64th Army
Created on July 10, 1942 (as a result of the renaming of the 1st Reserve Army). Initially, it included the 18th, 29th, 112th, 131st, 214th and 229th rifle divisions, the 66th and 154th naval rifle brigades, the 137th and 40th tank brigades , regiments of cadets of the Zhytomyr, Krasnodar, 1st and 3rd Ordzhonikidze military schools, a number of artillery and other units.On July 12, 1942, by order of the Supreme High Command, the 64th Army was included in the Stalingrad Front being created.
The Front received the task of creating a solid defense along the left bank of the Don in the strip from Pavlovsk to Kletskaya and further along the line Kletskaya - Surovikino - Verkhne-Kurmoyarskaya. The command of the front set the task for her: after the concentration of the main forces of the army on the night of July 19, to occupy and firmly defend the Verkhne-Osinovsky - Sysoikin - Pristenovsky line and further along the eastern bank of the Don. Strong forward detachments were ordered to be sent to the line of the Tsimla River to establish contact with the enemy.
The army included the 214th, 29th, 229th, 112th rifle divisions, the 66th and 154th marine rifle brigades, the 40th and 137th tank brigades, the 76th guards mortar regiment , four artillery and two anti-tank artillery regiments of the RGK, the 28th and 40th divisions of armored trains and 4 regiments of cadet military schools.
By the time the directive of the command of the Stalingrad Front was received, the formations of the 64th Army were in large part still on the way from Tula to Stalingrad. Therefore, naturally, the troops could not occupy the line of defense within the time period specified by the directive.
The line of defense was a predominantly open steppe area with a length of 120 kilometers. Thus, even under the condition that all formations of the army were brought into the first line, on average, the division accounted for more than 19 kilometers of the front of defense.
The most dangerous was the section of the right flank from Surovikino to Suvorovsky, 56 kilometers long. An enemy breakthrough would allow him to go into the bend of the Don and to the crossings through it, located on the nearest approaches to Stalingrad. That is why the main forces and means were concentrated here: two rifle divisions, a tank and rifle brigades, two artillery and two anti-tank regiments. The Nizhne-Chirsky direction was considered the most tank-hazardous, where it was supposed to create an anti-tank area. In total, six anti-tank regions were created in the army. Some of the tanks were used as fixed firing points.
The left flank of the defensive line of the army from Suvorov to Verkhne-Kurmoyarskaya was a sector firmly covered by the Don with a small number of crossings that could be relatively easily defended by insignificant forces. But due to the fact that already at the beginning of the second half of July the enemy captured the crossing over the Don in the area of the village of Tsimlyanskaya, the left flank also could not be ignored: it became necessary to have a strong reserve here. In reserve were a marine rifle brigade, two battalions of a tank brigade and four cadet regiments.
The Army Headquarters has developed a detailed defense plan. Her readiness was established by the end of July 23. The troops received instructions in which the sequence of work of commanders was determined, calculations were given for the construction of engineering structures, and the sequence of their implementation. Artillery support for the fighting was also planned.
Meanwhile, the enemy was frantically rushing forward. On July 17, 1942, heavy fighting began at the turn of the Chir River.
The forward detachments, and then the main forces of the Stalingrad Front, stubbornly held back the enemy offensive. On July 23, fierce defensive battles unfolded in the big bend of the Don. The troops of the Red Army had to fight here in extremely difficult conditions. The enemy, intending to take the city on the move, counted on an easy victory.
However, the steadfastness of the Soviet troops, their stubbornness in the defense forced the Nazi command to immediately begin to strengthen their advancing troops. Two German corps, one Italian and one Romanian division were additionally assigned to the Stalingrad direction. The 4th Panzer Army, which was operating in the Caucasian direction, was also turned here. The enemy had a significant superiority over our troops in manpower and equipment. Heavy defensive battles were ahead.
The formations of the right flank of the 64th Army occupied the defense lines assigned to them only by the end of July 23 and started equipping positions at night. But the very next day, the advanced detachments of the Nazi troops reached the front line of the army's defense, and their aircraft and artillery began to strike at our units, which significantly reduced the effectiveness of defensive work. In addition, our formations by this time had not yet completed full concentration.
Of the two tank brigades allocated to the commanding officer, only the 121st, which arrived instead of the 40th, could take part in the battle. She had 36 tanks. The 66th Marine Rifle Brigade received the task of attacking the enemy in the Tsimlyanskaya area. The cadet regiments have not yet fully arrived. However, due to the danger of an enemy breakthrough in the area of the village of Nizhne-Chirskaya, the army commander decided to return the 66th Marine Rifle Brigade from the Tsimlyanskaya region and bring it into battle on the outskirts of Nizhne-Chirskaya.
According to the intelligence data available by that time, it could be concluded that the main enemy grouping was advancing at the junction of the 62nd and 64th armies and against the right flank of the 62nd army. The German command, apparently, sought to surround and destroy the 62nd Army, and then enter the bend of the Don, from where it was most advantageous to move towards the Volga.
The events that unfolded then fully confirmed this conclusion. The task of the 64th Army in such a situation of struggle on the distant approaches to Staingrad was to firmly cover the junction with its right neighbor and prevent the enemy from crossing its lane to the bend of the Don.
On July 25, fierce battles began with the approaching main forces of the Nazis at the site of the 229th Infantry Division. By the end of the day, a difficult situation had developed here: the enemy had penetrated deeply into the battle formations of the division and continued to bring new forces into the gap that had formed.
Despite the lack of strong reserves, the troops of the army tried to hold the occupied lines on their right flank, preventing the enemy infantry and tanks from breaking through to the crossings on the Don River near Verkhne-Chirskaya and Nizhne-Chirskaya villages.
On July 26, the fascist German troops delivered the main blow in the direction of Nizhne-Chirskaya. Our command had serious fears that the Germans would be able to force the Don River and reach the eastern bank. In this regard, on the morning of July 27, the 214th Rifle Division and the 154th Naval Rifle Brigade were tasked with withdrawing from the Solonaya River, where they defended themselves on the Chir and Don and firmly defended themselves on their western bank.
Meanwhile, an extremely difficult situation was being created in the band of the 62nd Army. The enemy managed to break through the defense front there and concentrate a large grouping in the Verkhne-Buzinovskaya area. If this gap deepened, the enemy could completely surround the 62nd Army and disrupt the stability of the entire central section of the Stalingrad Front. Therefore, the front commander decided to go on the offensive against the Upper Buzinov grouping of the enemy. In this regard, the 64th Army was tasked with localizing the enemy's breakthrough on the western bank of the Chir River, preventing it from crossing to the eastern bank.
The defense of the eastern bank of the Chir River was also strengthened. This task was assigned to the 112th Rifle Division. Unfortunately, the divisional commander unsuccessfully chose the front line and thereby gave the enemy the opportunity to reach the western bank of the Don River in the area of the village of Verkhne-Chirskaya with complete impunity. Although the army headquarters, having learned about the wrong decision of the division commander, gave the order to correct the mistake, time was lost.
During July 27 and the following days, army troops fought stubborn battles with the enemy, who put especially strong pressure on the 214th Infantry Division and the 154th Naval Infantry Brigade, trying to complete their encirclement and finally cut off from crossings across the Don. Our units were forced to withdraw to the eastern bank of the Don and Chir.
On July 28, Major General Mikhail Stepanovich Shumilov took command of the 64th Army. Under his command, the army went through its entire glorious military path from the banks of the Volga to Prague.
But so far the situation has remained tense. On August 1, the Nazis broke through to the village of Tsimlyanskaya, their large tank grouping reached the Dubovskoye area. Our left flank faced a real threat of envelopment by the enemy. In addition, the enemy threatened the right flank of the army.
To cover the left flank, the 154th Naval Rifle Brigade, concentrated after crossing to the eastern bank of the Don in the Generalovsky area, received the task on the night of August 2 to advance to the Nizhne-Yablochny - Verkhne-Yablochny line, where to take up defense with the front to the southwest.
Meanwhile, German troops, developing an offensive in the zone of the 51st Army, on August 2 approached the city of Kotelnikovo and entered into battle with the battalions of the 208th Infantry Division unloading at the station. By noon, enemy tanks broke into the city.
The current situation forced the army commander on the evening of August 2 to make a decision to create a separate operational group of troops under the command of Lieutenant General V.I. The 29th division was to surrender its line of defense to the 214th rifle division and concentrate in the Generalovsky area. Received at the disposal of General V.I. Chuikov, battered in the battles for Kotelnikovo, the 208th Infantry Division could not offer any serious resistance to large enemy forces. Equally small were the 138th and 157th rifle divisions of the 51st Army, the remnants of which, after heavy fighting, went to the location of the operational group.
Under pressure from large enemy forces, the 208th Infantry Division, with the permission of the group commander, retreated to the Chilekovo station on the night of August 4. At dawn, the Germans resumed their offensive along the railway, supported by massive air raids. Parts of the 208th Infantry Division began to retreat randomly.
The Romanian infantry units that approached the Pokhlebin-Kotelnikovo area began to advance in a northerly direction, pushing back the 138th and 157th rifle divisions.
The withdrawal of the 138th and 157th rifle divisions from the Verkhne-Kurmoyarskaya region put the 154th naval rifle brigade in a difficult position, which by this time was on the defensive on a wide front and, due to its small number, certainly could not cover an additional direction . Therefore, the brigade was also forced to retreat to the crossroads, which is 10 kilometers south of the Generalovsky farm. Separate battalions of the 29th Infantry Division also began to concentrate in the area of this settlement.
By the end of August 4, the operational group included the 29th, 138th, 157th and 208th rifle divisions, the 154th naval rifle brigade, the 6th guards tank brigade and two regiments of rocket artillery. However, the most numerous in terms of personnel, the 29th Rifle Division at that time had not yet surrendered its defense line to the 214th Rifle Division.
As a result of the negotiations between V.I.
The left flank of the group was in the most dangerous position, where the enemy managed to capture the farms of Zhutovo and Antonov by the end of August 4th. For operations on the left flank of the group, the most full-blooded 29th Rifle Division was allocated.
The creation of an operational group, the regrouping of forces, the timely concentration of troops in threatened areas ensured a sharp turn in our favor.
Stubborn fighting continued for several days. On August 10, the enemy on the entire front of the group of troops, General V.I. Chuikov, was driven back across the Aksai-Esaulovsky River. Thus, the position of the task force became quite stable.
The developing offensive of the Germans in the Kotelnikovsky direction created a threat not only to the extreme left flank of the army, but also to its deep rear. Therefore, it was impossible to confine ourselves to the creation of one operational group for the defense of this direction. It was necessary to seriously strengthen the army as a whole. For this, the front command allocated an additional tank corps, two rifle divisions, and several artillery units. This made it possible to significantly strengthen the left flank of the army.
Later, the army as part of the South-Eastern (until August 7 and from September 28 Stalingrad) and from January 1, 1943 the Don Front participated in the Battle of Stalingrad, during which the army soldiers showed courage, stamina and high military skill. From March 1943, as part of the Voronezh Front, she fought defensive battles on the Seversky Donets River in the Belgorod region. On April 16, 1943, it was transformed into the 7th Guards Army.
About the capture of Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus and his interrogation by General, later Hero of the Soviet Union Mikhail Stepanovich Shumilov.
When Commander-64 was asked about the most joyful day of the Battle of Stalingrad for him, Shumilov answered this way: th Army".
On January 24-25, the headquarters of the 6th German Army was located in the building of the Vodnikov hospital, and on January 27 it moved to the department store building on the Square of the Fallen Fighters. On January 29, from a survey of prisoners, Shumilov became aware of the new location of the headquarters and F. Paulus himself - the basement of a department store. Shumilov ordered the commander of the 38th motorized rifle brigade, who was in the reserve, Colonel I. D. Burmakov, to surround the department store and seize the command of the German group. Fulfilling the order of the commander, Burmakov's formation had to suppress the resistance of the Germans on the northern bank of the Tsaritsa River, after which, by January 30, parts of the brigade advanced from Krasnoznamenskaya Street to the Square of the Fallen Fighters. Among the prisoners captured in these battles were three battalion commanders who reported that F. Paulus was in a large building north of the square. The brigade commander Burmakov ordered by the morning of January 31 to take possession of the enemy's fortified points in the buildings of the regional committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the city theater and the house on the eastern side of Ostrovsky Street.
At this time, information was received that A. Hitler awarded the commander of the 6th Army the rank of Field Marshal. The Soviet command understood that, in fact, this gesture of the Fuhrer meant the requirement not to surrender under any circumstances and to fight to the last soldier. On January 30-31, the following Soviet units occupied positions near the Square of Fallen Fighters: 36th Guards Rifle Division (near the Maxim Gorky Drama Theater and Komsomolsky Garden), 97th Rifle Brigade (near Sovetskaya Street), 38th Motorized Rifle Brigade , 329th engineering battalion, 422nd rifle division in the area of the forecourt. The soldiers of the last division on January 30 hoisted the Red Banner on the roof of the railway station "Stalingrad-1", fierce battles for which from September 15, 1942 were fought by soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 42nd Regiment of the 13th Guards Rifle Division: almost all of them died, but did not retreat.
On the night of January 31, Shumilov did not sleep. The telephones rang incessantly: the commanders of divisions and brigades reported, the front headquarters requested information on the state of affairs. Mikhail Stepanovich waited especially impatiently for news from Colonel Burmakov. When advancing on Lomonosov Street, his brigade encountered fierce resistance from the Germans, who had settled in the basements of two buildings that were strongholds on the outskirts of the department store. At the direction of Shumilov, artillery was urgently brought there, which smashed the enemy stronghold, after which the building of the department store was blocked.
The commander was informed that at dawn on January 31 a firefight broke out with the guards of the German headquarters. From minute to minute Shumilov expected news from the 38th brigade. The tension grew, the commander did not leave his desk, from time to time he drank strong tea. A mountain of cigarette butts grew in the ashtray. The shootout on Lomonosov Street continued.
After fierce fighting, by 06:00 on January 31, the Soviet units managed to take possession of the houses near the department store. During a cursory questioning, which was conducted by the deputy chief of staff of the brigade, senior lieutenant F. M. Ilchenko, the prisoners confirmed that Paulus was in the building on the other side of the square. It was a former department store building.
During the ensuing new battle, the department store was partially surrounded. From the Soviet side, a proposal was made to the German garrison to lay down their arms, but it was once again rejected. After that, mortar fire was opened on the building of the department store. After 15-20 minutes, a representative of the German command asked one of the Soviet officers to go down to the basement to negotiate. The brigade commander sent senior lieutenant Ilchenko to the department store, accompanied by deputy battalion commanders for political affairs, senior lieutenant N. G. Rybak, captains L. P. Morozov and N. F. Gritsenko and several fighters. They met with the commander of the Southern Group of German Forces, Major General F. Roske, and the Chief of Staff of the 6th German Army, Lieutenant General A. Schmidt, who proposed that a representative of the Front Headquarters conduct negotiations on surrender from the Soviet side.
Having received this information, the brigade commander Burmakov ordered to strengthen the blockade ring around the department store and submitted a report to Shumilov. At the same time, lieutenant colonel L. A. Vinokur, deputy brigade commander for political affairs, was seconded to the headquarters of the 6th German army. The German side asked for a ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations.
For negotiations, Shumilov appointed a group consisting of the head of the Operational Department of the Army, Colonel G. S. Lukin, the head of the Intelligence Department, Major I. M. Ryzhov, and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army for Political Affairs, Lieutenant Colonel B. I. Mutovin; the group was headed by the chief of staff of the army, Major General I. A. Laskin.
Laskin, together with Burmakov, went down to the basement of the department store, where they were met by Vinokur, who acquainted them with the progress of the preliminary negotiations. Upon arrival directly at the location of the headquarters of the 6th German Army, Laskin demanded that her command immediately cease fire and capitulate. The chief of staff of the 6th Army, General A. Schmidt, said that in connection with the dismemberment of the encircled German group into two parts, Paulus removed command of the encircled troops, appointing the commander of the Northern Group of Forces, the commander of the XI Army Corps, General K. Strecker, and the commander of the Southern Group of 71 th Infantry Division, Major General F. Roske.
One of the participants in the capture of Paulus, Lieutenant Colonel Mutovin, wrote in his diary: “Sending us, as responsible parliamentarians, to negotiate the surrender of the troops and headquarters of the 6th German Army, commander M. S. Shumilov gave us very clear instructions: “ Every precaution must be taken, and at the same time perseverance and, if you like, diplomatic acumen, to take Field Marshal Paulus alive. I repeat - alive.
As a result of the negotiations, the command of the Southern Group of the 6th German Army accepted the terms of surrender and the troops subordinate to it laid down their arms. To Laskin's demand to hand over documents and maps of the minefields of Stalingrad, Schmidt replied that the demand to hand over operational documents was impossible, since they were all destroyed, radio communications with higher command authorities were no longer being conducted, since all radio stations were put out of action by Soviet artillery fire. At the same time, F. Roske and A. Schmidt refused to give the order to surrender in relation to the Northern Group, citing the fact that they were not in command of it. F. Paulus, during negotiations with General Laskin, also refused to give the order to surrender, saying that he was no longer in command of the army.
Laskin and Burmakov met with Paulus in his room in the basement of the department store, formally notifying him of their capture. After completing all the formalities, the Field Marshal, as well as his chief of staff, Lieutenant General A. Schmidt and 1st Adjutant Colonel V. Adam, were taken to the command post of the 64th Army, which was located in a wooden house on Krasnoufimskaya Street in Beketovka. During the move to the command post of the 64th Army, Laskin, turning to Paulus, remarked: "You, General, do not look well." To which Paulus replied: “Yes, it’s terrible ... A shameful surrender, a terrible tragedy for soldiers. But until now, the sixth army was considered the best land army of the Wehrmacht ... "
At about 12 noon on January 31, Paulus, Schmidt and Adam were brought into the office of Commander Shumilov. Shumilov looked with great interest at the General Field Marshal standing in front of him, a German military leader, one of those who directly developed the Barbarossa plan. All three who entered raised their right hands in the Nazi salute with the words "Heil Hitler!" Mikhail Stepanovich rather sharply replied that Hitler was not here, and in front of them was the command of the 64th Army, whose troops had captured them, and therefore, he said: "If you please, greet them in the right way." The captured soldiers who entered the office of the commander of the 64th Army obeyed. Shumilov asked them to show their personal documents. Paulus handed the army commander a soldier's book, declaring that he was a soldier in the German army. To this, Shumilov replied that, being a soldier of the Red Army, he occupied a certain position in its ranks, after which Paulus showed him the certificate of the commander of the 6th Army. Then Shumilov asked him to confirm the information that had become known to him that Paulus had been awarded the rank of Field Marshal. Schmidt answered this question, saying that Hitler's order had been received over the radio to award Paulus the rank of Field Marshal. The commander clarified whether he could report to the Soviet High Command about this promotion of Paulus in rank. There was a short answer: "Yes."
Shumilov demanded that Paulus give the order to the Northern Group of German Forces to cease fire in order to avoid unnecessary casualties. However, Paulus again repeated that he did not command her and could not give such an order. When asked why the ultimatum to end resistance was not accepted, Paulus replied: “A Russian general would have done the same as I did. I had an order to fight and should not have violated this order.”
Shumilov conducted the entire interrogation of the captives with great skill. Its content was written in sufficient detail in the military-historical and memoir literature. At the end of the interrogation, the prisoners were invited to dinner. At the table, Paulus very carefully touched both the contents of the glass and the food. When asked by Shumilov why the field marshal was so careful about food, Paulus replied that he had eaten very little lately and was now afraid to overload his stomach.
Following Paulus, nine Nazi generals were delivered to the headquarters of the 64th Army, led by the commander of the Southern Group, General F. Roske. On the same day, January 31, about 50 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were captured. Many years later, on the day of the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Stalingrad victory, Mikhail Stepanovich was asked: “Here, the Field Marshal captured by the 64th Army left. Silence fell over the ruins of Stalingrad. What thoughts and feelings dominated you at that moment? - “I thought,” answered M.S. Shumilov, “that the most difficult thing is over. There will be dozens and hundreds of fierce fights, but it will not be harder. After all that we have experienced, we have become stronger in spirit, smarter. The enemy is now in front of us - beaten, thoroughly beaten. We all felt it."
On February 2, 1943, the Northern grouping of the enemy was liquidated. The Battle of Stalingrad ended with a brilliant victory for the Soviet troops. It marked the beginning of a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War and, ultimately, in the entire Second World War. It meant a complete failure of the German military doctrine. Soviet operational art, strategy and tactics have withstood the harsh test of practice. Opponents also recognized this: “The Soviet strategy turned out to be higher than ours ... The best proof of this is the outcome of the battle on the Volga, as a result of which I was captured” - these are the words of Field Marshal F. Paulus.
For the skillful and courageous leadership of operations and for the successes achieved as a result of them in battles with the invaders, on January 28, 1943, the commander of the 64th M.S. Shumilov was among the first to be awarded the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree. But I would especially like to note his awarding with the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad". After all, the number 00001 is inscribed on the certificate for the medal, which means that he was the first to receive this award!
Marshal of the Soviet Union A. I. Eremenko recalled: “The 64th Army under his [Shumilov] command played an exceptionally large role in the Battle of Stalingrad. Her stubbornness and activity on the defensive, her maneuverability and mobility on the battlefield caused the enemy a lot of trouble, inflicted great damage on him, overturned many of the enemy’s calculations, and helped to disrupt more than one of the 177 dates Hitler had planned for the capture of Stalingrad. Advancing on the site of the 64th Army, Goth, as they say, broke off his tank "wedges". The army managed to keep in its hands the heights located south of Stalingrad, which played a significant role in the stability of the defense of the city as a whole.
Later, Mikhail Stepanovich would write: “Stalingrad became the password for Victory for the soldiers of our valiant army, for the Soviet people, for all those who in those fiery years fought against German fascism and utterly defeated it, saving mankind from the brown plague.”
February 2, 1943 is considered the day of the victory of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad, but on February 3, an order was issued by the headquarters of the Don Front to the commanders of the 62nd, 65th, 66th and 64th armies on the main tasks for the coming days and on the cancellation of the parade of troops in Stalingrad, from which it follows, that individual pockets of enemy resistance in the city still remained. Their elimination in various districts of Stalingrad continued until February 6th.
On February 4, on the Square of the Fallen Fighters in the center of Stalingrad, near the destroyed walls of the Central Department Store, a rally of Winners was held, which was attended by the soldiers of the legendary 64th Army and its commander, Lieutenant General Shumilov. In the evening of the same day, a modest dinner was held, which was arranged by the city authorities in honor of the Stalingrad victory. Shumilov handed over the personal weapons of the commander of the 6th German Army, Paulus, to a member of the Military Council of the Stalingrad Front N. S. Khrushchev with the words: “The weapons of the defeated field marshal should be at the command of the Stalingrad Front, who bore the brunt of the defense on their shoulders and took an active part in the counteroffensive under Stalingrad."
64th ARMYIt was formed on July 10, 1942 on the basis of the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of July 9, 1942 on the basis of the 1st Reserve Army. It included the 18th, 29th, 112th, 131st, 214th and 229th rifle divisions, the 66th and 154th naval rifle divisions, the 137th and 40th tank brigades, regiments of cadets of Zhytomyr, Krasnodar, 1st and 3rd th Ordzhonikidze military schools, artillery and other units.
On July 12, 1942, the army was included in the newly formed Stalingrad Front. With the beginning of the Stalingrad strategic defensive operation (July 17 - November 18), its advanced detachments fought stubborn battles with the vanguards of the 6th German Army on the Tsimla River. Subsequently, the formations of the army repelled the offensive of the southern strike group of the enemy at the turn of Surovikino - Rychkovo and further along the left bank of the Don.
At the beginning of August 1942, in view of the threat of a breakthrough of the 4th Panzer Army of the enemy to Stalingrad from the southwest, the army troops were withdrawn to the outer defensive bypass of Stalingrad, where they continued to conduct defensive battles.
From August 7, the army was part of the South-East (from September 28 - Stalingrad 2nd Formation) Front. At the end of August, it repelled enemy attacks on the middle bypass, and at the beginning of September it was withdrawn to the inner defensive bypass of Stalingrad and entrenched at the Staro-Dubovka-Elkhi-Ivanovka line, where it fought stubbornly until September 12. In the future, its formations and units defended the southwestern outskirts and the southern part of Stalingrad.
After the enemy broke through the defenses of the South-Eastern Front at the junction of the 62nd and 64th armies and the exit of his troops to the Volga in the Kuporosnoye area, the main forces of the army defended the area south and south-west of Stalingrad, from where they systematically took counterattacks and counter-attacks on the flank of the enemy grouping, which was trying to capture the city.
During the transition of the Soviet troops to the counteroffensive (November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943), the army advanced as part of the main strike force of the Stalingrad Front in the direction of Sovetsky, Kalach. On November 23, she reached the Chervlennaya River and subsequently fought on the inner front of the enemy’s encirclement.
From January 1, 1943, as part of the Don Front, the army participated in the liquidation of the encircled grouping of German troops near Stalingrad.
After the completion of the Battle of Stalingrad, the army, from February 6, 1943, was part of a group of troops under the command of Lieutenant General K. P. Trubnikov (from February 27 - the Stalingrad Group of Forces), which was in the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
On March 1, the army was transferred to the Voronezh Front and, as part of it, fought defensive battles on the Seversky Donets River in the Belgorod region.
On May 1, 1943, the army was reorganized into the 7th Guards Army.
Army commanders: Lieutenant General Chuikov V. I. (July - August 1942); Major General, from December 1942 - Lieutenant General Shumilov M. S. (August 1942 - April 1943)
Member of the Military Council of the Army - Brigadier Commissar, from October 1943 - Colonel, from March 1943 - Major General Ser-Duc 3. T. (July 1942 - April 1943)
Army Chiefs of Staff: Colonel N. M. Novikov (July - September 1942); Major General Laskin I. A. (September 1942 - April 1943)
64th Army
It was formed on July 10, 1942 on the basis of the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of July 9, 1942 on the basis of the 1st Reserve Army. It included the 18th, 29th, 112th, 131st, 214th and 229th rifle divisions, the 66th and 154th naval rifle divisions, the 137th and 40th tank brigades, regiments of cadets of Zhytomyr, Krasnodar, 1st and 3rd th Ordzhonikidze military schools, a number of artillery and other units.
July 12, 1942 included in the newly formed Stalingrad Front. With the beginning of the Stalingrad strategic defensive operation, its advanced detachments fought stubborn battles with the vanguards of the 6th German army on the river. Tsimla. Subsequently, formations of the 64th Army repulsed the offensive of the enemy's southern strike force at the line of Surovikino, Rychkovo and further along the left bank of the Don.
In early August, in view of the threat of a breakthrough of the 4th Panzer Army of the enemy to Stalingrad from the southwest, the army troops were withdrawn to the outer defensive bypass of Stalingrad, where they continued to conduct defensive battles.
From August 7, 1942, the army was part of the South-Eastern (from September 28, Stalingrad 2nd Formation) Front. At the end of August, it repelled enemy attacks on the middle bypass, and at the beginning of September it was withdrawn to the inner defensive bypass of Stalingrad and entrenched at the line of Staro-Dubovka, Elkhi, Ivanovka, where it fought stubbornly until September 12.
In the future, its formations and units defended the southwestern outskirts and the southern part of Stalingrad. After the enemy broke through the defenses of the South-Eastern Front at the junction of the 62nd and 64th armies and his troops reached the Volga in the Kuporosnoye area, the main forces of the army defended the area south and southwest of Stalingrad, from where they systematically launched counterattacks and counterattacks on the flank of the enemy grouping, trying to take over the city.
During the transition of the Soviet troops to the counteroffensive, the army advanced as part of the main strike force of the Stalingrad Front, in the direction of Sovetsky, Kalach. November 23 went to the river. Chervlennaya and subsequently fought on the internal front of the encirclement of the enemy.
From January 1, 1943, as part of the Don Front, she participated in the liquidation of the encircled group of German troops near Stalingrad. After the completion of the Battle of Stalingrad, the army from February 6, 1943 was part of a group of troops under the command of Lieutenant General K.P. Trubnikov (since February 27 - the Stalingrad Group of Forces), who was in the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
On March 1, it was transferred to the Voronezh Front and, as part of it, fought defensive battles on the river. Seversky Donets near Belgorod.
Commanders:
Lieutenant General V.I. Chuikov (July-August 1942);
major general, since December 1942, lieutenant general M.S. Shumilov (August 1942 - April 1943).
Member of the Military Council:
Brigadier Commissar, from October 1943 Colonel, from March 1943 Major General Z.T. Serdyuk (July 1942 - April 1943).
Chiefs of Staff:
colonel N.M. Novikov (July-September 1942);
Major General I.A. Laskin (September 1942 - April 1943).
During the period Battle of Stalingrad on Bald Mountain September 1942 to January 1943 years of troops 64th Army under the command of a general Mikhail Stepanovich Shumilov fought fierce battles with the German - fascist invaders. The height changed hands several times, but the German troops could not break through to the Volga. Defending Stalingrad, Soviet soldiers showed examples of courage and heroism.
Warriors of the 204th, 422nd, 157th Rifle Divisions, the 36th Guards Division, the 7th Rifle Corps and other units fought heroically in these battles.
bald mountain- one of the highest points Volgograd, its maximum height is 145.5 m., the panorama of the southern part of the city opens from the top. It is open to all winds, devoid of vegetation and covered with sand.
Here, in the southern part of Stalingrad, the fighting began in mid-September 1942, when the Nazis rushed to the Volga. For the first time they managed to break through the defenses of the 64th Army and capture Hill 145.5 on September 14, but on the same day they were driven back by a counterattack. Two days later, with the help of reinforcements, the Germans again managed to capture the western slope and the top of the strategic height and turn it into a powerful defensive knot.
At the end of October 1942, the Soviet units attempted a massive assault on height 145.5 - when, by counterattacking, they tried to prevent the enemy from concentrating forces for a decisive blow to the defense of Stalingrad. For seven days there were fierce battles, during which the enemy was exhausted and forced to go on the defensive.
Again, the assault on the Nazi positions on Lysa Gora began in mid-January 1943 during the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops. For several days, the soldiers of the 64th Army had to systematically attack each stronghold. On January 17, 1943, Lysaya Gora was completely liberated and the 64th Army pushed the enemy back to the center of Stalingrad. In total, the battles for the height lasted 147 days.
In commemoration of the feat of arms of the soldiers and officers of the 64th Army, a monument was erected on the site of fierce battles. This is a 22-meter obelisk, in the form of an automaton barrel lined with concrete slabs with granite and mirror chips.
On the sides of the obelisk there are bas-reliefs: a soldier with a torch and a warrior girl with a rose. Both figures bow before the exploits of the soldiers - the defenders of Stalingrad and pay tribute to the memory of the dead.
On the front side, at the level of the bas-relief image, there is an inscription:
Peace to the defended for future generations
Glory to you eternal and gratitude
Fatherland. The motherland honors these feats,
whose name is immortality.
At the top of the obelisk are the numbers "1942" and "1943", reminiscent of the years of the heroic Battle of Stalingrad.
On the obelisk there is a marble plaque with the inscription: “At this height in 1942, the soldiers of the 64th Army fought fierce battles with the Nazi invaders and did not let them through to the Volga.”
Next to the obelisk is a granite stele, on which a diagram of the combat operations of the 64th Army from January 10 to February 2, 1943 is carved. The places of the fiercest hand-to-hand fights of the battle on Bald Mountain are marked by small stone pyramids with five-pointed stars applied to them. On the approaches to the monument there are reinforced concrete gouges, as if recreating the front line of defense. The monument was unveiled on November 4, 1968
The author of the monument is the architect F. Lysov. The author of the bas-relief image and the memorial inscription is the sculptor V. Bezrukov. 
Its defenders are buried on Bald Mountain - in a mass grave on its eastern slope, near a pine grove, the soldiers of the 64th Army who died in the battles for Stalingrad are buried. In 1973 a typical 4-meter monument made of marble chips was installed on the grave. There is an inscription on a granite tablet: “The soldiers of the 64th Army units who died during the Battle of Stalingrad are buried here. Glory to the heroes". On the eve of the 58th anniversary of the Victory at Stalingrad, February 2, 2001 On the initiative of the Volgograd Russian People's Cathedral, an Orthodox cross was erected on the mass grave.
In 2009, Bald Mountain also became a film set for a documentary film about the legendary sniper Vasily Zaitsev. Director - Konstantin Shutov. Filming of the battles was carried out on Lysa Gora in the Sovetsky district of Volgograd, because. Bald Mountain looks exactly like Mamaev Kurgan in 1942 - no tree, no bush. The main roles in the staged scenes of the film were played by non-professional artists from the Volgograd military-historical club Pekhotinets.
