Fighting for the factories: Part I

14-16 October ~ The Attack on the

“Dzershinzky” Tractor Factory
‘In the north part of the city we now face the toughest job, namely to
take the three big factories ~ the “Dzershinzky” tractor works, the
“Red October” gun foundry and the “Red Barricade” metallurgical
works ~ in order to reach the bank of the Volga there.
The plan of attack
is to assault the
“Dzershinzky”
factory first, then
both the other
factories and
finally to roll up the
oil tanks and the
rest of the city
centre from north
to south. Two new
divisions are
assigned to this
job, the 305th
Infantry Division
(General
Oppenlander) and
the 14th Panzer
Division (General
Heim)’ ~ General
of Artillery
Wather von
Seydlitz-
Kurzbach.

During the early

morning of 14
October the
German forces in
the North of
Stalingrad waited
while their artillery
and the Luftwaffe
unleashed a
devastating
barrage on the
Soviet defenders
in and around the
Stalingrad tractor
factory.

Soon the Panzers

and
Panzergrenadiers
of the 14th Panzer
Division were
rumbling towards
the tractor works.

The effects of the

bombing could be
seen in the
distance, clouds of
black smoke
billowed up from
the burning oil
tanks and a black
haze hung over
the factory district.

Through this the

Panzergrenadiers
and Grenadiers of
LI Armeekorps
advanced and
began their assault
on the factories of
Stalingrad.

The initial attacks

took them through
the workers
houses
and apartments,
fighting house-to-
house, room-to-
room through
cellars and canals.
Their struggle eventually leading to
the steps of the great factory halls.
All the time the Soviets held on to
every inch of ground with great
tenacity.

The end of the first day saw men

and machines with a foothold in the
“Dzershinzky” Tractor Factory
complex. Now the hard fighting
would begin.

The 14th Panzer Division had made

it to the northwestern side of the
works, but progress had been
halted by the barricaded railway
carriages hindering movement of
the Panzer troops tanks and
halftracks. The 305th Infantry
division had taken the majority of
the eastern city suburbs to the
northwest of the factory.
The Soviets still held the western
half of the factory complex, and
were to prove tough to shift and
they were supported by their
artillery from the other bank of the
Volga river.

Fighting up to the
factory steps
This is a great opportunity to
combine the Street Fighting rules
(pages 221-225 of Flames Of War)
with the Big Push mission (page
220 of Flames Of War).

The Soviets have taken up

positions on the outskirts of the of
the factory works, barricading the
streets and defending the worker’s
housing. The Preliminary
bombardment represents the initial
bombardment of the artillery and
Luftwaffe.

Remember with Street Fighting you can’t dig-in on the hard surfaces of the buildings and streets, but with
the big push mission you are well prepared and have had time to prepare proper defences so all normal
big-push rules apply.

Fighting to Hall 7, Red October Factory...

The Fight for the “Red October”...

Grenadierkompanie ~ 305. Infanteriedivision
(Ostfront)
Company HQ 40 points
Replace command teams with Command Panzerknacker SMG teams 10 points
Add Mortar section 70 points
1st Grenadier Platoon
HQ section with 3 Grenadier squads 155 points
Replace command with Command Panzerknacker SMG team 5 points
2nd Grenadier Platoon
HQ section with 3 Grenadier squads 155 points
Replace command with Command Panzerknacker SMG team 5 points
3rd Grenadier Platoon
HQ section with 3 Grenadier squads 155 points
Replace command with Command Panzerknacker SMG team 5 points
Infantry Gun Platoon
2 Infantry Gun sections 90 points
Upgrade to sIG33 guns 55 points
Scout Platoon
2 Scout squads 110 points
Assault Tank Platoon
3 StuIG33B 300 points
Assault Troop
2 Assault Squads 140 points
2 Heavy Squads* 140 points
Looted Panzer Platoon
1 captured T-70 45 points
(Looted Panzers are Confident Trained and Unreliable)
1480
Total
points

*Assault teams are not set teams

but can be chosen from the
following list (see page 48
of Ostfront):

Pioneer SMG team

Pioneer MG team
Light Mortar team
HMG team
2cm FlaK38 gun
3.7cm PaK36 gun
or 7.5cm leIG18 gun

but an Assault Troop cannot have

more than 2 Assault teams of the
same type.
Strelkovey Batalon ~ 95th Rifle Division (Ostfront)
Battalion HQ
Company Command Rifle team, 2iC Command Rifle team,
and Battalion Komissar team 25 points
Add Anti-tank Platoon of 2 45mm obr 1937 guns 40 points
1st Strelkovy Company
3 Rifle Platoons 285 points
Add Komissar team 5 points
Add HMG team 20 points
2nd Strelkovy Company
2 Rifle Platoons 195 points
Add Komissar team 5 points
Machine-gun Company
2 Machine-gun Platoons of 3 HMG teams 140 points
add Komissar 5 points
Submachine-gun Company
3 Platoons of 7 SMG teams 320 points
add Komissar 5 points
Regimental Gun Company
2 Regimental Gun Platoons of 2 76mm obr 1927 guns 95 points
Add Observer 30 points
add Komissar 5 points
Tank Destruction Company
2 Anti-tank Platoons of 2 45mm obr 1937 guns 100 points
upgrade to 45mm obr 1942 guns 10 points
add Komissar 5 points
Guards Rocket Mortar Battery
2 Rocket Mortar Platoons 185 points
Total 1475 points