Red Army soldiers went down to the basement. Because so long and lasted.
The experience of the First World War showed the effectiveness of the use of underground tunnels for sabotage and subversion. During the battle of Stalingrad in order to mine and explosive activity first to use underground tunnels became the Corps of Engineers. The main blow fell on the Soviet demolition major stronghold of the Germans, from which shelled the crossing. First, engineers dug a 5-meter deep well, then struck tunnel, where length was 40 m, and the width – 1 meter. After the explosion, the Germans urgently requested listening means.
In the conduct of the fighting Soviet forces also successfully you used the sewer system. One of its branches from the Volga almost led to the city center. According to the memoirs of soldiers, while they crawled through the pipe length is more than a kilometer, many because of the intolerable stench fainted. Only later the military began to issue gas masks.
One of the most extensive systems of underground tunnels under the plant was «barricades». Chief of Intelligence 308th Infantry Division in. Lanchevsky recalled, that is surrounded by one of the shops of the major plant Kushnarev was able to break with his party to the dungeon. Behind pressed Germans, a front tube was close concreted, through which we managed to get the surviving soldiers. According Lanchevskogo, Red then rescued, the tunnel «I am walking in zigzags», and therefore it was impossible to sweep. Only on the third day squad, constipation digging knives, made his way to his. During the fighting some underground structures exploding Soviet military. According to local residents, he watched, both near the entrance to one of the tunnels 76-mm cannon reflected the German attack, but when finished shells, Red Army rolled the gun and blew manhole.
Interesting, that the German troops since the beginning of their penetration into the city began to build its own system of underground structures. The work continued almost until the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, and only in the end of January 1943 of the year, when the German generals realized, that the battle is lost, underground galleries were blown. and remains a mystery to us, that the Germans were building. One of the German soldiers then ironically wrote in his diary, that he had the impression, that the command would like to get to hell and to call on the help of daemons.
Near the site, where the Nazis on the outskirts of Stalingrad airfield located, from the ground and stick today numerous fragments of concrete. Here you can see something like inputs, leading down somewhere. Locals say, that a German bunker, who in the late fall of 1942, built hastily forces captured Red Army. But to explore it and now no one dares: It preserved the memory of, that the structure is very dangerous. According to one version, it mined, pulled back several tons of explosives, on the other — more terrible, — object filled with some toxic substances. And the entrance was blocked by a thick layer of concrete. Bypassed by his side, and local diggers — even against the background of a very dangerous dungeons central part of the city from this bunker breathes horror death.
Still alive several members of the 10th Division of the NKVD, were responsible for ground operations in Stalingrad. Despite, they have for 90 years, they still stand at the FSB spetsuchete. Interview them is not possible. Furthermore, many catacombs and now filled with poison gas – mustard, which is a grave danger to human. apparently, Volgograd dungeon will long keep their secrets.
Renat Ismailov
