Jul. 17 1942 S T A L I N G R A D D      A      T      A      B      A      S      E Feb. 2 1943

TIMELINE

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1942
July	12 Creation of the Stalingrad Front Stalingrad Front Timoshenko 16 Following the dismissal of von Bock, von Weichs is given command of Army Group South Weichs 17 Forward units of German 6th Army engage units of Soviet 62nd Army on the Chir river line 62 Army 6 Field Army Kolpakchi Paulus 23 Führer Directive N° 45 orders to advance simultaneously to the Caucasus and Stalingrad Army group B Hitler Gordov is given command of the Stalingrad Front Stalingrad Front Gordov 24 6th Army motorized units break 62nd Army's defences and reach the Don north of Kalach 62 Army 6 Field Army 28 Order No. 227 "Not a step back!" issued by Stalin Stalin 29 The Orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov, and Alexander Nevskij are instituted Stalin 31 4th Panzer Army transferred from the Caucasus to the Stalingrad direction by Führer's order 4 Panzer Army Hoth
August	03 Lopatin is given command of 62 Army 62 Army Lopatin 04 Shumilov is given command of 64 Army 64 Army Shumilov 05 Creation of the South-East Front Eremenko 08 German forces complete encirclement of four Soviet divisions west of Kalach 62 Army 6 Field Army Lopatin Paulus 09 Eremenko is given command of the Stalingrad Front Stalingrad Front Eremenko Saraev is given command of the Stalingrad NKVD garrison 10 NKVD Rifle Division Saraev 10 German troops countered at Abganerovo and forced to take defensive position in that sector 64 Army 4 Panzer Army Shumilov Hoth 19 Renewal of German offensive with actual order of taking the city of Stalingrad 6 Field Army Paulus 20 No more Soviet forces remaining west of the Don, except two bridgeheads at Serafimovich and Kletskaja Stalingrad Front Eremenko 21 14th Panzer Corps crosses the Don and establishes a bridgehead at Vertiachij 14 Panzer Corps Wietersheim 23 German breakthrough by 8km-wide corridor reaches the Volga north of Stalingrad 16 Panzer Division Hube Massive bombing by 4th Air Fleet leads to destruction of the city and tens of thousands of victims Richthofen 24 Stalingrad Defense Comitee urgently sends civilian fighting battalions to the endangered factory district Chujanov Four Soviet armies attack 6 army's north flank and attempt to break the German corridor Stalingrad Front 6 Field Army Eremenko Paulus 25 The city of Stalingrad is officially declared under state of siege 10 NKVD Rifle Division 27 Gorokhov's operational group takes positions on the Orlovka-Rynok line, Stalingrad's northern outskirts 124 Rifle Brigade Gorokhov 29 Zhukov is sent to Stalingrad Front as Stavka Representative to coordinate armies between Don and Volga Zhukov
September	02 62 and 64 Armies escape encirclement on Stalingrad's approaches by withdrawing swiftly to the city itself 62 Army 6 Field Army 03 Junction of German 6 Army and 4 Panzer Army on near approaches of the city Army group B 05 Krylov is given interim command of 62 Army 62 Army Krylov 10 Chuikov is given command of 62 Army 62 Army Chuikov The 62 Army forces defending the city are less than 55 000 men 62 Army The 6 Army forces preparing to attack the city are about 80 000 men 6 Field Army 11 48 Panzer Corps units reaches the Volga on southern outskirts of Stalingrad in the Latoshinka-Kuporosnoe sectors 48 Panzer Corps Kempf 62 Army is cut off from 64 Army and remains alone in Stalingrad 62 Army 12 Chuikov arrives in 62 Army HQ on Mamaev Kurgan to take effective command 62 Army Chuikov Zhukov and Vasilevsky meet Stalin at Stavka GHQ, discussing guidelines of the future counter offensive Stalin Meeting at Vinnitsa between Paulus and Hitler, which commands to seize the city in the shortest possible time Hitler 13 Start of street fighting, with Germans near workers villages before the Barrikady and Red October factories zone 6 Field Army Paulus German 51 Corps progresses 3km, captures Gorodische and Alexandrovka stations, and reaches Aviogorodok 51 Army Corps Seydlitz Under heavy fire, V.I. Chujkov decides to deplace HQ from Mamaev Kurgan to the bunker on Tsaritsa river 62 Army Chuikov 14 One of the most critical days : committing strong forces in a major assault, F. Paulus aims at the city center 62 Army 6 Field Army Chuikov Paulus German 295 division besieges Mamaev Kurgan, 71 division takes central station and some key buildings near the Volga 51 Army Corps Seydlitz Rodimtsev's 13 Guards division starts crossing the Volga at dusk and repels German infiltration from the coastline 13 G. Rifle Division Rodimtsev 15 13 G. division clears 71 division positions from city center between railway and river line in ferocious counterstrike 13 G. Rifle Division 71 Infantry Division Rodimtsev Hartmann Mamaev Kurgan is overrun by 295 division, from the summit Germans have a commanding view over the city and the Volga 295 Infantry Division Wuthmann In southern part of the city, 94 infantry and 24 panzer divisions reach railway station n°2 at dusk 24 Panzer Division Lenski 16 Units from 112 rifle and 13 Guards divisions dislodge Germans from Mamev Kurgan summit, which becomes a no man's land 112 Rifle Division 295 Infantry Division Ermolkin Wuthmann Soviet units recapture railway station n.1 beginning a four day struggle for its vicinity 13 G. Rifle Division 71 Infantry Division Rodimtsev Hartmann German forces overtake railway station n.2 94 Infantry Division Pfeiffer 17 Ferocious struggle for central railway station which changes hands several times during the day 13 G. Rifle Division 71 Infantry Division German troops achieve encirclement of almost all Soviet strongpoints south of the Tsaritsa river 62 Army 48 Panzer Corps 92 Naval Brigade and 137 Tank Brigade arrive as reinforcements to 62nd Army 92 Brigade 18 Renewal of Soviet offensive with 1 Guards, 24 and 66 Armies against German land bridge, region of Kotluban Stalingrad Front 14 Panzer Corps Fighting rages around the grain elevator, last stronghold south of Tsaritsa, as its defenders repel numerous assaults 35 G. Rifle Division 48 Panzer Corps Chujkov moves 62 Army HQ to the Volga bank east of Red October factory 62 Army Chuikov 19 95 division crosses the Volga and deploys in Mamaev kurgan aera 95 Rifle Division Gorishny Forces of Stalingrad Front continue their attempt to break German defences north of the city, with very limited progress Stalingrad Front 14 Panzer Corps 62nd Army went to the offensive trying to join the Soviet forces attacking north of the corridor, with limited success 62 Army 6 Field Army Chuikov Paulus 20 95 division fights its way through Mamaev Kurgan summit in southwestern direction 95 Rifle Division Gorishny Central railway station completely destroyed, remaining Soviet forces continue fighting in adjacent buildings 13 G. Rifle Division 71 Infantry Division Defenders in grain elevator repel assaults all day long, fighting to the last cartridge, with building finally occupied 35 G. Rifle Division 94 Infantry Division 21 After regrouping, German forces renew the onslaught in city center towards the Volga 62 Army 51 Army Corps At the end of the day, German units reach the river along the central ferry crossing, bringing it under direct fire 62 Army 51 Army Corps Remnants of 244, 133 and 35 divisions, 92 and 42 brigades, cut off from the Army, continue fighting south of Tsaritsa 62 Army 22 284 division crossed the Volga and deployed between city center and Mamaev Kurgan 284 Rifle Division Batiuk 71 division achieved a critical move in city center by driving through 13 Guards almost to the Volga 13 G. Rifle Division 71 Infantry Division Rodimtsev Hartmann At dusk Soviet forces somewhat restore the situation, stabilizing the frontline around 9 January square 13 G. Rifle Division 71 Infantry Division Rodimtsev Hartmann 23 62 Army develops new tactics, such as use of storm groups, specially designed and equiped for street fighting 62 Army Chuikov 284 division progresses along Dolgij and Krutoj ravines, retaking part of Mamaev kurgan southern slopes 284 Rifle Division 295 Infantry Division Batiuk Wuthmann 1st battalion of 42nd regiment, 13th Guards division, now completely encircled near Red square, fight to the last 13 G. Rifle Division 71 Infantry Division Rodimtsev Hartmann 24 95 division regains ground on southwestern slopes of Mamaev Kurgan, advancing towards Dolgij ravine 95 Rifle Division Gorishny After a week of intense fighting, 13 Guards division lost 90 % men against 30 % for 71 division, both are exhausted 13 G. Rifle Division 71 Infantry Division Rodimtsev Hartmann K. Zeitzler replaces F. Halder as chief of staff of German Army General Headquarters Zeitzler 25 685 Rifle Regiment crosses the Volga and deploys in the 13 division sector, aiming for 9 January square 193 Rifle Division 100 Jäger division arrives from the Don sector as reinforcement to German troops inside the city 100 Infantry Division Soviet local offensives around Mamaev kurgan came to a stall after five days of slow progression 95 Rifle Division Gorishny 26 Fighting in city center loses intensity, each side cleverly entranched and holding its positions 62 Army 6 Field Army Chuikov Paulus About two thirds of city center are in German hands, the High Command speaks of "German flag over party buildings" 62 Army 6 Field Army Chuikov Paulus Area south of river Tsaritsa now totally under German control, the shattered remnants of its defenders cross the Volga 62 Army 48 Panzer Corps 27 Paulus changes 6 Army main offensive axis to the workers settlements of Red October and Barrikady factories 62 Army 6 Field Army Chuikov Paulus V.I. Chujkov decided to spoil german plans by launching a preemptive assault in direction of newly deployed forces 62 Army 6 Field Army Chuikov Paulus With Soviet counterstrikes pinned down by aviation, 389, 100, 295 divisions and 24 panzer division advance up to 3 km 62 Army 6 Field Army Chuikov Paulus 28 193 division arrives as reinforcement, immediately deployed to sustain the German crushing onslaught 193 Rifle Division Smekhotvorov A storm group led by seargent J.F. Pavlov invests a house on 9 January square, with excellent tactical position 13 G. Rifle Division The Stalingrad Front becomes the Don Front, while the South-East Front becomes the new Stalingrad Front Stalingrad Front Eremenko 29 German forces began series of offensives around Orlovka to reduce the Soviet salient in this region 115 Rifle Brigade 51 Army Corps Andrjusenko Seydlitz Reinforcements come to Pavlov's house, which becomes a long-lasting fortress under command of leutenant I.F. Afanassiev 13 G. Rifle Division Forces from 51, 57 and 64 Armies began joint operations to establish bridgeheads around salt lakes south of Stalingrad Stalingrad Front Eremenko 30 In the Orlovka salient, unit groups of colonels Andrjusenko (west) and Gorokhov (east) are compressed by German advance 124 Rifle Brigade 14 Panzer Corps Gorokhov Hube Shattered remnants from 23 Tank Corps, defending workers villages, are replaced by reffited 42 and 92 rifle brigades 62 Army Soviet armies gradually slow their frontal attacks in Kotluban region, replacing them by a grinding war of attrition Stalingrad Front Zhukov
October	01 In early October, 6 Army controls the western edge of workers villages and almost all slopes of Mamaev Kurgan 62 Army 6 Field Army Part of 115 brigade is encircled in Orlovka, about 500 defenders continue fighting desperately for a whole week 115 Rifle Brigade Andrjusenko S.S. Guriev's 39 Guards division and L.N. Gurtiev's 308 division reinforce 62 Army in Red October and Barrikady factory 39 G. Rifle Division Guriev 02 V.I. Chuikov's launches counter attacks in the vicinity of workers settlements, hindering German deployment 62 Army 51 Army Corps Chuikov Seydlitz Bombing of petrol tanks unleashes burning torrents on 62 Army HQ, leaving it amid fire and smoke during 3 days 62 Army 03 Despite incessant Soviet counterattacks, 389 infantry and 24 panzer divisions slowly advance towards factories area 24 Panzer Division Lenski On German side, regiments in 24 panzer division are reduced to less than 1000 men each 24 Panzer Division Lenski On Soviet side, regimental strength in 193 and 112 divisions is about 100 men, while 92 brigade fields only 50 men 112 Rifle Division Ermolkin 04 German progression continues at great cost in workers settlements, the Silikat factory sector is taken 308 Rifle Division 389 Infantry Division Gurtiev Jaenecke V.G. Zholudev's 37 Guards division is ferried accross the Volga and takes positions on the Tractor factory approaches 37 G. Rifle Division Zholudev D.N. Belov's 84 Tank brigade also begins crossing, but due to lack of vessels only some 20 light tanks can be ferried 62 Army 05 Paulus and Seydlitz decide a momentary stall in offensive operations because of severe losses over previous week 51 Army Corps Seydlitz Intense fight is limited to the area of settlements between Barrikady and Tractor factories 37 G. Rifle Division 389 Infantry Division Zholudev Jaenecke Under direct mortar fire, 62 Army HQ is moved 500m northwards along the Volga bank, and will stay there to the end 62 Army Chuikov 06 General pause in the fighting except for artillery and aerial attacks, both sides regrouping for upcoming operations 62 Army 6 Field Army 07 6 Army resumes advance towards Tractor factory, with costly and limited gains, occupying stadium sector at day's end 37 G. Rifle Division 389 Infantry Division Zholudev Jaenecke A whole German battalion is anihilated by Katyusha rocket fire, directed by artillery observers detachment 62 Army German command is definitely convinced of the necessity of conducting a major regrouping of forces with reinforcements 6 Field Army 08 Beginning of a five day-long lull in city fighting, except for artillery fire, reconnaissance sorties and skirmishes 62 Army 6 Field Army 09 Taking opportunity in the absence of enemy activity, 62 Army conducts a partial regrouping of its forces 62 Army Chuikov 284 division extends to northern slope of Mamaev Kurgan on positions of 95 division, which shifted to factory district 95 Rifle Division Gorishny Abolition of the Institution of Commissars and dual command system in Red Army 10 6 Army forces in the city totals about 60 000 men, supported by 2 300 guns, 200 tanks and 900 aircrafts 6 Field Army Paulus 62 Army forces totals about 44 000 men, supported by 1 400 guns, 80 tanks and 200 aircrafts 62 Army Chuikov 11 V.P. Sokolov's 45 rifle division takes defensive positions upon the mid-Volga islands, to prevent German crossings 45 Rifle Division Sokolov 12 Anticipating the upcoming German assault, 37 and 95 divisions counterattack in the stadium sector, advancing 300m 37 G. Rifle Division Zholudev 13 Under strong aviation cover, 389 division attack in turn, restoring positions conquered by Soviets the day before 389 Infantry Division Jaenecke

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