STREETS OF STALINGRAD - STALINGRAD, October 6 1942:

THE GUARDS COUNTERATTACK:  After an extremely successful summer the Germans came upon the Volga fortress of Stalingrad. Here the Russians had dug in and were determined to make a stand. Sensing total victory, the Germans threw more and more troops into the fighting. But for the first time German infantry found the Russians their equal. Rebuffed by the stiff resistance, the Germans committed crack assault engineers. Gradually the Germans cleared one block and then another, only to lose them again to sudden Russian counterattacks. By October 5, the Germans had almost taken the key Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works. However, the fighting had been so heavy that the line troops occupying the surrounding area were exceptionally weak from the previous week's fighting. The Russians counterattacked with their crack 37th Guards to break the ring the Germans had thrown around the factory and reinforce the defenders.

THE TRACTOR WORKS: While pushing into the industrial area of the city, advancing elements of the 389th Infantry have isolated a contingent of the 308th Rifle Division in the key Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works. The Germans have decided to crush this island of resistance and to help, have brought up a crack team of assault engineers. However, the Russians have noted a critical weakness in the ring around the Tractor Works, and have decided to launch a major counterattack to relieve their garrison there.

AFTERMATH: Both the German and Soviet attacks jumped off at about the same time, and the entire area erupted in bloody street fighting. Utilizing overwhelming numbers, the Soviets overran the strungout German defenders, but at so high a cost that by the time they reached the Tractor Works, their reinforcement value was much abated. The assault engineers had done their work and another chunk of the factory was taken, but they too had taken heavy casualties and their attack soon petered out with a die hard group of Russians still hanging on to a corner of the Works. The overall result was that the Russians had recaptured a few city blocks, but were still being eroded in the factory. Neither side, despite desperate efforts with high casualties, was able to achieve a decisive result that day. In essence, it was a draw with both sides pouring fresh troops into those exact same blocks where many more men would die in the days ahead.
