Official Historical Campaign "Fortress on the Volga"

November 26, 2025

Fortress on the Volga

The campaign is set during the peak of fighting between the Red Army Air Force and the Luftwaffe during Autumn 1942 in the skies above Stalingrad. Continuous German ground assaults on the destroyed city were met with ever more powerful Soviet counterstrikes. The fight for air superiority was just as furious and dangerous. You'll be the deputy Staffel commander in I./JG 52 that has been redirected to Stalingrad from the central part of the Eastern front.

Timeframe: September 24th - October 10th, 1942.
Unit: I./JG 52
Available aircraft: Bf 109 G-2
Duration: 15 missions
Average playtime: 6 hours
Author: Alexander =BlackSix= Timoshkov

This campaign requires IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad.

Historical Background
September 12, 1942: at a meeting at the headquarters of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, the decision was made to strike at the contingent of Soviet troops in the interfluve between the Volga and the Don north of Stalingrad; this was essential to completing the capture of the city as soon as possible. In the course of the assault that ensued the next day, German troops broke through to the Volga at the junction point of the 62nd and 64th Soviet armies. By September 15, the 62nd Army was completely isolated, and the focus of the battle was on the central and southern urban areas.

Neither the Soviet offense of the 1st Guards and 24th armies to the north-west of Stalingrad on September 18, nor the attempts of the 62nd army to mount a counter-strike could improve the outlook for the city's defense, and the only result was days on end of bloody battles. In an attempt to put an end to the unexpectedly protracted struggle as soon as possible, the command of the German 6. Armee decided to launch a new assault on September 27, 1942.

A no less fierce confrontation ensued between the Soviet 8th and 16th Air Armies and units of the German VIII. Fliegerkorps. Despite tremendous difficulties, VVS RKKA did their best to contest the Luftwaffe in the air, deliver a series of targeted strikes against ground forces and enemy communications. Each side suffered tangible losses, and more and more new reserves were moved to this sector of the front. Thus, by September 24, I./JG 3 and I./JG 52 were transferred to the Pitomnik airfield to replenish the diminishing Gruppen.

Although a completely independent campaign, "Fortress on the Volga" continues to tell the story of a German pilot that began in our "Ten Days of Autumn" campaign.

All missions are based on historical events and contain a number of additions and innovations compared to the previous Scripted Campaigns:
- While "Ten Days of Autumn" was a semi-educational campaign that introduced you to the new game mode, "Fortress on the Volga" (like "Blazing Steppe") offers a normal difficulty level. It will be challenging!
- The mission structure has been changed. Now there is a possibility that additional aircraft groups will appear in the vicinity. This can either simplify or substantially complicate your task, ultimately increasing the replayability of the whole campaign.
- Whenever possible, air and ground battles will continue for another 15-20 minutes after the mission’s objective has been completed.
- A large number of new maps and operation records available from the Ministry of Defense archives allowed us to recreate the movement of the front-lines not only near Stalingrad, but also at the defense lines occupied by the Soviet 57th and 51st armies to the South of the city and along the Don to the Northwest in detail.