The Battle of Stalingrad is considered by many to be a turning point in World War II. It is certainly one of the bloodiest battles in human history with almost 2 million casualties. For the Soviets, who lost over a million soldiers and civilians during the battle, the victory at Stalingrad marked the beginning of victory over Nazi Germany, and this struggle and their desire to win probably symbolizes no object better than Pavlov's house and its story.
Before June 1942, Pavlov's house did not differ in any way from the hundreds of similar buildings that existed in the center of Stalingrad in the early years of the 20th century - a solid four-storey building, built parallel to the Volga, on a large square Soviet Russia.
This was the case until September 1942 and the German attack.
A platoon of the 13th Guards Army was ordered to occupy the building and defend it. As the commander of this detachment was wounded, the platoon was commanded by a young Jakov Pavlov, a man whose name will forever be remembered and inextricably linked to the fate of the building on the square "9. January".
The square is covered with corpses
The takeover of the building from the Germans was bloody and only four Russian soldiers survived the attack, among them Pavlov. They themselves continued to defend the building and managed to maintain their position until reinforcements arrived, a few days later.
There were now 25 defenders. They surrounded the building with barbed wire and minefields, set up anti-tank and machine gun nests on the windows, and barricaded themselves inside. For better internal communication and equipment supply, they broke through passages in the basement and upper floors and dug a trench to Soviet external positions. Food was delivered through the trench or by ships crossing the river, despite German air strikes and artillery.
Still, maintaining a position in Pavlov's house was hellish. Food, and especially water, was always lacking. There were not enough beds, so the defenders tried to sleep on the insulating wool torn from the pipe, but they did not succeed either because the Germans were shooting at the building day and night.
Every time German infantry or tanks tried to cross the square and approach the house, Pavlov's men opened heavy fire on them from the basement, from the windows and from the roof. Countless Nazis fell on the square forever ”9. January ”thanks to the brave defenders of this building, and their courage and determination to defend the building at all costs became a thorn in the side of the Germans. There is information that the building is on the square “9. January ”was marked as a fortress on Nazi maps.
A building that refused to be conquered
The building was also defended by Russian civilians. Together with the soldiers, they continued to live in the basement throughout the occupation. They endured fierce and day and night fighting from September 23 to November 25, 1942, when other Soviet troops finally arrived and a counterattack was carried out.
Pavlov's house became a symbol of the stubborn resistance of the Soviet Union during the Battle of Stalingrad. The defenders, who in fact were not more than a dozen, stood in the way of the Nazi machinery known for conquering cities and even entire countries in a few weeks.
Here, in front of a half-demolished house, defended by civilians and a handful of soldiers, they stayed for more than two months without being able to conquer it. After the war, the proud defenders of this building boasted that the Germans had more casualties in front of Pavlov's house than they had during the attack on Paris.
Parts of the building that survived the war were left in the original. The rest of the building has been renovated and can be visited today.
And Jacob Pavlov?
Jacob Pavlov's troops held the position for an unbelievable fifty-nine days. By that point the Battle for Stalingrad was nearly decided – Pavlov and the other defenders of this vital city had held long enough for a fresh Soviet army group to arrive from Siberia, encircle the German Sixth army and utterly annihilate it where it stood.
The defense of Stalingrad proved to be the turning point of World War II – the back of the Nazi invasion of Russia had been broken, and from that point on the Germans would be on the defensive as they retreated all the way back to Berlin. And, in the middle of all of this, for two months, one sergeant had held the high-water mark of the German invasion of Russia.
The Fascists never advanced past him, never took the building , and never overran his position, despite outnumbering his force by a factor of about a hundred thousand to one.
Sergeant Jacob Pavlov survived the battle, fought through the rest of the war, was present during the fall of Berlin, and was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, the country's highest honor for military bravery. The building he defended is still standing today and is a national landmark in Russia.
He died in 1981 at the age of 63.
Heart touching ,really he deserved to be honoured brave.