World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Stalingrad Tractor Factory named for Dzerzhinsky in southern Russia was among the first major factories established by the Soviet Union when it began to modernize the country in the 1920s. The design of the plant was done by American architect Albert Kahn. Prior to the war, it produced both civilian and military products, but as the war continued, particularly after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the plant became entirely a military factory, producing large numbers of T-34 tanks, Katusha rocket launching vehicles, among others. During the Battle of Stalingrad, fierce fighting took place in the grounds of this large factory. In 1961, a new wave of de-Stalinization renamed the city of Stalingrad to Volgograd, and it was accordingly renamed the Volgograd Tractor Factory. Today the site continues to produce heavy equipment for both the civilian and military markets.

Stalingrad Tractor Factory Interactive Map

Photographs

Stalingrad Tractor Factory Timeline