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Stalin did not evacuate the civilians in Stalingrad while the German Panzers moved toward the city. While the most ferocious battle of World War II raged in the city, civilians huddled in the cellars and rubble. The Germans shot Jews they encountered. Russian civilians were transported west for slave labor. There wasn't much left of Stalingrad after the battle, but the Soviets had it. Here Russian boys in the ruins of the city sport captured German weapons, including machine guns. We suspect the snapshot here was taken with a captured German camera. The Germans produced some of the finest machine guns of the War. Germany had a larger industrial base than the Soviets and occupied important industrial centers. The Soviets managed to move some war plants east, but more importantly their industrial policy made better use of what they had. And even before Hitler declared war on America, the Arsenal of Democracy was beginning to shift balance of power. The Germans not only suffered terrible casualties, but lost huge quantities of equipment and arms to the Red Army as a result of the Soviet 1941 Winter Offensive and again in the 1942 Winter offensive that began with the encirclement of Stalingrad. The Germans could not begin to replace the losses of men and equipment on such a scale. The Soviets and Western Allies could.
As the German Case Blue 1942 summer offensive developed, Hitler decided to focus on the Volga industrial city of Stalingrad. When the Panzers began to move east and it was clear that Stalingrad was the target, there was time to evacuate the civilians in the city. Stalin refused, however, to allow this. Stalin never explained this order. He had done the same in Leningrad with disastrous consequences. Presumably he simply made a military calculation. Evacuating the city would have clogged the roads, bridges, rails, and barges with civilians that wold have then had to be fed and clothes. It also would have suggested that defeat loomed. He expected everyone to fight, including the civilians. Some reports suggest that he believed that civilians would inspire the soldiers defending a 'living city' to fight more intensely. Civilians, including women and children, as the Germans approached were put to work building anti-tank ditches and other defensive emplacements. He had no real concern over the fate of civilians who did not resit the Germans, except when they made for useful propaganda. Some civilians managed to get out of the city, but most did not. Incredibly while the most ferocious battle of World War II raged in the city, civilians huddled in the cellars and rubble without food and with the water cut off. For two months the city was a living hell and the Germans managed to occupy most of the city. Some 40,000 civilians are believed to have died in the city. The number who died in the towns and villages on the way to Stalingrad as well as the suburbs is unknown.,
Stalingrad was a huge industrial city with massive factories and strategically placed. It was not a beautiful city, but it was of immense importance. There wasn't much left of the city and its factories after the battle, but the Soviets had it. And even with the factories destroyed, it strategic value was immense. The vital rail and barge traffic through which Caucuses oil and American Lend Lease flowed.
The Russian boys here are unidentified. They look to be quite young to be supporting such powerful weapons. We estimate that they were about 13-14 years of age. They do not appear to be wearing Red Army uniforms. This suggests that they were civilians that had been trapped in the city, although they look very healthy and well fed. We know that boys this age did serve in the Red Army, although they were not drafted at this age. They were more likely to be displaced children individuals adopted by units than groups of boys. The Soviets did conscript boys and women for work on rail lines and war industries. A reader writes, "For all we know they might have been collecting them to sell or trade or just being boys and playing with real guns. Their coats and hats look too clean to have been in combat." A Russian reader tells us, "About the boys, they are not soldiers or guerilla fighters. I suppose that the boys are just posing with guns and ammo and some soldiers took the snapshot."
After the German surrender there were presumably huge quantities of arms and equipment scattered all over the city. This is probably how the boys got their hands on the weapons. Besides the machine guns we can see two rifles and they are probably Mausers. The boy at the right also has an ammunition box. It was probably some time before Soviet authorities had collected and secured the German weaponry. The ones the boys here have are a little difficult to identify. The stock and grip are hidden so it is hard to know for sure but by the muzzle it looks like either the MG-34 or MG-42. They both have similar looking muzzles, bipods for mobile use and front gun sight. But if it is around the time of Stalingrad it is most likely the earlier MG-34.
Here Russian boys in the ruins of the city sport captured German weapons, including machine guns. We suspect the snapshot here was taken with a captured German camera. The Germans produced some of the finest machine guns of the War.
Germany had a much smaller arms industry than the Allies after Hitler invaded the Soviet Union and declared war on America all in the space of 6 months. One has to ask why a calculating leader who had previously been so cunning and calculating could have suddenly acted so rashly. Huge quantities of equipment and arms were lost in the Red Army 1941 Winter Offensive and again in the 1942 Winter offensive that began with the encirclement of Stalingrad. The Germans could not begin to replace the losses of men and equipment.
The snapshot here is undated. We think the dealer's identification of 1943 is probably accurate. Given the weather that would mean February or March 1943. We think an earlier date while the Germans were still fighting bis unlikely. The boys may have found scattered German weapons before that, but not a cache of three machine guns. And after March the weather would begin to warm up. It is possible that the image was taken elsewhere during the earlier Red Army Winter Offensive, but we think Winter 1943-44 is unlikely because the Soviets were in better control of their territory and less likely to find boys like this age in the front lines. The fighting after 1943 was no longer being fought in the Soviet Union's Russian heartland.
The dealer identifies the location as Stalingrad. Of course some dealers describe items to heighten interest and resulting prices. So the dealer descriptions can not be taken as definitive evidence without additional collaboration.
The background certainly could have been Stalingrad. Notice the bullet holes in the walls. But it also could have been countless other locations in the Soviet Union during 1941-44. The fact that the boys had managed to arm themselves with machine guns, suggest that it was after a major German defeat with large numbers of arms strewn all over the place. So Stalingrad is a definite possibility.
There is some hard to read writing on the back. A Russian reader tells us that it is the Russian word for Stalingrad
in Cyrillic cursive writing.
The printed word for Stalingrad is Сталинград, but the cursive form is not so obviously Cyrillic.
We are fairly confident that the photograph was taken around February 1943 just after the German surrender. We do not know, however, when the inscription was written. In the lower right hand corner there is some kind of code.
As the German Case Blue 1942 summer offensive developed, Hitler decided to focus on the Volga industrial city of Stalingrad. When the Panzers began to move east and it was clear that Stalingrad was the target, there was time to evacuate some or all of the civilians in the city. Stalin refused, however, to allow this. Stalin never explained this order. He had done the same in Leningrad with disastrous consequences. Presumably he simply made a military calculation. Evacuating the city would have clogged the roads, bridges, rails, and barges with civilians that would have then had to be fed and clothed. It also would have suggested that defeat loomed. He expected everyone to fight, including the civil ans. Some reports suggest that he believed that civilians would inspire the soldiers defending a 'living city' to fight more intensely. Civilians, including women and children, as the Germans approached were put to work building anti-tank ditches and other defensive emplacements. He had no real concern over the fate of civilians who did not resit the Germans, except when they made for useful propaganda. Some civilians managed to get out of the city, but most did not. Incredibly while the most ferocious battle of World War II raged in the city, civilians huddled in the cellars and rubble without food and with the water cut off. For two months the city was a living hell and the Germans managed to occupy most of the city. Some 40,000 civilians are believed to have died in the city. The number who died in the towns and villages on the way to Stalingrad as well as the suburbs is unknown.,
Stalingrad was a huge industrial city with massive factories and strategically placed. It was nit a beautiful city, but it was of immense importance. There wasn't much left of the city and its factories after the battle, but the Soviets had it. And even with the factories destroyed, it strategic value was immense. The vital rail and barge traffic through which Caucuses oil and American Lend Lease flowed.
The Russian boys here are unidentified. They look to be quite young to be supporting such powerful weapons. We estimate that they were about 13-14 years of age. They do not appear to be wearing Red Army uniforms. This suggests that they were civilians that had been trapped in the city, although they look very healthy and well fed. We know that boys this age did serve in the Red Army, although they were not drafted at this age. They were more likely to be displaced children individuals adopted by units than groups of boys. The Soviets did conscript boys and women for work on rail lines and war industries. A reader writes, "For all we know they might have been collecting them to sell or trade or just being boys and playing with real guns. Their coats and hats look too clean to have been in combat." A Russian reader tells us, "About the boys, they are not soldiers or guerilla fighters. I suppose that the boys are just posing with guns and ammo and some soldiers took the snapshot."
After the German surrender there were presumably huge quantities of arms and equipment scattered all over the city. This is probably how the boys got their hands on the weapons. Besides the machine guns we can see two rifles and they are probably Mausers. The boy at the right also has an ammunition box. It was probably some time before Soviet authorities had collected and secured the German weaponry. The ones the boys here have are a little difficult to identify. The stock and grip are hidden so it is hard to know for sure but by the muzzle it looks like either the MG-34 or MG-42. They both have similar looking muzzle, bipods for mobile use and front gun sight. But if it is around the time of Stalingrad it is most likely the earlier MG-34.
Here Russian boys in the ruins of the city sport captured German weapons, including machine guns. We suspect the snapshot here was taken with a captured German camera. The Germans produced some of the finest machine guns of the War.
Germany had a larger industrial base than the Soviets and occupied important industrial centers. The Soviets managed to move some war plants east, but more importantly their industrial policy made better use of what they had. The Soviets before the War has adopted American-dtyle mss prpoduction on a significnt scale. Herman warf industries were mlore akin to craft shops--producing high-quality products on a more limited scle. Socialism was a major problem in the Soviet economy, but the Soviets hit upon a core principle in a war economy. The life span of weapons, unlike civilisan priducts had a very shirt life span. As a result, it did not make sence tio build high-quality tanks and plsnes, if their life span is only mesured in months or weeks or days in combat. A large number of low quality products made more sence than a small mumber of high-quality, finely finished weapons. And even before Hitler declared war on America, the Arsenal of Democracy was beginning to shift balance of power. The Germans not only suffered terrible casualties, but lost huge quantities of equipment and arms to the Red Army as a result of the Soviet 1941 Winter Offensive and again in the 1942 Winter offensive that began with the encirclement of Stalingrad. The Germans could not begin to replace the losses of men and equipment on such a scale. The Soviets and Western Allies could.
The snapshot here is undated. We think the dealer's identification of 1943 is probably accurate. Given the weather that would mean February or March 1943. We think an earlier date while the Germans were still fighting bis unlikely. The boys may have found scattered German weapons before that, but not a cache of three machine guns. And after March the weather would begin to warm up. It is possible that the image was taken elsewhere during the earlier Red Army Winter Offensive, but we think Winter 1943-44 is unlikely because the Soviets were in better control of their territory and less likely to find boys like this age in the front lines. The fighting after 1943 was no longer being fought in the Soviet Union's Russian heartland.
The dealer identifies the location as Stalingrad. Of course some dealers describe items to heighten interest and resulting prices. So the dealer description can not be taken as definitive evidence without additional collaboration.
The background certainly could have been Stalingrad. Notice the bullet holes in the walls. But it also could have been countless other locations in the Soviet Union during 1941-44. The fact that the boys had armed themselves with machine guns, suggest that it was after a major German defeat with large numbers of arms strewn all over the place. So Stalingrad is a definite possibility.
There is some hard to read writing on the back. A Russian reader tells us that it is the Russian word for Stalingrad
in Cyrillic cursive writing.
The printed word for Stalingrad is Сталинград, but the cursive form is not so obviously Cyrillic.
We are fairly confident that the photograph was taken around February 1943 just after the German surrender. We do not know, however, when the inscription was written. In the lower right hand corner there is some kind of code.
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