Dzerhezinski Tractor Factory

On the 14th October 1942, a force under the name of “Gruppe Jaenecke” consisting of the 305.Inf.Div, 389.Inf.Div and 14.Pz.Div was formed. Their goal would be to clear the tractor factory of soviet forces, and penetrate as far as the Volga bank. The left wing of the attack would consist of the 305.Inf.Div with infanterie-Regiment.578 as it’s spear head. Both StuG.Abt.244 and 245 would be subordinated to it for the attack. The right flank of the attack would consist of the 14.Pz.Div with it’s panzer regiment as the spear head. For the attack Infanterie-Regiment.577 would be subordinated to the 14.Pz.Div, and would operate on the far right flank, of that division. One battery of Major Zielesch Stug.Abt.245 would be attached to IR.577. It would also be reinforced by elements Pz.Pi.Btl.13, Pz.Gren.Regt.103 and a Schwadron of tanks from the 24.Pz.Div under the command Oberleutnant Paul August Schulte.

Prior to the attack a massive artillery preparatory barrage took place, this lasted for 30 minutes and consisted of guns of all calibres. Stuka’s would also support the attack throughout the day. The jump of position for the assault was the higher technical school the path of IR.577’s assault would take them in the direction of the Volga, penetrating the rail line between the Brickworks and tractor factory. In the initial stages of the assault the groups would have to move through a large expanse of open terrain, which would take them into the destroyed remains of workers quarters which by this point where little more than rubble. Houses and bunkers were cleared with demolition charges and hand grenades. Despite the bitter resistance of General Zholudev’s 37th Guards Division. The southern half of the Tractor Factory was cleared in the early morning hours of the 15th October in the attack zone of the IR.577 and it’s subordinate units. However the going would be much tougher in the northern sections of the factory. There the rest of the 305.Inf.Div, and the spear head of the 14.Pz.Div would have a tough time clearing out the resilient Guardsmen men from the workers quarters and the mangled wreckage of the Tractor Factory’s main work halls. However by 09:30 the northern attack thrust also reacted the Volga, clearing the fuel instillation and river bank.

The operation was a resounding success the 37th Guards Division had been completely obliterated and the important industrial instillation was now in German hands. The cost was also high for the German forces, they would continue to escalate during the bitter fighting further north in the Barrikady Gun Factory and Krasny Oktyabr Steel Factory.

Oberstleutnant Hans-Georg Brandt Kdr Gr.Regt.577

Hans-Georg Brandt had been with Grenadier-Regiment 577 since it’s conception. He knew most of the soldiers prior to this even when he command the III./Infanterie-Regiment 520 the unit which had been transferred en masse in December 1940 to create Grenadier-Regiment 577. He became commander of the Regiment in September 1942 when it’s previous commander Oberst Max Voigt was transferred due to heart problems. Brandt lead the regiment in an exemplary manor and cared deeply for his men whom he had known for many years. The following is an account Gefreiter Franz Winter a melder with the 6.Kompanie who was at Oberstleutnant Brandt’s command post.:

“We had a good view over the battlefield from our elevated position. What we saw happening there caused the blood to freeze in our veins: to the left of us, in the hollow of a valley, the third platoon of our fifth company was attacked. We saw how they surrendered and ran towards the tanks with their hands above their heads. These monsters circled around our comrades, opened fire and pulped them under their tracks.”

The situation was later stabilised and Franz Winter along with his unit later stumbled across Oberstleutnant Brandt.:

“Sitting in a road side ditch, surrounded by officers, was our battalion commander, a beaten man. I had never seen a German officer in such a state. A person who was otherwise seen by us ordinary soldiers to be head and shoulders above us, in appearance and conduct, now sat there and we could see that he was human, like us, how he was depressed and tormented by anxiety. He had observed the tragedy down below through binoculars. He probably also felt responsible for it.”

The account of Gefreiter Franz Winter that details this episode clearly shows that paternal care that Brandt felt for his men. As bad as this was worse days where to come in the furious battles in northern Stalingrad.

Friedrich Konrad Winkler, born 22 August 1909 in Worms (one of the oldest cities in Germany situated on the Rheine river). He was a professional soldier with 12 years of service known in the German army as a ‘Zwölfender’. He was promoted to Oberleutnant 1st Nov 1941 and later Hauptmann from the 1st December 1942. He transferred to the 305.I.D in mid 42 from his previous unit I.R.56 he initially served in the Stabskompanie of I.R.577 but later took command of 6./I.R.577 during the fighting in Barrikady gun factory in northern Stalingrad. Pictures of Winkler will follow.

The following list is of books that anybody interested in the German infantry man and the battle of Stalingrad in particular should find extremely interesting. Highly recommended are books by Leaping Horsemen publications an Eastern front and Stalingrad specialised publishers.

Island of Fire: The Battle for the Barrikady Gun Factory in Stalingrad, Nov 1942 - Feb 1943

Angriff: The German Attack on Stalingrad in Photos

An Infantryman in Stalingrad: From 24 September 1942 to 2 February 1943

Deutsche Soldaten: Uniforms, Equipment and Personal Items of the German Goldier 1939-1945

Victory Was Beyond Their Grasp: With the 272nd Volks-Grenadier Division from the Hurtgen Forest to the Heart of the Reich

German Infantry - the Section in Battle