Stalingrad. "57 Immortals" - an unrecognized feat

Abstract

The article is devoted to the feat of 57 fighters of the defenders of Stalingrad in the second half of October 1942. As part of eight Siberian divisions that took an active part in the defensive period of the Battle of Stalingrad, rifle division No. 112, formed in late 1941 - early 1942, distinguished itself. in the city of Tatarsk, Novosibirsk region. In July-August 1942, the 112th Rifle Division fought defensive battles in the Don area as part of the 64th and then the 62nd armies of the Stalingrad Front. During the formation of the 112th Rifle Division, Lieutenant Alexei Ochkin was appointed commander of the tank destroyer unit. For the battles in the bend of the Don, the lieutenant was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. By the end of August 1942, the 112th Rifle Division received reinforcements and on September 19-20, 1942, participated in the assault on Mamaev Kurgan, in which Aleksey Ochkin and his fighters bravely fought. On October 14, 1942, Hitler launched the third assault on Stalingrad by the troops of the Paulus army in order to throw the 62nd Army into the Volga and completely capture the territory of the city. The blow was struck on the northern flank of the 62nd Army, centered in the area of the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, which was defended by the 112th Rifle Division, the 95th Rifle Division, and the 37th Guards Rifle Division. After heavy fighting, the 37th Rifle Division was defeated, the 95th Rifle Division, drained of blood, retreated south to a neighboring factory, the remnants of the 112th Rifle Division were divided into separate resistance groups. Lieutenant Alexei Ochkin gathered the remaining fighters from different units, about 60 people in total, and took command of the group. For about a week they kept the defense on the banks of the Volga. When the replenishment approached, only 6 people remained from the detachment. The feat of this group went unnoticed. The author of the article is trying to understand why this happened and what was the fate of the remaining fighters from the "57 Immortals".