Pavlov's House
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- Date Submitted: 07/20/2011 11:21 PM
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Pavlov’s House
The battle of Stalingrad was a battle in World War 2 that occurred from the 17th of July 1942 to the 2nd of February 1943, between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The brutal 6 and a half month conflict is often said by many to be the turning point in the war.
The German army, led by General Friedrich Paulus entered the battle with an estimated total of:
1,011,500 Men
10,290 Artillery guns
675 Tanks
1,216 Planes.
While the defending Soviet army, led by Georgy Zhukov had:
1,000,500 Men
13,541 Artillery Guns
894 Tanks
1,115 Planes.
One of the obstacles the Germans had to face was Pavlov’s house, a 4 story building located a few blocks away from the Volga River and the 9th January Square. The Soviet General, Georgy Zhukov ordered Junior Sergeant Yakov Pavlov, the leader of what was left of a 30-man platoon to scout for enemy positions near the Square. He discovered the lightly held apartment building and captured it. The platoon was then soon ordered to hold the building until relived. While the Germans were focusing on other areas, Pavlov took Stalin’s ‘Not one step back’ order to heart and turned this building into a fortress by putting in machine gun, rocket and mortar emplacements, laying minefields and receiving infantry reinforcements. Supplies were sent via a narrow, 200 meter trench that led to a Soviet command post. The importance of Pavlov’s house was that it was right in the middle of the German line of advance, and its defense would prevent a concentrated sweep of the central sector. The Germans soon realized this and started assaulting the building ferociously.
The Germans attempted to take the building day and night. If the defenders were able to get any sleep at all, they were to sleep on insulation wool torn off of pipes, and food and water supplies were scarce, though this did nothing to affect their efficiency. The defender of Stalingrad, Vasily Chuikov stated that more German soldiers were...
The battle of Stalingrad was a battle in World War 2 that occurred from the 17th of July 1942 to the 2nd of February 1943, between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The brutal 6 and a half month conflict is often said by many to be the turning point in the war.
The German army, led by General Friedrich Paulus entered the battle with an estimated total of:
1,011,500 Men
10,290 Artillery guns
675 Tanks
1,216 Planes.
While the defending Soviet army, led by Georgy Zhukov had:
1,000,500 Men
13,541 Artillery Guns
894 Tanks
1,115 Planes.
One of the obstacles the Germans had to face was Pavlov’s house, a 4 story building located a few blocks away from the Volga River and the 9th January Square. The Soviet General, Georgy Zhukov ordered Junior Sergeant Yakov Pavlov, the leader of what was left of a 30-man platoon to scout for enemy positions near the Square. He discovered the lightly held apartment building and captured it. The platoon was then soon ordered to hold the building until relived. While the Germans were focusing on other areas, Pavlov took Stalin’s ‘Not one step back’ order to heart and turned this building into a fortress by putting in machine gun, rocket and mortar emplacements, laying minefields and receiving infantry reinforcements. Supplies were sent via a narrow, 200 meter trench that led to a Soviet command post. The importance of Pavlov’s house was that it was right in the middle of the German line of advance, and its defense would prevent a concentrated sweep of the central sector. The Germans soon realized this and started assaulting the building ferociously.
The Germans attempted to take the building day and night. If the defenders were able to get any sleep at all, they were to sleep on insulation wool torn off of pipes, and food and water supplies were scarce, though this did nothing to affect their efficiency. The defender of Stalingrad, Vasily Chuikov stated that more German soldiers were...