Stalingrad Soldier 1

Colorado Technical University

Stalingrad Soldier

Assignment 1

Gordon Neal

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

HIST 1605

Global History Since 1500

By

Sari Barnes

May 2012
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Abstract

The diary of a soldier that fought in the Battle of Stalingrad gives an inside view of the war itself

and the German soldiers thoughts. It paints a dark reality on how each event would eventually

play out to the Soviet Union’s victory.

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Stalingrad Soldier

In the diary of single German soldier lies the truth about the battle in Stalingrad at the

time of World War II, writing about the conditions of the war and what went on all the while. He

is conflicted by the thoughts of possibly getting through the war with the Germans being

victorious, but also possibly having no hope at all by being crushed by the opposing forces. His

story on war paints a new reality for people in history to understand how horrid war is today.

Point one

A German soldier is fighting for his life. At the beginning of the war, things look like

they will be great, that victory will come for him and his comrades. It seems that the resisting

Soviet Union forces won’t match up to the power of the Germans. Suddenly, things take a quick

turn and the resisting Soviets are slowly taking them down. His writings and thoughts show the

war truly how it really was. It shows the realities of war outsides of the glamour of fighting for

one’s country. The readers can see his struggle and they can see these German soldiers, merely

young men, wasting away as they starve to death in the Battle of Stalingrad.

Point two

It can be assumed that these soldiers didn’t know what was coming at them and

underestimated the opposing forces. These men were fighting a fight that was not favorable

towards them. The soldier writes on September 16th that the Russians are burning their own grain

storage: “Our battalion, plus tanks, is attacking [grain storage] elevators, from which smoke is

pouring-the grain in it is burning, the Russians seem to have set light to it themselves. Barbarism.

The battalion is suffering heavy losses…” (Western Civilization, 2005). Also, another

assumption is that the conditions that these soldiers were in before and during the Battle of

Stalingrad highlight how unprepared and uninformed the German troops were. This would be a
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major factor in their struggle against the elements themselves with harsh weather and little food.

Troops would be dying of exposure and starvation. The soldier has this to say about their

conditions on December 26th, after Christmas Day: “The horses have already been eaten. I would

eat a cat; they say its meat is also tasty. The soldiers look like corpses or lunatics, looking for

something to put in their mouths. They no longer take cover from the Russian shells; they

haven’t the strength to walk, run away and hide. A curse on this war!” (Western Civilization,

2005).

Point three

What is demonstrated is the brain-washing power of Hitler at the time of World War II

upon the German troops and promising them support and victory before it could be attained. The

German troops were given such a high outlook at the beginning of the war and were forced to see

that war isn’t what they believed it to be: glorious. The physical conditions were far worse than

the actual battle itself. This also demonstrates the power that the Soviet Union by the end of the

war and how they took down the Germans at Stalingrad.

Conclusion

By the time that the Battle of Stalingrad had come to its peak, the German soldiers were already

defeated, not by combat with the Soviets, but by mere physical struggles that came along with

the war. Men were dying of hunger and exposure more than enemy fire. The psychological toll

on the German soldiers in Stalingrad in many ways is what led to the collapse of the German

assult. Thanks to this one soldier’s diary, the world is exposed to the truth behind the soldiers

struggles in that time and how they strained to survive.

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References

Speilvogel, J. J. (2005). Western Civilization (Third ed., Vol. II, p. 497). Belmont, CA: Thomson

Learning Inc.