Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman. Short summary

5 seconds

The author describes the exploits of Soviet soldiers defending Stalingrad against the advancing Wehrmacht. In August 1942, the first German bombs hit the city on the Volga.

1 minute

Grossman recounts the exploits of Soviet Army soldiers who defended Stalingrad against the Third Reich forces trying to capture it.

At the end of the summer of 1942, German aviation began bombing the city on the Volga. The amount of air power was unprecedented since the beginning of the war, as the Germans carried out more than 1,000 air raids. They knew that the industrial enterprises were located on the outskirts of Stalingrad, but deliberately bombed exactly the central districts of the city with residential buildings placed there.

During the period of massive bombardment from the air the Germans broke through to the section of the Volga River north of the city. Wehrmacht tanks began to threaten the northern city districts. However, this threat was neutralized thanks to the anti-aircraft gunners under the command of Lieutenant Colonel German. Along with him, the anti-tank units under Lieutenant Colonel Gorelik fought desperately. The city’s workers played an equally important role, as they produced equipment for the Soviet army without interruption.