Drive to the Volga ETO (id:#60269)

(HASL 7 - Valor of the Guards ID: VotG CG II)   [next]   [previous]

Central Stalingrad 1942-09-14 (39 others)

Overview:

The German 6th Army had entrusted the LI Corps with the goal of attacking downtown Stalingrad and capturing the main ferry landing. This would not only deny the Russians their main river crossing into the city, but also cut the 62nd Army in half. Entering the city on September 14th, German Infanterie Divisions 71 and 295 were encountering light resistance in the housing settlements, but casualties increased as they approached the business district. Both divisions were understrength and the men tired from the rigorous summer campaign, but confidence was high and each division was well supported by assault guns, artillery, light FlaK and Stukas. General von Hartmann’s 71st Division was leading the thrust to the Volga, and at 1200 hours Col. Roskes’s Infanterie Regiment 194 had reached the Stalingrad-1 Rail Station, where it paused to regroup and bring forward heavy weapons. The rapid progress made by the 194th Regiment had far outstripped the advance of the 191st Regiment on its right flank, and the 518th Regiment was also lagging behind on the left. Col. Roske was warned about his exposed flank by General von Hartmann, but he was more concerned with continuing his forward momentum than the open flank. General Chuikov, commander of the Russian 62nd Army, was scrambling to organize a defense to shield the main ferry landing until the 13th Guards Division could arrive that night. All Chuikov had to block the German advance were two weak regiments and reserves of Col. Sarayev’s 10th NKVD Division, along with the remnants of Maj. Khopka’s 6th Tank Brigade and the composite regiment of the 399th Division (the remnants of which were attached to Col. Batra-kov’s 42nd Rifle Brigade). The NKVD units were lightly armed, and both the 399th composite Regiment and 6th Tank Brigade had been weakened by fighting on the outskirts of the city. The 62nd Army would be hard pressed to withstand the German assault, which after a brief respite, resumed at 1415 hours.

Defender: Russian (270th and 272nd Regiments, 10th NKVD Division/399th (comp.) Regiment and 6th Tank Brigade/62nd Army HQ Security Company, supporting armor, 133rd Heavy Tank Brigade)  

Errata (source)