Библия Времени. Найди свое. Лим Ворд
A commander can not simply be replaced by a graduate of a military school, which, perhaps, knows the theory, but has not yet accumulated a specific internal strength.
…The army, and the whole country, has become a trembling creature, avoiding any manifestation of initiative. In total, directly from hunger and terror, from 1932 to 1941 (in peacetime) killed 8.5 million people. Different scientists give different numbers, and I’m not a historian; the number is the mean between the extreme values, and it most corresponds to my inner sensations.
What in such conditions could induce people to continue (or, rather, all the same, the beginning) struggle?
…Stories of eyewitnesses of the German occupation. Yes, sometimes they are organized by commissars, but, what these people say is true, and not ordinary Soviet propaganda. There is definitely something implausible that is clear: those who go here are even worse, even worse than «their own». They intend to kill everyone.
You can now recall the current series «The Game of Thrones». To rephrase: «The Army of the Dead is coming from the West, and they do not accept any negotiations. We must fight together, despite the differences.»
On July 17, 1942, the first fighting clashes began at Stalingrad. The correlation of forces is not in favor of the Red Army: 187,000 people, 300 tanks, 500 aircraft against 270,000 soldiers and officers, 400 tanks, and 1,200 aircraft. On Aug. 23, Richthofen’s air fleet drops 2000 tons of bombs on the city, turning it into a heap of debris that is practically unsuitable for the movement of tanks. The maneuver war turns into a positional one. This is the first battle in which German soldiers admit they see more corpses of their «genossa» on the streets than an enemy soldier. By November the Wehrmacht lost 700,000 people, the Red Army 644,000.
For incomprehensible reasons, reconnaissance planes of the Luftwaffe cease to fly beyond the Volga; when such flights still take place, the German command simply does not have time to realize the scale of the approaching threat.
On November 19, the Red Army launched an offensive from the flanks: a 330,000-strong group of German-Romanian troops entered the encirclement ring. For their supply, the same officer, who six months ago successfully carried out the transfer of goods to the demyansky cauldron, is responsible for this, but this is another case. The Luftwaffe loses not less than 500 transport planes alone, in difficult weather conditions, from the work of Soviet air defense and deep tank raids to airfields.
In the historical literature it is widely believed that, here, «as many as seven Soviet armies clung to one German». However, in the first place, as a rule, the German units are larger than the Soviet one and a half times, and secondly, in addition to the 6th Paulus army, the following took part in the hostilities: the 4th Gotha Tank Army (one of the divisions was surrounded), the 8th Army, I the Italian army named Garibaldi, Hungarian 2nd Army, 3rd and 4th Romanian armies. You can also recall the troops of Guderian from the outside of the ring. The Magyars are distinguished by special military zeal and cruelty to the peaceful population, so they are not taken prisoner.
Paulus asks Hitler about the evacuation of «… individual specialists – soldiers and officers, who can be used in further combat operations. The order for this should be given as soon as possible, since soon the landing of aircraft will become impossible. Officers please indicate by name. Of course, I can not speak about me».
Hitler responds with a refusal. The spirit of the military brotherhood of Germany is now most important. Only the wounded are evacuated. At the same time the leader raises the title of Paulus from the colonel-general to the field marshal, expecting that this will somewhat brighten the officer’s health before shooting into the temple. But, as is known, the Führer’s favorite (as well as many other higher ranks of the 6th Army) will not justify his hope.
Later, the provision on the German military brotherhood is greatly shaken, and the officers, as the most valuable cadres of the army (as well as the SS men) are evacuated from the «boilers» in the first place.
For the first time it happens like this: with the dispassionate voice from the U-2 aircraft flying over the city at low altitude, through the loudspeaker, to the German soldiers, as defeated and worthy of pity, the Red Army agitators offer to lay down their arms. On January 31, the Southern grouping with Paulus surrenders, on February 2, the Northern group separated from it; 90,000 only German soldiers (total, according to some sources 200,000). The officers are separated from the rank and file; after the treatment, they are sent to the comfortable settlements in the docked cars. On February 2, a press conference will be held for Soviet and foreign journalists, with the participation of Field Marshal Paulus and 22 generals. Private soldiers have to learn the conditions of life in the Soviet camps, not yet fully adapted to receive such a large number of prisoners of war, but survivors subsequently become their elite. The total result of the battle: the losses of the Red Army: 1.1 million people, 4,300 tanks, 2,770 aircraft, the Wehrmacht 1,1 million people. (as well as prisoners), 1,700 tanks, 2,800 combat and transport aircraft.
Sent films on the topic: «Stalingrad» and «Iron Cross», the directors of Germany, as well as «Hot Snow» («Горячий Снег») of Bondarchuk. More made-of-the-soul and professionally Soviet paintings in the Great Patriotic War (with detailed battle scenes, etc.) for the present (summer 2017), according to the author of the book, does not exist.
An interesting idea for the film is in the book by Ilya Boyashov: «Tankman or» White Tiger.“ („Танкист или «Белый Тигр», автор Илья Бояшов)
Only James Cameron could understand the tankman communicating with the spirits of the tanks.
If you can, let him know…
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…The battle on the outskirts of the city of Kalach-na-Donu. Here, on November 23, 1942, the ring around the group of German fascist troops closed
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....Captured German soldiers in Stalingrad
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…Employees of the RKKA health battalion
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1. IL-2. Crew of 1—2 people. The nickname in the German parts is the quite respectable «Butcher» («Fleischer») or «Black Death» («Schwarztodt»), and also «Cement Bomber». Armament – two 23-mm. guns, 150 rounds per barrel, two 7, 62 mm. machine gun, with 750 rounds, one 12, 7 mm. defensive machine gun in the rear cabin. Armor, covering the pilot (but not the machine gunner) and the main technical nodes – 12 mm. For the indecision of the pilot could be re-qualified as a rifleman.