How horrible was the Eastern Front of World War II?
Take the Battle of Stalingrad on the Eastern Front of World War II as an example, we can know how tragic the Eastern Front was during World War II.
Why single out Stalingrad as an example? Because this is one of the most representative battles on the Eastern Front. This is a battle like a meat grinder. No matter how many troops you put in, it can always eat it up, just like a bottomless pit.
In this war that lasted nearly 200 days, both sides invested more than 2 million troops. On average, one teacher will be eaten every three days. It is almost impossible for soldiers to have a rest in such a high-intensity battle. 400 people die every hour, and the average survival time of soldiers is generally 24 hours. Once you close your eyes and rest, I'm afraid you will be wrapped in white snow like a corpse on the ground. As for the commander at the front, he will be lucky if he can persist for seven days.
The Germans had planned to take Stalingrad before winter came, but the Soviet Union's will was too strong. Dragging the Germans into the war of attrition, they drew one strange symbol after another in the snow with their flesh and blood. Because of the weather, the German armored forces are basically in a state of collapse and can only rely on soldiers for tactical victory.
The soldiers left in the war have no vitality at all. They witnessed the constant death of their comrades-in-arms and hated the cruelty of war. They hid behind the bunker and passed the boring time in a daze. Most of them are sallow and emaciated, and they stink all over. Although the soldiers' food is always faced with the dilemma of not being supplied, the corpses are cheaper than the large and small mice that shuttle around each corpse.
In addition to facing hunger, soldiers have to face cold weather. Due to lack of warm clothes, many soldiers lost their fighting ability in the cold winter. Because the rear didn't expect Stalingrad to be so hard to chew, there were not many winter items prepared. When the two sides entered a stalemate, the German logistics could not reach the front for various reasons. This directly led to the frostbite and even death of many soldiers in the snow, and their combat effectiveness was affected to some extent.
The most tragic battle of Stalingrad was street fighting, because the German armored forces were blocked, and street fighting became the best battlefield for the Soviet Union to resist the Germans.
In the battlefields with broken walls and narrow lanes, the Germans and Soviets are usually separated by a wall, and both sides can even hear each other's breathing. There is a joke in the army: I have occupied the kitchen, but the living room is still in the hands of the enemy. Restricted by the terrain, every inch of land in street fighting has become a battleground for military strategists.
In the face of the fierce German offensive, although the Soviet army lacked sophisticated weapons, it did not choose to retreat. Instead, they held their ground with tenacious fighting will, making the Germans pay great sacrifices every step forward. They are rooted in the wall of every alley like grass roots, and no matter how fierce the German offensive is, it is impossible to uproot them at one breath. In this way, the German Blitzkrieg declared bankruptcy in street fighting.
When the Soviet Union and Germany were in full swing, the factory in Stalingrad did not rest. They produce day and night, and many workers are carrying guns, fearing that the Germans will break in the next moment. Tanks often go out as soon as they are on the assembly line, without even painting and sight.
In addition to the arsenal is a battleground for both sides, so is the railway station. They fought here 13 times, and each time one side left a bunch of bodies in a hurry and finally left. After a long struggle, there is a lasting defense and struggle. This kind of thing also happened in the highlands of Mamayev. As the highest point of the city, the military significance must be needless to say. Even though the war has passed for many years, this highland, which was cut short by artillery fire by half a hill, is still barren and seems to be quietly telling the cruelty of the war that year.
By the end of the war, the soldiers of both sides had entered a period of weakness.
They are fighting by muscle memory and instinct. They are always in a state of high tension. They dare not sleep, smoke or make noise. They are afraid that the enemy will secretly send them explosives at night, and they are afraid of being named by snipers in the distance in the dark. Night is the best place for both sides to compete quietly, and only staying awake is the best choice for this bloody night.
War will naturally bring a large number of disabled people, while the Soviet 64th Army stationed in Stalingrad has only one health company, consisting of 100 doctors and nurses. Many of them have not received systematic training, and they are all temporarily arranged to come to the rescue. This is also the first time they have faced the cruelty of war. Faced with all kinds of wounded people, some don't even know how to dress gauze. With more and more wounded people, the hospital's medicine is running out. Some patients can only die in hospital beds without help.
What about the Germans? They are no better than the Soviets in this war. Because there are many injured people, there are not enough military doctors to treat them one by one. Some seriously injured people can only lie on the ground and cry and call their teammates to give him an injection. Such scenes are constantly happening in every place on the battlefield.
So what is the fate of ordinary people in this battle? They were devastated by the war. Of the 800,000 residents who originally lived in Stalingrad, only 7,500 remained after the war. In the Battle of Stalingrad, in order to resist the Germans, the Soviet army would forcibly pull civilians into the army, and sometimes women would be transferred in the face of emergencies. These civilians who were forcibly pulled in could not escape the Cold War, otherwise they would face the ruling of a temporary military court.
Civilians have to avoid not only the Soviet forced conscription, but also the German reconnaissance. For this reason, they chose the dark underpass as their habitat, but they didn't know that these places were German rest places and kitchens, so that civilians were used by the Germans and they were forced by life. Usually, Germans buy a piece of bread and a bottle of water. They acted as running dogs in the German battlefield, helping to carry bodies and find supplies. On the other hand, when the Soviets saw that their civilians were working for the Germans, they would not hesitate to pull the trigger in their hands. They cursed in their hearts, damn running dogs!
Who is really innocent in the war?