From The "Island of Fire" to the Banks of River Don – “The Finnish Partisans” in Stalingrad

The main purpose of our trip was, to put it short and simple, nothing less than to visit the key areas related to the WWII epic Battle of Stalingrad: all the way from the Island of Fire to the river Don. Thanks to Vladimir’s devotion and expertise, we managed to do that and we really spent unforgettable time in the former battlefield. That said, we’d like to express our deepest gratitude to Vladimir who made all of this possible. Vladimir, please convey our thanks to Yuri and Tatjana as well. Their collection of battlefield trophies was really something to see and their hospitality second to none.

Our four-man team landed on the legendary Gumrak Airfield on a hot, late August Monday afternoon and met our host. After greeting each other it was time to hit the legendary road from Gumrak to Volgograd. However, first we had to load Vladimir’s car full of luggage and four guys, a task that seemed almost impossible in the beginning, see the pictures yourself. Such was the start of our five-day, 650 km tour on the legendary Stalingrad Battlefield!

The city of Volgograd is full of history and one can sense the tragedy of the WWII epic battle almost everywhere. We noticed that right from the beginning on a walk in the city centre on a warm Southern Russian night. We strolled past the Univermag department store, the tunnel HQ entrance, the Tsaritsyn gorge, the 10.NKVD Division memorial and on the Volga bank. It seemed that nearly every street corner was somehow related to things we’d read about or Vladimir had a tale to tell regarding what happened on that particular spot so long ago.

The following days were spent right in the thick of things. We toured the Volgograd area thoroughly and visited all those historical places we had in mind: the Grain Elevator, the Pavlov house, Mamaev Kurgan, the Panorama museum, the Red October steel works, Barrikady factory (the Island of fire as it was called) and Dzerzhinsky factory. The trip to Kalach via Marinovka and Sovietsky was equally worth the trouble, even if that meant some not so relaxing moments in the heavy traffic. Not all fighting took place within the city limits, quite the contrary. For instance, the numerous balkas crisscrossing steppe are dotted with old dug-outs. A closer examination will quickly reveal things from the past. We, for instance, did only very little digging but in a short time came across a 3,7 cm PaK maintenance tool, a spade and a lot of tin cans. More impressive trophies can be viewed on the Battlefield Relics section of this web site.

To sum it all up, our team of four was very satisfied with the trip to Stalingrad, a world class historical site when it comes to history of the WWII or the history of warfare in general. However, an expert guide is a must as already stated. The city of Volgograd makes it all even nicer. The lively city centre with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere is full of bars and restaurants that offer great possibilities for spending a relaxed evening and gather strength for another hot and dusty day of sightseeing. A dip into the Volga and the Don is equally refreshing. The odds for a sunny and warm (or HOT) weather in Southern Russia are good if you don’t visit Volgograd in winter time. If you travel in the country side there are fewer restaurants to dine in but the numerous Produktyis and Magasins, small stores, are found in every village. They will keep you supplied with water, beer, ice cream and all kinds of food stuffs that will keep you going out there in the field. Go for it!