Soviet infantry advances through the ruins of Stalingrad during the Battle of Stalingrad, autumn 1942. Photograph by Georgy Zelma.
This photograph, taken by renowned Soviet war photographer Georgy Zelma, shows Red Army infantry moving through the devastated streets of Stalingrad during the autumn of 1942. By this stage of the battle, much of the city had been reduced to ruins by bombing, artillery fire, and continuous urban combat.
The Battle of Stalingrad became one of the largest and most decisive engagements of the Second World War. Fighting often took place at extremely short distances inside factories, apartment buildings, railway stations, and shattered city blocks, where control of individual structures could change repeatedly.
Although the exact circumstances of this photograph are unknown, it reflects the harsh conditions under which Soviet infantry fought in the ruined city. Images captured by Georgy Zelma remain among the best-known visual records of the battle and document the realities of urban warfare on the Eastern Front.
Technical Photo Data
- 📅 Date: Autumn 1942.
- 📍 Location: Stalingrad, USSR.
- 👥 Subject: Soviet infantry during the Battle of Stalingrad.
- 📷 Photographer: Georgy Zelma.
- 📚 Source of information: Unknown.
Recommended literature
- Antony Beevor — Stalingrad.
- David M. Glantz & Jonathan House — When Titans Clashed.
- Georgy Zelma — Photographs of the Great Patriotic War (photo collections).
- "Battle of Stalingrad photos"
- "Georgy Zelma Stalingrad"
- "Soviet infantry Stalingrad 1942"