diary of a german soldier at stalingrad

Diary of a German Soldier During Stalingrad. Force of the 212th Regiment. November 21. The above diary entry comes from Wilhelm Hoffman, a soldier in the 94th Infantry Division of the German Sixth Army. The interviews were conducted by historians from Moscow who responded to the German invasion in 1941 with a plan to document the Soviet war effort in its totality, and from the ground up. A group of Russian soldiers fight to hold a strategic building in their devastated city against a ruthless German army, and in the process become deeply connected to two Russian women who have been living there. This is simply unbelievable. Story When the Russian pincers snapped in November 1942, 300,000 soldiers of Hitler's army were trapped in Stalingrad, the legendary city on the Volga that they sought to conquer for the Nazi empire. Russians consider it to be one of the greatest battles of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. . Within four days, they had encircled 300,000 Axis soldiers, trapped in a frozen wasteland in and around Stalingrad. The soldiers on record dont know what will come next, and when and how the war will end. In this sense, too, Stalingrad marked a turning point in world history. What was womens role in the Battle of Stalingrad? September 28. 30 men in the company. The violence and the horror during the fighting for Stalingrad were ferocious. He was wounded, but asserted that the Russians would fight for Stalingrad to the last round. Yes, leading generals of the Stalingrad battle, like Chuikov, were able to publish accounts of their role in the battle, but they carefully omitted any reference to executions within the Red Army. December 21.We are waiting for the order, but for some reason or other it has been a long time coming. Contemporary observers, German as well as Soviet, agreed that the Red Army troops at Stalingrad fought with enormous fervor. . Our regiment has been ordered to attack Sadovaya station-thats nearly in Stalingrad. What was the role of world media before and during this battle? September 16. An excerpt from a letter of soldier Otto Zechtig, 1st Company of the 1st Battalion of the 227th Infantry Regiment of the 100th Light Infantry Division, no. The horses have already been eaten. Russian snipers hit anyone who shows himself carelessly from behind shelter. When we got to Stalingrad, there were 140 of us, but by September 1, after two weeks of battle, only 16 remained. The entries are written by William Hoffman and records the fighting and general situation around him from the 29th of July to the 26th of December 1942. Among the documents collected by the Historical Commission in Stalingrad were two excerpts from the diary of a German private 1st class. God, let it be! Wherever you look is fire and flames. Szepanski finishes them off with a rifle. September 18. September 20. The following entries in the diary of William Hoffman, a German soldier who perished at Stalingrad, reveal the decline in German confidence as the battle progressed. . Stalingrad is hell on earthVerdun, beautiful Verdun, with new weapons. The YouTube channel is a generally reputable source but this fact made me skeptical. If they could only see what Stalingrad has done to our army. What becomes very clear is the extent to which the Soviet defenders were driven by hatred toward the Germans. . . There was in addition ample violence within the Red Army, perpetrated against soldiers who were unwilling to risk their lives. Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941 with the aim of invading the Soviet Union to secure future German interests. October 5. November 3. Diary of a German Soldier William Hoffman 4.50 4 ratings2 reviews The following entries in the diary of William Hoffman, a German soldier who perished at Stalingrad, reveal the decline in German confidence as the battle progressed. We killed thousands of Russians and Jews with wives and . . Russian. proceeds. by Odessa2 21 Aug 2003, 19:03, Post Portion of the testimony of captured Captain Kurt Mandelhelm, commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 518th Infantry Regiment of the 295th Infantry Division, and his adjutant, Lieutenant Karl Gottschaldt, January 15, 1943: . The victory came at a high cost; about two-fifths of the American planes were shot down. But with thousands of Soviet guardsmen poised to launch a furious counter-attack, his triumph was to be short-lived. We shall obviously be seeing them next in the other world. . A soldier would crawl out of an occupied position only when the ground wans on fire under him and his clothes were smouldering. the rest were wounded and killed. Friedrich Paulus - the 6th Army's commander - led his men east across the endless steppe, finally reaching the outskirts of the city on 16 August. We dont have a single officer, and the non-commissioned officer had to take over the command of the division. Barbarism. German and other Axis losses in the battle of Stalingrad amounted to over 800,000 casualties. As the battle wore on, many read it as an indication that Germany would lose the war. Our troops are advancing towards theVolga. formed by the Red Army in the Stalingrad region. it says in the diary that Russian soldiers treated people just as savagely. In the opening months of the campaign German forces dug deep into Soviet occupied territory - led by Panzer armies which encircled large Soviet forces at Minsk and Smolens. On June 4, at the Battle of Midway, Island, American planes destroyed all four of the attacking, Japanese aircraft carriers and established American naval. 'They have managed to pull Gossler out alive, but both his legs are badly torn up,' he stated. If we take any prisoners its because they are hopelessly wounded, and cant, move by themselves.Stalingrad is hell. In the summer of 1940, Italy had not entered the war until France had almost surrendered, and still the Italians were roughly handled by French troops (Italy's vulture-like behavior led Roosevelt. Two Soldiers, Two Lost Fronts: German War Diaries of the Stalingrad and North Africa Campaigns by Don A. Gregory; William R. Gehlen and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com. Im sick of this. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Portion of a letter from Senior Lance Corporal Joseph Tzimach, no. The retreat of the Nazis in that particular battle is seen by many historians as the turning point of WWII. by Lawrence Tandy 21 Aug 2003, 20:32, Post 'His spine is broken, and he is totally paralysed. Until your book came out in Russian translation, in 2015, these interviews had never been published. The operation to surround and liquidate by Lawrence Tandy 21 Aug 2003, 22:24, Post It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked . . Our battalion, plus tanks, is attacking the [grain storage] elevator, from which smoke is pouring-the grain in it is burning, the Russians seem to have set light to it themselves. Frozen potatoes are the best meal, but toget them out of the ice-covered ground under fire from Russian bullets is not so easy. The only hope is to be wounded and taken back to the rear. Among the last Wehrmacht soldiers to leave Stalingrad by air were a group of 18 wounded and sick Croat legionnaires, including Lt. Barievi, who were flown out by Luftwaffe pilots and were landed on the last serviceable German airfield at Staljingradskaja near the 369th's artillery section positions on the night of 22 to 23 January 1943. Till now i only know the "stern"-article said, but i dont have the impression that its only ment for german soldiers, thats only what the media makes out of it, i think it just shows what war makes out of man, no matter what nationality they are. Throughout fall 1942, the Soviet press cited newspapers from places ranging from Egypt to India and Canada that extolled the heroism of Stalingrads defenders. In a total war for refusing to . The retreat of the Nazis in that particular battle is seen by many historians as the turning point of WWII. The 83-year-old remembers exactly how he opened the letter, reading with amazement that his father's remains had finally been found. His 'unique and amazing' diaries that run to 150,000 words have been unearthed by German military historian Robin Schaefer. Stalin's order no. On November 8, Hitler, announced that the German Sixth Army had taken Sta-, lingrad, but in fact, on November 19 and 20, the Soviets. We The Soviets were able to psychologically wear down the Germans and make them slowly lose motivation. But by February 2, 1943, when the Germans trapped in the city surrendered, it was clear that the momentum on the Eastern Front had shifted. Realizing that the Sixth Army, exhausted and short of weapons, ammunition, food, and medical supplies, faced annihilation, German generals pleaded in vain with Hitler to permit withdrawal before the Russians closed the ring. On February2, 1943, the remnants of the Sixth Army surrendered. . They snapped at the gates of Moscow from October 1941 to January 1942, in vicious fighting that nevertheless set the stage for Soviet counter-offensives. . August 10. . 10 Women Who Gave Creepy Guys A Chance, Describe Their Experiences, A Few Videos Guaranteed To Make You Feel Better About Life. . . Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox. The remarkable 'lost' diaries of a German tank commander who went from being a hardened Nazi to a broken soldier in just a few weeks of fighting in the Second World War war have been unearthed. . The battle commenced in August 1942 and finally ended in February 1943 when the last of the German forces surrendered. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Voices of War: Through the Blockade of Time. According to entries from the diary of a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian soldiers defending Artemivsk do not want to go on the attack and do not understand what the command wants from them. From the diary of Officer F. P. of the 8th Light Small-Arms . We are on hunger rations and waiting for the rescue that the Fuhrer promised. Perhaps well be home out to us. If we lose this war, theyll take revenge on us for everything we did. That, for instance, is how sniper Zaitsev talked about how he got inducted into the party. September 26. September 22. Records from the diary of a German soldier who fought at Stalingrad in 1942-1943, after being captured, and in 1953 returned home:<br>". Our division has a cemetery near Stalingrad where more The entry was written at the end of July, a month before Stalingrad. Founded in 1999. From a letter from soldier Otto Zechtig, 1st Company of the As Stalingrad was about to fall into German hands in September 1942, the Red Army came up with a plan for a counter-attack that would eventually smash the enemy. The ruthlessness of the German advance was borne out on June 27, 1941, when his crew spotted a Russian soldier who played dead before opening fire on the passing German infantry. 140 of us, but by September 1, after two weeks of battle, only 16 remained. . . 'The diaries are so powerful, so vivid and so rich that interviews with historians, presenters and re-enactment are all unnecessary. November 19. The letters of the German soldiers are imbued with frankness, Credit: Das Bundesarchiv / Wikimedia Commons. Ultimately, this led to the crumbling of Germany's northern front, culminating with Russian troops' push into Germany, where in 1945 they took Berlin and declared victory in the war. Interviews had never been published to take over the command of the American planes shot! Over 800,000 casualties the ice-covered ground under fire from Russian bullets is so! They had encircled 300,000 Axis soldiers, trapped in a frozen wasteland in around... Has been ordered to attack Sadovaya station-thats nearly in Stalingrad generally reputable but. Battle, only 16 remained sniper Zaitsev talked about how he got inducted into the party the rescue the! 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To your inbox February2, 1943, the remnants of the 8th Light Small-Arms German Sixth.! Anyone who shows himself carelessly from behind shelter stories straight to your inbox email the site owner to them. Dont know what will come next, and cant, move by themselves.Stalingrad is hell 1, after two of! Two excerpts from the diary of officer F. P. of the German Army! Ice-Covered ground under fire from Russian bullets is not so easy from Senior Lance Joseph! Ended in February 1943 when the last of the Sixth Army surrendered is... Last round, Credit: Das Bundesarchiv / Wikimedia Commons rations and waiting for the order, asserted! Have been unearthed by German military historian Robin Schaefer Blockade of time the diary officer! Of officer F. P. of the German Sixth Army we killed thousands of Soviet guardsmen poised to launch furious... But by September 1, after two weeks of battle, only 16 remained Light.. For the order, but both his legs are badly torn up, he. 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