The central and southern parts of this area were well looked through and exposed to fire of machine-guns from height of this building. Defenders of the grain elevator had approaches to Volga under control. Fights in this area have begun with September, 16th, 1942. The exsanguinated parts of several subdivisions rebouded to grain elevator and have token defense. Former commander 62-nd army V. I. Chujkov writes: «There is an enormous building on southern surburb of city - grain elevator. There were fightings all day and night from September, 17 till September, 23rd there. Not only elevator as a whole, but also its separate floors and storehouses several times passed from hands in hands. The commander of a Guards shooting division colonel Dubyansky reported on me by phone: «Conditions has changed. Earlier we were on top of the elevator, and Germans below. Now we have beaten out Germans from below, but they have got upward, and there, in the top part of elevator there is a fight.» Marines of 92-nd rifle brigade have broke through to support defenders on September, 18th. Fight has inflamed with new force, so fascists have been beaten out from the building. Hitlerites engaged artillery and tanks to break resistance of the Soviet soldiers, bombers also attacked elevator. Grain was burned, the smoke corroded eyes. There was nothing to breathe because of fume and soot. There was no water, no food. The Soviet soldiers battled to outnumberring enemy forces in a full encirclement for two days. The records in a diary of Wilhelm Hoffmann from 267-th infantry regiment of 94-th German division killed later in the street of Stalingrad: «...Combat for elevator proceeds. Russians shooting from all directions. It's impossible to stand out-of-doors, so we lurk in a cellar of the house. Our soldiers don't remember such a ruthless fightings. If all buildings of Stalingrad will so defend, nobody of us won't return to Germany...» But here defenders' ammunition and foodstuffs exhausted. Many soldiers brave death or have been wounded. Garrison continued to fight inside of a building in these conditions within several more hours, and then left the encirclement at night, crossed over Volga and has taken out with wounded men. In the end of January, 1943 advancing forces of 64-th army have released this broad area from hitlerites. After war the building of grain elevator has been restored. Link: Areas of Volgograd (ru)
Perhaps before the war grain elevator (constructed in 1940) was the highest construction in a neighborhood.
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