Stalingrad: The Battle for the Martenovskii Shop

[Music] the campaign's that led to the fight for the raid October factory begin with the German invasion of Soviet Russia in 1941 known as Operation Barbarossa after initial successes the German advance was halted at the gates of Moscow the next year the German High Command developed a new plan called case blue which had as its goal the seizure of the valuable Russian oil fields in the Caucasus region once again the German campaign began with great advances however the Caucasus offensive soon ground to a halt and by mid-september Stalingrad had become the new major objective for the attacking German forces in southern Russia on 13 September 1942 the German 6th army under general Friedrich Paulus began its assault on the city itself which was defended by lieutenant general Vasily Chuikov 62nd army within two weeks the Germans had cleared much of the south and central portions of the city although the Soviets stubbornly clung to a few small enclaves nonetheless Paulus considered the center in south fighting to be over and begin the fight to take the northern factory district after a surprisingly rapid and successful assault on the tractor factory on 14 and 15 October the Germans opened their attack on the very KT Factory on the following day the attack was more difficult taking almost a week for the Germans to clear most of the factory by 23 October the Germans could now turn their attention to the Red October factory stalingrad derived its value from the symbolic importance to both sides because of its name it wasn't strategically or operationally important except as a crossing point for the volga river nor was it easily defended given that it was on the west side of the river the nature of operations in Stalingrad and particularly the Red October factory complex shape the environment extensively its terrain reduce unit frontages and depths to the point that two divisions fought over a one square kilometre area for over a month the 100th Jaeger division was the command originally assigned the objective of capturing the Red October Factory by the time silences 51st army corps was ready to make the attack in the third week of October however that division was too worn down to accomplish the task anticipating the problem Paulus had already ordered general Richard von Schwerin 79th Infantry Division to begin shifting forces from its positions near klett skya on the Don River West of Stalingrad to an assembly area behind the 100th jäger division Sherman's division was to assume responsibility of the northern half of the 100th division sector it also became the designated assault force for the Red October factory in terms of land area the Red October factory was only slightly smaller than the other two major industrial complexes in North Stalingrad the area was roughly 1,100 meters long by 800 metres wide the buildings were also generally smaller in the Red October area but they tended to be more densely packed key locations within or near the complex included the green belt the banya ravine the workers village the strongpoint school the Red October fuel depot the Volga River the finger ravine the settlement the slag heaps and the latter building which was the factory main administration building the major industrial buildings are halls within the factory complex were numbered by the Germans as depicted as later events would reveal the main Soviet defensive position within the factory was Hall 4 also known by the Soviets as the Martin offski shop most of the fighting in the Red October factory would Center on this building for the next three weeks by the time the 79th Infantry Division made its initial attack on the Red October Factory the structures and grounds had already experienced a huge amount of destruction from artillery fire and aerial attacks almost all the buildings were heavily damaged and rubble was everywhere the twisted steel of elevated catwalks piles of stone and rubble stacks of bricks shell holes and Soviet fighting positions restrained throughout the grounds the area was an ideal location for defenders and a nightmare for those attacking into it the Soviet defense of the Red October Factory illustrates aspects of current United States Army doctrine which discussed the role of defensive tasks according to FM 3-0 there are three primary defensive tasks area defense mobile defense and retrograde major journalists upon s yuryev 39th guards rifle division defended the Red October factory using today's concept of the area defense to retain what was considered decisive terrain and to deny that vital area to the enemy Gary Aves defense was also an effort to attract the German forces as a prelude to a later Soviet counter-offensive in November FM 3-0 states that units in defensive positions accomplish their missions independently or in combination by defeating the enemy with fires absorbing the strength of the attack within the position or destroying the enemy with a local or major counter-attack uriens command would employ all of these aspects at the Red October Factory the division was composed of three guards rifle regiments plus division troops at the time of the initial attack on 23 October the divisions artillery was located on the east bank of the volga the division strength in the city itself stood at about 3,000 men initially most elements of the division were forward defending along the main rail line west of the factory if the Germans were successful in Pershing durians forces back from that line they would fall back to prepared defenses in the halls of the Red October factory there the 112th regiment was responsible for defending the workers village where a school had been built into a formidable strong point as well as halls 8 8 a 9 and ten xxxix divisions 120th guards rifle regiment commanded by major AI gory HEV was responsible for hulls three through seven and Hall twelve the regiment's primary defense position was Hall for the Martin offski shop which was typically defended by between 100 and 400 men depending on recent casualties the 117th regiment was responsible for halls 1 & 2 and the small settlement east of there it also formed the divisions reserve in primary counterattack force similar to guidance provided in our own FM 3-0 Soviet commanders in the 39th guards rifle division integrated obstacles counter-attacks and planned fires into the defense in order to isolate and overwhelm the enemy in addition to the divisions artillery on the other side of the river the Soviet infantrymen were equipped mainly with the Mosin Nagant model rifle and the famous ppsh submachine gun but possessed a liberal number of light and medium machine guns to support their fire plan as well they also possessed hand grenades and the ever-present Molotov cocktail assigned or attached to the units of the 39th guards division were a number of heavier weapons integrated into graves area defense these included a number of 50 82 and 120 millimeter mortars 7.62 millimeter 303 caliber and 51 millimetre light medium and heavy machine guns and forty five and fifty seven millimeter anti-tank guns spread throughout the position on arrival in Stalingrad at the 79th Infantry Division consisted of only two infantry regiments plus the standard complement of other division troops the divisions to 26th Infantry was detailed on the temporary mission elsewhere so side let's attach the 100th divisions 54th Jaeger regiment to schranz command for the initial assaults on the factory that regiment however had been ground down in the earlier fighting in the city before the fight for Hall 4 concluded in mid-november several other German units as well as the 369th Croatian Infantry Regiment and a pioneer battalion would later be attached to the division for operations in the Red October area at the time of the initial attack the division possessed about 4500 assault troops mostly concentrated in the battalions of the divisions two infantry regiments the 54th Jaeger regiment possessed at best about 1000 assault troops the 79th divisions infantryman were originally equipped largely with the Mauser 98 rifle as the division came into the line in Stalingrad a large number of the assault troops were really for T sub machine gun based on the experience of sitting fighting thus far generally speaking the older rifles were used by those troops employed in an overwatch or support role while the primary assault troops received the submachine guns the attackers also possess the excellent mg42 machine gun in addition to plentiful potato masher grenades and explosives furthermore for the attack the assault troops would be supported by panzerkampfwagen mark 3 and mark 4 tanks from the 24th Panzer Division as well as the sturmgeschütz 3 assault guns of the 244 and 240 v assault gun battalions the 51st army cores attack plan was for the 100th Jaeger division to conduct holding attacks to the south of the 79th division to the north the 14th Panzer Division would attack to seize the bread factory and ravine south of the barrack kada Factory while the 300 fifth Infantry Division would attack the C's the rest of the barrack Otte the 79th divisions attack plan for 23 October was to be conducted in three phases the objective for the first phase was to attack and seize the railroad just to the east of the main line of resistance this was the Soviets initial defense line there the 79th division would halt for a massive Stuka and artillery attack on the factory before moving into the complex the second objective was the Red October factory itself specific halls were assigned to each assault regiment the final objective for the division was the banks of the Volga River the division would attack with all three regiments on line the two hundred and twelfth infantry comp group would attack on the divisions right it was given the mission to capture halls eight nine and ten within the factory complex on the left the now battalion-sized 54th Jaeger regiment was reinforced with seven tanks from the 24th Panzer Division to bolster extreme it was assigned the task of seizing the latter building and halls one and two at the north end of the factory in the center the two 8th infantry comp group was the 79th Infantry Division's main effort commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Richard Wolff the regiment was reinforced with a company from the 244th assault gun battalion a pioneer company and a heavy rocket launcher battalion it was assigned to capture halls three through seven and twelve German and Soviet fires created numerous obstacles to tactical movement in the form of craters and rubble the German 79th division also faced significant dilemmas in terms of balancing tactical surprise against effective fire support in relatively small heavily damaged in well fortified physical areas US Army doctrine says the filter Tillery fires facilitate and attacking units maneuver by destroying degrading or neutralizing selected enemy forces and positions lacking precision munitions the German 79th division relied upon massed fires to destroy neutralized and suppress Soviet forces in the area of the Martin offski shop however neither it nor the higher german echelons were ever able to effectively isolate the thirty-ninth guards rifle division from its own fire support or effectively interdict the sustainment support concentrated on the east bank of the volga for the attack wolf reorganized the 208 infantry into to attack wedges each based on the regiment's 1st in 2nd battalions the 1st battalion would attack on the left with the 2nd on its right each wedge was further divided into two waves each wave was further organized into three groups the assault group was reinforced with engineers and armed largely with mp40 submachine guns grenades and satchel charges its mission was to attack through the Soviet defences and penetrate to unhinge enemy positions the covering group was equipped with light machine guns rifles grenades and light mortars its mission was to provide protective and covering fires for the assault group and screened the flanks the clearing group was equipped similarly to the covering group its mission was to reduce bypassed resistance nests and bring up supplies the organization of the second wave was identical to that of the first the second wave would pass through the first as needed to continue the attack at which the first wave would then assume the reserve role when the 79th Infantry Division arrived in stalling Brad on 19 October Sherman was unaware of his new mission wolf himself later stated that we only received our new combat orders when we arrived in Stalingrad the 79th Infantry Division had been earmarked to take the Czech entik Red October metallurgical books from the Soviets advanced down to the Volga and assume defensive positions at the riverbank when they learned of the mission in the plan to attack the Red October on the following day at a coordination meeting with sidelights Schwerin and all his regimental commanders objected that there was not enough time to conduct an adequate reconnaissance and plan for a successful attack the Luftwaffe representatives at the meeting insisted that the ground attack go forward due to the pre-planned air strikes but silence relented in risk it the attack for 23 October gaining and refining combat information about the enemy is critical to developing the intelligence necessary for developing Bible courses of action collecting information is a continuous activity during the plan prepare and execute cycle the type of attack a commander can conduct is largely a function of the intelligence and time available Lieutenant Colonel Wolf's insistence on the delay so that he could conduct a reconnaissance before attacking the Red October Factory changed the nature of his operation from a movement to contact to a hasty attack and likely resulted in lower casualties in greater tactical success then his unit would have suffered if it had attacked on the original timeline wolf did not waste the time given to him for preparations he immediately sent out reconnaissance parties to figure out the best attack routes the major shock to both he and eichler was the presence of a long train of railroad cars parked to the divisions front barring the way along the rail line the German front line was too close to the railroad for aerial attacks against the massive obstacle moreover the Sixth Army would not allow a rearward movement so that the Luftwaffe could pulverize the cars and make holes through which the 244 assault guns and other heavy vehicles could move through instead wolf developed an alternative plan using his assault guns and artillery indirect fire mode along with engineer demolition teams to blast a few holes through the obstacle at key Street crossings another concern for wolf developed when he discussed the attack with Colonel Armand beber commander of the 54th Jaeger Regiment on his regiments left when I was at it the commander of this regiment in order to discuss the situation with him weber said to me you can't expect much anymore from my troops in these long days we've been completely exhausted and pledged why the fighting spirit is gone just wait until your troops have fought here for 14 days he will be no different the Jaeger commanders comment about the lack of his men's fighting spirit would begin to bear itself out almost immediately when the attack began Soviet and German forces each faced significant challenges with movement and maneuver during the fighting in and around the Red October factory the heavily damaged buildings cratered landscape and rubble obstacles hindered movement for both sides but favoured the interior lines inherent in the Soviet positions the effectiveness of fires in support of German tactical movement was ultimately less effective facilitating maneuver because it added to the rubble and obstacles troops had to overcome while closing with Soviet forces in the Martin offski shop German army and Luftwaffe fires were never sufficiently coordinated at appropriate echelon to enter deck Russian movement across the Volga and therefore unable to effectively isolate the 39th guards rifle division while each side could achieve limited surprise and momentum during their attacks and counter-attacks at the lowest tactical levels the difficult terrain in advantages it provided benefited the defender in terms of retaining areas occupied in the factory complex as planned the German assault began at zero 700 on 23 October with the usual wave of stupid dive-bombing attacks followed by an hour-long artillery mortar and naval warfare bombardment against the Soviet defenses the divisions kampf groups were battle groups attacked at zero 810 the weekend 54th Jaeger regiment immediately stalled against the positions of the Soviet 8th 95th rifle regiment defending at a railroad bridge on the Eggers immediate right however Wolf's 208 comp group and I cross to 12th farther south assaulted the Soviets first line of defense along the rail line Wolf's planned to penetrate the long row of rail cards proceeded surprisingly well and within an hour his infantry had overrun the Soviet positions and the engineers were busy blasting holes through the cars by zero 9:30 both regiments had successfully crossed the railroad and continued an impressive drive against relatively light opposition the attack had apparently caught the Soviets by surprise that they would soon recover by 1030 elements of both the 208 and 2/12 comp groups had made their way through the communal Gardens known as the green belt West the factory and had reached the factories internal rail line due to the rapid advance Schwerin approved Wolf's request to proceed into the factory without the pre-planned airstrikes and artillery preparation even so wolf had good communications with the Luftwaffe strike commander above the comp group commander was able to direct the Stukas and is supporting artillery to lay down blocking far as north and east of the factory to prevent Soviet reinforcements the ground assault proceeded without pause and both regiments quickly gained access to the factory grounds but by then the Soviet resistance began to stiffen to complicate matters for the German attack the Soviet defenders were able to bring significant direct fire to bear from the bunny ravine to the south into the 212th comp groups right flank colonel Eichler 2nd battalion ran into heavy resistance in the workers village in the same area particularly from a school which had been turned into a strong point soviet forward observers high up on many of Kurgan brought in effect of indirect fires onto the attacking troops as well by 10:35 the second battalion to 8th infantry had seized Hall 5a and the first battalion was attacking halls 3 and 4 elements of the 1st battalion to 12th infantry moved into Hall 5a while others prepared to attack Hall 8 at the same time the 2nd battalion attacked the school strong point and the workers village to the south the attacks continued throughout the day and one by one the factory halls fell to the German assault troops by 1600 the 212th had captured halls 5 part of 8 and 9 and the 208 had captured halls 3 5 a 6 and part of 7 an element of wolfs 1st battalion had even penetrated into the northwest end of the martin offski shop all for about 16 15 to assault companies of the 2nd battalion to 8th infantry were actually able to reach the banks of the Volga east of Hall 7 as fighting centered on Hall 10 elements of the 212 were also able to reach the same area wolf sent in his regimental reserve company to bolster the troops of the Volga in order to widen the penetration there but the company was unable to reach the bluffs after breaching the Soviet first echelon defence along the rail line and discovering that the enemy resistance was light lieutenant-colonel wolf exercise initiative when he requested to shift the planned air and artillery bombardment so he could continue the attack without pausing to take advantage of actual conditions on the ground successful application of the mission command philosophy requires commanders who are prepared to support the initiative of their subordinates the 79th division and the Luftwaffe were able to change their scheme of fire and close air support to accommodate Wolf's quick advance into the factory complex thus wolf's deviation from the plan allowed the attack to maintain its momentum the to assault companies of the 2nd battalion 208 infantry also exercise initiative when they advanced to the Volga River while most of their task force was focused on building 10 both units exported the opportunity on their own initiative to advance to the river eventually the troops at the river had to be pulled back to the vicinity of home seven because they were too few a number to hold the position against the heavy flanking fire they were receiving by dusk the 79th division had driven a significant wedge into the Red October factory soon after nightfall all key factory buildings were in German hands except halls one to part of eight eight a and most of for the fortress-like school was also still under Soviet control as was much of the workers village to the south on the division left the 54th Jaeger regiments failure to take even its first objective the bridge ensured the development of a long flank with gaps which the 79th Infantry Division found difficult to secure due to the loss of sustain during the days fighting during the day the 1st battalion 208 had succeeded in securing a foothold in the western portion of Hall 4 because of the 54th Yeager's failure to advance however wolf was forced to withdraw the battalion from the Martin offski shop that evening in order to help secure the divisions left flank between the factory and the jaegers therefore the next day the two 8th infantry would have to attack into Hall 4 again during the days fighting the 79th Infantry Division had suffered 83 men killed and 364 wounded for a total of 447 casualties that day these were troops which could not be easily or quickly replaced to boast of the division side let's attach the 369th Croatian regiment to SH Warren's command that night to help make up some of the losses like the 54 theatres however the 369th was at best only a battalion and actual strength at this point the fighting on 23 October heavily had treated the 39th guards rifle division as well that division was in worse shape and had suffered 60% losses including gorya czev the commander of the 120th guards rifle regiment the political importance of Stalingrad and the ideological determination by both the attackers and defenders played a significant factor in their willingness to sustain heavy casualties during this large-scale combat operation the Germans lacking room to maneuver were often forced to conduct frontal assaults at close range while the Soviets fighting in a relatively shallow area of operations with their backs of the river suffered high casualties as well Troy Tov the 62nd army commander had no reserves available and noted that his army now faced a threat of enemy forces penetrating through to the Volga in the sector north of the banya ravine that night Troy kava prized Stalingrad front commander yeremenko of the situation and asked for all available indirect fire support for his command to help defeat the German follow-on attack that was sure to come the following day halt for the mountain off ski shop constituted the main Soviet defense position within the Red October factory there was generally located about the center of the factory area and was the largest structure within the complex actually several closely packed buildings the structure was about 400 metres long and about 160 metres wide at its widest part the east end of the building was about 300 metres from the Volga River the key locations and features outside the Martin offski shop included elevated frame catwalks a large number of tall smokestacks the hall for administration building a large stone and rubble pile at the northeast corner stacks of bricks between the Northwest entrance and Hall 12 the locomotive repair shop Hall 3 a large drainage culvert leading from the building to the finger ravine and a huge slag heap between the hall and the workers settlement although tactics have changed since the fighting at the Red October Factory the area provides an opportunity to analyze urban terrain from the standpoint of current doctrine outside Hall for the ground was littered with the rubble and debris of buildings shredded trees and bushes collapsed smokestacks destroyed trucks rail cars and factory equipment and the metal products from the factory the ground was pulverized with shell and bomb craters to the northwest the building was very narrow only about 40 meters across and had one large entrance in a collapsed corner on the very end of the building from which the defenders could shoot out towards the hall 12 warehouse complex the openings were also initially used by the Germans as the primary entrance into the structure to the north and west of the hall were stacks of brick and a large stone pile both of which the Germans would use as assault positions for attacking into the building the massive structure itself was constructed of a mixture of cream colored brick steel girders and sheet metal walls there were relatively clear fields of fire toward the Northeast but initially few if any good position for defenders on that side did to the halls closed heat doors which had been blocked off thus providing no openings to fire through the Soviets could and did however have a few defensive positions outside the hall in the factory administration building and in the rubble and twisted metal frames of the partially collapsed elevated catwalks Soviet snipers would also use the multiple smokestacks alongside the structure for elevated shooting positions there was another large entrance on the south east side through which an attacking force could gain entry as well as the building continued to sustain damage from indirect fire and aerial attacks other openings and the walls appeared over time that provided additional access and also opened up better fields of fire for the defenders within in the rear of the building was a huge slag heap composed of the useless after waste of the Martin furnaces the mound was used as a fallback position in reserved assembly area by the Soviets as was the burned-out settlement nearby all of these conditions made movement very difficult for attackers and defenders both but also provided cover and concealment for both as well key locations inside the Martin offski shop included a series of Martin furnaces along the north east wall a large water trough and the long north western end of the building concrete catwalks a rolling mill and an entrance into the large drainage culvert at the south end of the building sub-surface areas complicate fires friendly control measures enforce protection they can be utilized as avenues of approach as well as lines of communication they can be used as protected storage areas and they can be exported by small units for attacks against the enemy's rear and flanks the Soviets approach the Martin offski shop from the Volga River via the finger ravine then through a smaller narrow gully and into a large underground drainage culvert which emerged inside the building the ravine and culvert provided a covered and concealed route for reinforcements moving into the hall the interior areas of hall four were an attackers nightmare large amounts of brick concrete steel and other rubble from the repeated aerial bombings and artillery shells littered the entire floor rekt steel manufacturing machinery parts of partially completed projects and large steel ingots also served as obstacles from the attacker and as covering concealment for the defenders much of the large twisted steel framing girders and roofing from the building's rooftop lay collapsed into the building's interior adding to an attackers difficulty the roof itself was almost completely blown off or burned by the repeated attacks of the Luftwaffe and German artillery barrage is concrete catwalks and the metal framing in the roof at least where it was still in place also served as platforms for the ever-present Soviet snipers the defenders could also climb aside the now cold Martin furnaces as hiding places and for protection the ovens not only provided shelter from the attacking German troops their heavy steel construction provided protection from artillery and aerial bombs a direct hit was required to destroy these heavy steel ovens it is likely however that the concussion from near misses from large bombs or artillery rounds wounded or otherwise disabled many of the defenders regardless in addition to the furnaces there was a large water drainage trough which ran the width of the building and provided the Soviets a ready-made defensive position inside at 1855 on the evening of 23 october silas ordered swearin to continue the attack the next day the division plan was for Ike lers to 12th infantry to hold would grounded had gained the day before and clear out the rest of Hall 8 and Hall 8a and the workers villages to the south otherwise the comp group would assume a defensive posture to help defeat any Soviet counter-attacks lost against the main objective the Martin offski shop while it was under assault by Wolf's 208 infantry webber's 54th Jaeger regiment was relieved from the 79th division that evening and the test of the 14th Panzer Division next door operating with that command the 54th acres would attack generally southeastward to help the Panzer Division clear the workers villages between the Red October and the barricade factories and prevent Soviet reinforcements from that direction for the 24 October attack Wolf's 208 infantry once again the main effort was reinforced by a company of the 179th pioneer battalion which would hold halt 3 when the regiment attacked the cease hall for Wolf's plan for the two 8th infantry was for the 2nd battalion to attack from halls 3 6 and 7 to seize Hall 4 from there it would also provide fire support for the 1st battalions attack on halls 1 & 2 once halls 1 2 and 4 were under German control the division would push on to the clear the rest of the factory complex down to the Volga operations for 24 October begin at 0 300 when the two 12th infantry began efforts to clear out the resistance remaining in hulls 8 and 8 a by mid-morning the buildings had been captured but both were soon lost to counter attacks by the 112th guards rifle regiment at about the same time the 2/8 assaults begin on the Martin off key shop advancing from halls 3 6 & 7 the 2nd battalion which was the 208 Infantry's main effort attempted to quickly advance into the huge mahnovski shop but it was initially held up by heavy small on his fire from the 120th guards rifle regiment meanwhile the first and begins to dance on holes one and two against surprisingly weak resistance the troops of the 1st battalion advanced from its line west of Hall 4 and proceeded to clear a series of smaller buildings in the northwest corner of the factory then advancing from one pile of rubble to another and through myriad shell craters the battalion successfully reached halls 1 and 2 after a moderately stiff fight but were able to capture only the southern half of both structures other elements of the first battalions continued the advanced East and briefly penetrated once again to the Volga River but a counter-attack by the 39th divisions reserve the 117th guards rifle regiment successfully erased that penetration by dusk u.s. army doctrine emphasizes that defensive plans retain a reserve regardless of the defensive tasks assigned the counter-attack is one of the key actions of urban defense as the attacker moves into the depth of the urban area the attackers forces may become fatigued suffer from attrition and become increasingly disorganized as the offensive force reaches the culmination point where it can no longer continue attack with the available forces the defensive commander executes a planned and coordinated counter-attack the counter-attack regains the initiative and makes the enemy fight in multiple directions infiltration using superior knowledge of the terrain and the skillful use of stay behind forces permits attacking the enemy throughout the depth of its formations in planning the defense commanders anticipate that the enemy will attempt to isolate the urban area commanders defeat this effort by allocating sufficient defending forces outside the urban area to prevent its isolation the Soviets maintain lines of communications across the Volga to prevent isolation of the forces defending the Red October factory complex they were also able to provide forces to repeatedly conduct effective counter-attacks to reverse German tactical gains in the vicinity of the Martin off ski shop and prevent German isolation of the raid October factory the main attack on the Martin off ski shop initially ran into stiff resistance unable to enter Hall for the second battalions assault troops advanced positions near and against the northwest wall of the structure eventually entering through the northwestern end of the building the Germans fought their way slowly into the hall the battle inside was fierce and slow fighting at very close range with submachine guns grenades and satchel charges the German infantry in engineers gradually forced their way farther into the building moving from one pile of rubble to another for protection while the Soviet defenders tenaciously fought back with submachine guns hand grenades and Molotov cocktails the lead combat group eventually fought its way to about 50 metres short of the drainage trough by sundown it made preparations to defend there for the night to the divisions north the 54th Jaeger Regiment advanced only about 100 metres on his front but still fell to take the railroad bridge once again that evening the 79th divisions left flank facing the Soviet one 93rd Rifle Division was thinly held and in some places non-existence the Soviet defenders however were either too weak to exploit the gaps or failed to detect them silences plan for the 79th divisions 25 October attack was essentially the same as the day before and Sherman's focus was now on completing the seizure of the Martin offski shop that mission remained assigned the Wolf's 208 infantry but like the rest of the division the casualties of the last two days of combat had severely depleted the regiment in order to help Wolfe accomplish the task Sherman provided him a small coffe group assembled from the elements of the 212th infantry and attached it to the 208 to give it enough combat power for the assault when the 54th Jaeger Regiment was transferred to the 14th Panzer Division on 24 October the 369th Croatian Infantry Regiment replaced the jaegers in the 79th divisions order of battle shirring assigned the Croatians the mission of defending halls nine and ten this action allowed I clears to 12th to compress its defenses in order to squeeze out enough troops to help man the ad-hoc combat group Wolf's plan was simple continue to push men and weapons into halt for to kill or capture the remaining defenders inside or force them to retreat from the structure moving more men into the hall that morning Wolf's second Battalion attacked and gradually forced its way almost to the middle of the building once there however a large number of Soviet soldiers came pouring out of the drainage culvert and the Martin furnaces where they had been hiding apparently the 120th guards rifle regiment had been reinforced with men from the division reserve during the night the counter-attack surprised the German assault troops who desperately fought back against the now swelling tide of Russian soldiers grudgingly the German troops fought their way back to the portals at the Northwest end of the building through which they had come the day before and were eventually forced back into Hall three and two positions behind the stacks of bricks to the west by dark the russians held the entire martin offski shop once again [Music] fighting continued on 26 October but no significant attacks were undertaken by either side that evening so Aaron's third Regiment the two 26th infantry arrived back under the divisions control and relieved the 54th Jaeger regiment of its positions near the bridge the 79th Infantry Division once again assumed responsibility for that sector schwere Wenham italy issued the new regiment orders for an attack on the morning of the 27th of october the two 26 initial mission was to enhance the isolation of the Martin Aussie shop by completing the capture of halls 1 and 2 as well as eliminate the bolts between the 79th division and the 14th Panzer Division as planned the two 26th infantry attacked at dawn on 27 October and immediately ran into stiff opposition at both locations despite support from the first Battalion 208 it took the regiment all day to complete the capture of the two halls however it also successfully erased the bothersome salient and the German lines as well in the process the 226 Infantry suffered 23 killed in action and 69 wounded in action but it was now in position to make the next attack against the Martin offski shop on 28 October the 226 infantry relieved the 208 infantry responsibility for halt 1 in preparation for the attack while Stuka dive-bombers rockets and artillery hammered the Martin RC shop all day that night a battalion of the 226 infantry advancing from halt to attacked into the main hall this time some of the troops were armed with flamethrowers the flame assault took the Soviet defenders completely by surprise and the German troops were able to penetrate deep into hole 4 however the Soviet Guardsmen were able to use the rubble and knowledge of the interior to circle to the left and right flanks of the assault force and eventually drove the troops of the 226 out of the structure this attack cost the Germans an additional 12 killed and 52 wounded and no advantage was gained on the 29th Schwerin ordered the entire 226 infantry to attack halt for once again this time the battalions approached the structure from halls 1 and 2 the regiment was able to gain another foothold in the building but this achievement like the others was short-lived the troops were soon driven out once again this time with 19 killed in 96 wounded this attack concludes efforts against the Martin offski shop for the next five days the two 26th infantry was now already too weak to continue the attacks against the whole the 39th guards rifle division was not in good shape either according to chirkov all three regiments that the division had been reduced to about 80 men H by the 30th of October therefore a toy car requested permission from me remain Co to bring over the 45th Rifle Division from its island defense mission in the Volga it would take time to assemble this fresh division from its dispersed locations so the elements were sent over piecemeal still these reinforcements for the 39th guards division arrived just in time from the 30th October to 3 November as the 45th Rifle Division made its way to the west bank of the volga the 79th Infantry Division consolidated its positions and prepared for the next assault to take the Martin RC show that attack was scheduled to take place on 4 November by Wolf's reinforced 208 infantry in the meantime on 1 November the remnants of the 24th Panzer Division went into the line and the 79th divisions immediate right and took over the southern defences of the Red October factory to shorten the 79th sector two days later on 3 November the 369th Croatian regiment was moved to take over the defense of halls 1 & 2 while the 208 infantry was reinforced with troops from suren's other two regiments for the upcoming assault on halt for this time wolf planned to have his men attack from Hall 3 into the Martin off sea shot from the south fight their way through the hole and make contact with German elements on the north side the attack was scheduled to begin at dusk after additional heavy artillery and aerial bombing attacks Wolf's men jumped off on the assault but quickly ran into fire nevertheless the troops fought their way into the building and conducted a very close quarters battle with the 120th guards rifle regiment now reinforced with men from the 45th divisions 250 third Regiment fighting in and near the Martin off C shop all night the Germans were able to make their way once again deep into the hall but in the end the reinforcements from the 45th Rifle Division coming into the building from the tunnel tip the scales by dawn 5 November wolf had ordered his men out of the hall even if his men had taken the structure they likely could not have held it with the remaining force the 79th Infantry Division was now exhausted it did not have the men to mount another attack the 39th guards division in contrast was in better shape now that the troops of the 45th division were on hand the high expenditure of resources by both sides and the culmination of the German 6th army before Stalingrad was captured highlights the importance of planning due to the complexity of urban environments commanders was carefully arranged their force and operations according to purpose time and space to accomplish the mission the application of the tenets of unified land operations should inform both plans and the conduct of all operations to include those conducted in and around urban areas successfully synchronizing and converging effects across the breadth and depth of their assigned areas of operation during large-scale combat operations requires that each edge LAN has a shared understanding of their roles and responsibilities what would be the final effort to seize the Martin Aashiqui shop would now take place on 11 November with the beginning of operation Hubertus Hubertus was what would amount to a pollicis final effort to seize the remaining areas of the Red October and barricade factories still under Soviet control the operation would in theory finally enable the 6th army to wrest control of Stalingrad from Troy table 62nd army the main element of this effort was six under-strength pioneer battalions detached from divisions well outside of Stalingrad which had been ordered to the city to reinforce the 6th army part of the 79th Infantry Division's role in Hubertus would consist of a joint attack between the 24th Panzer divisions kampf group Shield and the 2nd battalion to a thin fitori against halt n half of which had been recaptured by the 112th guards rifle regiment the day before the main effort however was the divisions own 179th pioneer battalion which was designated to spearhead the attack on halt for to increase its manpower the baton was reinforced with the third company 40th pioneer battalion from the 24th Panzer Division the battalion would then be backed up by almost 1,000 or so remaining troops of wolfs 208 infantry and other troops that would form the covering group and 191 men from the 369th Croatian regiment in support the 179 pioneers commander kept in helmet belts organized the assault group into for combat wedges of about 30 men each or about a hundred and twenty total divided into two waves wedges two and three would penetrate into the northwest end of the Martin off ski shop an advance inside the building clearing the long narrow Hall there in addition to clearing the hall those two wedges were to hold the Soviets attention while wedges 1 & 4 advance along the outside of the hall in an effort to enter the building further down and get in behind the defenders the wedges would be followed by the 208 Infantry's covering group which would add weight to the attack and hold all ground gained by the pioneers the pioneers were armed with submachine guns grenades satchel charges and flamethrowers to fight their way into the Hall the attack was to commence at 0:00 355 with a massive artillery barrage the fight for the Red October Factory offers excellent examples of combined arms warfare in urban terrain and this battles early phase the Germans used close air support and artillery to suppress and neutralize Soviet positions in the factory area they also used armor to make breaches in the railcar obstacle forward of the Red October Factory in the following battles for the factories buildings the German army assaulted Red Army positions with teams composed of infantry and engineers formed into waves u.s. army doctrine emphasizes the use of small tactical combined arms teams and urban offensive operations these teams rely on a flexible mix of infantry armor aviation engineers and artillery capable of both precision fires and suppression and the final assault on the Martin off ski shop synchronized fires suppress Soviet positions after which ways of infantry and pioneers armed with satchel charges and flamethrowers advanced into the building German intelligence indicated that Martin offski shop was now manned by a hundred and thirty men of the 120th guards rifle regiment two hundred and five men from the second Battalion 250 third rifle regiment and sixty men from the 39th guards any tank company for a total of about four hundred defenders captain belts began moving his troops in a position before midnight and by about zero to fifty all four wedges were in their assault positions wedge one was located in Hall three wedge two was at the south end of the brick stacks wedge three was positioned at the north end of the stacks wedge four was located at a stone pile near the brick stacks at 0:00 340 the assault positions unexpectedly came under heavy Soviet artillery bombardment five men and the first wave of wedge three were killed or wounded by the fire as was another five in the second wave of wedge 2 15 minutes later the German barrage began the artillery bombardment was very short but the fire from a battery of large 210 millimeter mortars designed to prevent the Soviet reinforcement into the penetration area lasted much longer the mortar fire was linear and placed about the center of the main hall area meanwhile German anti-aircraft guns raked the remaining steel girders of the roof and the smoke stacks to kill or distract the plethora of Russian snipers in the complex jumping off from the stack of bricks to the west of the hall for inferences wedge 2 was able to reach the northwestern entrance and fight its way inside under heavy fire it managed to advance into the structure for only about 30 yards before it was stopped by the tangle of wreckage in the building in heavy Soviet small arms fire to the left the already weakened wedge 3 also successfully bounded it to the walls near the entrance at the narrow western end of the building but there the sergeant leading the group was struck by small arms fire nevertheless that wedge pushed into the hall and made it about as far as wedge 2 before it too was halted by obstacles and fire advancing from Hall 3 wedge 1 moved past the locomotive shed and was about to turn east toward its intended entrance before it was suddenly fired on by a dug in well-hidden machine-gun nest near where the wedge commander planned to enter the building another gun opened up shortly thereafter and the wedge commander ordered his troops into a large shell hole there the wedge set up a defense position to provide covering and suppressive fire for the other wedges wedge Ford jumped off from the pile of stones and was able to move along the northwest face of the outside wall for about a hundred metres before it was met with a hail of machine gun and small on his fire from holes in the building the wedge was forced back to the stone pile now stranded inside the building with no outside support coming into the enemy rear as planned the commanders of wedges 2 and 3 decided to pull their troops out of the Martin offski shop to prevent their annihilation within a few minutes wedge 3 had made it back to the stack of bricks while wedge 2 to head for Hall three closely followed by wedge one as they passed by once again the assault was a failure and cost the 179th pioneers fifty four men of the hundred and twenty who began the mission the 79th division was no longer able to seriously consider capturing in Martin opsi shop and no further attacks against the building took place during the remainder of the battle for Stalingrad Operation Hubertus concluded on 18 November 1942 but it was obvious before then that the effort had failed the 62nd army still held parts of the Red October and Barry KT factory complexes throughout the battle Troy Cobbs tough Soviet soldiers had held out against everything that the 6th army could send against them but just barely still Troy Cobbs efforts in the city provided enough time for the staff gut to resource and organize a major counter-attack against Army Group B this operation codenamed Uranus was launched in the early morning hours of 19 november 1942 within three days the 6th army was surrounded although there was a brief effort by Army Group don in december to rescue Paulus and his command that operation failed on 2 February 1943 Paulus was forced to surrender about 250,000 troops additionally numerous tanks artillery pieces and other equipment were removed from the German order of battle Stalingrad had begun as a secondary objective for the German army as part of case blue the 6th army was to seize the city in order to secure the northern flank of the German forces while Army Group A conducted the main effort to capture the oil fields and refineries in the Caucasus in fact taking the oil-rich caucuses proved to be too difficult of a task in Stalingrad began to evolve as a more important objective for the Germans eventually Hitler and other German leaders became obsessed with capturing the massive urban complex the 6th army strained every effort to seize the city foreign troops into the fight and leaving its flanks vulnerable to the Soviet counter stroke by hanging on to the last pieces of Soviet control terrain in Stalingrad Turkish forces through the lair mocked and its into a trap and one of the most decisive access defeats of the war when viewed through the lens of the current operating environment the Battle of Stalingrad provides current military professionals a superb case study for analyzing military operations in urban terrain although technology and tactics have changed the contemporary battlefield one can still learn a great deal by examining the operations of the two opponents who contended in the city using current u.s. army doctrine to compare and contrast those operations one can develop extremely useful insights and a greater understanding of the brutal and resource-intensive nature of city Friday [Music]

Channel: Army University Press

Views: 478,351

Keywords: Russia, Stalingrad, Army University Press, AUP, CAC, Red October Factory, Virtual Staff Ride, Volgagrad, Stalin, Urban Warfare, Wehrmacht, German Army, Soviet Union, Volga, German invasion, World War II, Second World War, Factory District, urban combat, large scale combat operations, WWII, Leavenworth, Documentary, Luftwaffe, Tsaritsa, Panzer, 62nd Army, 6th Army, Soviet, Eastern Front, German Invasion, Megacity, Subterrainean, Red Army, USSR, Barbarossa, Hitler, Blitzkrieg, Martenovskii, Case Blue

Id: 1K0SFr2gPbc

Length: 53min 33sec (3213 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 19 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/vet_laz]

Documentary film put out by the US military for training purposes - description for the video -

Using the recently developed Battle of Stalingrad Virtual Staff Ride, Army University Press developed a multimedia historical documentary of the battle through the lens of current doctrine. Army University Press produced this documentary to make “history come to life” while illustrating doctrinal points of large scale combat operations from FM 3-0 and other doctrinal publications. The first video series examines the Battle of Stalingrad and the challenges of operating in dense urban terrain. The first episode of the Stalingrad series analyzes the battle for the Martenovskii Shop of the Red October Factory.

A second study depicting the Battle of the Commissar's House can be found here.

A third video will be released sometime in the near future.

[u/ww2colorizations]

Thanks OP. This is well researched. If you already have an understanding of the units and situation, it’s interesting.