In July 1942, when the Caucasian oil fields became the direct target of the German offensive, Vladimir Gelfand was on the southern flank of the Kharkov Front (as he writes in his Diary, entry dated 06.16.1942) as commander of the mortar squad. The unit in which Gelfand served retreated with the army to the Rostov area. In mid-July, she was surrounded and destroyed. As part of a small group of soldiers, Vladimir managed to break out of encirclement and join the units of the 62nd Army under the command of Vasily Chuikov, who fought in Stalingrad. Sergeant Gelfand, being the commander of the mortar squad, was simultaneously appointed deputy platoon commander for political work. He wrote a statement on joining the Communist Party and became a candidate for its members.