Two NCOs (looks to be a Feldwebel on the left and perhaps a Stabsfeldwebel on the right) from the 24. Panzer Division, signal troops to advance.

Taken near the Stalingrad southern railway station, September 24th, 1942.

The 24th Panzer Division was one of the spearheading units of the southern push into Stalingrad in August/September 1942. They faced the Soviet 62nd Army who despite being inadequately supplied (lacking in artillery and armor), put up a stout defense.

The 24th Panzer Division had been so depleted by this time (having fought through the chaos of Voronezh to Stalingrad’s southern limits), that it could often only field around 3 dozens tanks. Its commander was seriously wounded and his replacement killed.

To add to the chaos, by mid-September the division was the only armored unit pushing through Stalingrad’s suburbs as the 14th Panzer Division was diverted south to attack the Soviet 64th Army’s bridgehead over the Volga. By the time this photograph was taken, the Panzer Division had less than a company’s worth of tanks still operational.

Nonetheless, with the support of the Luftwaffe who were flying 3x the number of sorties compared to their Soviet contemporaries, the 24th Panzer Division launched a successful offensive action in mid-September that forced the survivors of the 62nd Army to dig in amongst the Grain Elevator, Lumberyard, and Food Combine - all locations that would become infamous in the story of Stalingrad.

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