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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 1963)
8 B.,- Twenty By GERALD 8. SNYDER UniUd Press International Twenty years ago today, the roll of mufllcd drums sounded over the state radio in Nazi Germany. It was fol lowed by the second move ment of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and then by a com munique from the pastern front. The news was grim: The five-and-a-half month battle for the Russian factory ci of Stalingrad had ended. The frozen, half-starved remnants of the proud Nazi sixth army, which marched to the banks of the Volga the summer be fore, had given up. Four days earlier, in the darkened basement of a bomb shattered Stalingrad depart ment store, German field mar shal Gen. Fricdrich von Paul- us, weary and numbed by , shock, nodded yes to squad of Soviet troops who demanded his surrender, DeTastating Defeat Germany had suffered its most devastating defeat of World War If. Like Lee at Gettysburg, the Nazis bad mounted a massive assault, made their deepest penclra tion of the enemy's homeland and failed in a go for broke campaign. German casualties exceeded 250,000 and the price of vic tory for the Soviet defenders was far, far higher. Stalingrad (known as Vol gograd since the de-Staiiniza tion of Russia) had been put under siege by 330,000 Ger man troops in mid-August, 1042, and soon was pounded to rubble by their heavy guns. But the Red army wrote into the history books a leg end of courage, holding stub bornly to the 40-mile com plex of factories and homes until the cruel Russian win ter became their ally and the battle tide turned. In retrospect, the battle of Stalingrad proved to be the beginning of the end for the Nazis. "Taken together with the British victory in the battle of 1 Alame in Egypt and the American defeat of the Jap anese navy at the battle of Midway in the Pacific, Stal ingrad marked the turning point of the war as a whole," said Col. Vincent J. Esposito, SUNDAY. FEBRUARY 3. 1963 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON Ago Today Battle of ' WW " ' c Stalingrad Ended After Five Months PATROL TENEMENTS Russian troops, shown in this in war-torn Stalingrad following Nazi Germany's defeat in picture taken Jan. 26, 1943, patrol blocks of tenements a battle for the city. (UPI) ; military historian at the mil itary academy at West Point. Hitler had played his ace in hopes of driving through the southern tier of Russia to the oil-rich Caucasus, to Mos cow and eventually to India. But, like Napoleon, he under estimated the Russians and the ferocity of their winter. On Aug. 22, 1042, Hitler announced to the German na tion: "We are attacking Stalin grad and we shall take it." The tank-equipped Sixth army opened its Russian cam paign with a scries of vic tories. It was a well-trained, well-armed, confident legion- veterans of the Belgian, Yugo slav and Greek campaigns. The Germans rolled swiftly to the banks of the Volga, 1, 000 miles southeast of Mos cow. They came supported by armies of Italy, Hungary and Rumania. The Luftwaffe rained fire and destruction on Stalingrad and the axis ground forces blasted it with mortars, artillery and tanks. The Sov iet perimeter was breeched and fighting was carried into the city-house to house, fac tory to factory. Launch Counter Attack Then, in a lightning-swift, surprise move, the Russians launched a 13-division coun ter-attack on Nov. 19. Thou sands of Soviet troops were thrown into the battle and they closed a ring of bayonet steel around the German force. The timing was perfect ly coordinated with the onset of the bitter Russian winter. Almost like magic, the thick, silent snow and plate glass ice became the Soviets' biggest asset. The Russian troops were ghostlike in their white camouflage capes, worn over heavy uniforms, thick woolen underwear and fleecy-lined boots. The Ger mans' greatcoats proved in adequate and their blankets ran short. Hitler's propagandists pro claimed Stalingrad a fortress, but food and ammunition was short and planes of the Luft waffe no longer had a place to land. Germans Die, Pray Many Germans died. Some prayed. A chest of anti-aircraft shells became an altar and the field gray tunic of a fallen soldier became the mantle. Christmas dinner for the Germans - consisted . of the frozen flesh of horses or dogs and the roots of trees. They drank "German Tea," as the Russians called it. Melted snow. In a monotone. Radio Mos cow repeated time and again in German: "Every . seven seconds a Gerr-an soldier dies in Rus sia. Stalingrad-mass grave1" The wind knifed across the steppes and the temperature stood at 35 below. For every German who lived seven died. Guns jammed and fuel froze. On the morning of Jan. 8, three young Soviet officers entered the German lines un der a white flag. "Surrender!" they demand ed of Gen. Paulus. From Berlin came the or der: "Stay and fight." On Jan. 10, the battle en tered its final phase. Soviets, now outnumbering the Ger mans 20 to 1, cut the Ger man position in half and one of the halves was cut in two. The Germans' allies lost their will to fight and one division surrendered en masse wiih all its equipment. The Russians offered Paul us another chance to surren der. The general pleaded with Berlin, but Hitler screamed: "The Sixth army will hold their positions to the last man and the last round." Fighting Hand To Hand The fighting now had be come largely hand to hand and the mortal struggle en veloped the city of Stalin grad. Its cheerful white houses, the kiosks, the piers, were gone. Russian .women and children dug caves in the snow-covered cliffs along the Volga. Soviet gunboats plied the river. Hitler, by this hour, seem ed to sense that all was lost but he hoped for a miracle. "There is no record in mil itary history of a German field marshal being taken prisoner," he told an aide in Berlin. By radio, he confer red on Gen. Paulus the cov eted marshall's baton. For the beleaguered Paulus it was no magic wand. In the last 20 days of Jan uary more than 100,000 Ger mans were killed. Those who lived scratched holes in the snow or hobbled about on bandaged, frost-bitten feet. Finally, at months' end, the last three strongholds gave in. Paulus and two dozen les ser generals surrendered. As hostorian Col. Esposito sees it now, the end was in evitable and its effect on the remainder of the war was far reaching: "Overextended and unable to reconstitute a strategic re serve in the east, Hitler was now powerless to counter ef fectively the successive, wide ly separated, alternating Rus sian blows. "Now he could not concen trate adequate strength on any front to launch a sustain ed offensive of sufficient mag. nitude to gain a local decision." BARKER'S (Gent's Stuff) CLOSED MONDAY and TUESDAY Want To SAVE MONEY ON INCOME TAXES? Find out how the new tax laws and rulings can save YOU money, in SYLVIA PORTER'S all-new' TAX SERIES Beginning Feb. 4 in MEDF0RDi1i&sTlUBUNE Faber Voices His Approval of Bill County Commissioner Don, aid Faber said Friday he is writing State Rep. Edward Branchfield voicing his ap proval of Senate Joint Reso lution 7 which would author ize appointment of an interim committee to study Oregon wildlife. Faber said he is writing as an individual urging the legis lature to issue a temporary law forbidding the killing of doe deer until the committee's studies are completed. Faber is a director of the Central Point Sportsmen's club. "Until recently 1 didn't realize the wonderful fish and game heritage Oregon has," Faber commented. Ho noted that all of the Jackson county legislative delegation endorsed the bill. Women Officers to Conduct Interviews Three officers from the wo men's armed forces will be In Jackson county Feb. 4, 5, and 8, to conduct a panel In Jackson county high schools, Chief Ronald k. Vulkos. of the Navy Recruiting station here, has announced. When not conducting panels In t';s high schools, the three, representing the WAVES, the WACS and the WAFS, will be In the recruiting offices to conduct interviews with high school seniors and graduates durins regular offico hours. Parents, !o, are invited to allcnd the interviews. The recruiting offices arc located in the Mcdiord post office buiiuii'iH. TIi Army d Navy recruilins oiicer are in the 'basesiscnt "and the Mar lues and Air Force offices ti-- -.--nJ f'--.r Locsi Man Placed On Probation Here Keith Edward Schrocdcr, 30, of route 3, box 195. Med ford, was placed on probation and sentence was suscndcd for one year in Jackson coun ty circuit court on a charge of driving while under the In fluence of liquor. Schfocder Thursday plead ed guilty 10 the churiies of driving under tiie influence of liquor. Earlier charges of neg ligent homicide were dismiss ed upon request ol the diMrul attorney's olllcc. Schrocdcr had lircn charg ed in connection with an acci dent involving a car driven by Annie Matilda limes, Mori lord, lust April 0 Miss Inncs died of injurirs received. Last Oct. 22, a circuit court Jury failed to return a virdict In circuit court jury tii.l. II i i m KM m id try fl r x mi xii ... . Ji k Believe it or not I! Your old Living room sofa or Bedroom set - REGARDLESS OF AGE OR CONDITION - - is worth.. NYLON & FOAM ( mSE SOFA and CHAIR fib&J JJ I LUXURIOUS SOFA SEATS 4 COMFORTABLY . . . OPENS EASILY TO MAKE UP INTO A RESTFUL DOUBLE BED. BOTH SOFA AND SPACIOUS MATCHING CLUB CHAIR HAVE TOUGH DOUBLE SPRING CONSTRUCTION plus A 5-YEAR GUARANTEE. IN CHOICE COLORS. .a. tik rnmnlpft Ptttv SI H HJFiH-n W"TV'W 3-PC. BEDROOM SET mmm m m mm s li r m i ism a-m m mm mm. btuit. 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