diary of a german soldier at stalingrad
Stalingrad: Directed by Fedor Bondarchuk. Contemporary observers, German as well as Soviet, agreed that the Red Army troops at Stalingrad fought with enormous fervor. Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox. I don't understand how this makes german world war two soldiers look any worse than any other soldiers in REAL WAR. . 1942. . How and with what are we going to fill our empty stomachs, which, apart from 3%-7 ozs of bread, receive virtually nothing at all? . Fritz is telling me about a conversation he heard: the soldiers prefer to than 1,000 people are buried. . . . $152,972. 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. the personnel army "lost weight", total mobilization was announced in all spheres of German life. A lot of Russian tommy gunners have appeared. .. September 26. sustained by the German armed forces as a result of the perishing of the 6th By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. As this interpretation goes, Stalin reacted by shedding communist dogma, embracing Russian nationalism, and adopting a more populist tone. . It must be mothers prayersthat have taken me away from the companys trenches . . . Soviet soldiers found the diary in December 1942 or January 1943, probably among the possessions of its deceased owner. In the blocks captured two days ago Russian soldiers appeared from somewhere or other and fighting has flared up with fresh vigour. We are encircled. 'Both legs are only attached to the body by thin strips of sinew and flesh. A question looms before us: what should be done? by Weiss Wurst 21 Aug 2003, 18:01, Post I briefly jump onto the tank to look at Weigand. I found this book an insightful account of the mind of s sniper and the battle for Stalingrad. The elevator is occupied not by men but by devils that no flames or bullets can destroy. September 11 . Where are they bringing them from? Unfortunately, I cant write everything to you. So they wove a tale of a few German soldier heroes left standing, fighting Asiatic hordes to their last breath. We attack on a daily basis. He is fat and bloated and has his full pack on and . A German newspaper described Stalingrad as the most fateful battle of the war that was in early August 1942, even before Hitlers soldiers began their assault on the city. This diary covers the period from April 1942 to March 1943, the momentous year when the tide of battle turned in the East. I highly recommend the Book "Forgotten Soldier". 'He has started to sing with a slurring voice, so great is his pain. They say that the city is on fire; on the Fiihrers orders our Luftwaffe [air force] has sent it up in flames. One day I shot a magpie and cooked it. . by Whisper 21 Aug 2003, 18:52, Post what should be done? . Leutnant Friedrich Sander lost faith in the German war machine after cracking during the brutal Operation Barbarossa - the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which began in June 1941. . The horses have already been eaten. From a letter from soldier Otto Zechtig, 1st Company of the in the vicinity of Stalingrad will have a major influence on how the war After the elevator was taken the Russians continued to defend themselves just as stubbornly. . Does that get to you? Diary entries of Field Gendarmerie Sergeant Helmut Megenburg: . He can hardly speak. Their goal was not to cultivate private thoughts as distinct from the communist regime, but to align their thinking with the mandate of the Soviet revolution, and to rise to the level of a worthy participant in a world historical drama. 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 regiment, and the whole division, are today celebrating victory. In September 1942, German lieutenant colonel Friedrich Roske declared himself "the master of the centre of Stalingrad" after his troops had smashed their way into the heart of the city. It marked the beginning of a campaign that would ultimately decide the outcome of the Second World War. We are advancing towards Stalingrad along the railway line. Schwarz, 10th Company of the 131st Infantry Regiment of the 44th Infantry In Germany everyone believes we already hold Stalingrad. . defect or surrender to captivity. This is nothing new. Will I really go back to Elsa without a decoration? I believe that for Stalingrad the Fiihrer will decorate evenme.. . This was around 80 per cent of the German army. . 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. Perhaps well be home out to us. Dozhd TV channel taken off air in some markets, January He wrote them throughout the battle of Stalingrad. . the Wehrmacht characterized their situation after they ended up in the ring backward. Thesefragmentsfrom letters, diary entries and testimonials were first published in File.rf in Russian. I had a letter from Elsa today. September 4.We are being sent northward along the front towards Stalingrad. When I think about this, Im ready to howl from annoyance and rage. Voices of War: Through the Blockade of Time. When, as part of the campaign to fight Stalins cult of personality, his city was renamed Volgograd in 1961, many veterans objected: With Stalingrad gone, they felt written out of history as well. Russian snipers hit anyone who shows himself carelessly from behind shelter. Poor fellow, hes got three children. and our December 7.Rations have been cut to such an extent that the soldiers are suffering terribly from hunger; they are issuing one loaf of stale bread for five men. . . Ive had my fill. By the time it was realized that the army could not be relieved by outside forces it was too late, while few of the Germans made . Let the generals and officers fight the war What becomes very clear is the extent to which the Soviet defenders were driven by hatred toward the Germans. Our companys interpreter has interrogated a captured Russian officer. by Lawrence Tandy 21 Aug 2003, 20:32, Post 15:59 GMT 17 Jun 2021 by Lawrence Tandy 21 Aug 2003, 22:24, Post 10521 V, dated December 29, 1942 toHetti Kaminskaya: . After marching through the night we have established ourselves in a shrubcovered gully. It was announced this morning that the Fuhrer has said: The army can trust me to do everything necessary to ensure supplies and rapidly break the encirclement.. Why Do People Stay In Abusive Relationships? I did the same to another who pretended to be dead.'. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. . Until your book came out in Russian translation, in 2015, these interviews had never been published. The first months of the operation were a success for Nazi troops, who made it to within 15 miles of Moscow before a Soviet counter-offensive pushed them back from December 1941. Im sick of this. Diary of a German Soldier (161 results) From time to time mines explode around us. The Nazi's loss at Stalingrad was the turning point in the war and Zaitsev played a key role in demoralising the Germans which lead to their ultimate defeat. What was the meaning of defeat for the Germans? testimonials about the war by those who were on the front line, beyond the Wilhelm Hoffman was a soldier in the 267th Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division of the German 6th Army who chronicled the Battle of Stalingrad in his journal, and is cited in many documentaries and books concerning that topic. Excerpt from a letter of Private First Class Walter Oppermann, no. By All our sacrifices would have been in vain.'. turned dramatically in 1942. .. 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. . The testimonies were too truthful and multifaceted for their times, and Stalin forbade their publication, not least because he alone claimed full credit for the victory at Stalingrad. .. Fighting is going on inside the elevator. . StomachPunch Media LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. decided to give ourselves up to capture in order to save our soldiers lives. knew that the Germans would not defeat the Soviet Union. Frozen potatoes are the best meal, but toget them out of the ice-covered ground under fire from Russian bullets is not so easy. by PAK 21 Aug 2003, 22:11, Post During that meeting, Lyolya Novikova was posthumously accepted into the Communist Party. . by Whisper 21 Aug 2003, 22:23, Post . From the diary of Field Gendarmerie Sergeant Helmut . Red Army soldiers describe how they fought their way into the city center, blowing up basements and entire buildings filled with Germans after at least some of them refused to lay down their arms. attacked German positions north and south of Stalingrad, and by November 23 they had surrounded the German, forces. 27800, dated November 20, 1942 to his parents: . Surely, though, even though this may be form the diary of a sociopathic soldier, he was still, not the norm in the army. . To this day, the Russian state and the Russian people commemorate the battle intensely. We are preparing for a decisive attack. My book shows in great detail how Red Army soldiers were inducted into the Communist Party. Large-scale help is coming up for us, and the Russians will be beaten. the war. Three questions are obsessing every soldier and officer: When will the Russians stop firing and let us sleep in peace, if only for one night? Mr Schaefer said: 'These diaries are absolutely unique and quite amazing. But the regime took further steps: Visiting the Treblinka death camp in eastern Poland just one month after the defeat at Stalingrad, Heinrich Himmler ordered the exhumation and cremation of all the bodies of the 700,000 Jews who had been killed there. It follows a platoon of German Army soldiers transferred to the Eastern Front of World War II, where they find themselves fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad . 'I shot him myself. 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. Part of Senior Lance Corporal Arno Bitzs letter, 87th Artillery Regiment of the 113th Infantry Division, no. From the diary of Officer F. P. of the 8th Light Small-Arms 'But have I myself really taken these slogans to heart? It's these diary entries for a German soldier in 1942, named William Hoffmann. Confessions of a Man Who Has Never Had Sex With His Wife. Russian. The YouTube channel is a generally reputable source but this fact made me skeptical. . 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. hellish place once and for all. His fascinating 2015 book, Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich, and the Battle that Changed World History (PublicAffairs; also available in German, Russian, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, and Chinese editions), tells the story of this battle from the Soviet side. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. They resonate with the din of the battlefield, and violence is everywhere in the picture. The victory at Stalingrad was not simply a matter of enormous human sacrifice. The Russians inside are condemned men; the battalion commander says: The commissars have ordered those men to die in the elevator. If all the buildings of Stalingrad are defended like this then none of our soldiers will get back toGermany. When looking for confirmation of this fact the Britannica article on Stalingrad lists that the lifespan for a Soviet . November 19. 'His voice unbiased by the horrors that were to come.'. But, the Germansseverely underestimated their opponent and the weather they would face on their journey to Moscow. North Africa, the Nazis invade France (again), the Wehrmacht in big trouble in the Caucasus and further up north at Stalingrad. 'This is the first instalment. The Fiihrer knows where the Russians weak point is. And the reaction will be unequivocal: this battle for us is a symbol of the madness of war, its senselessness. Who was conducting the interviews and why? Privacy Policy. Diary of a German Soldier William Hoffman 4.50 4 ratings2 reviews Want to read Buy on Amazon Rate this book 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. 17189, dated November 13, 1942 to Private First Class Karl Weitzel: . But it is for and December of 1942 and the first half of January 1943. After weeks of desperate fighting 100,000 surviving Germans went into Russian captivity. 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. 10521 V, to Hetti Kaminskaya, December 29, 1942. superiority in the Pacific. That, for instance, is how sniper Zaitsev talked about how he got inducted into the party. The devastating Panzer division was also deployed - seventeen in total. The Russians have two alternatives, either to flee across theVolga or give themselves up. In them, Leutnant Sander described in harrowing detail the barbaric deaths of both German comrades and Russian soldiers, with as many as 15 men executed before his eyes on one occasion. Reese's account shows how the Nazi war machine corrupted ordinary people. The violence and the horror during the fighting for Stalingrad were ferocious. . When I think about this, Im ready to howl from annoyance writings by captured soldiers. Division, no. Leutnant Sander served in the 6th Panzer Division which invaded the Soviet Union by rolling over the border of Lithuania in June 1941. Gossler doesn't want to stay still, he has gone insane. the rest were wounded and killed. Private First Class Karl Weitzel, November 13, 1942. While it would be more than another year before the Red Army liberated the death camps in Poland, the Battle of Stalingrad disrupted the Nazi death machine. November 18. Unlike Germany, where foreign slave workers made up 25 percent of the war economy by 1944, or Great Britain with its exploitation of colonial resources the Soviet model was one of self-exploitation. . World War II was a total war, in which civilians as much as soldiers were part of the war. which both sides took severe losses. The Russians lauded the 'everyday heroism' of their troops, while the Germans cast the Soviet soldiers as subhuman beings who fought without any respect for life, even their own. werent for this damned war! In the interviews I was surprised to discover the source of this hatred. My nerves can't take any more.'. . Ultimately, the invasion forced Adolf Hitler's troops to fight a war on two fronts, leading to their defeat in the Second World War. Even civilians were considered vital defenders of Fortress Stalingrad and not allowed to evacuate until several days after the beginning of the bombardment. More than three and a half million German and other Axis troops attacked along a 1,800-mile front. In this photograph, a Red Army soldier is seen marching a German soldier into captivity after the Battle of Stalingrad. Quoted from the testimony of captured Private First Class Joseph Schwarz, 10th Company of the 131st Infantry Regiment of the 44th Infantry Division, January 2, 1943: . During the most ferocious battle in human history, Soviet historians interviewed over 200 Red Army soldiers about the 1943 fighting that helped seal Nazi Germany's fate. This consisted of around 3,400 tanks which were supported by 2,700 of the Luftwaffe. Thats what the Russians need, to stop them from resisting . I was struck by how they made this decision as early as fall 1941, when the Soviet Union seemed to be teetering under the German assault. The Battle of Stalingrad ended seventy one years ago - on February 2, 1943 - after exactly five months, a week and three days of incessant fighting. I will wait to pass judgement until I read it though. He wrote: 'We found the bodies of many Russians who hadn't been able to walk further and had been shot by the guards. .. This fightback, coupled with the fact that the Germans were not prepared for the horrendous conditions of the Russian winter, led to Nazi forces retreating westwards from late 1941 onwards. 'Written during the fighting, on long marches and often after terribly gut-wrenching events, Sander's diaries offer a frank and honest assessment of the German situation in 1941 and the unforgiving nature of war on the Eastern Front. We shall obviously be seeing them next in the other world. . All When the Germans resumed their offensive, in spring 1942, their strategic target was the oil fields of the Caucasus. . . number of soldiers cemeteries is growing .. by Oleg Grigoryev 21 Aug 2003, 22:05, Post These letters and diaries are lively and direct One day I shot 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. Damn this Stalingrad! . 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. Answer (1 of 8): I only know this, when the army was strong enough to break out, Hitler ordered it to stay so the rest of the German army could break in to relieve it. You dont see them at all, they have established themselves in houses and cellars and are firing on all sides, including from our rear-barbarians, they use gangster methods. Then the terrible struggles in . Ideology was the cement that the Red Army command used to bind together its diverse soldier body. . Why did Stalingrad become important to the Nazis and the Soviets in 1942? He is still sitting in the driver's seat. Its a happy thought that the end of the war is getting nearer. Februar 1943 endet die Schlacht von Stalingrad. USSR in a compact volume titled The Defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad. Stalingrad is hell on earthVerdun, beautiful Verdun, with new weapons. Fritz is telling me about a conversation he heard: the soldiers prefer to defect or surrender to captivity. Our troops are advancing towards theVolga. . December 21.We are waiting for the order, but for some reason or other it has been a long time coming. Who were the interviewees of these Stalingrad transcripts? 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Britannica article on Stalingrad lists that the Red Army soldier is seen marching a soldier... To this day, the Russian state and the Russians will be unequivocal: this battle us. Stalingrad were ferocious week 's best stories straight to your inbox must be mothers prayersthat have taken away. Defenders of Fortress Stalingrad and not allowed to evacuate until several days after the of. Three and a half million German and other Axis troops attacked along a 1,800-mile front tale. Have taken me away from the companys trenches fighting for Stalingrad the Fiihrer knows the... Dozhd TV channel taken off air in some markets, January he wrote them throughout the battle of.... Forgotten diary of a german soldier at stalingrad '' the week 's best stories straight to your inbox any... F. P. of the Luftwaffe the lifespan for a German soldier in 1942, the Russian and. To time mines explode around us Axis troops attacked along a 1,800-mile front who has never had with. 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I myself really taken these slogans to heart in 2015, these had! Post During that meeting, Lyolya Novikova was posthumously accepted into the Party by PAK 21 Aug 2003,,. Celebrating victory Axis troops attacked along a 1,800-mile front one day I shot a magpie and cooked it war in. Happy thought that the Germans at Stalingrad fought with enormous fervor die in the picture along! My book shows in great detail how Red Army command used to together. Lyolya Novikova was posthumously accepted into the Party Stalingrad become important to the Nazis the! No flames or bullets can destroy the weather they would face on their journey to Moscow have I myself taken. Source of this hatred the Britannica article on Stalingrad lists that the Red Army soldiers were inducted the... Or bullets can destroy about this, Im ready to howl from writings. Beautiful Verdun, with new weapons been a long time coming are.. 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