Text taken from the V Kontakte page of GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR
[VK] Message from the NKVD Directorate for the Stalingrad Region to the NKVD of the USSR about the breakthrough of German troops in the city of Stalingrad and the situation in the city.
The enemy has broken through into the city from the western side. In the center of the city, the enemy has approached the Volga River. The city has been cut into two parts. They are coming stubborn fighting on the bank of the Volga River in the area of ​​the Astrakhan Bridge, the NKVD buildings and the oil depot.
The enemy has occupied a commanding height in the northern part of the city - Mamayev Kurgan and is conducting an offensive in the direction of the Krasny Oktyabr and Barrikady factories. The enemy has controlled a commanding height in the southern part of the city - Dar-Gora, from which an offensive is being conducted in the direction of Beketovka.
The city has been destroyed. The enemy is conducting continuous bombardment, artillery and mortar shelling of factories, crossings and populated areas located on the left bank of the Volga River. The NKVD operational staff is at the factories in the city, conducting reconnaissance, helping Red Army units to locate and destroy groups of machine gunners entrenched in buildings on the bank of the Volga River.
There have been no anti-Soviet manifestations on the part of the population. Most of the city's population has been evacuated in an organized manner across the Volga.
Head of the NKVD Directorate for the Stalingrad Region Voronin
Central Archives of the FSB of Russia
On October 15, the enemy reached the Volga River in a narrow section near the tractor plant, and on November 11, south of the Barrikady plant. Units of the 62nd and 64th armies heroically held positions in the city along the Volga bank and part of the commanding heights of Mamayev Kurgan.
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"INTENSE BATTLES IN STALINGRAD"
Active Army, September 16. (By telegraph from our corr.).
In recent days, the fighting near Stalingrad has become even more intense. Enemy attacks are becoming more frequent, and the onslaught of his tanks and infantry, supported by a huge number of aircraft, is becoming ever stronger in certain areas. Particularly fierce battles are taking place on the northwestern outskirts of the city. Our units are meeting the enemy with staunch resistance everywhere, inflicting heavy losses on them and often counterattacking, sometimes not only stopping but also pushing back enemy hordes.
Our N-th unit received orders to counterattack the enemy in one area. After preliminary reconnaissance, it went into action, trying to recapture a tactically important height from the Germans. On the way to this height, the units of the unit suppressed a number of enemy firing points and advanced to the foot of the height. Here they were met by large German forces, comprising up to 50 tanks and up to a regiment of infantry. Our soldiers lay down. Anti-tank guns and rifles were moved forward. Units on the flanks opened intense fire on the German infantry.
As a result of the ensuing battle, the enemy lost four tanks. The rest of his tanks, separated from their infantry, retreated back to the battle lines of their riflemen and machine gunners, who had already dug in by this time. The commander of our unit decided to continue the attack. With strong artillery support, his soldiers again moved toward the enemy, who could not sit still in the hastily dug trenches. Approaching the Germans, the units brought all their firepower into the battle. Then, in order to repel this pressure, the enemy threw tanks forward a second time.
Believing that our anti-tank weapons were, as before, in the center, the Germans began to act mainly on the flanks, but they achieved nothing here either. Having lost another six tanks, the enemy was forced to retreat.
An interesting incident occurred in one of our units, which was holding a defensive position in another area. In recent days, this unit had been greatly harassed by enemy aircraft. The fighters' positions were well camouflaged, but the German pilots knew that the troops were there and dropped bombs without even finding any obvious targets. It was decided to divert their attention to the side. For this purpose, five tank dummies were built, which were placed in ravines and carelessly camouflaged.
The enemy discovered the "tanks" and began bombing them. When the next group of planes flew away, the dummies were moved. The enemy bombed them again. The dummies were moved again. The last time they were bombed for half an hour by 28 bombers.
"Red Star"