The timely arrival of the 13th Guards Division into southern Stalingrad is probable the paramount Soviet achievement in the early part of the street fighting. Without the insertion of the 13th Guards Division, it is likely that German would have swept thought southern Stalingrad in a two or three day period. Then the German forces would have been able to secure a foothold at the base of Mamayev Kurgan in the “Tennis racquet” area and would have been able to put direct pressure the Red October Factory much sooner in the battle. During the battle in late October, there was an outbreak of cholera on the east-bank and no Soviet unit’s crossed into the city for three days, I am sure everyone was sweating bullets for those three days.
Russ
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