Stalingrad - House of Specialists

[Sergei]

Can anyone confirm whether the House of Specialists complex in downtown was made up of two buildings or three? The other two parallel buildings are closer to the Central bank. Does anyone have info on this in the histories of the 71st or 295th divisions?

regards...

[nebelwerferXXX]

As far as I know, the 'Specialists Houses' at Stalingrad, were the location of the German machine guns...correct me If I'm wrong.

[ijontichy]

We can compare this map:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... -Mitte.png

to this aerial photograph:

http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/staling ... G-047.html

The guy who made the Wikimedia map seems to imply that it's just the one building. Perhaps you could ask him.

Anyway, I played with the aerial map and added some annotations and translations (you can click it for a larger image):

[ijontichy]

In David Glantz's "Armageddon in Stalingrad", page 121, he writes:

When Rodimtsev's rifle division crossed the river, with its artillery firing in support from the river's eastern bank, the 6,000 men of its 39th and 42nd Guards Rifle Regiments, commanded by Majors S. S. Dolgov and I. P. Elin, were to clear German forces from the city's center, in particular the building named House of "Specialists" and Railroad Station No. 1.

The bold part seems to imply that it was a single building. I don't know about the machine guns.

[ijontichy]

Ha, I just realised the original post is almost 8 years old!

[nebelwerferXXX]

We can compare this map:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... -Mitte.png

to this aerial photograph:

http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/staling ... G-047.html

The guy who made the Wikimedia map seems to imply that it's just the one building. Perhaps you could ask him.

Anyway, I played with the aerial map and added some annotations and translations (you can click it for a larger image):

Specialists House:
Your first map (labeled in German) is clearer than the second map (labeled in English)...as I saw it in the 1st map it's only one building, while the 2nd map it's a whole block.

The 'Train Station' were defended by a Russian battalion (say about 500 men estimate only)...
'Pavlov's House' were defended by a 12-man Russian squad...
correct me again if I'm wrong.

[nebelwerferXXX]

There were 26 important buildings as considered as House of Specialists in Stalingrad.