Stalingrad’s Iron Defenders: Guryev and the 39th Guards Rifle Division

Pictured: Lieutenant General Chuikov and Major General Guryev, Stalingrad.

During the Battle of Stalingrad, the defense of the Krasny Oktyabr factory became one of the most brutal and symbolically important struggles along the Volga. Amid the shattered steelworks, collapsed buildings, and relentless German assaults, the soldiers of the 39th Guards Rifle Division fought with extraordinary determination under the leadership of Major General Stepan Guryev. Their resistance demonstrated the endurance, discipline, and collective spirit that came to define Soviet resistance during the battle. Fighting at extremely close range inside workshops, corridors, and factory ruins, the division transformed the industrial complex into a fortress of stubborn resistance that helped halt the German advance into the heart of Stalingrad. Marshal Chuikov wrote copiously about Guryev and the 39^th Guards in his memoirs, and described him in this way:

“The [39^th Guards] division was under the command of energetic Major-General Stepan Savelievich Guryev, who had had experience of battle right from the beginning of the war. He was short, stocky and robust—a man whom, as they say, the enemy would not find it easy to budge. This was the impression he left me with at our first meeting. ‘He very likely trains his subordinates in the same spirit,’ I thought at the time, and soon discovered I was not mistaken: the 39^th Guards Infantry Division defended the Krasny Oktyabr factory for many long days. His men did not know the meaning of the word retreat. Guryev himself did not leave his command post even when the grenades of German tommy-gunners were bursting at the entrance. This happened on more than one occasion. Following the example of the Divisional Commander, the Regimental Commanders fought equally stubbornly and courageously.

The Communists and Komsomol members of this division were always in their place—in the forefront, in the most dangerous positions. Chernyshev, the Commissar, and later Deputy Commander of the division, organizing the political work in the units, spent a large percentage of his time right in the front line. He was wounded in the leg, but stayed at his post. I can see him now—holding a crutch, standing alongside an artillery battery firing at point-blank range.

The 39th Guards Division distinguished itself in fighting elsewhere than on the Volga too. It played an active part right through to the end of the war in the defeat of the Germans, and ended its military road in Berlin. There are five military honours on its guards’ banner.” (The Battle for Stalingrad, p. 179)

General Guryev’s leadership style played a significant role in shaping the atmosphere within the division. He combined firmness with personal concern for the welfare of his soldiers, paying close attention to the condition of dugouts, defensive positions, and everyday living arrangements even while combat raged nearby. Guryev understood that maintaining order and routine in extreme circumstances strengthened morale and reinforced organizational cohesion. Known for his sharp memory and personal engagement with his troops, he recognized soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle and maintained strong relationships with both officers and enlisted men. His visible presence, confidence under pressure, and ability to balance discipline with humanity earned him widespread respect throughout the division during the fighting at Stalingrad.

The 39th Guards Rifle Division was assigned the critical task of defending the Krasny Oktyabr (“Red October”) factory complex, one of the most fiercely contested sectors in Stalingrad. Beginning in late September 1942, the division endured months of relentless combat against numerically superior German forces. Fighting inside the factory district quickly devolved into brutal close-range engagements as Soviet and German troops battled for workshops, corridors, stairwells, and shattered production halls. Control of the battlefield often changed room by room, with individual offices, storage areas, and sections of machinery becoming objectives of deadly importance.

When Guryev’s formation entered the Krasny Oktyabr sector in the autumn of 1942, its arrival immediately stood out amid the devastation consuming Stalingrad. Many of the soldiers already defending the factory district had spent weeks under relentless bombardment and continuous combat, leaving them physically exhausted and worn by the conditions of the siege. Guryev’s troops, however, appeared remarkably disciplined and composed despite marching directly into one of the most dangerous areas of the front. Their organized appearance and confident bearing had a noticeable effect on neighboring units, restoring a sense of pride and morale among men who had been hardened by months of brutal fighting.

On 14 October 1942, German forces launched one of their most powerful assaults against the northern factory district. Supported by massive artillery fire, concentrated mortar bombardments, armored formations, and thousands of air sorties, the attack struck a narrow Soviet defensive front already devastated by weeks of combat. Smoke, dust, fire, and collapsing debris reduced visibility to only a short distance, turning the factory grounds into a landscape of confusion and destruction. Despite these conditions, the defenders of the 39th Guards Division continued resisting inside the ruins, holding isolated strongpoints and counterattacking wherever possible.

Pictured: Division Commander Major General S.S. Guryev (right) accepts the Guards Banner awarded to the division; 1st from left – 62nd Army Commander Lieutenant General V.I. Chuikov; 2^nd –Major General S.S. Guryev; 39^th Division Commissar Chernyshov; member of the 62^nd Army military council Lieutenant General K.A. Gurov; Stalingrad, January 1943.

For weeks, and eventually months, the soldiers of the division maintained their positions within the shattered industrial complex. Their defense became a symbol of Soviet endurance during the Battle of Stalingrad. By the time German resistance in the city finally collapsed in early February 1943, the division had suffered catastrophic losses, yet the surviving remnants of the unit remained intact enough to form part of the foundation of the newly created 8th Guards Army. Their actions at the Red October factory became one of the enduring examples of sacrifice and determination associated with the defense of Stalingrad.