grain elevator at Stalingrad

[R MICHAEL]

Hi, I have come accross a photo that might be the above mentioned item. The only pics I have in the few books I have is not to clear. does anyone have a good clear pic that I can match with mine? Thanks. Mike

[R MICHAEL]

Hi, I have come accross a photo that might be the above mentioned item. The only pics I have in the few books I have is not to clear. does anyone have a good clear pic that I can match with mine? Thanks. Mike

I ruled out the possibility that this is "the grain silo". I had one picture from a book that was from almost the same angle showing a smaller veiw of silo. What made me think that this may be the same is the stream or river in the foregorund. The book pic shows a stream and a bridge in close to the same spot as the photo I am posting. I think it looks to lage and undamaged and taking into account the time of year this was taken. I think if it was the SILO there would be a tremendous amount of damage in vicinity. Hmmm. Oh well . Thanks.

[Lloyd I.]

Michael, while Im away from all my Staligrad books at present the grain silos seem to match those in PK photos of the infantry unit at a rally point with Stugs in the area. You may know right away which series of photos I'm talking about. You can see in your image the rail way with the little bridge.

The grain elevator and the battles for it have always sparked my imagination. There is a good movie in there or at least a great short story about the fighting for this piece of property. Just typing 'the grain elevator' sounds like the title of some mystical monument.

[Lloyd I.]

The German’s story…<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P> </O:P>

September 16: Our battalion, plus tanks, is attacking the elevator, from which smoke is pouring – the grain in it is burning, the Russians seem to have set light to it themselves. Barbarism. The battalion is suffering heavy losses. There are not more than 60 men left in each company. The elevator is occupied not by men but by devils that no flames or bullets can destroy.<O:P> </O:P>

September 18: Fighting is going on inside the elevator. 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 to Germany.<O:P> </O:P><O:P></O:P>

September 20: The battle for the elevator is still going on. The Russians are firing on all sides. We stay in our cellar; you can’t go out into the street. Sergeant-Major Nuschke was killed today running across the street. Poor fellow, he’s got three children.<O:P> </O:P><O:P></O:P>

September 22:Russian resistance in the elevator has been broken. We found about forty Russians dead in the elevator building. Half of them were wearing naval uniform – sea devils. One prisoner was captured, seriously wounded.<O:P> </O:P><O:P></O:P>

That wounded soldier was Andrey Khozyaynov of the Marine Brigade and he wrote this …<O:P> </O:P>

I remember on the night of the 17<SUP>th</SUP>, I was called to the battalion command post and given the order to take a platoon of machine-gunners to the grain elevator and, together wit the men already in action there, to hold it come what may. We arrived that night and presented ourselves to the garrison commander. At that time the elevator was being defended by a battalion of not more than thirty to thirty-five guardsmen. Eighteen well-armed had arrived from our platoon.<O:P> </O:P><O:P></O:P>

At dawn … enemy tanks and infantry, approximately ten times our numbers, launched an attack from the south and west. After the first attack was beaten back, a second began, then a third, while a reconnaissance ‘pilot’ plane circled over us. It corrected the fire and reported our position. In all, ten attacks were beaten off on September 18.<O:P> </O:P><O:P></O:P>

In the elevator,, the grain was on fire, the water in the machine-guns evaporated, the wounded were thirsty, but there was no water. This is how we defended ourselves twenty-four hours a day for three days. Heat, smoke, and thirst – all our lips were cracked. During the day many of us climbed up to the highest points in the elevator and from there fired on the Germans; at night we came down and made a defensive ring round the building. We had no contact with other units.<O:P> </O:P><O:P></O:P>

September 20<SUP>th</SUP> arrived. At noon twelve enemy tanks came up from the south and west. We had already run out of ammunition for our anti-tank rifles, and we had no grenades left. The tanks approached the elevator from two sides and began to fire at our garrison at point-blank range. But no one flinched. Our machine-guns and tommy-guns continued to fire at the enemy’s infantry, preventing them from entering the elevator. Then a Maxim, together with the gunner, was blown up by a shell, and the casing of the second Maxim was hit by shrapnel, bending the barrel. We were left with one light machine-gun.<O:P> </O:P><O:P></O:P>

The explosions were shattering the concrete; the grain was in flames. We could not see one another for dust and smoke, but we cheered one another with shouts. German tommy-gunners appeared from behind the tanks. There were about 200 of them. They attacked very cautiously, throwing grenades in from of them. We were able to catch some of the grenades and throw them back. On the west side of the elevator, the Germans managed to enter the building, but we immediately turned our guns on the parts they occupied. Fighting flared up inside the building. We sensed and heard the enemy soldiers’ breath and footsteps, but we could not see them in the smoke. We fired at sound.<O:P> </O:P><O:P></O:P>

At night, during a short lull, we counted our ammunition. There did not seem to be much left. We were surrounded. We decided to break out to the south. To begin all went well. We passed through a gully and crossed a railroad line, then stumbled on an enemy mortar battery. The Germans scattered, leaving behind their weapons, but also bread and water. ‘Something to drink!’ was all we could think about. We drank our fill in the darkness. We then ate the bread we had captured and went on. <O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>

But alas, what happened to my comrades I don’t know, because the next thing I remembered was waking in a dark, damp cellar. A door opened, and in the bright sunlight I could see a tommy-gunner in a black uniform. On his left sleeve was a skull. I had fallen into the hands of the enemy.<O:P style="MARGIN: 0px"> </O:P>

<O:P style="MARGIN: 0px"></O:P>

<O:P style="MARGIN: 0px">I have some images of the Stugs and infantry near the elevator and also one of the arm shield Von Paulus designed featuring the grain elevator. If someone can post them for me.</O:P>

[seekwhence]

Color image of the Grain Silo at Stalingrad...

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