Russia at war 1941-1945

At Stalingrad on August I, I found Gordov (so downcast only a few days before) in a gay, almost jocular mood. In talking to air-force General Khrukin, he sounded

entirely self-confident, as though the Nazis were on the point of being wiped out at any moment. "The Germans," he said, "have got bogged down in our defences, and with one blow we can destroy the whole lot." Remembering my vain search in the steppe for the lost divisions, which had just vanished, I came to the conclusion thatthe Commander of the Stalingrad Front simply did not know what was going on. He

was full of wishful thinking, and did not even know that, having broken across the Don at Tsymlianskaya and pushing, as they were, towards Kotelnikovo, the

Germans were preparing to strike a mighty new blow, this time at Stalingrad itself.

He would scarcely listen to my explanations, and cut me short by saying: "I know about the general situation as well as you do."

Full of foreboding, Chuikov returned to the front; but was no longer able to cross the Don; practically all the country inside the Bend had now been overrun by the Germans.

As an example of the chaotic lack of liaison between Russian units fighting inside the Bend, Chuikov tells how, while the 33rd Guards Division of the 62nd Army held up the Germans along a narrow sector of the front for several days, destroying or putting out of action no fewer than fifty German tanks and fighting almost literally to the last man, the troops on either side of them were doing nothing, "simply waiting for something to happen"; before long, they were attacked by strong German forces which broke through their lines.

The heroic stand of the 33rd Guards Division, had thus been almost in vain.

Yet as late as July 26 General Lopatin was sending optimistic reports to headquarters about important German forces being on the point of being encircled. "It was like the story of the man," Chuikov commented, "who said he had caught a bear. 'Well, bring him along.' 'I can't, the bear won't let me.' "

By the time the 62nd Army had retreated beyond the Don, it had been decimated, and

needed strong reinforcement.

On returning to the Front on August 2, Chuikov found that the situation had badly

deteriorated. Large German forces, outflanking the main Russian forces, had forced the Don at Tsymlianskaya, and after capturing Kotelnikovo, were advancing north towards

Stalingrad in a wide semi-circle through Plodovitoye and Tinguta in the Kalmuk steppes.

In many places, the Russians were being smashed by heavy air and tank concentrations.

Thus, two days later Chuikov learned that a troop train unloading fresh Siberian troops at Kotelnikovo station had been attacked by German aircraft and tanks and the losses had been so appalling that the colonel in command of these troops now retreating in disorder towards Stalingrad, was found in a state of complete nervous collapse.

I remember his pale face and his trembling voice. He was in a bad state... "Comrade General," he said, "I am a Soviet officer, and I cannot survive the death of a large part of my division. It is hard for me to assemble the survivors, who are completely demoralised. I cannot therefore continue to command the division."