Bloody Stalingrad

by Andrew McGregor

  The policeman nodded obediently, ‘Of course Herr Leutnant, I hope you reach your unit before it gets dark.’ The man saluted again nervously, his colleague following suit.

  Hausser returned the gesture, indicating for Tatu and the other men to follow as he stepped onto the flattened iced snow of the road, nodding to the military policemen as he trudged past.

  As they struggled along the track, leaving the checkpoint behind them, Tatu grinned beneath his scarf, ‘You certainly put him in his place, Hausser.’

  Hausser smiled thoughtfully, his voice low, ‘He was only doing his job. They must be scared, clinging to the stupidity of what they do in this mess? Hoping normality is returned soon.’ He turned to look at Tatu, his eyes seeming moist, ‘Perhaps Herr General Hoth will return normality for us all, eh?’

  Chapter Sixty: Welcome to the Cold Russian Steppe

  ‘Ah, our adventurer returns,’ Major Schenk stretched his hand out, shaking Hausser’s firmly, ‘Good to see you my boy. How has it been in the city?’

  Hausser smiled at the major warmly, glancing round the bunker, ‘It was challenging sir, but some of us have made it back to you.’

  The major’s eyes narrowed, seeing the young commander’s discomfort, ‘Been busy then…have the Russians been giving you difficulties?’

  Hausser nodded, ‘Yes sir, they are quite determined and seemed to have learnt a lot in the last few months. I fear we may have some difficult battles ahead of us.’

  The major turned, indicating for him to have a seat, Hausser slumping wearily into the wooden chair before the makeshift table. The major walked round the bench, indicating to the maps on the top of the planks placed over some empty ammunition boxes, ‘As you can see we are holding the Russians here on the snow of the steppes, awaiting our relief from General Hoth. It should not be long now…we just need to hold out a little longer.’

  Oberleutnant Baumann entered the underground bunker, dropping the tarpaulin curtain back into place that retained some warmth in the strengthened dugout. The major looked up smiling, ‘Look Baumann, our Leutnant has returned to us!’

  Baumann stepped forward, a wide smile on his face, ‘Good to see you Mr Hausser, I heard some men had arrived from the city and hoped you were amongst them.’

  Hausser stood up abruptly, shaking his friend’s hand, ‘It took us a while, but we made it in the end.’

  Baumann walked past him smiling, ‘How was it in the city?’

  Hausser slowly lowered himself back into the seat, ‘A little grim, but we are holding the enemy.’ He turned to the major, ‘Is there any news on the relief effort, sir? Something to tell the men?’

  Major Schenk scratched his nose, nodding, ‘Well, General Hoth seems to have been slowed somewhat as the Russians throw their reserves at him, but I am confident he will progress. There are reports from the southern sector that they can see flashes on the horizon, the battle getting nearer. They may even order us to break out and trap the Russian armies, it is a crucial time in the war I think.’ He smiled broadly, indicating to his teapot, ‘Would you like a drink?’

  Hausser nodded, ‘Yes please sir, that would be nice. It has been a long walk to get here.’ The major nodded, indicating to the radio operator behind them to prepare some drinks, the soldier rising tiredly from his short wave radio set in response.

  Oberleutnant Baumann stood behind the major’s chair, smiling at Hausser, ‘We have prepared some extra food and drinks for you and your men…it’s not much, but may compensate for the long walk. How are they holding up?’

  Hausser smiled faintly, accepting a cigarette from the major’s outstretched hand, ‘They are tired, but should be ready tomorrow to join the lines.’

  The major shook his head, ‘Not necessary my boy, there are other jobs for your men to fulfil, how many have you by the way?’

  Hausser grinned ironically, his eyes saddened, ‘Eight Sir…not sure what I can accomplish with eight men.’ He sipped from the drink the radio operator passed to him, screwing his face up as he tasted the fierce liquid.

  Baumann smiled at his discomfort, ‘It’s the local peasant’s brew. Distilled vodka, you will get used to it. I am not sure how they make it, but it is very strong!’ He grinned as Hausser coughed.

  The major cleared his throat, ‘Right, let’s give you an update. The Russian army on the steppe before us seems quite strong, but we believe they have had to release troops to the south in attempts to stop Herr Hoth. They are now well dug in and seem determined to sit the battle out until the fight in the south is concluded. We have skirmishes with their patrols occasionally, but mostly we sit here waiting for them to act. Once the relief effort arrives, I am sure we will go over onto the offensive again.’ The major sipped his drink, shaking his head and screwing his eyes up as the liquid hit his taste buds.

  Hausser nodded, smiling at the major’s reaction, ‘That sounds interesting. So what shall I do sir?’

  Major Schenk leant forward, looking directly at the young commander, ‘Well, supplies are our biggest concern. It appears one of our transports was shot down near our lines just before dark, only a few minutes ago. He must have been damaged or got lost to be so late and trying to make it to Gumrak. We have heard some shooting.’ He studied Hausser as the man moved uncomfortably in his chair, ‘One of the pilots have made it to our lines and reported there are wounded crew on board and a considerable quantity of supplies. I have posted snipers to keep the Russians away, but I need a small group of soldiers to go out to the plane and retrieve the crew and any supplies, are you and your men up for it?’

  Hausser rubbed his eyes in disbelief, ‘We haven’t slept for hours sir, and the men have just walked all the way from the city.’

  The major smiled faintly, ‘I know, I am sorry my friend. Normally I would not ask, but we need someone to go out there. The snipers report the Russians have not attempted to move towards the downed aircraft yet. It’s not too far, maybe three hundred metres from our line, but I don’t want to de-man the front line just in case, so will you do it?’

  Hausser rose wearily from the chair, his face solemn but determined, ‘Very well, sir. I will get my men. We should do this quickly before the Russians move soldiers out to intercept us.’

  The major slapped the table, grinning, ‘That’s my Hausser! Good man! Move along the forward trench towards the south, speak to sergeant Loris, he is with the pilot that escaped. Once you have completed this, return to me and I will issue you and your men your quarters and rations.’

  Hausser saluted officially, ‘Yes sir!’ He turned on his heels and walked from the dugout.

  Baumann glared at the major, his eyes then widening with astonishment, ‘Hausser and his men have just walked the width of the pocket to get here, and you send them on a mission?’

  The major shook his hand in defence, his eyes defiant, ‘Best way to re-focus the man…give him a purpose to reintegrate him with the unit. I don’t want him having fond thoughts about the warm city and extra comforts, this will do him good.’ He turned glaring at his adjutant, ‘Hausser is a 76th Infantry Division man…not some servant of that mad arrogant fool, Major Slusser!’

  Hausser walked wearily out of the dugout entrance, then increased his speed as he approached Tatu, his face grim. Passing him, he indicated for him and the seven soldiers to follow, ‘Get the men to follow, we are going out to rescue a downed flight crew.’

  Tatu’s eyes widened in exasperation, ‘What? Are you mad?’

  Hausser glanced over his shoulder, his eyes defiant, ‘Not now Tatu! There are wounded men waiting for us. Get the men to leave all equipment they don’t need, and quickly. I am not having any men die as a result of us arguing!’

  Tatu nodded, indicating quickly to the soldiers around him as he raised his voice, ‘Drop your kit, and move!’ He jogged after Hausser, the iced snow cracking beneath his boots.

  The soldier glanced from side to side feverishly, his body aching from the confined space he had been hiding in. Seein
g the small street was clear, he lunged forward, running across it and dropping to the ground on the other side, the terror within him almost overpowering.

  Scrambling along the side of the burnt out building next to him, he gasped as he saw the dark line on the ground in the distance, some twenty metres away. Breathing heavily, he hissed across the flattened landscape before him, ‘Don’t shoot, friend!’

  There was a brief silence, then a voice called back, ‘Come out and run quickly, enemy snipers are near here.’

  The man was breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest with fear, ‘On my way!’ He hissed back.

  The soldier pushed himself upwards, his breath held as he sprinted across the terrain, jumping a low destroyed wall and stumbling, the momentum propelling him forwards. His ears straining desperately for the crack of a rifle or burst of machine gun fire, shots that would probably end his life.

  As he dropped into the trench, bullets splattered across the ground behind him, a machine gunner and rifleman in the distance too slow to react in the cold as the figure ran from cover.

  His chest heaving and tears of relief flowing down his face, he looked up at the infantryman in front of him, the man staring down into his dust encrusted face. The soldier leaned forward, grasping the man’s torn uniform, his voice cautious, ‘Who are you?’

  The man lying in the foot of the trench looked up, wincing at the pain that swept through him, ‘I am Captain Medvedev!’ He gasped, ‘I have just escaped from the Germans.’

  Hausser glanced round, seeing the adrenalin in the eyes of the eight soldiers behind him. Looking back out into the endless white expanse of the Russian steppe before him, he could just see the outline of the large downed plane in the distance, across the darkening gloom, thin tentacles of frozen mist creeping across the white terrain before them.

  Turning, he looked into the eyes of Hase and Udet, seeing them nod to him in determination, their minds resolved to follow their commander. He bit his lip, hissing, ‘Let’s go!’ Pushing his body up the ramp, he darted forward, the soldiers behind him beginning to spread out in the deep snow as they moved cautiously towards the crashed plane.

  In the distance, there were flashes on the horizon, Russian artillery opening fire towards the encircled and trapped Germans and their allies, stranded on the freezing banks of the Volga.

  Act III: Bloody Kessel

  Prologue

  Mid December 1942: Stalingrad pocket: As the Panzer tanks of the relief effort (Operation Winter Storm) struggle towards Stalingrad in severe conditions and temperatures, the Russians move troops between the advancing units and the defenders in the pocket in efforts to halt any breakthrough.

  Erich Von Manstein, the German Field Marshal in charge of the relief effort requests the defenders in Stalingrad to muster an attempted breakout towards the approaching soldiers. Hitler refuses this action unless the surrounded Sixth Army can hold the positions on the Volga and link up with the relief effort, some thirty-five miles away, an impossible set of conditions.

  With only twenty to twenty five miles worth of fuel left, the Stalingrad defenders are unable to comply with the request, leaving the full force of the Russian Army to be utilised against the troops struggling to reach the surrounded army. In the frozen city, the stranded and hungry encircled defenders on the banks of the Volga River hear that their countrymen on the edge of the pocket can see the flashes from fighting in the distance, knowing the approaching German forces have all the food and supplies they require…….

  Further west, to the north of the Don Bend, the Russians are preparing another offensive plan. Before the Russian armies sit the weakened Italian Eighth Army, blocking their advance south west to Rostov on Don, an ambitiously structured plan to seal the destruction of the entire southern sector of German forces and their allies.

  In the freezing city, cut off hundreds of miles to the east, Leutnant Hausser and his squad have re-joined their unit on the north-west corner of the pocket facing a determined and ruthless enemy. With the Germans inside the city desperately short of food and ammunition, the Russians ensure the aromas of their own cooking are known to the isolated defenders, taunting their hungry trapped enemy.

  As the battle for the city heightens and progresses towards 1943, Leutnant Hausser and his men face the challenges of survival itself, knowing their predicament is little less than precarious. Hope may soon descend into desperation…

  Across the eastern front a clock commences ticking on loud speakers...a voice blaring across the snow after each set of chimes, ‘Every seven seconds, a German soldier dies in Russia.’ The propaganda clock then ticks again, repeating the message shortly afterwards. It is played for days across the snow.

  This is the third book in the Bloody Stalingrad series, focusing on creating a realistic and historically accurate portrayal of the war in the east during World War 2. The characters are fictional, but all units, weaponry and actions are portrayed as they were in the winter of 1942.

  I hope this book provides some insight into the experiences of the Eastern Front during World War Two.

  Character Overview.

  Leutnant Hausser

  A serving officer in the 76th Infantry Division, Leutnant Hausser has had a varied military career for his twenty seven years of age. Having been born in Dusseldorf, his parents moved to Potsdam, a suburb of Berlin when he was a teenager. His father served in the previous war and also fought in Russia. Leutnant Hausser has seen action in the Crimea and central Russia before the unit’s participation in the drive on Stalingrad. Due to his language skills, speaking Romanian and Russian as well as his native German, he has been deployed across Army Group South during the ongoing months of Operation Barbarossa. Hausser has been decorated with the Iron Cross, but as yet it is unclear what actions lead to this recognition.

  Quartermaster Sergeant Tatu

  Tatu is in his early forties and originates from Bucharest. He has been close friends with Petru and his family for some considerable time and they used to work together in a furniture business in their home city. Enlisting in the army, he was deployed to the Romanian 20th Infantry Division.

  Corporal Petru

  Petru is in his mid-forties and also originates from Bucharest, where he worked making furniture with his close friend, Tatu. He is a family man and has three children, one of which, the youngest boy has some medical problems. Joining up with his friend, Tatu, he also enlisted in the Romanian 20th Infantry Division.

  Private Meino

  Born in Sinj in Croatia, Meino’s parents owned an Inn in the town. As an experienced soldier in the 369th Infantry Regiment, he was deployed to the southern front of Stalingrad after a call for Romanian speakers was announced. He is thirty two years old.

  Private Udet

  Udet is twenty two and from Potsdam, a suburb of Berlin and also a member of the 76th Infantry Division. Having recently joined the unit, he is assigned to the southern front of Stalingrad with Leutnant Hausser.

  Private Alessio

  Alessio is in his late twenties and assigned to the Italian 248th Autieri Group (Transport). The 248th drove supplies into Stalingrad from outside the city, and he was unfortunate enough to be directed with his supplies to the southern suburbs just before the Russian offensive began, being ‘cut off’ during the attack in the storage towers. Surviving the escape from the towers, Alessio has taken the role of sniper within the squad, learning the trade ‘on the job’ in the northern factory district of Stalingrad.

  ‘Hase’

  Little is known about this soldier. A Russian ‘Hilfswilliger’ (‘Hiwi’ for short) or volunteer grew up in Kiev. He has been with Hausser for some time and it is currently uncertain where they originally joined forces, but this probably happened in the Crimea. At twenty eight, he is a year older than the commander, and seems to respect him immensely, displaying considerable loyalty.

  Major Schenk

  A ranking officer in the 76th Infantry Division, Major Schenk has been with the
unit since the outbreak of war. A determined and stubborn commander, Major Schenk is keen to establish the best from his men. Having built a considerable knowledge of Leutnant Hausser, he has placed the young officer across several attachments on the southern sector of the front to utilise his language skills. After Leutnant Hausser and his small squad of men returned to the unit from an attachment in the factory district, he ordered them immediately out before the trenches to secure supplies and the possibly injured crew of a downed transport aircraft, much to the disappointment of his adjutant.

  Oberleutnant Baumann

  Major Schenk’s adjutant has seen considerable action with the division, building a strong friendship with Leutnant Hausser. A sensitive man, he has always been keen to limit casualties and possesses a strong understanding of the hardships of the frontline soldier. The seeming endless continuation of Operation Barbarossa has visibly sapped his strength, the rising casualty figures undermining his morale considerably. Due to his closeness with Major Schenk, the two have been known to disagree on operational issues that may place men at risk.

  Major Slusser

  A commander in the 389th Infantry Division, the Major has now overall command over a sector of the factory district in northern Stalingrad. Known to be rather fond of socialising with his subordinates and enjoying a drink, he possesses a good understanding of the needs of his men. The major is more than willing to attend the frontline and even lead troops if need be, a personal attribute that is very popular amongst his troops.