The majority of the women and children were evacuated to the eastern bank of the Volga river before the Germans arrived at the city, save for a few that served in auxiliary duties (message runner, radio operator, cook and other non-combat duties). The workers at the Stalingrad tractor plan 'Dzerzhinsky' continued to produce T-34s (and in some cases also manning them) even as the Germans assaulted one end of the large factory.

Many of the civilians had been formed into militia units and fought as such - the 1077th anti-aircraft regiment had automatic 37mm AA guns manned entirely by women fighting the German 16. Panzer-division outside the city. The AA regiment was wiped out, as was many militia units, especially as some were hardly equipped at all.

There were still civilians in the city when rattenkrieg began - most of them were workers at the tractor factory, but there were small pockets of civilians hiding in basements in the city.

So, evacuated to the eastern bank of the Volga, producting until the last moment in important factories, hidiing in basements until the city was liberated or conscripted into ill-equipped militias.