Evening star., 1943-02-12
fThird of q SerieS.)
By DAVID NJ. NICHOL.

war CoFreSnonoent eh,onoe n Of M me Star and
STAIINGRAD, Feb. 1.-Two
powerful forces clashed late in Sep
tember for control of a few hundred
square feet of earth atop a ridge
near the Volga. struggled for 10
days and then subsided-each still
undefeated yet too spent to achieve
victory.
For the next four months picked
units of the Nazi armies and Soviet
guardsmen shared the plot. hardly
larger than suburban garden, liv-
ing underground like moles, while
storm of aviation and artillery on
both sides pounded in an effort to
dislodge the enemy. Not until Feb
ruary l, few hours before the
cease firing" order marked the end
Of the German 9Th Army, was the
ridge finally cleared.
To understand and appreciate the
savageness and bitterness of this
kind Of fighting is to visualize some
thing Of the titantic struggle Waged
along the whole Soviet front as the
base after another in the continuing
Red Army offensives.
Known As Hill 102.
Mamaev Kurgan, or Hill l02, as
marked on staff maps. actually is
two long. low ridges, one parallel to
the Volga and hardly a mile west
ward, the other angling southeast
toward the center of the city.
Where the ridges meet at the north
ern end is only 300 feet above the
river, yet it is the highest point In
the vicinity. There stand two con-
crete water tanks. three e-fourths
underground. 30 feet apart. Between
them is a 6-foot concrete box shell
tering the Waterpipe coupling. They
will enter history as among the most
important Notifications of modern
warfare.
Eastward toward the Volga, 400
yards down the slope. lies the rail-
road line where the Soviet offensive
began. Farther on is the narrow
portion of the devastated workers
settlements that expand around the
northern end of the hill and extend
far out. The river bank here is lined
with crumpled wreckage of oil stor-
age tanks while farther north are
the tangled ruins of the vast Red
october plant, the Red barricades
ard the tractor factories. From the
hills top even heavy machine guns
could command the vital Volga
route, the only avenue of supplies
for the city's defenders.
Key to Nazi Strategy.
The capture of this point was the
key to the whole German strategy
for crushing Stalingrad
Two Nazi columns, every step of
their advance bitterly contested and
costing precious time, converged on
Stalingrads approaches on Septem-
Der 10 and began an attack on the
city's outskirts. On September IA
they captured Mamaev Kurgan.
The first thrust towards the city's
center was shattered by divisions of
the already legendary legendary 62d
Army commanded by 1t. Gen. Vass-
lily Ivanovich Chuikov.
All during the week the Germans
continued the attack. which reached
its most furious pitch September %
when new German divisions. sup
ported by 100 tanks, attempted to
advance along two ravines toward
the Volga.
The famous Guards Division, un-
der Maj. Gen. Alexander Rodimtsev
bore the brunt of the onslaught
which was turned back.
Failing to smash the city's center.
the Nazis turned to Kurgan. 1t was
here, on September o. that the two
offensives clashed. On that day
Red Army division. under Col
Batuik. won the eastern slopes and
their hold never again was broken,
but the Nazis regained the water
tanks and the western slopes and
fought on there for the next four
months,
SDea king in his 1lp6erprO,Ipd head