Volga

In the autumn of 1942, large parts of Stalingrad's population tried to escape the impending German attack on the city by crossing the Volga, but relatively few made it over before Joseph Stalin and the army generals ordered that they be stopped, as they felt the soldiers would fight harder to defend the city if they knew their families and the public were in danger.

Erimem advised Isabella Zemanova on the route to take to safety out of Stalingrad: along the Volga to Saratov, then to Penza, Tambov – avoiding Moscow along the way – Kostroma, Konosha, Leningrad and finally Murmansk. The journey would take many weeks. (PROSE: The Beast of Stalingrad)