The inscription on the memorial reads:
In this building heroic feats of warfare and of labor fused together.
We will defend / rebuild you, dear Stalingrad!
The house was strategically important for the war as it defended a key section of the Volga bank.
Only four soldiers survived and Sergeant Yakov Pavlov was left with the task of leading them.
In the basement were trapped ten civilians who stayed there for the entire duration of the war.
Pavlov and his men fended off German attack for several days before reinforcements and much needed supplies arrived.
The platoon was now 25-men-strong and equipped with machine guns, anti-tank rifles, and mortars.
Pavlov’s House after the Battle of Stalingrad, 1943.
Dozen of tanks were destroyed in this way.
The Germans attacked the building incessantly throughout the duration of the siege.
The apartment building he defended was renamed Pavlov’s House.
It was later rebuilt and a monument made of bricks from its ruins was attached to it.
The apartment is still in use today.
Photo credit:Andrey Volykhov/Wikimedia
Photo credit:Rob/Wikimedia
Sources:Hubpages/Wikipedia/MiliHistory.com
