Posted on 11/27/2012 4:46:09 PM PST by dynachrome
19th of November, 1942. 7:30 a.m.
The air over Stalingrad started shaking. Volleys of thousands of artillery shells marked the beginning of the “Uranus” operation – a counter-offensive one, which became a radical turn in the Second World War.
Seventy years have passed and last Sunday there was held a reconstruction in Volgograd devoted to that battle.
(Excerpt) Read more at englishrussia.com ...
Would your list be interested in pics of a re-enactment held in Stalingrad?
PFL
The Battle had been raging for months by November 19. Operation Uranus was the Red Army counteroffensive that launched pincers from the north and south that cut off Von Paulus' army from the main body of the German army.
By this date Von Paulus was already cut off but Hitler ordered him not to disengage and withdraw. Hitler said Von Paulus would be resupplied by air and relieved, none of which happened, of course.
Very interesting. Thanks for the ping. I added a link to tomorrow’s post so the list will get it early in the A.M.
Didn’t see any KFC and McDonalds fast food places — these must’ve been authentic pics from the original battle.
Well they made a real effort to resupply Paulus but just couldn’t do it. Lost a lot of airplanes and pilots trying.
BTW, the general’s name is actually just Paulus rather than Von Paulus. I had a history professor tell the class that. I looked it up and sure enough he was right.
For some reason just about everyone puts the “Von” in there tho.
Out of curiosity I found this in modern Volgograd, thanks to Google:
1. Everybody's too clean.
2. The guy with a trench mortar is having way too much fun.
3. I want a trench mortar for Christmas. Please?
4. The good news: the average Soviet replacement only had to spend 24 hours in Stalingrad. The bad news: that's how long he had to live.
5. Unbelievable fact: there were civilians hiding in the ruins throughout the battle. Who survived.
6. The fact that the city was in ruins for the battle was due to an aviator named von Richthofen, the Red Baron's cousin.
7. 110,000 Germans went into captivity at Stalingrad. 6000 returned to Germany.
8. Contemplate for a moment just how much of subsequent history turned on a guy born as a peasant in Tsarist Russia, named Vasily Chuikov.
The Luftwaffe did not have enough airlift to supply an army of this size. Hitler relied on Goering's seat of the pants assurance that the Luftwaffe could do it despite the protests of commanders on the ground.
A history professor, and you looked it up ?
http://persona.rin.ru/eng/view/f/0/33718/paulus-friedrich-wilhelm-von-paulus
He has always been von Paulus.
That is one of those errors which has been repeated so often that most people just assume that was his name.
I am not sure how the Von got put in to start with, maybe just because it sounds right.
No, it was never Von Paulus tho you will find a huge number of sites which will list him as that. Just because it is on the internet (or TV) doesn’t make it accurate.
The fact is that he came from a family with no claims to the nobility. That fact held him back for much of his career.
In the Classic “Hitler’s moves East, the author Carrell refers to him as Paulus, not Von Paulus.
Yes, the better historians, documentary makers etc. know to drop the “von”.
I saw a TV documentary not too long ago in which the guy introducing it, made a point to say that the documentary incorrectly called the General, Von Paulus. Otherwise he said it was pretty good.
He was also known as von Paulus. I’m not going by the the internet solely or TV. I have always read about him as von Paulus. Maybe you’re right, I could be wrong.
“Friedrich Paulus Biography
Friedrich Paulus (September 23, 1890 - February 1, 1957) was a German general, later promoted to field marshal, during World War II. He was commander of the German 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad. He was also known as von Paulus. The “von” in the name is not authentic, a misconception presumably based on the fact that for many German “noble families” the career of officer in the armed forces was traditionally popular for at least one of their sons. (Many German officers and generals carried the “von” in their names. Paulus was the son of a minor official, one reason why he was promoted by Hitler who saw himself in the same light - a genius from humble background.)”
Even LIFE magazine calls him von Paulus. Not necessarily a mark of nobility. He was born in Prussia afterall.
“Life magazine photos
Have a look at this amazing repository of classic photographs at Life.com. Below are a few that came up when I searched under Oppenheimer, von Neumann and Stalingrad. The caption for the bottom photograph is “1st February 1943: German commander of the 6th Army, Field Marshal Friedrich von Paulus (1890 - 1957), surrendering after his troops were besieged at Stalingrad.”
I could be wrong though.
You are wrong, and part of your post proves it. just read it again.
We all know that he is often called Von Paulus but we also know that is incorrect.
The Stalingrad Memorial at Mamayev Kurgan.
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