Thread by @Iain_MacGregor1

#OTD 24 Nov 1942, at #Stalingrad Hitler orders the Sixth Army to dig in and await rescue, in the city, the fighting intensified for the 71st ID, as I capture in the unpublished diaries of Lt Col Fritz Roske: Thread …

‘Stalingrad, November 24
Since the day before yesterday, the Russian has been trying to break into my left flank. [They] penetrated two of the larger houses [fortresses], the “Alex” and the “School,” during the night.…

‘In the “Alex” they came over collapsed parts of the sixth floor; my men remained on the ground floor and in the cellar. In the “School” he [the Russian] was on the top floor, and part of the ground floor; we remained on the ground floor and in the cellar…’

I ordered more men and a PAK be brought to me and had those parts of the building in Russian hands be shot to pieces. The places where the Russians were above us, I ordered to be blown up. We used hand grenades continuously. The Russians held out for a further twelve hours …

… after having repulsed several of our attacks. We had to throw 5-kg loads of explosive through the windows. When this still didn’t work as we hoped for, I called for help from the other building, who joined with my men to blow holes through the adjoining walls & attack that way

… It was almost impossible to protect the artilleryman, whom we had quickly tried to train in our assault tactics. They couldn’t keep up, didn’t fully understand the situation, & it was difficult to instill strength & maintain their morale with all the blood & death around us.’

… after having repulsed several of our attacks. We had to throw 5-kg loads of explosive through the windows. When this still didn’t work as we hoped for, I called for help from the other building, who joined with my men to blow holes through the adjoining walls & attack that way

… It was almost impossible to protect the artilleryman, whom we had quickly tried to train in our assault tactics. They couldn’t keep up, didn’t fully understand the situation, & it was difficult to instill strength & maintain their morale with all the blood & death around us.’