Vladimir Petrov – Stalingradskaya bitva 1 AKA Battle of Stalingrad (Part 1) (1949)

Synopsis:
1942. Picture of Josef Stalin.

Stalingrad. The greatest battle that humanity has ever known occurred in the summer of 1942 on a wide expanse of the Soviet land. It was 1942. The Soviet Union fought Hitler’s gigantic war machine one-on-one.

Stalin speaks with Comrade Vasilevsky saying: “It’s clear. They are moving towards Stalingrad. This is the second time that we’ve had to defend this city from the enemy.” He adds that they don’t know the full plans of the Germans, but this plan is even more adventurous that the one for last year’s capture of Moscow.

Stalin says the Germans are widely extendedion their flanks and their side must be highly aware of every new German division as well as the German-allied divisions. Vasilevsky says that by order of Stalin the 63rd Army is heading to the line at Pavlovsk-Veshenskoe-Serafimovich. Stalin adds that the font line at Kletskoe-Serafimovich be reinforced.

In reserve the Soviets have the 21st Army. Stalin wants to put it in to reinforce the Kletskoe-Serafimovich front line.

July 1942. Germany’s tank forces break through on the southwestern front, then under the command of Timoshenko. General Paulus of the 6th Army and Hoth of the 4th Panzer Army seized Millerovo, Kantemirovka, Morozovskaya and Bokovskaya.

The Russian 62nd and 64th Army Divisions meets the enemy and slows it down.

Hitler is briefed on the progress on Stalingrad. Kleist’s army group fights near Rostov-on-Don near the northeast corner of the Sea of Azov, while Weichs’ army vanguard divisions are fighting on the western shore of the Don River. Hitler complains that Gen. Weichs is moving too slowly eastward. He insists that the German forces be in Stalingrad by July 25.

Paulus will attack in two installment and Hoth will target Kalach on the Don River. Hoth will surround the Soviet 62nd Army and seize the crossings over the Don.

The fighting begins over the Don River and lasts 20 days. This gave the defenders of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) extra time to shore up the city’s defenses.

President Franklin Roosevelt of the USA is happy about the resistance the Soviets are throwing up against the Germans. He asks his military adviser what is the best way to help the Soviet Union? The answer is to invade the European continent.

Roosevelt says the problem is that Churchill wants a cheap victory. Churchill keeps talking about North Africa, where Churchill faces 12 divisions under Rommel. And yet the Russians face 240 German divisions. The president says that he can’t drag Churchill over the English Channel on onto the continent.

The 62nd Army and the 4th Panzer Army retreat to the east bank of the Don.

Third week of August. Paulus crosses the Don.

Stalin sends a message to front commander Colonel-General Yeremenko spare no forces in stopping the German advances on Stalingrad from the west and south.

August 1942. Talks are held in Moscow between Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt representative Harriman. Churchill says they will not be able to attack on the continent in 1942. “Great Britain cannot risk an operation that does not promise a sure success.” Stalin says then Britain and the US are renouncing their promise they just made this past spring? The problem with this is that the African campaign will not drain off a single German division from Russia. Moreover, elements of Rommel’s army have been spotted in Russia.

Churchill says they will attack Sicily too, but the Russians reply that this also will not have much effect on the war. Harriman stands up and says that the invasion of France will begin in 1943. Stalin is very doubtful of the veracity of this claim either. He gets up and says: “Mr. Prime Minister, the Soviet Union and its army will stop the German advance, but those who broke their solemn promises will be responsible for tens of thousands of new victims in Europe.”

After the meeting Stalin tells Vyacheslav Mikhailovich that the African and Italian campaigns really means that the Allies just want to be the first to reach the Balkans. “They want us to bleed to death, so they can order us around.” So Stalin will send Malenkov to Stalingrad and will send Comrade Vasilevsky with him.

The Battle of Stalingrad begins. The 62nd Army contained te Germans on the outskirts of the city.

August 23. Paulus advances his army to the Volga River. Meanwhile, the German 4th Air Fleet attacks Stalingrad. Stalingrad is now being consumed by the many building fires in the city.

Yeremenko tells Stalin’s two representatives that the Germans broke through the city’s defenses using the 150th tank motorized infantry division. A message from Stalin arrives saying to stop the German advance now. Vasilevsky tells Yeremenko to used the regiment of NKVD forces. [The NKVD contained the regular, public police force of the USSR, including traffic police, firefighting, border guards and archives.] Furthermore, use the partisan groups.

It looks like the whole city is being mobilized to fight the Germans. Many people are digging anti-tank ditches. The mobilized civilians defended the north of Stalingrad until the arrival of the regular Red Army.

September 3. The Germans are only 3 km from Stalingrad. Stalin, of course, is a bit anxious. He messages his two representative to have the forces of the Northern Army Group fight on the north and northwest of Stalingrad.

September 4. Seven rifle divisions and two tank corps position themselves at Samofalovka, Shirokoe and Loznoe.

The 63rd abd 21st Armies fight to keep a foothold on the southern bank of the Don.

September 5. The Northern Army Group launches a counter attack on the forces of Paulus. The 63rd and 21st Armies set up defenses at Rubezhinskaya, Kotovskaya and Belyaevskaya. This forces Paulus to use 12 of his best divisions to fight off the attack coming from the north.

September 12. The 62nd Army is now in charge of the defense of Stalingrad. Lt.-Gen. Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov is the commander.

By now there is not one Soviet division at full strength. And the Germans are only 2 km away from Stalingrad. Chuikov decides: “Attack should be our defense tactic from now on.” He commands the 399th Division to counterattack in the direction of Aero City.

Paulus rides in a staff car and says he will crush the Russians on the Volga River. He receives a note from Hitler telling him he is called to Vinnitsa, located on the banks of the Southern Bug in central Ukraine.

Hitler tells Paulus the he will pay with his life if Stalingrad is not taken by September 20.

September 13. Paulus launches a major attack on Stalingrad. German tanks and troops enter the city. One of the Russian battalions is now down to 20 men.

Stalin now issues some orders directly by phone. He gives Chuikov the 13th Rodimtsev Guards Division from the Higher Command reserves because the general is in big trouble. The reinforcements are now on the move. They board various vessels headed for the other side of the river.

German airplanes start bombing the vessels. Some ships take direct hits causing many casualties.

Stalin wants to set a trap for the armies of Paulus and Hoth’s armies. The Italian and Romanian troops are on the flanks of the German army. What if the Soviets smashed right through the two flanks and have the two pincers meet behind the German divisions.

Days and nights pass, but the Soviet troops hold on though they are getting very low on men. One particular battalion is down to only three men. And now the Germans launch still another attack. The Russian machine gunner is killed. Another soldier takes over, but he is then killed. Only the lieutenant commander is left alive. The commander throws two grenades and kills a lot of Germans, but he, in turn, is shot down.

An old friend of Stalin’s pays a visit and tells Stalin that he looks very tried and needs some rest. The friend also says that the people are wondering when will the nation go on the offensive against these Germans? Stalin tells him that they are preparing a large-scall strategic offensive near Stalingrad. “This blow will lead the Germans to devastation.”

Stalin wants to divide the Battle of Stalingrad into two separate fronts: one called the Don Front and the other called the Stalingrad Front. For the Don Front the commander will be Rokossovsky.

October. The Germans have not broken through the defensive line of Chuikov’s army. There is a lot of house to house fighting. At the end of the fighting for one building, a Russian soldier shouts: “I, Sergeant Yakov Pavlov, from Rodimtsev Guards, have retaken this Soviet house.” Later the hpuse became known as Pavlov’s House.

Stalin goes over the plan to entrap the two main armies with his commanders. The counter offensive will begin in November.

I.Stalingradskaya.bitva.1949.480p.DVDRip.x264.mkv

General
Container:	Matroska
Runtime:	3h 0mn
Size:	4.28 GiB
DXVA:	Compatible
Minimum settings:	Met
Video
Codec:	x264
Resolution:	714x480 ~> 714x535
Aspect ratio:	4:3
Frame rate:	23.976 fps
Bit rate:	3 133 kb/s
Audio
English 2.0ch AC-3 @ 192 kb/s

https://nitro.download/view/85A2CDEE48E9D8F/I.Stalingradskaya.bitva.1949.480p.DVDRip.x264.mkv

Language(s):Russian
Subtitles:English, German