On April 23, 1943, the war took a major turn.

On this day, with the arrival of a large number of German reinforcements, the port of Stalingrad was firmly in the hands of the Germans. Although a small battle for the port was still going on, the Russians could no longer afford to retake it.

At the same time, the Germans began to continue their offensive, constantly seizing the few small supply ports of the Soviet army.

External support for Stalingrad was largely lost from this day. The offensive and defensive battles had been fought as envisaged by the Germans.

The Germans began to launch a large-scale offensive in all directions, and street fighting continued to be very fierce, but the situation began to turn more and more unfavorable for the Russians.

Unable to receive support, they have run out of ammunition and food in some positions, and this is especially evident in the irregularities.

3rd Soviet Workers' and Peasants' Women's Regiment, April 23, 1943, 9 a.m.

These defensive units, all women, had been holding out for two days at the positions of the No. 1 cotton mill in Stalingrad.

It's hard to imagine how perseverance and sacrifice they have persevered. At the height of the war, the women rushed directly at the Germans with grenades or explosives strapped to them.

Their bravery and sacrifice deserve the respect of all......

However, at this time, they did not receive the weapons and ammunition promised by their superiors, and they suffered huge casualties, and there were not many bullets and grenades at this time.

Commanding this force was Tayeseva, whose husband was a major. Died during the Battle of Kharkov. Now, Tayeseva has carried on her husband's legacy and is one of the countless Russians who defended Stalingrad.

She kept asking her superiors to make good on their promises right away. Replenish supplies as soon as possible, but at 9 a.m., she finally got a message that she didn't want to hear:

There are no more supplies left to replenish them!

Shaking her hands and putting down the phone, Tayesava didn't know what to do. How do you tell your men that not only are they not reinforced, but they can't even replenish their ammunition now?

Taking advantage of the temporary halt to the German offensive, Tajesava gathered all her soldiers. Honestly told them about their current situation and asked them to make their own choices.

Without much hesitation, the Russian women made the last choice: they took up their arms again and entered the position......

11 o'clock. The 3rd Soviet Workers' and Peasants' Women's Regiment, which had shot the last bullet, was finally unable to withstand the onslaught of the German troops.

In this battle, the regiment held the No. 1 cotton mill for three days, killing 712 people. 363 people were captured. Among them, the regimental commander Tayeshava was killed.

Unforgettable battles. And this is just a microcosm of the entire offensive and defensive battle in Stalingrad......

Despite the loss of supplies, the Soviets did not give up their resistance, and they were trying their best to find their own best and most desperate rear, and they also delayed the pace of the German offensive until the last drop of blood was drained......

Around the huge barn on the banks of the Volga River, fierce battles broke out between the two sides, and the 92nd Marine Brigade of the Soviet Army joined the battle. The barn was the target of the Imperial Division's pincer offensive, and the Soviet defense deployed here consisted of only 30 marines and 20 Guards Division soldiers, and the intensity of the fighting was unexpected.

A lieutenant colonel of the German army, Wilhelm . Hoffman once recorded the battle of his battalion as follows: "Our infantry and tanks attacked the barn. Smoke billowed from the barn, and grain was burning. It is possible that the Soviets themselves set the grain on fire. It's barbaric. We have a lot to lose...... The barn guards are not people at all, they are simply devils who can't be burned by fire and bullets can't penetrate. ”

The battle for the barn continued until April 24, when parts of the forces of three German regiments were dragged into the battle.

The intensity of this battle is simply a microcosm of the Battle of Stalingrad.

In the battle, the progress of the operation was not as fast and smooth as in the open plains. Since the battle moved from one floor to another, from room to room, a single building was able to hold back a company, or even a regiment, for up to three hours. When the Soviets were forced to retreat in the direction of the Volga River under the strong German offensive, they often fought for every building and every street, and reluctantly gave up every inch of land that belonged to them.

On April 24, Hoffman wrote in his diary: "The battle for the barn continues. The Soviets attacked from all sides. We had to hide in shelter and couldn't get out. ”

The fighting continued fiercely and lasted for 48 hours. On April 25, Hoffman was finally relieved, believing that "the resistance of the Soviets in the barn had been crushed." Our army is advancing in the direction of the Volga. We found 40 bodies of Soviet people inside the barn building...... We, the veterans, have never experienced such a terrible battle before. ”

In the fierce battle, the offensive and defensive sides engaged in a fierce battle of tenacity and endurance.

When the units of the Imperial Division occupied the barn at the rear, the Soviet defensive positions south of the Tsaritsa River also began to crumble. The 35th Guards Division had been crushed by the German onslaught, and the Marines of the 92nd Brigade, who had been badly wounded, joined forces with the remnants of the 42nd Infantry Brigade, the commander of which had been killed by German air raids on April 23.

Now, Chuikov can only rely on the reports of field commanders on the south bank of the Tsaritsa River to grasp the situation on the south bank of the Tsaritsa River. However, on 24 April, under intense combat pressure, the acting commander of the 42nd Brigade moved his troops from the west bank to the island of Grodny in the middle of the Volga River, from where he constantly sent false reports to Chuikov.

His deliberate attempt to deceive his superiors and lie about the military was not discovered until April 25, when the fighting in the south had been lost. Afterward. The new commander of the 42nd Brigade reported to Chuikov in the middle of the battle that the brigade was severely short of ammunition, food, and water and could not hold out for much longer......

Hoffman complained in his diary on April 26: "Our regiment has been embroiled in continuous battles. After the capture of the barn, the Soviets continued to put up stubborn resistance. You can't see them at all. They hid in houses and cellars, firing from all sides, including from our rear——— they were using the barbaric tactics of bandits. ”

Later on April 26, however, Hoffman and his comrades finally had a brief respite. The Soviet 92nd Brigade was routed under the combined attack of the German 24th Panzer Division with the 12th Infantry Division, retreated with the remnants of the 42nd Brigade and crossed the Volga. By this time, the German 24th Panzer Division had already advanced to the Volga. and put the central trestle south of the Tsaritsa River under the control of their own fire.

Chuikov's 62nd Army survived the first enemy offensive, but the Germans had already won an important tactical victory.

Imperial divisions had already reached the Volga, forming a front line that stretched for 8 km from the Tsaritsa River to the southern outskirts of Kuperrosnoya.

The Germans had already brought the central trestle west of Red Sloboda under their own firepower. Meantime. The Luftwaffe continued to attack Soviet boat formations that were forcibly crossing the Volga River to transport people and supplies. In the center of Stalingrad, the Germans occupied the railway station and temporarily drove the Soviet troops out of the Mamayev heights. The Soviet counteroffensive on the northern flank of the German 9th Army had been defused one by one, and the bridgehead of the 62nd Army had retreated to the industrial zone north of Stalingrad.

In his diary on April 27, Hoffman recorded the celebration of the victory of his unit: "Together with the tanks, we occupied the southern part of Stalingrad and reached the Volga. We paid a terrible price for our victory. We braved the frenzied and fierce blows of the enemy to storm through here. The commander congratulated us on the victory...... When will the war end? When will the Soviet army in Stalingrad be wiped out? Will this massacre end before the end of the month? ”

The German soldiers realized that this was an unusual battle. They called the battle at Stalingrad a "cat-and-mouse war". The German command managed to take measures. Adapt the Germans to this chaotic street fighting as much as possible.

To the north of Mamayev Heights was a large area of factories and dormitories, which became a large and impregnable fortress of the Soviet 62nd Army. According to the plan, the main direction of the German attack was Mamayev Hill and the Red October Iron and Steel Plant at the southern end of the plant, while in the north of the city, the offensive was launched from the Gorodishe area, and the target was the Dzerzhinsky Tractor Plant.

The German army had a very clear purpose in its operation, that is, to break through the Soviet lines and reach the Volga River. Then he turned around and attacked the city, advancing along the riverbank. Encircle the Soviet troops who were forced into the residential area of the "barricade" arsenal, thereby breaking the Soviet defensive line and encircling and annihilating the defending troops.

The 62nd Army created an efficient reconnaissance network in the city of Stalingrad. Upon discovering the attempts of the Germans to prepare a movement to the north, Chuikov immediately reorganized his army at the headquarters on the bank of the river behind the "barricade" arsenal. He stressed the need to strengthen anti-tank defenses and lay mines, as well as to prepare buildings so that soldiers can defend from the inside and from the outside.

And in the Battle of Stalingrad, the Luftwaffe undoubtedly performed extremely well......

The Luftwaffe bombardment over the battlefield caused great damage to the Soviet troops, cutting off communication between the 62nd Army and the detachments blocking the German offensive.

On the evening of April 27, Chuikov realized the gravity of the situation. Under the attack of the German 24th Panzer Division, the left flank of the 112th Solokub Division, supported by the 189th Tank Brigade, was forced to carry out a massive tactical retreat, and they retreated a kilometer towards the perimeter of the residential area of the "barricade" arsenal.

To the left of the 24th Panzer Division, the German 30th Infantry Division launched an offensive on the right flank of the Soviet 112th Division and quickly advanced in the direction of the Dzerzhinsky Tractor Plant, to the left of which was the Mechetka River. To the right of the 24th Panzer Division, the German 100th Chasseur Division also forced the 23rd Tank Army back to the west of the workers' residential area of the Red October Iron and Steel Works. Under the continuous attack of the 30th Division, the Soviet 95th Division was almost unable to continue to control the Mamayev Heights.

Chuikov commented in his diary about that day: "If there is another fierce battle like today, we will be driven into the Volga!" ”

Chuikov knows it very well. The next day's fighting would not weaken, but would become more intense.

The battle on 27 April began with a Soviet counteroffensive, but it was not until the evening of the same day. The Germans advanced more than 2,700 meters and almost completely wiped out the 112th and 95th divisions.

The scale and intensity of the German offensive were unprecedented, and even such a formidable opponent as the Soviet army could not cope with it. According to statistics, the Luftwaffe launched more than 3,000 attacks.

After the air strike, the German infantry and armored troops began to attack, targeting the right flank of the 37th, 112th and 308th Guards Divisions.

The battle was extremely fierce. Explosions rang out one after another, buildings collapsed, and planes circled overhead. The tanks rumbled across the ground, creating a terrifying picture of the end of the world.

Chuikov described the fighting of these days as "unprecedentedly fierce......

In the long and narrow trenches, the officers and men of the 37th, 112th, and 308th Divisions of the Guards Navy tried their best to avoid the frenzied air raids. On the ground, the junction between the left flank of the 37th Guards Division and the right flank of the 308th Division was attacked by a joint attack by the SS Skull Division, the 100th Chasseur Division and the 30th Infantry Division.

11:30 a.m. About 180 tanks of the SS Skeleton Division broke through the defenses of the 37th Guards Division. Advance in the direction of the Dzerzhinsky Tractor Plant and the "Barricade" arsenal.

The left flank of the SS skeleton division quickly launched an offensive to the northeast, passing through the residential area of the workers of the tractor plant, advancing in the direction of the Orlovka River.

In the afternoon, under the strong breakthrough of the SS skeleton division, Sologub's 112th Division was surrounded by the Germans, and under the pressure of the attack of the German 60th motorized division on the other side of the Mechetka River, they could only hold on to their positions.

Similar to the earlier skirmishes in Stalingrad, German commanders again used the "mass annihilation" campaign to besiege the enemy first. Then destroy the enemy's tactics.

For the Germans, this was their greatest combat advantage......

While the 112th Division stubbornly resisted. The SS Skeleton Division began to move eastward, trying to isolate the 124th Brigade commanded by Gorokhov north of the Orlovka River in Spartanovka. Under the continuous offensive of the Luftwaffe and the 9th Army, the positional defense of the Soviet troops became weaker and weaker. Under heavy German artillery fire, Joludev was buried under the rubble, and although he was later rescued, he was furious when the 37th Guards Division led by him was destroyed by the Germans.

The 308th Division was also in an extremely dangerous situation, its right flank garrison, the 37th Guards Division, had been crushed by the Germans, and the western flank was also under attack by the German 389th Division and the left flank attack of the 100th Chasseur Division. Once the SS Skeleton Division advanced south, the 308th Division could easily get bogged down in enemy encirclement.

By midnight, it was clear that the Germans had achieved a major tactical victory. The tractor factory was surrounded by German troops on three sides, and the German assault team broke through to the Volga, again cutting off the 62nd Army. The German 9th Army broke through the defenses of the 37th and 112th divisions of the Guards Navy.

Now the initiative in the war was completely in the hands of the Germans......

"End the battle by May 10!" Ernst. Marshal Bram gave such an order in his own command.

He saw very clearly that with the complete cut off of supplies, the Soviet army had lost the ability to continue fighting, while the ferocious German army had completely controlled the battlefield, and the Battle of Stalingrad had come to an end.

Successful and beautiful battles, although the Germans also paid a great price for it.

But the price is well worth it compared to the victory......

He had always advanced with Moder's 9th Army, and he saw all the battles that the 9th Army had experienced.

Such a bitter battle will never be forgotten by anyone who has experienced it......

"General Modell, what will you do when the war is over?" Wang Weiyi suddenly asked, "I mean the complete end of the war. ”

Moder was not surprised by Marshal Ernst's strange question, but thought patiently for a while: "I think I will be a farmer, Marshal, I have always longed to be a farmer far from the city, to live with my wife and children, and from then on let the war be far away from us...... Marshal, you learned that I don't really like war. ”

"I don't like it either." Wang Weiyi smiled and said: "I hope that what will happen here will be the war we have experienced in the last ......."

"What about you? Marshal, what will you do after the war? Modell asked rhetorically.

"Me?" Wang Weiyi's face became a little solemn: "Seriously, I don't know what I should do, maybe I will leave Germany again and pursue what I really want." ”

"What do you want?" Modell asked very seriously.

Perhaps, this is the only chance to get the true thoughts of his heart from the Baron's mouth, and what is there in Baron Alexon's heart that is not interested?

"Before, I wanted to go home." Wang Weiyi said lightly: "But now, I feel that it is no longer difficult to go home or not, no matter where it is, it will be my home." ”

Go home - Wang Weiyi has probably regarded the Ziguang Military Base as his other home since this time! (To be continued......)