In one of the many eroded balkas (gullies) in the outskirts of Stalingrad, The Catholic army chaplain Kriegspfarrer Dr. Alois Beck is celebrating mass to absolves soldier's sins from an unidentified infantry battalion about to attack the city, autumn 1942. What lies in store for these men, weighed down by the fear of impending death? The services is intended to calm their nerves and perhaps to offer them a little solace as well. A couple of days later, only a handful of men were left alive. "You could count them on the fingers", Dr. Beck reminisced after the war
Sources :
Book "The Onslaught; The German Drive to Stalingrad Documented in 150 Unpublished Colour Photographs" by Max Hastings
Amazing photo, I'd say that this very picture could have been the inspiration for one of the opening scenes in the 1993 Stalingrad movie, where a field Chaplain is talking to the men just beore the attack begins. Really very strong photo.
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