The Battle of Stalingrad was a major event during World War II
in which Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union for control of
Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle was marked by extreme
brutality, disregard for military law, and massive casualties on
both sides, nearly two million people died. At one point, the Third
Reich captured 90% of the city, but the Soviets prevailed in the
fight. During the battle, the Red Army attempted to occupy
strategic positions throughout the city. One of these places was
Pavlov’s House, which is a four-story building in the middle of
Stalingrad and constructed parallel to the Volga River.
Pavlov’s House is located on a cross-street and provided a 1
kilometer line of sight to the north, south, and west of
Stalingrad. In September 1942, the house was attacked and captured
by the Germans. In response, the Red Army ordered a platoon led by
Junior Sgt. Yakov Pavlov to take it back. After an intense battle
where 26 of the 30 Soviets in the platoon were killed, the Red Army
was able to capture Pavlov’s House. The house was then fortified
and turned into a stronghold. The building was equipped with
machine guns, anti-tank rifles, and mortars. It was surrounded by
four layers of barbed wire, minefields, and the Soviets set up
machine-gun posts in every available window. The supplies were
brought into the fort through an underground communications
trench.
During the battle, the Germans attacked Pavlov’s House several
times a day. Each time the Red Army would unload a barrage of
machine gun fire and kill dozens of Nazis. The Russians mounted a
PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle on the roof of Pavlov’s House and destroyed
a large number of tanks. The structure came to symbolize the Soviet
resistance and was marked as a fortress on several Nazi maps. For
his actions in the war, Yakov Pavlov was awarded the title Hero of
the Soviet Union. Soviet general Vasily Chuikov famously said that
the Germans lost more men trying to take Pavlov’s House than they
did Paris. After the war, Pavlov’s House was reconstructed and
turned into an apartment building. A memorial set of bricks from
the battle remains at the site and is located on the East end of
the house facing the Volga River.
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