Battle of Stalingrad

4764:, and was certainly the greatest defeat in history that a German Army had ever undergone". The battle is commonly identified as the turning point on the Eastern Front, in the war against Germany overall, and in the entire Second World War. The battle is analyzed as being a "point of no return" on the Eastern Front and as the "final military consequence" of Germany's decreasing chances to win the war against the Soviet Union. The Soviet general Viktor Matsulenko deemed the battle to be the "beginning of a basic turning point not just in the course of the Great Patriotic War, but for the entire World War II" and that the battle was the "most important military-political event of World War II". The battle is also seen as the turning point in the air war, as German forces lost countless aircraft and experienced crewmen. Stalingrad gave the people of the Soviet Union hope, with military historian David Glantz asserting that "Russians, as well as many of the former Soviet Union’s other ethnic minorities, saw the Red Army’s victory at Stalingrad as a catharsis which saved Stalin’s city and salvaged a nation’s shattered pride". In 1989, a comprehensive quantitative analysis concluded that Stalingrad was the military turning point of the war, the turning point for the Soviet leadership, as Stalin recognized the practicality of using his experienced commanders and gave his generals more freedom in fighting the war, and that the Soviet Union had indeed seized the initiative as a result of the battle, based on some of the critical factors examined in the study. An analysis in 2004 also concluded that the epic battle sealed the fate of the Germans in the East, a blow in which they would never recover from, and as a result the strategic initiative shifted to the Soviet side, therefore establishing the Battle of Stalingrad as the fundamental turning point in the war on the Eastern Front. A year of Axis gains from Case Blue had been wiped out. The Sixth Army of Germany had ceased to exist, and the forces of Germany's European allies, except Finland, had been shattered. In a speech on 9 November 1944, Hitler himself blamed Stalingrad for Germany's impending doom. Furthermore, according to some historians, such as Mikhail Myagkov, a Russian historian, the battle ended up completely dissuading 3893: 4935: 3748: 4294: 4025:. To negate the German usage of tanks and artillery in the ruins of the city, Soviet commander Chuikov introduced a tactic he described as "hugging" the enemy: keeping Soviet front-line positions as close as possible to those of the Germans, so German artillery and aircraft could not attack without risking friendly fire. After mid-September, to reduce casualties, he ceased launching organized daylight counterattacks, instead emphasizing small unit tactics in which infantry moved through the city's sewers to strike into the rear of attacking German units. The Soviets preferred night attacks, which disrupted German morale by depriving them of sleep. Soviet reconnaissance patrols were used to find German positions and take prisoners for interrogation, enabling them to anticipate attacks. When Soviet troops detected a coming attack, they launched their own counterattacks at dawn before German air support could arrive. Soviet troops blunted the German attacks themselves through ambushes that separated tanks from their supporting infantry, as well as the employment of booby traps and mines. These tactical innovations became widespread. 4691: – fortunately, frozen solid. And then, suddenly, at the far end of the yard I caught sight of a human figure. He had been crouching over another cesspool, and now, noticing us, he was hastily pulling up his pants, and then he slunk away into the door of the basement. But as he passed, I caught a glimpse of the wretch's face – with its mixture of suffering and idiot-like incomprehension. For a moment, I wished that the whole of Germany were there to see it. The man was probably already dying. In that basement there were still two hundred Germans—dying of hunger and frostbite. "We haven't had time to deal with them yet," one of the Russians said. "They'll be taken away tomorrow, I suppose." And, at the far end of the yard, besides the other cesspool, behind a low stone wall, the yellow corpses of skinny Germans were piled up – men who had died in that basement—about a dozen wax-like dummies. We did not go into the basement itself – what was the use? There was nothing we could do for them. 3058:, covering the Stalingrad Tractor Factory and the Volga ferry near Latashanka. The majority of the regiment was composed of men, but its directing and rangefinding crews and unit headquarters were made up of women. Several women also crewed anti-aircraft guns. The 1077th was notified of the German tanks' approach at 14:30 and its 6th Battery, dominating the Sukhaya Mechatka ravine, claimed the destruction of 28 German tanks. Later that day, its 3rd Battery on the road between Yerzovka and Stalingrad, saw particularly intense fighting against the 16th Panzer, reportedly fighting "shot for shot." Two women were decorated for their actions that day, and the regiment's report praised the "exceptional steadfastness and heroism" of the women soldiers. The regiment lost 35 guns, eighteen killed, 46 wounded, and 74 missing on 23 and 24 August. The 16th Panzer Division's history mentioned its encounter with the regiment, claiming the destruction of 37 guns, and the unit's surprise that its opponents had in part included women. 4536: 3175:

rush. The 51st Army Corps' 295th Infantry Division went after the Mamayev Kurgan hill, the 71st attacked the central rail station and toward the central landing stage on the Volga, while 48th Panzer Corps attacked south of the Tsaritsa River. Though initially successful, the German attacks stalled in the face of Soviet reinforcements brought in from across the Volga. Rodimtsev's 13th Guards Rifle Division had been hurried up to cross the river and join the defenders inside the city. Assigned to counterattack at the Mamayev Kurgan and at Railway Station No. 1, it suffered particularly heavy losses. Despite their losses, Rodimtsev's troops were able to inflict similar damage on their opponents. By 26 September, the opposing 71st Infantry Division had half of its battalions considered exhausted, reduced from all of them being considered average in combat capability when the attack began twelve days earlier.

4270:

mice having chewed their tank wiring. Lice were heavily prevalent, and plagues of flies would gather around kitchens, adding to the possibility of wound infections. Brutal winter conditions affected soldiers tremendously, with temperatures at times reaching as low as −40 °C in the second half of November, and −30 °C in late January. The weather conditions were considered to be extreme and the worst possible. The weather conditions caused rapid frostbite, with many cases of gangrene and amputation. The conditions saw soldiers dying en masse due to frostbite and hypothermia. Both armies suffered food shortages, with mass starvation on both sides. Stress, tiredness and the cold upset the metabolism of soldiers, receiving a reduced amount of calories from food. German forces eventually ran out of medical supplies such as ether, antiseptics and bandages. Surgery had to be done without anaesthesia.

4130: 4605:, but none of that was right because the scale of conflict in Stalingrad makes it hard to compare it to anything. It seemed as if Stalingrad was breathing fire for days on end." Some German soldiers expressed in their letters that they were trapped in a "second Verdun", while Soviet defenders described the battle as their "Red Verdun", in which they would refuse to surrender to the enemy. German captain Wilhelm Hosenfeld wrote in early October 1942 that, "The fight for Stalingrad now surpasses all our previous struggles — it has rightly been compared to Verdun. We must hope that the outcome is different. For I believe that the city holds a similar power for the Bolsheviks as Verdun did for the French in the First World War. It has become a symbol. This is a decisive moment. The French would say; Whoever holds Verdun will win the war.’ The 3482: 3703: 3940: 3179: 4528: 3403: 2969: 4067: 2722: 3039: 3823:

up with Manstein's advance. Some German officers requested that Paulus defy Hitler's orders to stand fast and instead attempt to break out of the Stalingrad pocket. Paulus refused, concerned about the Red Army attacks on the flank of Army Group Don and Army Group B in their advance on Rostov-on-Don, "an early abandonment" of Stalingrad "would result in the destruction of Army Group A in the Caucasus", and the fact that his 6th Army tanks only had fuel for a 30 km advance towards Hoth's spearhead, a futile effort if they did not receive assurance of resupply by air. Of his questions to Army Group Don, Paulus was told, "Wait, implement Operation 'Thunderclap' only on explicit orders!" – Operation Thunderclap being the code word initiating the breakout.

4058:’s commitment to Stalingrad became total, using every available resource to hold it, and ordering the city be held at all costs. Evidence of commitment was the vast casualties the Soviets were willing to sustain. Collateral damage was not a major concern, the first priority was victory and all weapons would be used to that end with little regard for collateral damage. This is also reflected by a common saying among the Soviet defenders, who often exclaimed that "for us, there is no land beyond the Volga". Total war was reflected by Axis forces, as they attacked without concern and committed to a bombing campaign which utterly destroyed the city and killed thousands of civilians, and 4097:, the "most savage hand-to-hand battle in human memory". Ferocious fighting raged for ruins, streets, factories, houses, basements, and staircases. Blocks and buildings would change hands numerous times through intense hand-to-hand fighting. Combat was so close at times that soldiers preferred using melee weapons, such as knives, and grenades being tossed in such short distances they could be thrown back before they exploded. "Every building had to be fought for; single buildings and single blocks became major military objectives. Often both German and Russian troops occupied parts of the same building." Even the sewers saw firefights. The Germans called this unseen 2539: 1052: 800: 768: 726: 548: 536: 523: 510: 498: 486: 474: 460: 4195: 300: 994: 647: 442: 3892: 3171:

penal companies and battalions. Blocking detachments of the Stalingrad and Don Fronts detained 51,758 men from the beginning of the battle to 15 October, with the majority returned to their units. Of those detained, the vast majority of which were from the Don Front, 980 were executed and 1,349 sent to penal companies. In the two-day period between 13 and 15 September, the 62nd Army blocking detachment detained 1,218 men, returning most to their units while shooting 21 men and arresting ten. Beevor claims that 13,500 Soviet soldiers were executed by Soviet authorities during the battle, however, this claim has been disputed.

3530: 267: 2869: 2547: 14722: 14308: 14147: 13957: 948: 699: 687: 675: 660: 599: 587: 571: 394: 382: 370: 352: 339: 324: 3362: 966: 635: 430: 13841: 221: 282: 252: 2345: 59: 18483: 3599: 14881: 14485: 14204: 14077: 13989: 4210:). On the other hand, Beevor noted the often extraordinary bravery of the Soviet soldiers, and argued terror alone cannot explain such self-sacrifice. A Soviet officer interviewed, explained the feeling, "There was this sense that every soldier and officer in Stalingrad was itching to kill as many Germans as possible. In Stalingrad people felt a particularly intense hatred for the Germans." German observers were perplexed by the relentlessness of the Soviets, with a 29 October 1942 article in the 4389:

Soviet officials have been met with criticism, for accuracy of Soviet losses and underreporting. Recent clarifications of data and estimates of losses state that the USSR suffered 1,347,214 total casualties, with 674,990 irrevocable losses, and 672,224 being wounded or sick, with an extension of this data to include NKVD troops and volunteer formations, the total casualties could extend to 1.36 to 1.37 million. However, the data is still questioned as being underestimated. The British historian

3711: 4711:. Some, including Paulus, signed anti-Hitler statements that were broadcast to German troops. Paulus testified for the prosecution during the Nuremberg Trials and assured families in Germany that those soldiers taken prisoner at Stalingrad were safe. He remained in the Soviet Union until 1952, then moved to Dresden in East Germany, where he spent the remainder of his days defending his actions at Stalingrad and was quoted as saying that Communism was the best hope for postwar Europe. General 13876: 3838: 3855:

abandoned and Army Group A was ordered to pull back from the Caucasus. The 6th Army now was beyond all hope of German relief. While a motorised breakout might have been possible in the first few weeks, the 6th Army now had insufficient fuel and the German soldiers would have faced great difficulty breaking through the Soviet lines on foot in harsh winter conditions. But in its defensive position on the Volga, the 6th Army continued to tie down a significant number of Soviet Armies.

3290: 3090: 3719: 14795: 980: 711: 623: 611: 418: 406: 4520: 362: 3069:, composed of civilians not directly involved in war production for immediate use in the battle. The civilians were often sent into battle without rifles. Staff and students from the local technical university formed a "tank destroyer" unit. They assembled tanks from leftover parts at the tractor factory. These tanks, unpainted and lacking gun-sights, were driven directly from the factory floor to the front line. They could only be aimed at 18876: 237: 3936:, and the XIth Corps, was now cut off from telephone communication with Paulus in the southern pocket. Now "each part of the cauldron came personally under Hitler". On 28 January, the cauldron was split into three parts. The northern cauldron consisted of the XIth Corps, the central with the VIIIth and LIst Corps, and the southern with the XIVth Panzer Corps and IVth Corps "without units". The sick and wounded reached 40,000 to 50,000. 2285:, which reduced much of the city to rubble. The battle soon degenerated into house-to-house fighting, which escalated drastically as both sides continued pouring reinforcements into the city. By mid-November, the Germans, at great cost, had pushed the Soviet defenders back into narrow zones along the Volga's west bank. However, winter set in within a few months and conditions became particularly brutal, with temperatures often dropping 4736: 3251: 3925:, Soviet citizens fighting for the Germans, had no illusions about their fate if captured. Bloody urban warfare began again in Stalingrad, but this time it was the Germans who were pushed back to the banks of the Volga. The Germans adopted a simple defence of fixing wire nets over all windows to protect themselves from grenades. The Soviets responded by fixing fish hooks to the grenades so they stuck to the nets when thrown. 3766:

deliver the necessary supplies. The airlift fell drastically short, delivering only 105 tons per day, far below the required 750 tons. The situation worsened after the Soviets captured Tatsinskaya Airfield on 24 December, forcing the Germans to relocate their air operations to more distant and less effective bases. As supplies dwindled, starvation and disease ravaged the 6th Army. By the time the airlift was terminated, the

3993:, held out for two more days. Four Soviet armies were deployed against the northern pocket. At four in the morning on 2 February, Strecker was informed that one of his own officers had gone to the Soviets to negotiate surrender terms. Seeing no point in continuing, he sent a radio message saying that his command had done its duty and fought to the last man. When Strecker finally surrendered, he and his chief of staff, 3929:

the 6th Army later that day, claiming that it had made a historic contribution to the greatest struggle in German history and that it should stand fast "to the last soldier and the last bullet". Hitler told Goebbels that the plight of the 6th Army was a "heroic drama of German history". On 24 January, in his radio report to Hitler, Paulus reported: "18,000 wounded without the slightest aid of bandages and medicines."

4635:

took note of atrocities that took place during the battle, stating that, "another time you see young girls, children hanging from trees in the park. . .It has tremendous impact." A Soviet sergeant in the 389th Infantry Division noted that Russian women coming out of houses during the fighting for the Barrikady workers' settlement to take shelter from German firing, ended up being killed by Russian machine-gun fire.

4879:, etc. After Russia's defeat how were we to handle the German land and air forces liberated? England would be again bombarded, threat of invasion revived... And now! We start 1943 under conditions I would never have dared to hope. Russia has held, Egypt for the present is safe. There is a hope of clearing North Africa of Germans in the near future... Russia is scoring wonderful successes in Southern Russia. 18859: 6620:, p. 84: "The attack at dawn failed to penetrate fully at first and developed into a grim struggle with Italian strong-points, lasting for hours. The Ravenna Division was the first to be overrun. A gap emerged that was hard to close, and there was no holding back the Red Army when it deployed the mass of its tank forces the following day. German reinforcements came too late in the breakthrough battle." 3795:

thrust would come from the area of Kotelnikovo, well to the south, and around 160 kilometres (100 mi) from the Sixth Army. The other would start from the Chir front west of the Don, which was little more than 60 kilometres (40 mi) from the edge of the Kessel, but the continuing attacks of Romanenko's 5th Tank Army against the German detachments along the river Chir ruled out that start-line.

3558:. This resulted in a very thin line, with some sectors where 1–2 km (0.62–1.24 mi) stretches were being defended by a single platoon (platoons typically have around 20 to 50 men). These forces were also lacking in effective anti-tank weapons. Zhukov states, "Compared with the Germans, the troops of the satellites were not so well armed, less experienced and less efficient, even in defence." 4090:

observers operated from the upper floors. Assault groups used sewers or broke through walls into adjoining buildings, to maintain concealment while moving into the rear of German attacks. Soviet tactical innovations were a "combination of intelligence, discipline, and determination" enabling the Soviet defenders to keep fighting when the Germans had achieved victory by "all conventional measures."

3521:

the fighting continued, especially on the slopes of Mamayev Kurgan and inside the factory area in the northern part of the city. From 21 August to 20 November, the German 6th Army lost 60,548 men, including 12,782 killed, 45,545 wounded and 2,221 missing. Fighting for the Volga banks has been noted as the "most concentrated and ferocious fighting in perhaps the whole war".

3235:. The soldiers surrounded it with minefields, set up machine-gun positions at the windows and breached the walls in the basement for better communications. The soldiers found about ten Soviet civilians hiding in the basement. They were not relieved, and not significantly reinforced, for two months, with the defense lasting around 60 days. The building was labelled 2996:. Regular river ferries were quickly destroyed by the Luftwaffe, which then targeted troop barges being towed slowly across by tugs. It has been said that Stalin prevented civilians from leaving the city in the belief that their presence would encourage greater resistance from the city's defenders. Civilians, including women and children, were put to work building 4355:, stressed the incredible death toll of the battle, stating that "Most appalling was the growing realization, formed by statistics I uncovered, that the battle was the greatest military bloodbath in recorded history. Well over a million men and women died because of Stalingrad, a number far surpassing the previous records of dead at the first battle of 3211:

found, though the Germans had thought there were many more due to the intensity of resistance. The Soviets burned large amounts of grain during their retreat in order to deny the enemy food. The grain elevator and silos were decided upon by Paulus to be the symbol of Stalingrad for a patch he was having designed to commemorate the battle after victory.

3272:... The distance between the enemy's arms and ours was as small as could possibly be. Despite the concentrated air and artillery power, it was impossible to break out of the area of close fighting. The Russians surpassed the Germans in their use of the terrain and in camouflage, and were more experienced in barricade warfare for individual buildings. 3803:, had been weak at first. It consisted of two Romanian cavalry divisions and the 23rd Panzer Division, which mustered no more than thirty serviceable tanks. The 6th Panzer Division, arriving from France, was a vastly more powerful formation, but its members hardly received an encouraging impression. The Austrian divisional commander, General 4082:, known to the Germans as "Stalin's organ", was used with devastating effect. In hand-to-hand fighting, spades were used as axes. Equipment used during the battle represented a full spectrum of World War II equipment, encompassing manufactured and field-improvised systems, as both sides fielded and used their complete arsenals. 4249:

notes "the battle between German and Soviet forces at Stalingrad was representative of the battle of wills between Hitler and Stalin". The strain on military commanders was immense: Paulus developed an uncontrollable tic in his eye, which eventually affected the left side of his face, while Chuikov experienced an outbreak of

4240:

combat life and together with us men, they went all the way to Berlin." At the beginning of the battle there were 75,000 women and girls from the Stalingrad area who had finished military or medical training, and they were to serve in the battle. Women staffed many anti-aircraft batteries that fought the

4368:

excess of a million, the bloodletting at Stalingrad far exceeded that of Verdun, one of the costliest battles of World War I." According to military historian Louis A. DiMarco, "In terms of raw casualty numbers, the battle for Stalingrad was the single most brutal battle in history." Military historian

10747:

It is likely that the figure of more than 2 million Soviet servicemen killed and missing during the Battle of Stalingrad, between July 17, 1942 and February 2, 1943, is closer to the truth than the official figures, which we have found to be generally underestimated irrecoverable losses approximately

4791:

According to Roberts, "Battles do change the course of history. They determine the outcome of wars, the shape and character of victory and the peace that follows. They also change how the history of a war is viewed. In both these respects no battle changed history more than Stalingrad", and that "The

4647:

The mopping-up of counter-revolutionary elements in the city of Stalingrad proceeded. The German soldiers – who had hidden themselves in huts and trenches – offered armed resistance after combat actions had already ended. This armed resistance continued until 15 February

4372:

affirmed that "The costliest land battle in history took place at Stalingrad" and that the "fighting inside a besieged Stalingrad proved to be the most costly single battle of World War II. At least 1.5 million Russians and Germans died over the months of contesting the city's rubble, comparably only

4062:

would not allow for German forces to retreat, even with the threat of encirclement. On 14 October, Hitler suspended all operations along the entire Eastern Front except for Stalingrad, and continued pushing even harder for Army Group B to capture the city, showing his willingness to capture it at all

3888:

to any country they wished after the war. Rokossovsky's letter also stressed that Paulus' men were in an untenable situation. Paulus requested permission to surrender, but Hitler rejected Paulus' request out of hand. Accordingly, Paulus did not respond. The German High Command informed Paulus, "Every

3862:

The military and political leadership of Nazi Germany sought not to relieve them, but to get them to fight on for as long possible so as to tie up the Soviet forces. The aim was to win as much time as possible to withdraw forces from the Caucasus (Army Group A) and to rush troops from other Fronts to

3794:

This would include the subsequent breakout of Sixth Army, in the event of a successful first phase, and its physical reincorporation in Army Group Don. This second plan was given the name Operation Thunderclap. Winter Storm, as Zhukov had predicted, was originally planned as a two-pronged attack. One

3333:

get killed by a Russian booby trap. The fighting for the Barrikady has been described as some of the most brutal and ferocious fighting ever, with it being stated that the "battlefield east of the Barrikady blazed with the most violent and profligate clash the world would ever see" and that in regard

3328:

According to Beevor, "The Red October complex and Barrikady gun factory had been turned into fortresses as lethal as those of Verdun. If anything, they were more dangerous because the Soviet regiments were so well hidden." The danger of the Barrikady Arms Factory was made apparent firsthand by German

3210:

A ferocious battle raged for several days at the giant grain elevator in the south of the city. About fifty Red Army defenders, cut off from resupply, held the position for five days and fought off ten different assaults before running out of ammunition and water. Only forty dead Soviet fighters were

3129:

On 13 September, the battle for the city itself began. With German forces launching an attack which overran the small hill where the 62nd Soviet Army headquarters was established, in addition, the railway station was captured, and German forces advanced far enough to threaten the Volga landing stage.

2452:

On 23 July 1942, Hitler expanded the campaign's objectives to include occupying Stalingrad, a city with immense propaganda value due to its name, which bore that of the Soviet leader. Hitler ordered the annihilation of Stalingrad's population, declaring that after its capture, all male citizens would

4895:

On 30 January 1943, the tenth anniversary of his coming to power, Hitler chose not to speak. Joseph Goebbels read the text of his speech for him on the radio. The speech contained an oblique reference to the battle, which suggested that Germany was now in a defensive war. The public mood was sullen,

4740: 4679:

We went into the yard of the large burnt out building of the Red Army House; and here one realised particularly clearly what the last days of Stalingrad had been to so many of the Germans. In the porch lay the skeleton of a horse, with only a few scraps of meat still clinging to its ribs. Then

3958:

On 30 January 1943, the 10th anniversary of Hitler's coming to power, Goebbels read out a proclamation that included the sentence: "The heroic struggle of our soldiers on the Volga should be a warning for everybody to do the utmost for the struggle for Germany's freedom and the future of our people,

3845:

On 16 December, the Soviets launched Operation Little Saturn, which attempted to punch through the Axis army (mainly Italians) on the Don. The Germans set up a "mobile defence" of small units that were to hold towns until supporting armour arrived. From the Soviet bridgehead at Mamon, 15 divisions –

3822:

By 18 December, the German Army had pushed to within 48 km (30 mi) of Sixth Army's positions. However, the predictable nature of the relief operation brought significant risk for all German forces in the area. The starving encircled forces at Stalingrad made no attempt to break out or link

3280:

The Germans made slow but steady progress through the city. Positions were taken individually, but the Germans were never able to capture the key crossing points along the river bank. By 27 September, the Germans occupied the southern portion of the city, but the Soviets held the centre and northern

2987:

It was clear to me that the battle for Stalingrad was of the greatest military and political significance. If Stalingrad fell, the enemy command would be able to cut off the south of the country from the center. We could lose the Volga – the important water artery, along which a large

2460:

Meanwhile, Stalin, convinced that the main German attack would target Moscow, prioritized defending the Soviet capital. As the Soviet winter counteroffensive of 1941–1942 culminated in March, the Soviet high command began planning for the summer campaign. Although Stalin desired a general offensive,

10952:

rapidly deteriorated, the troops' 'belief' in Hitler did not falter, but rather increased in direct proportion to the hopelessness of the situation. While at a time of great victories praise of the Führer was accompanied by a confidence in the Wehrmacht's own invincibility, the growing sense of the

6605:

In spite of the unfavourable balance of forces – the 'Cosseria' and the 'Ravenna' faced eight to nine Russian divisions and an unknown number of tanks – the atmosphere among Italian staffs and troops was certainly not pessimistic ... The Italians, especially the officers of the 'Cosseria', had

4617:

stated that "Stalingrad was unique in the Second World War, in terms of duration, the number of soldiers killed, the relentlessness, the significance" and that "It was terrifying on both sides. They both had to carry on fighting until the very end. The people present there would have preferred hell

4609:

has spoken in similar fashion of Stalingrad — and the city still has not fallen to us." In October 1942, a Soviet war correspondent remarked that "A city of peace has become a city of war. The laws of warfare have placed it on the front line, at the epicenter of a battle that will shape the outcome

4269:

The conditions of both armies were atrocious. Disease ran rampant, with many deaths due to dysentery, typhus, diphtheria, tuberculosis and jaundice, causing medical staff to fear a possible epidemic. Rats and mice were plentiful, serving as one reason Germans could not counterattack in time, due to

4230:

addresses the question of how important the Red Army's coercive methods were to the war effort compared with other factors such as hatred for the enemy, stating that while it is "easy to argue that from the summer of 1942 the Soviet army fought because it was forced to fight," to concentrate solely

4125:

The brutality was shown by the military casualties taken by units. The 13th Guards Rifle Division suffered 30% casualties in the first twenty-four hours, with only 320 men out of 10,000 remaining at the battle's conclusion. With buildings and floors changing hands dozens of times and taking up days

4085:

The battle consumed a tremendous amount of ammunition and resources, in September fighting alone, the 6th Army expended 25 million rounds of small arms, 500,000 anti-tank rounds, 752,000 artillery shells and 178,000 hand grenades, with German forces expending 300 to 500 tons of artillery ammunition

4028:

The Soviets used the great amount of destruction to their advantage, by adding man-made defenses such as barbed wire, minefields, trenches, and bunkers to the rubble, while large factories even housed tanks and large-caliber guns within. "Red Army soldiers enjoyed inventing gadgets to kill Germans.

3000:

and protective fortifications. Casualties due to the air raid on 23 August and beyond are debated, as between 23 and 26 August, Soviet reports indicate 955 people were killed and another 1,181 wounded as a result of the bombing. However, death toll of civilians due to the bombing has been estimated

2686:

The initial advance of the 6th Army was so successful that Hitler intervened and ordered the 4th Panzer Army to join Army Group South (A) to the south. A massive road block resulted when the 4th Panzer and the 1st Panzer choked the roads, stopping both in their tracks while they cleared the mess of

4974:

The events of the Battle for Stalingrad have been covered in numerous media works of British, American, German, and Russian origin, for its significance as a turning point in the Second World War and for the loss of life associated with the battle. Stalingrad has become synonymous with large-scale

4803:

The destruction of multiple armies and the halting of Germany's advance made the battle a watershed moment. Germany had lost its best army, as the Sixth Army was regarded as "the finest and most triumphant infantry in the world at that time" and was deemed to have been the "invincible, unstoppable

4648:

and in a few areas until 20 February. Most of the armed groups were liquidated by March ... During this period of armed conflict with the Germans, the brigade's units killed 2,418 soldiers and officers and captured 8,646 soldiers and officers, escorting them to POW camps and handing them over.

4404:

According to incomplete data from the Volgograd party archive, 42,754 people died during the course of the battle. However, research by Russian historian Tatyana Pavlova calculated there to be 710,000 inhabitants in the city on 23 August, and of that amount, 185,232 people had died by the battle's

4400:

cites the memoirs of a former director of the Tsaritsyn-Stalingrad Defense Museum, who noted that over two million Soviets dead were counted before being ordered to stop, with "still many months of work left". Sokolov states it as being closer to the true death toll than official statistics due to

4244:

and German tanks. Soviet nurses not only treated wounded personnel under fire but were involved in the dangerous work of bringing wounded soldiers back to hospitals under fire. Many Soviet wireless and telephone operators were women who often suffered heavy casualties when their command posts came

3928:

On 22 January, Rokossovsky once again offered Paulus a chance to surrender. Paulus requested that he be granted permission to accept the terms. He told Hitler that he was no longer able to command his men, who were without ammunition or food. Hitler rejected it on a point of honour. He telegraphed

3878:

The Red Army High Command sent three envoys while, simultaneously, aircraft and loudspeakers announced the terms of capitulation on 7 January 1943. The letter was signed by Colonel-General of Artillery Voronov and the commander-in-chief of the Don Front, Lieutenant-General Rokossovsky. A low-level

3630:

In autumn, Zhukov and Vasilevsky, responsible for strategic planning in the Stalingrad area, concentrated forces in the steppes to the north and south of the city. The northern flank was defended by Romanian units, often in open positions on the steppes. The natural line of defence, the Don River,

3520:

In August 1942 after three months of slow advance, the Germans finally reached the river banks, capturing 90% of the ruined city and splitting the remaining Soviet forces into two narrow pockets. Ice floes on the Volga now prevented boats and tugs from supplying the Soviet defenders. Nevertheless,

3170:

composed of NKVD or regular troops were positioned behind Red Army units to prevent desertion and straggling, sometimes executing deserters and perceived malingerers. During the battle, the 62nd Army had the most arrests and executions: 203 in all, of which 49 were executed, while 139 were sent to

2908:

The capture of Stalingrad was subsidiary to the main aim. It was only of importance as a convenient place, in the bottleneck between Don and the Volga, where we could block an attack on our flank by Russian forces coming from the east. At the start, Stalingrad was no more than a name on the map to

2900:

enabling the XIVth Panzer Corps "to thrust to the Volga north of Stalingrad." The German 6th Army was only a few dozen kilometres from Stalingrad. The 4th Panzer Army, ordered south on 13 July to block the Soviet retreat "weakened by the 17th Army and the 1st Panzer Army", had turned northwards to

4738: 4642:

The remaining forces continued to resist, hiding in cellars and sewers, but by early March 1943 the last small and isolated pockets of resistance had surrendered. According to Soviet intelligence documents shown in the documentary, a remarkable NKVD report from March 1943 is available showing the

4638:

The bombing campaign and over five months of ferocious fighting had utterly destroyed 99% of the city, with the city being nothing more than a heap of rubble. Of the population of well over half a million before the battle, a quick census revealed only 1,515 people remained following the battle's

4634:

The battle is not only infamous for being a military bloodbath, but also for its disregard for civilians by both sides. When German forces reached the hospital for mentally handicapped children in the city, they promptly shot all the ten to fourteen year old patients. Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev

4589:

willingness to fight and die at Stalingrad to achieve that victory. Bartov reported that a great many of the soldiers were well aware that they would not be able to escape from Stalingrad, but in their letters to their families stated that they were proud to "sacrifice themselves for the Führer".

4588:

claims they were motivated by belief in Hitler and National Socialism. He studied 11,237 letters sent by soldiers inside of Stalingrad between 20 December 1942 and 16 January 1943 to their families in Germany. Generally, the letters expressed belief in Germany's ultimate victory and the soldiers'

4388:

The USSR, according to archival figures, suffered 1,129,619 total casualties; 478,741 personnel killed or missing, termed to be "irrevocable", and 650,878 wounded or sick. The USSR lost 4,341 tanks destroyed or damaged, 15,728 artillery pieces and 2,769 combat aircraft. Though the losses given by

4367:

states that "In less than seven months the Stalingrad dead numbered over three million". Historian Jochen Hellbeck described the lethality of the battle as such, "The battle of Stalingrad—the most ferocious and lethal battle in human history—ended on February 2. With an estimated death toll in an

4320:

According to the multivolume “The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945”: Germany and its allies suffered up up to 1.5 million casualties for the entire battle, in the Don, Volga and Stalingrad areas. The figure of 1.5 million total Axis casualties was also stated by Geoffrey Jukes in 1968. This has been

3985:

department store. Major Anatoly Soldatov described the conditions of the department store basement as such, "it was unbelievably filthy, you couldn't get through the front or back doors, the filth came up to your chest, along with human waste and who knows what else. The stench was unbelievable."

3743:

The conditions within the German 6th Army deteriorated to those reminiscent of World War I trench warfare. Troops were forced to take up positions in the open steppe, lacking basic sanitation, which led to rapid spread of infections and dysentery, further debilitating the soldiers. By 19 November

3541:

decided to conduct a number of offensive operations between 19 November 1942 and 2 February 1943. These operations opened the Winter Campaign of 1942–1943 (19 November 1942 – 3 March 1943), which involved some fifteen Armies operating on several fronts. As per Zhukov, "German operational blunders

3324:

Werth points out the difficulties the Siberian Division faced, as throughout the course of an entire month, German forces launched 117 assaults at the division's regiments, and on one day they launched 23 attacks. Every trench, pillbox, rifle-pit and ruin in the area was turned into a strongpoint

3205:

The street is no longer measured by meters but by corpses... Stalingrad is no longer a town. By day it is an enormous cloud of burning, blinding smoke; it is a vast furnace lit by the reflection of the flames. And when night arrives, one of those scorching howling bleeding nights, the dogs plunge

3174:

By 12 September, at the time of their retreat into the city, the Soviet 62nd Army had been reduced to 90 tanks, 700 mortars and just 20,000 personnel. The remaining tanks were used as immobile strong-points within the city. The initial German attack on 14 September attempted to take the city in a

2662:

finally opened as Army Group South began its attack into southern Russia on 28 June 1942. The German offensive achieved rapid success, as Soviet forces offered little resistance in the vast empty steppes and started streaming eastward. Several attempts to re-establish a defensive line failed when

2308:

was determined to hold the city for Germany at all costs and forbade the 6th Army from trying a breakout; instead, attempts were made to supply it by air and to break the encirclement from the outside. Though the Soviets were successful in preventing the Germans from making enough airdrops to the

4743: 4742: 4737: 4260:

tactics to intimidate and demoralize. On loudspeakers throughout the ruined city, it was continuously announced that "Every seven seconds a German soldier dies in Russia. Stalingrad. . .mass grave". The sound was interspersed with the monotonous sound of a ticking clock, and an orchestral melody

4248:

For Stalin and Hitler, Stalingrad became a matter of prestige beyond its strategic significance. A book analyzing urban warfare remarked that "Among the cases collected here, the most extreme example of politics and sentiment investing a city with importance is that of Stalingrad". Another paper

3101:

We must reach the Volga. We can see it – less than a kilometer away. We have the constant support of our aircraft and artillery. We are fighting like madmen but cannot reach the river. The whole war for France was shorter than the fight for one Volga factory. We must be up against

4384:

The Germans lost 900 aircraft (including 274 transports and 165 bombers used as transports), 500 tanks and 6,000 artillery pieces. A recent Soviet report states that 5,762 guns, 1,312 mortars, 12,701 heavy machine guns, 156,987 rifles, 80,438 sub-machine guns, 10,722 trucks, 744 aircraft; 1,666

4239:

Many women fought on the Soviet side or were under fire. As General Chuikov acknowledged, "Remembering the defence of Stalingrad, I can't overlook the very important question … about the role of women in war, in the rear, but also at the front. Equally with men they bore all the burdens of

4220:, stating "The Bolshevists attack until total exhaustion, and defend themselves until the physical extermination of the last man and weapon . . . Sometimes the individual will fight beyond the point considered humanly possible". One example of the heroism seen in Soviet troops was Soviet marine 4089:

The Soviet urban warfare tactics relied on 20-to-50-man-assault groups, armed with machine guns, grenades and satchel charges, with buildings fortified as strongpoints with clear fields of fire. Strongpoints were defended by guns or tanks on the ground floor, while machine gunners and artillery

3565:

forces had neglected for months to consolidate their positions along the natural defensive line of the Don River. The Soviet forces were allowed to retain bridgeheads on the right bank from which offensive operations could be quickly launched. These bridgeheads in retrospect presented a serious

3473:

1, 2, and 77 had largely silenced Soviet artillery on the eastern bank of the Volga before turning their attention to the shipping that was once again trying to reinforce the narrowing Soviet pockets of resistance. The 62nd Army had been cut in two and, due to intensive air attack on its supply

3445:

4's original strength of 1,600 aircraft, of which 1,155 were operational, fell to 950, of which only 550 were operational. The fleet's total strength decreased by 40 percent. Daily sorties decreased from 1,343 per day to 975 per day. Soviet offensives in the central and northern portions of the

3378:

Fighting raged inside the Barrikady Factory until the end of October. The Soviet-controlled area shrank down to a few strips of land along the western bank of the Volga, and in November the fighting concentrated around what Soviet newspapers referred to as "Lyudnikov's Island", a small patch of

2892:

indicated that four hard-fought battles – collectively known as the Kotluban Operations – north of Stalingrad, where the Soviets made their greatest stand, decided Germany's fate before the Nazis ever set foot in the city itself, and were a turning point in the war. Beginning in late August and

4205:

A historical debate concerns the degree of terror in the Red Army. Beevor noted the "sinister" message from the Stalingrad Front's Political Department on 8 October 1942 that: "The defeatist mood is almost eliminated and the number of treasonous incidents is getting lower" as an example of the

4105:

describes how this process was particularly brutal, "In its way, the fighting in Stalingrad was even more terrifying than the impersonal slaughter at Verdun...It possessed a savage intimacy which appalled their generals, who felt that they were rapidly losing control over events." According to

3854:

The fighting forced a total revaluation of the German situation. Sensing that this was the last chance for a breakout, Manstein pleaded with Hitler on 18 December, but Hitler refused. Paulus himself also doubted the feasibility of such a breakout. The attempt to break through to Stalingrad was

3765:

was established under Field Marshal von Manstein, tasked with leading the 20 German and two Romanian divisions encircled at Stalingrad. Despite Manstein's recommendation for a breakout, Hitler insisted on holding the city, relying on an ill-fated airlift to supply the 6th Army, which failed to

3312:

and Stalingrad Tractor Factory. It took a few more days for them to prepare for the most savage offensive of all, which was unleashed on 14 October, which Chuikov considered to be the worst day of the battle. Exceptionally intense shelling and bombing paved the way for the first German assault

4553:

The German public was not officially told of the impending disaster until the end of January 1943, though positive media reports had stopped in the weeks before the announcement. Stalingrad marked the first time that the Nazi government publicly acknowledged a failure in its war effort. On 31

3790:

Manstein's plan to rescue the Sixth Army – Operation Winter Storm – was developed in full consultation with Führer headquarters. It aimed to break through to the Sixth Army and establish a corridor to keep it supplied and reinforced, so that, according to Hitler's order, it could maintain its

4309:

from 1 December 1942 to the end of the battle (12,727 killed, 37,627 wounded and 4,906 missing) Walsh estimates the losses to 6th Army and 4th Panzer division were over 300,000; while Louis A. DiMarco estimated the Germans suffered 400,000 total casualties during the battle. Soviet officials

3686:

divisions and one anti-tank brigade. The preparations for the attack were heard by the Romanians, who pushed for reinforcements, only to be refused. Romania's 3rd Army, which protected the northern flank of the German 6th Army, was overrun, due to thin lines, and being outnumbered and poorly

3276:

Stubborn defenses of semi-fortified buildings in the center of the city cost the Germans countless soldiers. A violent battle occurred for the Univermag department store on Red Square, which served as the headquarters of the 1st Battalion of the 13th Guards Rifle Division's 42nd Guards Rifle

4409:" and that "In Stalingrad, an absolute world record was set for the mass destruction of the civilian population during World War II." A 2018 study concluded that the demographic losses due to the battle ranged from 2.5 to 3 million, thereby describing it as a "real demographic catastrophe". 3916:

on the night of 21/22 January, meant an end to air supplies and the evacuation of the wounded. The third and last serviceable runway was at the Stalingradskaya flight school, which had its last landings and takeoffs on 23 January. After 23 January, there were no more reported landings, just

4744: 3920:

Despite the horrendous situation that German forces faced, both starving and running out of ammunition, they continued to resist, with transcripts showing that despite many German soldiers yelling "Hitler kaput" to avoid being shot while surrendering, the level of armed resistance remained

4984:... Stalingrad was an epic battle unmatched by any other in its dimensions, drama and decisiveness." In addition, besides the battle being recognized as the bloodiest and fiercest of the war, it is also considered to have been the closest of the war as well, as Geoffrey Roberts quotes the 3277:

Regiment. Another battle occurred for a nearby warehouse dubbed the "nail factory". In a three-story building close by, guardsmen fought on for five days, their noses and throats filled with brick dust from pulverized walls, with only six out of close to half a battalion escaping alive.

2232:. It was the bloodiest and fiercest battle of the entirety of World War II—and arguably in all of human history—as both sides suffered tremendous casualties amidst ferocious fighting in and around the city. Today, the Battle of Stalingrad is commonly regarded as the turning point in the 4610:

of the entire war. After sixty days of fighting the Germans now know what this means. 'Verdun!' they scoff. 'This is no Verdun. This is something new in the history of warfare. This is Stalingrad." The world press commonly referred to it as the "Verdun on the Volga" during the battle.

3511:

was also involved in the Axis air operations at Stalingrad. Starting 23 October 1942, Romanian pilots flew a total of 4,000 sorties, during which they destroyed 61 Soviet aircraft. The Romanian Air Force lost 79 aircraft, most of them captured on the ground along with their airfields.

4038:

The forces involved in the battle were composed of well-trained, and in some cases, very-experienced troops, "Stalingrad was fought and lost by the finest collection of divisions in an army that had not known strategic defeat for a quarter of a century" in reference to German forces.

10953:

army's inability to overcome the military crisis created a need to rely on an irrational faith in the only man who was perceived as Germany's destiny, for better or for worse. Like all gods, Hitler's ability to mold the course of history was derived from the faith of his followers."

2702:

allies to guard their left (northern) flank. Italian actions were also mentioned in official German communiques. Italian forces were generally held in little regard by the Germans, and were accused of low morale: in reality, the Italian divisions fought comparatively well, with the

4000:

Around 91,000 exhausted, ill, wounded, and starving prisoners were taken. The prisoners included 22 generals. Hitler was furious and confided that Paulus "could have freed himself from all sorrow and ascended into eternity and national immortality, but he prefers to go to Moscow".

4245:

under fire. Though women were not usually trained as infantry, many Soviet women fought as machine gunners, mortar operators, scouts, and as snipers. Three air regiments at Stalingrad were entirely female. At least three women won the Hero of the Soviet Union while driving tanks.

3977:

field marshal having ever surrendered. The implication was clear: if Paulus surrendered, he would shame himself and would become the highest-ranking German officer ever to be captured. As a result, Hitler believed that Paulus would either fight to the last man or commit suicide.

2309:

trapped Axis armies at Stalingrad, heavy fighting continued for another two months. On 2 February 1943, the 6th Army, having exhausted their ammunition and food, finally capitulated after several months of battle, making it the first of Hitler's field armies to have surrendered.

3883:

and a trumpeter) carried generous surrender terms to Paulus: if he surrendered within 24 hours, he would receive a guarantee of safety for all prisoners, medical care for the sick and wounded, prisoners being allowed to keep their personal belongings, "normal" food rations, and

3850:

Divisions, and although outnumbered 9 to 1, the Italians initially fought well, with the Germans praising the quality of the Italian defenders, but on 19 December, with the Italian lines disintegrating, ARMIR headquarters ordered the battered divisions to withdraw to new lines.

4510:

The losses of transport planes were especially serious, as they destroyed the capacity for supply of the trapped 6th Army. The destruction of 72 aircraft when the airfield at Tatsinskaya Airfield was overrun meant the loss of about 10 percent of the Luftwaffe transport fleet.

4335:

According to Stephen Walsh: Romanian casualties were 158,854; 114,520 Italians (84,830 killed, missing and 29,690 wounded); and 143,000 Hungarian (80,000 killed, missing and 63,000 wounded), with total losses of Germany's allies at 494,374. Losses among Soviet POW turncoats

3497:; ADD), having taken crippling losses over the past 18 months, was restricted to flying at night. The Soviets flew 11,317 night sorties over Stalingrad and the Don-bend sector between 17 July and 19 November. These raids caused little damage and were of nuisance value only. 3440:

into November, and Soviet daytime aerial resistance was nonexistent. However, the combination of constant air support operations on the German side and the Soviet surrender of the daytime skies began to affect the strategic balance in the air. From 28 June to 20 September,

2275:, the incumbent leader of the Soviet Union. As the conflict progressed, Germany's fuel supplies dwindled and thus drove it to focus on moving deeper into Soviet territory and taking the country's oil fields at any cost. The German military first clashed with the Red Army's 4934: 4235:

notes, seemingly paradoxically, "their response was frequently relief." Infantryman Lev Lvovich's explanation is typical, "t was a necessary and important step. We all knew where we stood after we had heard it. And we all – it's true – felt better. Yes, we felt better."

4925:

later in 1943. Soviet propaganda spared no effort and wasted no time in capitalising on the triumph, impressing a global audience. The prestige of Stalin, the Soviet Union, and the worldwide Communist movement was immense, and their political position greatly enhanced.

3986:

When interrogated by the Soviets, Paulus claimed that he had not surrendered. He said that he had been taken by surprise. He denied that he was the commander of the remaining northern pocket in Stalingrad and refused to issue an order in his name for them to surrender.

4899:

The reverse was the case on the Soviet side. There was an overwhelming surge in confidence and belief in victory. A common saying was: "You cannot stop an army which has done Stalingrad." Stalin was feted as the hero of the hour and made a Marshal of the Soviet Union.

3373:

Here, in and around the main building of the October Plant, the fighting had gone on for weeks. It had been a hell of shell-fire and mortarfire, and tank and air attacks, and hand-to-hand fighting; they had fought for a workshop or half a workshop, or for the end of a

3631:

had never been properly established by the German side. The armies in the area were also poorly equipped in terms of anti-tank weapons. The plan was to punch through the overstretched and weakly defended flanks and surround the German forces in the Stalingrad region.

4122:, still kept as a memorial. It was eventually cleared by the 39th Guards Regiment in close-quarters combat. Another example was on 14 September, the main railway station changed hands five times, and over the course of the next three days, another thirteen times. 3747: 4741: 4405:

conclusion, and including about 50,000 in the rural areas of Stalingrad, for a total of 235,232 civilians dead. Also from her research, Pavlova states that "The losses of the civilian population of Stalingrad are 32.3% higher than the losses of the population of

4975:

urban battles with immense casualties on both sides, and according to historian David Glantz, has become a "metaphor for the ferocity of the Soviet-German conflict and, indeed, for the devastating nature of twentieth-century warfare as a whole". Also, historian

3012:(VVS), was swept aside by the Luftwaffe. The VVS bases in the immediate area lost 201 aircraft between 23 and 31 August, and despite meagre reinforcements of some 100 aircraft in August, it was left with just 192 serviceable aircraft, 57 of which were fighters. 4583:

Based on Soviet records, over 11,000 German soldiers continued to resist in isolated groups within the city for the next month. Some have presumed that they were motivated by a belief that fighting on was better than a slow death in Soviet captivity. Historian

4952:

was erected in 1967 on Mamayev Kurgan, the hill overlooking the city where bones and rusty metal splinters can still be found. The statue forms part of a war memorial complex which includes the ruins of the Grain Silo and Pavlov's House. On 2 February 2013

3345:

and in the afternoon the forward assault group reached the tractor factory before arriving at the Volga River, splitting the 62nd Army into two. In response to the German breakthrough to the Volga, the front headquarters committed three battalions from the

4151:

was brought in, being withdrawn soon after due to Soviet threats to the gun. Germans would shell Soviet reinforcements coming across the Volga without pause, with the Soviets firing back. Despite the notion of the vulnerability of tanks in urban settings,

2893:

lasting into October, the Soviets committed between two and four armies in hastily coordinated and poorly controlled attacks against the Germans' northern flank. The actions resulted in over 200,000 Soviet Army casualties but did slow the German assault.

3303:

After 27 September, much of the fighting in the city shifted north to the industrial district. Having slowly advanced over 10 days against strong Soviet resistance, the 51st Army Corps was finally in front of the three giant factories of Stalingrad: the

3428:

flew 900 individual sorties against Soviet positions at the Stalingrad Tractor Factory on 5 October. Several Soviet regiments were wiped out; the entire staff of the Soviet 339th Infantry Regiment was killed the following morning during an air raid.

3791:"cornerstone" position on the Volga, "with regard to operations in 1943". Manstein, however, who knew that Sixth Army could not survive the winter there, instructed his headquarters to draw up a further plan in the event of Hitler's seeing sense. 3770:

had lost nearly 500 aircraft, including 266 Ju 52s, and failed to maintain adequate supply levels. Ultimately, the failure to relieve Stalingrad sealed the fate of the 6th Army, leading to one of the most catastrophic defeats in military history.

4622:

stated that "The battle of Stalingrad is deservedly considered to be the most desperate in human history. The German Sixth Army was sucked into a house-by-house, street-by-street, factory-by-factory struggle often even more attritional than the

4126:

to win, platoons and companies took up to 90% and even 100% casualties to win a building or floor within it. Chuikov estimated that about three thousand Germans had been killed during the fighting for the tractor factory on 14 October alone.

3903:

The operation launched on 10 January 1943 with what was the single largest bombardment of the war at that point, with nearly 7,000 field guns, launchers and mortars firing against German positions. The operation was likely the largest scale

4331:

According to Frieser, et al.: 109,000 Romanians casualties (from November 1942 to December 1942), included 70,000 captured or missing. 114,000 Italians and 105,000 Hungarians were killed, wounded or captured (from December 1942 to February

4979:

states that "No battle of any war has had more written about it than Stalingrad" and that "No battle of the Second World War has captured the public imagination as much as the clash between Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany at Stalingrad in

4814:

in September shared similar views. Joseph Goebbels also shared similar sentiment, declaring that the battle was a "question of life or death, and all of our prestige, just as that of the Soviet Union, will depend on how it will end". The

3125:

helped repel the offensive by heavily attacking Soviet artillery positions and defensive lines. The Soviets were forced to withdraw at midday after only a few hours. Of the 120 tanks the Soviets had committed, 30 were lost to air attack.

4592:

A Soviet officer interviewed months after the battle, Nikolai Nikitich Aksyonov, described the scale of devastation and conflict at Stalingrad, stating that "As a historian, I tried to draw comparisons to battles I know from history:

3744:

1942, the German forces in the pocket numbered about 210,000, with 50,000 soldiers outside the encirclement. Of those trapped, 10,000 continued to fight, 105,000 eventually surrendered, 35,000 were evacuated by air, and 60,000 died.

4656:

The 64th Army was putting itself in order, being in previously occupied regions. Location of army's units is as it was previously. In the region of location of the 38th Motorised Rifle Brigade in a basement eighteen armed SS-men

4293: 8275:, pp. 83–84: "During this phase, the Germans praised the steadfastness of Italian infantry, who held out tenaciously even in isolated strong-points, but eventually reached their breaking-point under this constant pressure." 3073:

through the bore of their gun barrels. Chuikov later remarked that soldiers approaching the battle would say "We are entering hell", but after one or two days, they said "No, this isn't hell, this is ten times worse than hell".

2913:

The Soviets had enough warning of the German advance to ship grain, cattle, and railway cars across the Volga out of harm's way. This "harvest victory" left the city short of food even before the German attack began. Before the

4887:

in November 1942. However, there were only about 50,000 German soldiers at El Alamein in Egypt, while at Stalingrad, at least 200,000 Germans had been lost. Stalingrad is viewed as being more important than both El Alamein and

12112: 3959:

and thus in a wider sense for the maintenance of our entire continent." The same day, Hermann Göring broadcast from the air ministry, comparing the situation of the surrounded German 6th Army to that of the Spartans at the

4695:

Most of the nearly 91,000 German prisoners captured in Stalingrad perished. Weakened by disease, starvation and lack of medical care during the encirclement, they were sent on forced marches to prisoner camps and later to

2687:

thousands of vehicles. The traffic jam is thought to have delayed the advance by at least one week. With the advance now slowed, Hitler changed his mind and reassigned the 4th Panzer Army back to the attack on Stalingrad.

2504:. The defeat at Kharkov left the Soviets vulnerable to the German summer offensive. Despite the setback, Stalin continued to prioritize defending Moscow, allocating only limited reinforcements to the Southwestern Front. 2428:

had been rested and re-equipped. Hitler decided that the 1942 summer campaign would target the southern Soviet Union. The initial objectives around Stalingrad were to destroy the city's industrial capacity and block the

4231:

on coercion is nonetheless to "distort our view of the Soviet war effort." After conducting interviews with Soviet veterans on the terror on the Eastern Front – and specifically Order No. 227 ("Not a step back!") –

4182:

The ferocious and intense fighting was not only within the city itself. Most brutal fighting that consumed both forces occurred outside and west of the city, in the snow-covered steppes. The battle turned from the

3638:

Zhukov personally visited the front and noticing the poor organisation, insisted on a one-week delay in the start date of the planned attack. The operation was code-named "Uranus" and launched in conjunction with

1835: 9103:"The Struggle for Stalingrad City: Opposing Orders of Battle, Combat Orders and Reports, and Operational and Tactical Maps. Part 2: The Fight for Stalingrad's Factory District – 14 October–18 November 1942" 3694:. The Romanian forces, made up primarily of infantry, were overrun by large numbers of tanks. The Soviet forces raced west and met on 23 November at the town of Kalach, sealing the ring around Stalingrad. 5107:

The Soviet front's composition and names changed several times in the battle. The battle started with the South Western Front. It was later renamed Stalingrad Front, then had the Don Front split off from

3217:

changed hands multiple times over the course of days, with fighting over the hill, rail station and Red Square being so intense that it was difficult to determine who was attacking and who was defending.

3810:

Three days later, when the first trainload of Raus's division steamed into Kotelnikovo station to unload, his troops were greeted by "a hail of shells" from Soviet batteries. "As quick as lightning, the

3798:

This left only the LVII Panzer Corps around Kotelnikovo, supported by the rest of Hoth's very mixed Fourth Panzer Army, to relieve Paulus's trapped divisions. The LVII Panzer Corps, commanded by General

3050:

I had been imagining what war was like – everything on fire, children crying, cats running about, and when we got to Stalingrad it turned out to be really like that, only more terrible.

4739: 4179:, who became a propaganda hero, credited with 225 kills. Targets were often soldiers bringing up food or water to forward positions. Artillery spotters were an especially prized target for snipers. 3035:

of the 2nd Battalion, 64th Panzer Grenadier Regiment from the 16th Panzer reached the area of Latashanka, Rynok, and Spartanovka, northern suburbs of Stalingrad, and the Stalingrad Tractor Factory.

2473:. Ultimately, Stalin instructed that the summer campaign be based on "active strategic defense," while also ordering local offensives across the Eastern Front. Southwestern Main Direction commander 4715:

offered to raise an anti-Hitler army from the Stalingrad survivors, but the Soviets did not accept the offer. It was not until 1955 that the last of the 5,000–6,000 survivors were repatriated (to

18971: 3537:

Recognising that German troops were ill-prepared for offensive operations during the winter of 1942 and that most of them were deployed elsewhere on the southern sector of the Eastern Front, the

3206:

into the Volga and swim desperately to gain the other bank. The nights of Stalingrad are a terror for them. Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure.

14673: 4796:

meant that there would never be another battle like Stalingrad. The greatest battle of the last great war of the pre-atomic age was an epic struggle that will never be surpassed." Historian

14637: 14632: 14617: 14592: 14582: 2694:. At this point, the Don and Volga Rivers are only 65 km (40 mi) apart, and the Germans left their main supply depots west of the Don. The Germans began using the armies of their 2279:

on the distant approaches to Stalingrad on 17 July. On 23 August, the 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army launched their offensive with support from intensive bombing raids by the

3755:

Despite the 6th Army's dire situation, no reinforcements were pulled from Army Group A in the Caucasus to aid in the relief of Stalingrad. It was only after Soviet forces broke through in

2711:

showing spirit, according to a German liaison officer. Italian forces were forced to retreat only after a massive armoured attack in which German reinforcements failed to arrive in time.

2511:

to the Second Battle of Kharkov further delayed the offensive's start. On 1 June, Hitler modified the summer plans, delaying Case Blue to 20 June after preliminary operations in Ukraine.

4324:

According to G. G. Matishov, et al.: Germany and its allies suffered more than 880,000 casualties from November 1942 to early February 1943 between Stalingrad and the "great bend of the

4078:, which was "effectively terrifying" in its use of clearing sewer tunnels, cellars, and inaccessible hiding places. Operators were immediately targeted as soon as they were spotted. The 3077:

By the end of August, Army Group South (B) had finally reached the Volga, north of Stalingrad. Another advance to the river south of the city followed, while the Soviets abandoned their

12174: 3932:

On 26 January 1943, the German forces inside Stalingrad were split into two pockets north and south of Mamayev-Kurgan. The northern pocket consisting of the VIIIth Corps, under General

1828: 1703: 2453:

be killed and women and children deported due to their "thoroughly communistic" nature. The city's fall was intended to secure the northern and western flanks of the German advance on

3963:, the speech was not well received by soldiers however. Paulus notified Hitler that his men would likely collapse before the day was out. In response, Hitler then issued a tranche of 3807:, was summoned to Manstein's royal carriage in Kharkov station on 24 November, where the field marshal briefed him. "He described the situation in very sombre terms", recorded Raus. 3726:

By the time of the encirclement, approximately 330,000 Axis personnel, including Germans, Romanians, Italians, and Croatians, were trapped. Among them were between 40,000 and 65,000

12103: 5748:, p. 441: "Broadly speaking, the Battle of Stalingrad may be divided into the following stages: (1) July 17 to August 4, when the main fighting was still inside the Don Bend." 5618: 4960:

Every year still, hundreds of bodies of soldiers who died in the battle are recovered in the area around Stalingrad and reburied in the cemeteries at Mamayev Kurgan or Rossoshka.

4957:

hosted a military parade and other events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the final victory. Since then, military parades have always commemorated the victory in the city.

8462: 3019:

attacked out of the Vertyachy bridgehead with a force 120 tanks and over 200 armored personnel carriers strong. The German attack broke through the 1382nd Rifle Regiment of the

2744:

were tasked with planning the defence of Stalingrad. Beyond the Volga River on the eastern boundary of Stalingrad, additional Soviet units were formed into the 62nd Army under

4191:

becoming common inside and outside the city, as both sides entrenched themselves and built up positions, with trenches being turned into strongpoints and brutally fought for.

4171:

in urban warfare. Snipers on both sides used the ruins to inflict casualties, with Soviet command heavily emphasizing sniper tactics to wear down the Germans. The most famous

1821: 18961: 3542:

were aggravated by poor intelligence: they failed to spot preparations for the major counter-offensive near Stalingrad where there were 10 field, 1 tank and 4 air armies."

18926: 3858:

On 23 December, the attempt to relieve Stalingrad was abandoned and Manstein's forces switched over to the defensive to deal with new Soviet offensives. As Zhukov states,

3027:

ground attack aircraft. Crossing the railway line to Stalingrad at 564 km Station around midday, both divisions continued their rush towards the river. Around 15:00,

2888:, in which "We had had to pay a high cost in men and material ... left on the Kalach battlefield were numerous burnt-out or shot-up German tanks." Military historian 2751:

on 11 September 1942. Tasked with holding the city at all costs, Chuikov proclaimed, "We will defend the city or die in the attempt." The battle earned him one of his two

17054: 3577:, covered 400 km. Paulus had requested permission on 10 November to "withdraw the 6th Army behind the Don," but was rejected. According to Paulus's comments to his 3239:("Fortress") on German maps. Pavlov was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title for his actions. General Chuikov took note of the brutal efficiency of the defense of 2244:

was forced to withdraw a considerable amount of military forces from other regions to replace losses on the Eastern Front. By the time the hostilities ended, the German

16799: 16407: 2904:

On 23 August, the 6th Army reached the outskirts of Stalingrad in pursuit of the 62nd and 64th Armies, which had fallen back into the city. Kleist said after the war:

2656:

of a large Soviet force between 17 May and 29 May. Similarly, Operation Wilhelm attacked Voltshansk on 13 June, and Operation Fridericus attacked Kupiansk on 22 June.

2092: 3554:

for support. The Hungarian 2nd Army was given the task of defending a 200 km (120 mi) section of the front north of Stalingrad between the Italian Army and

3474:

ferries, was receiving much less material support. With the Soviets forced into a 1-kilometre (1,000-yard) strip of land on the western bank of the Volga, over 1,208

18405: 16423: 9055: 2492:

After delays in troop movements and logistical challenges, the Kharkov operation began on 12 May. The Soviets achieved initial success, prompting 6th Army commander

1126: 2718:

was pushing far into the Caucasus, but the advance slowed as supply lines grew overextended. The two German army groups were too far apart to support one another.

16743: 2606:, was to continue advancing south towards the Caucasus as planned with the 17th Army and First Panzer Army. Army Group South (B), including Paulus's 6th Army and 16346: 16318: 15462: 5048: 1696: 12201: 9852: 3023:

and the 137th Tank Brigade, which were forced to retreat towards Dmitryevka. The 16th Panzer Division drove east towards the Volga, supported by the strikes of

18384: 17063: 16750: 15884: 13806: 6702: 5056: 2263:

Both sides placed great strategic importance on Stalingrad, for it was the largest industrial centre of the Soviet Union and an important transport hub on the

13665:

Stalingrad-info.com, Russian archival docs translated into English, original battle maps, aerial photos, pictures taken at the battlefields, relics collection

4224:, who was covered in flames after his Molotov cocktail was shot while attempting to throw it, however he continued with another Molotov and destroyed a tank. 3584:, "There is still the order whereby no commander of an army group or an army has the right to relinquish a village, even a trench, without Hitler's consent." 17366: 16729: 16038: 15663: 4872: 4816: 3081:

position for the inner defensive ring west of Stalingrad. The wings of the 6th Army and the 4th Panzer Army met near Jablotchni along the Zaritza on 2 Sept.

1859: 147: 6175: 4613:

Historian David Glantz stated that Stalingrad was "the most brutal clash of arms in the most terrible of twentieth-century wars". Further, French historian

3162:

was in charge of the 13th Guards Rifle Division, and received one of two Hero of the Soviet Union awards issued during the battle for his actions. Stalin's

3151:

dive-bombers to prevent a breakthrough. The offensive was repelled. The Stukas claimed 41 of the 106 Soviet tanks knocked out that morning, while escorting

16379: 16325: 15511: 13796: 4101:"Rat War". Buildings had to be cleared room by room through the bombed-out debris of residential areas, office blocks, basements and apartment high-rises. 9462: 2945:, and the heaviest bombing raid that had ever taken place on the Eastern Front. At least 90% of the city's housing stock was obliterated as a result. The 2941:

dropped some 1,000 tons of bombs on 23 August, with the aerial attack on Stalingrad being the most single intense aerial bombardment at that point on the

16836: 16332: 15948: 9934: 4118:, a prominent hill above the city, was particularly merciless; indeed, the position changed hands many times. A notable building brutally fought for was 2769: 4054:". The Soviets persisted against German forces by using all available means, with the commitment being reflected in their planning, orders and actions. 3394:

referred to the Rynok-Spartanovka region as "little Verdun" because "there was hardly a square meter that had not been churned up by bombs and shells."

18936: 18901: 15358: 4776:

between the Japanese and the Germans once their forces met up, and made certain that the German ambitions to use Soviet resources to fight against the

4700:

all over the Soviet Union. Some 35,000 were eventually sent on transports, of which 17,000 did not survive. Most died of wounds, disease (particularly

3268:

A bitter battle for every house, workshop, water tower, railway embankment, wall, cellar and every pile of rubble was waged, without equal even in the

1689: 6747: 16722: 16169: 16045: 13811: 12178: 4110:

and Guy Wint, "The closest and bloodiest battle of the war was fought among the stumps of buildings burnt or burning". Buildings saw floor-by-floor,

3102:

suicide squads. They have simply decided to fight to the last soldier. And how many soldiers are left over there? When will this hell come to an end?

10815: 4639:

conclusion. However, Beevor notes that a census revealed that 9,796 civilians were in the city at the battle's conclusion, including 994 children.

4535: 3420:

conducted 7,507 sorties (938 per day). From 16 to 25 September, it carried out 9,746 missions (975 per day). Determined to crush Soviet resistance,

18941: 16022: 15402: 15108: 14227: 14222: 13791: 7479: 3550:

During the siege, the German and allied Italian, Hungarian, and Romanian armies protecting Army Group B's north and south flanks had pressed their

2847: 2256:

was routed. The Soviets' victory at Stalingrad shifted the Eastern Front's balance of power in their favour, while also boosting the morale of the

11760: 11112: 6201: 4921:

was forged to the order of King George VI. After being put on public display in Britain, this was presented to Stalin by Winston Churchill at the

16459: 15771: 14976: 4563: 1881: 11293:, 53 min, Sebastian Dehnhardt, Manfred Oldenburg (directors)) (in Finnish, German, and Russian). broadview.tv GmbH, Germany 2003. Archived from 3997:, drafted the final signal sent from Stalingrad, purposely omitting the customary exclamation to Hitler, replacing it with "Long live Germany!" 16278: 15580: 13786: 13766: 13621: 8050: 5016: 2457:

to capture its petroleum resources. This expansion of objectives stemmed from German overconfidence and an underestimation of Soviet reserves.

2133: 2085: 1761: 18277: 2983:, who was deputy commander-in-chief and commander of Stalingrad's defence during the battle, noted the importance of the battle, stating that: 17070: 17033: 17010: 16531: 15453: 15423: 12582: 4352: 4301:

The Axis suffered 800,000–1,500,000 casualties (killed, wounded or captured) among all branches of the German armed forces and their allies:

4029:

New booby traps were dreamed up, each seemingly more ingenious and unpredictable in its results than the last." The battle saw many types of

2954: 1119: 16785: 2388:

had captured vast territories, including Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic republics. On the Western Front, Germany held most of Europe, the

17163: 17019: 17003: 16975: 16223: 15430: 4305:

282,606 in the 6th Army from 21 August to the end of the battle; 17,293 in the 4th Panzer Army from 21 August to 31 January; 55,260 in the

4129: 3504:

was forced to divert much of its air strength away from the oil-rich Caucasus, which had been Hitler's original grand-strategic objective.

3485:

Clouds of smoke and dust rise from the ruins of the canning factory in Stalingrad South after German bombing of the city on 2 October 1942.

140: 7911:

World War II: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection [5 volumes]: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection

3981:

On the next day, the southern pocket in Stalingrad collapsed. Soviet forces reached the entrance to the German headquarters in the ruined

18931: 17920: 16987: 16899: 16843: 16806: 16088: 14064: 11284: 9577: 4344:

235,000 German and allied troops in total, from all units, including Manstein's ill-fated relief force, were captured during the battle.

2699: 2301: 12972:[The Battle of Stalingrad: the bloodiest armed conflict in history and the beginning of a major turning point in World War II]. 16892: 15624: 11165: 11137: 10455: 9688: 9235: 9150: 8459: 6035: 5011: 4619: 4374: 2224:. The battle was characterized by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in aerial raids; the battle epitomized 1293: 7551: 18398: 17026: 15416: 15374: 14572: 14412: 11330: 4917:

proclaimed that the victory had saved European civilisation. The country celebrated "Red Army Day" on 23 February 1943. A ceremonial

4406: 3469:

4 flew 1,250 sorties on 14 October and its Stukas dropped 550 tonnes of bombs, while German infantry surrounded the three factories.

2078: 11841: 18247: 16066: 15840: 15603: 15469: 15280: 12134: 8470:. Einsätze des Bordmechanikers Gefr. Michael Deiml (Sorties of Aviation Mechanic Private Michael Deiml). Retrieved 4 December 2009. 4985: 4876: 4808:

newspaper wrote in early August that the battle would become the "most fateful battle of the war", and an article from the British

4800:

expressed that the Battle of Stalingrad, "of any battle in human history, has made the greatest positive difference for humanity".

3912:. The Germans retreated from the suburbs of Stalingrad to the city. The loss of the two airfields, Pitomnik on 16 January 1943 and 3690:

On 20 November, a second Soviet offensive (two armies) was launched to the south of Stalingrad against points held by the Romanian

3321:) attacked towards the tractor factory, while another assault led by the 24th Panzer Division hit to the south of the giant plant. 1453: 1448: 1112: 10288: 3989:

The central pocket, under the command of Heitz, surrendered the same day, while the northern pocket, under the command of General

3702: 3481: 2271:

and having supreme authority over the Volga River. The city also held significant symbolic importance because it bore the name of

17142: 16939: 15976: 15476: 15388: 15324: 15164: 5068:

The start of the battle is debated, with some historians putting it in August, with the most common date being on 23 August 1942.

4969: 3939: 2708: 2325: 1163: 2569: 18882: 18820: 18536: 17345: 16857: 15707: 15245: 13672: 5458: 4253:

that required him to have his hands completely bandaged. Troops on both sides faced the constant strain of close-range combat.

3178: 2704: 2695: 1443: 2926:

had cut off shipping on the Volga. In the days between 25 and 31 July, 32 Soviet ships were sunk, with another nine crippled.

17941: 17846: 17373: 17119: 16994: 16080: 16054: 15911: 15617: 15534: 13928: 13801: 13501: 13482: 13425: 13406: 13378: 13359: 13336: 13206: 13180: 13087: 13054: 12958: 12939: 12898: 12879: 12841: 12818: 12799: 12762: 12743: 12698: 12661: 12528: 12509: 12490: 12441: 12422: 12376: 12238: 12011: 11956: 11824: 11718: 11177: 11149: 11095: 10740: 10641: 10614: 10517: 10467: 10371: 10259: 10212: 10182: 9700: 9535: 9510: 9392: 9365: 9247: 9162: 9038: 8965: 8740: 8442: 8296: 8182: 8100: 7919: 7809: 7270: 7170: 6898: 6870: 6350: 6047: 5941: 5802: 5772: 5705: 5653: 5573: 5505: 5348: 5320: 4708: 4527: 4114:, with the Germans and Soviets on alternate levels, firing at each other through holes in the floors. Fighting on and around 3243:, stating that "Pavlov's small group of men, defending one house, killed more enemy soldiers than the Germans lost in taking 1431: 4066: 18174: 17581: 17467: 16632: 16099: 16095: 16073: 15677: 14678: 13720: 13694:

There are several unique photos of parade and award ceremony for Wehrmacht personnel who survived the Battle of Stalingrad.

13077: 8407: 3402: 2968: 1981: 1288: 1153: 11651: 4748:

Army University Press in association with the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate presents the Stalingrad campaign overview

4347:

It is estimated that as many as over one million soldiers and civilians combined were killed during the battle. Historian

3097:

A letter found on the body of a German officer described the insanity of the battle and brutal nature of the urban combat:

3038: 3001:

to have been 40,000, or as many as 70,000, though these estimates may be exaggerated. Also estimated are 150,000 wounded.

2721: 18847: 18089: 17553: 16885: 16871: 16084: 14657: 14652: 14647: 14642: 14627: 14622: 14612: 14607: 14602: 14597: 14587: 14562: 14452: 14447: 14442: 14437: 14432: 14427: 14422: 14417: 14263: 6781: 5809:

Epic in scope and meaning, this bloody conflict endured for 199 days, beginning in July 1942 and ending in February 1943.

4860: 3647:

about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) to the northwest. The plan was similar to that used by Zhukov to achieve victory at

3384: 3347: 3318: 2815: 2022: 1913: 1544: 1254: 1158: 12432:

Beevor, Antony (2004). "Stalingrad and Researching the Experience of War". In Erickson, Ljubica; Erickson, Mark (eds.).

10500: 10106: 8286: 7947: 4756:

described it as "the biggest and most traumatic defeat in German military history" and that "the myth of the invincible

4381:, the merciless clash where the rules of war were discarded . . . Around 1.1 million died in the battle on both sides". 2962: 18865: 18298: 18167: 18045: 17623: 17338: 17289: 17047: 16602: 15854: 15693: 15541: 15395: 14577: 14567: 14557: 14552: 14547: 14407: 14402: 14397: 14392: 14387: 14377: 14372: 13759: 13601: 12318: 12288: 12263: 11796: 11743: 11433: 11406: 11255: 11065: 11013: 10439: 10411: 9914: 9216: 9085: 8677: 8534: 8143: 7934:

Battle for Stalingrad: the 1943 Soviet General Staff study. (1990). Choice Reviews Online, 27(05), pp. 27-2848-27-2848.

7618: 7345: 7320: 7295: 6819: 6158: 5678: 5628: 5040: 4903:

The news of the battle echoed round the world, with many people now believing that Hitler's defeat was inevitable. The

4788:

in 1709 turned Russia into a European power, then Stalingrad set the Soviet Union on the road to being a world power".

3574: 3351: 3166:

of 27 July 1942 decreed that all commanders who ordered unauthorised retreats would be subject to a military tribunal.

2897: 2007: 1971: 1514: 993: 646: 441: 272: 69: 12084: 6573: 6546: 6519: 6492: 4819:

declared it to be "the greatest battle of attrition the world has ever seen". On 2 February 1943, American journalist

18916: 18911: 18414: 17296: 17268: 17085: 16667: 16386: 16353: 14367: 14242: 14003: 13566: 13547: 13525: 13463: 13444: 13317: 13242: 13219: 13151: 13128: 13109: 13026: 13007: 12917: 12860: 12724: 12638: 12612: 12591: 12567: 12471: 12398: 11880: 11693: 11554: 11508: 11204: 11040: 10986: 10703: 10672: 10553: 10344: 10298: 10198: 9672: 9645: 9560: 7722: 7420: 7209: 6956: 6081: 6019: 5758: 5730: 5539: 5468: 3500:

As historian Chris Bellamy notes, the Germans paid a high strategic price for the aircraft sent into Stalingrad: the

3387:

resisted all ferocious assaults thrown by the Germans and became a symbol of the stout Soviet defence of Stalingrad.

3016: 1783: 1778: 1519: 1409: 1310: 805: 15569: 6919: 5086:

This Army Group was created on 21 November 1942 from parts of Army Group B in order for it to hold the line between

4992:

as a "close-run thing" to describe the Battle of Stalingrad, further adding to its popularity status and notoriety.

2667:

them. Two major pockets were formed and destroyed: the first, northeast of Kharkov, on 2 July, and a second, around

18451: 17609: 17546: 16681: 16517: 15640: 14866: 14351: 14346: 14341: 14336: 14331: 12690: 3759:, threatening to encircle Army Group A, that a withdrawal was ordered on December 31 to avoid complete entrapment. 3391: 3314: 3198: 2233: 1997: 1499: 1494: 1264: 16194: 4554:

January, regular programmes on German state radio were replaced by a broadcast of the sombre Adagio movement from

1187: 17975: 17816: 17805: 17641: 17400: 17359: 17252: 17190: 16577: 15847: 15716: 15684: 14807: 14767: 14326: 13263: 12338: 2901:

help take the city from the south. On 19 August, German forces were in position to launch an attack on the city.

1938: 422: 398: 20: 16364: 15932: 13388:

Hartley, J. M. (2021). "Chapter 15:The Volga and the Second World War: Conflict, reconstruction, and identity".

10764: 5892: 5590: 4851:

heralded the destruction of "the flower of Adolf Hitler's army". The next day, on 4 February, French newspaper,

4707:

A handful of senior officers were taken to Moscow and used for propaganda purposes, and some of them joined the

18921: 18361: 18333: 18211: 18004: 17241: 16692: 16618: 16414: 15785: 15504: 15409: 15294: 15132: 14096: 14086: 10877:

Vestnik Volgogradskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta. Seriâ 4. Istoriâ, Regionovedenie, Meždunarodnye Otnošeniâ

10246: 6707:Вестник Волгоградского государственного университета. Серия 4: История. Регионоведение. Международные отношения 6108:

Vestnik Volgogradskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta. Seriâ 4. Istoriâ, Regionovedenie, Meždunarodnye Otnošeniâ

3138: 1570: 1414: 813: 18582: 9526:

Walsh, Stephen (2020). "The Battle of Stalingrad, September–November 1942". In Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (ed.).

7909: 6227: 5932:

Walsh, Stephen (2020). "The Battle of Stalingrad, September–November 1942". In Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (ed.).

2500:'s forces launched Operation Fridericus I, encircling and destroying much of the Soviet forces in the ensuing 2002: 18906: 18421: 18354: 18305: 18236: 18061: 17567: 17518: 17282: 17275: 16878: 16639: 16430: 15483: 14777: 13752: 13664: 12654:

The tragedy of German prisoners of war in Stalingrad: from 1942 to 1956 according to Russian archival records

12650:

Die Tragödie der deutschen Kriegsgefangenen in Stalingrad: von 1942 bis 1956 nach russischen Archivunterlagen

5006: 4855:, headlined it as "the greatest battle of all time". Writing in his diary on 1 January 1943, British General 4804:

spearhead of the Third Reich's arms". At the time, the global significance of the battle was not in doubt. A

4712: 3847: 3334:

to hand-to-hand fighting, "nowhere was it more brutal, more savage, more relentless, than in the Barrikady".

3229:

fortified a four-story building that oversaw a square 300 meters from the river bank, which was later called

3055: 2054: 1923: 1651: 1641: 1531: 1283: 7552:"No Land Behind The Volga: The Red Army's Defense of Stalingrad and the Encirclement of the German 6th Army" 3815:

jumped from their wagons. But already the enemy was attacking the station with their battle-cries of 'Urrah!

3714:

German soldiers as prisoners of war. In the background is the heavily fought-over Stalingrad grain elevator.

3281:

part. Most importantly, the Soviets controlled the ferries to their supplies on the east bank of the Volga.

18495: 18391: 17766: 17727: 16646: 16481: 16466: 16393: 16372: 16190: 15868: 15654: 15647: 15631: 15342: 15301: 15273: 14842: 13630: 13045:

Pennington, Reina (2004). "Women and the Battle of Stalingrad". In Erikson, Ljubica; Erikson, Mark (eds.).

11922: 6755: 4761: 4752:

Stalingrad has been described as the greatest singular defeat in the history of the German Army. Historian

4377:

stated that "Superlatives are unavoidable when describing the battle of Stalingrad; it was the struggle of

2942: 2497: 2496:

to request reinforcements. However, a German counterattack on 13 May halted the Soviet advance. On 17 May,

2197: 1604: 1359: 1322: 1227: 1136: 287: 46: 10207:] (in Russian). Vol. 3. Битвы и сражения, изменившие ход войны. Кучково поле. 2012. p. 421. 8981: 5767:] (in Russian). Vol. 3. Битвы и сражения, изменившие ход войны. Кучково поле. 2012. p. 252. 5343:] (in Russian). Vol. 3. Битвы и сражения, изменившие ход войны. Кучково поле. 2012. p. 421. 18622: 18458: 17782: 17734: 17352: 17324: 17177: 16792: 16771: 16292: 15955: 15861: 15351: 14737: 14176: 13589: 11786: 11463: 11245: 9904: 7078: 4884: 4385:

tanks, 261 other armoured vehicles, 571 half-tracks and 10,679 motorcycles were captured by the Soviets.

4194: 3740:

often served in supporting roles but were also deployed in frontline units due to their growing numbers.

3662:

On 19 November 1942, Operation Uranus was launched. The attacking Soviet units under the command of Gen.

3635: 1987: 540: 27: 13645: 11544: 10789: 9355: 5822: 3889:

day that the army holds out longer helps the whole front and draws away the Russian divisions from it."

18746: 18705: 18672: 18529: 18256: 17752: 17671: 17616: 17504: 17460: 17110: 16736: 16660: 16562: 16439: 16311: 16304: 16264: 16237: 15969: 15902: 15497: 15308: 15238: 15058: 14531: 14526: 14521: 14516: 14511: 14506: 14501: 13739: 13715: 12209:, US Army Command and General Staff College Press, Fort Leavenworth Kansas USA, pp. 29–53, 443–444 4838: 4772:

from declaring war on the Soviet Union. The battle also stifled plans for future joint strategy in the

3454:

4's percentage of Eastern Front aircraft from 60 percent on 28 June to 38 percent by 20 September. The

3338: 2946: 2634: 2333: 2239: 2017: 1636: 1598: 1364: 13711:

Documentary showing the recovery of numerous bodies of missing soldiers in the Stalingrad area in 2015

13700: 8222:

Bates, Aaron (April 2016). "For Want of the Means: A Logistical Appraisal of the Stalingrad Airlift".

2538: 18642: 18158: 18075: 17860: 17720: 17692: 17525: 17430: 17220: 16653: 15727: 15381: 15088: 15011: 14214: 14186: 14181: 14171: 13305: 12453: 8730: 4830: 4781: 4559: 3305: 3297: 2835: 2680: 2588: 2121: 1908: 1734: 1631: 1239: 1207: 1182: 15925: 13618: 13456:

Island of Fire: The Battle for the Barrikady Gun Factory in Stalingrad November 1942 – February 1943

12683:

Das Deutsche Reich in der Defensive: Die Ostfront 1943/44 Der Krieg im Osten und an den Nebenfronten

11286:

Stalingrad – OSA III – Stalingradin taistelu päättyy (Stalingrad, Part 3: Battle of Stalingrad ends)

8047: 18652: 18559: 17897: 17874: 17126: 16927: 16920: 16584: 16244: 16216: 16209: 15596: 15202: 14941: 14772: 14268: 14121: 14116: 14111: 14101: 12412: 10722: 10596: 5154: 5021: 4943: 4467: 4397: 4079: 3947: 3691: 3667: 3508: 3355: 3028: 2823: 2799: 2795: 2791: 2787: 2783: 2779: 2775: 2752: 2501: 1928: 1550: 1342: 823: 790: 785: 780: 759: 754: 749: 744: 739: 15941: 15918: 13652: 3529: 2542:

German and Romanian command personnel consult in a field position near the Don River, August 1942.

18956: 18319: 18263: 18133: 17993: 17678: 17331: 17227: 17133: 16701: 16569: 16539: 16503: 16488: 16360: 16252: 16230: 16176: 16162: 16144: 15808: 15589: 15317: 15266: 15207: 15113: 15006: 14799: 14191: 13896: 13636:

Story of the Stalingrad battle with pictures, maps, video and other primary and secondary sources

13494:

Croatian Legion: The 369th Reinforced (Croatian) Infantry Regiment on The Eastern Front 1941–1943

8498: 6439: 5174: 4704:), cold, overwork, mistreatment and malnutrition. Some were kept in the city to help rebuild it. 4176: 4086:

each day. The Red Army fired more ammunition in this battle than any other operation of the war.

3832: 3756: 3143: 3106:

Historian David Glantz stated that the grinding and brutal battle resembled "the fighting on the

2916: 2317: 2164: 1964: 1918: 1845: 1802: 1771: 1739: 1717: 1609: 1426: 1388: 1376: 1259: 1244: 12970:"Stalinqrad döyüşü: tarixin ən qanlı savaşı və II dünya müharibəsində əsaslı dönüşün başlanğıcı" 12308: 12228: 11870: 11194: 11085: 11030: 10976: 9881:

The Roots of Soviet Victory: The Applications of Operational Art on the Eastern Front, 1942-1943

9635: 9206: 8667: 8524: 7410: 18966: 18946: 18792: 18616: 18597: 18592: 18577: 18011: 17904: 17706: 17657: 17560: 17453: 17423: 17206: 17094: 16820: 16611: 16202: 16183: 16153: 15700: 15670: 15182: 14971: 14059: 13861: 13854: 13515: 12678: 12577: 11294: 10846: 10631: 9463:"Defending the City: An Overview of Defensive Tactics from the Modern History of Urban Warfare" 7712: 5091: 5052: 4348: 4022: 3897: 3785: 3648: 3309: 2932: 2868: 2389: 2321: 2304:

protecting the 6th Army's flanks. The Axis flanks were overrun and the 6th Army was encircled.

2157: 2150: 2126: 1957: 1903: 1744: 1504: 1477: 1354: 1197: 639: 527: 13681: 11423: 9935:"War of the Words: Lessons in Psychological Operations from the Eastern Front in World War II" 9338: 8435:

Endgame at Stalingrad: Book Two: December 1942–February 1943, The Stalingrad Trilogy, Volume 3

7799: 7160: 2546: 18797: 18736: 18631: 18522: 18502: 18225: 18068: 17964: 17934: 17890: 17630: 17595: 17588: 17511: 17409: 16850: 16827: 16674: 16285: 15822: 15562: 15548: 15231: 14166: 14054: 13351: 12789: 11343: 10134:, p. 165: "The combined German losses of 6th Army and 4th Panzer were over 300,000 men." 10061: 8172: 8133: 7199: 6009: 4760:

was gone forever". The German military historian Walter Görlitz stated that "It was a second

4257: 4164:

conducted 100,000 sorties and dropped 100,000 tons of bombs on the city and river crossings.

3982: 3960: 3533:

Soviet soldiers attack, February 1943. The ruined Railwaymen's Building is in the background.

3361: 3244: 2863: 2676: 2615: 2584: 2393: 2116: 2039: 1992: 1749: 1482: 1471: 1222: 651: 627: 343: 16120: 14382: 12161:"Searching for Missing Soldiers in Stalingrad (Die Toten von Stalingrad) - Arte documentary" 10872: 9662: 7480:"Stalingrad: The Hinge of History – How Hitler's hubris led to the defeat of the Sixth Army" 6685: 6103: 6071: 3197:

The brutality of the battle was noted in a journal found on German lieutenant Weiner of the

2774:

During the defence of Stalingrad, the Red Army deployed five armies in and around the city (

1813: 18951: 18825: 18815: 18782: 18685: 18680: 18647: 18326: 18181: 17832: 17789: 17685: 17495: 17474: 16400: 15877: 15555: 15197: 15146: 15103: 14986: 14049: 13725: 12631:

The Damned and the Dead: The Eastern Front Through the Eyes of Soviet and Russian Novelists

10248:Большая излучина Дона – место решающих сражений Великой Отечественной войны (1942–1943 гг.) 9860:, US Army Command and General Staff College Press, Fort Leavenworth Kansas USA, p. 443 6703:"Особенности тактики ведения боевых действий советских войск в период Сталинградской битвы" 5646:

Turning Point: Recollections of Russian Participants and Witnesses of the Stalingrad Battle

5044: 4948: 3969: 3167: 3152: 2992:

Stalin rushed all available troops to the east bank of the Volga, some from as far away as

2819: 2486: 2466: 2377: 2245: 2138: 1975: 1537: 1419: 1176: 715: 679: 615: 591: 502: 13635: 11503:. Vol. VI (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2001. pp. 1214–1215. 5779:

July 17, 1942 in Russian historiography is considered the beginning of the Stalingrad War.

5129:, p. 195: This force grew to 1,600 in early September by withdrawing forces from the 4614: 3458:(bomber force) was the hardest hit, having only 232 out of an original force of 480 left. 2726: 1891: 1886: 1202: 102: 8: 18807: 18662: 18657: 18444: 18218: 18096: 18052: 17574: 16708: 16474: 16001: 15831: 15815: 15764: 15159: 14966: 14837: 14296: 13945: 13686: 10427: 10399: 6807: 6146: 4918: 4913: 4825: 4810: 4498: 4369: 4356: 4232: 4094: 4047: 3671: 3494: 3159: 3107: 3066: 3020: 2413: 2171: 1614: 1580: 1525: 13730: 13140: 10144: 5077:

Some German holdouts continued to operate in the city and resist until early March 1943.

3573:

was held only by the Romanian 4th Army. Beyond that army, a single German division, the

3465:

intensified its efforts against the remaining Red Army positions holding the west bank.

2648:

Operation Fridericus I by the Germans against the "Izyum bulge", pinched off the Soviet

2401: 2332:, the Battle of Stalingrad is recognized as an important aspect of what is known as the 18830: 18718: 18695: 18690: 18637: 18602: 18437: 18270: 18195: 18149: 18119: 18027: 17867: 17532: 17416: 17310: 17261: 17199: 16955: 16906: 16715: 16339: 15994: 15792: 15153: 15093: 14946: 14794: 14757: 14752: 14106: 13826: 13709: 13280: 12989: 12674: 12523:. Black Cross Red Star: Air War Over the Eastern Front. Vol. III. Eagle Editions. 12304: 11003: 10361: 9996: 9971: 9500: 9382: 9202: 9132: 9075: 6860: 5792: 5695: 5245:] (in Russian). Vol. 6. Коренной перелом в войне. Воениздат. 1976. p. 35. 4989: 4942:

In recognition of the determination of its defenders, Stalingrad was awarded the title

4847: 4797: 4594: 4570: 4373:

to the World War I German attack on the fortress complex at Verdun." British historian

4216: 4119: 4107: 3974: 3800: 3330: 2745: 2649: 2626: 2551: 2462: 2329: 2044: 1864: 1624: 1585: 1565: 1560: 1458: 1233: 979: 710: 622: 610: 417: 405: 386: 242: 12668:

daß in der sowjetischen Geschichtsschreibung üblich war die Schlacht von Stalingrad...

12080:

Historical Memorial Complex "To the Heroes of the Stalingrad Battle" at Mamayev Hill.

11949:

The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth at the Centre of WWII's Greatest Battle

11711:

The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth at the Centre of WWII's Greatest Battle

10927: 9031:

The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth at the Centre of WWII's Greatest Battle

8958:

The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth at the Centre of WWII's Greatest Battle

8836:

A Doctrine for Defense of a Major Urban Population Center by Division and Larger Units

6946: 4549:, then the two highest ranking German officers captured by the Allies, 4 February 1943 3973:. In deciding to promote Paulus, Hitler noted that there was no record of a German or 18787: 18756: 18428: 18312: 18202: 18142: 18103: 18036: 18018: 17984: 17927: 17881: 17825: 17650: 17388: 17380: 17317: 17170: 16764: 16296: 15757: 15736: 15446: 15083: 15078: 15048: 15001: 14981: 14956: 14951: 14936: 14911: 14861: 14468: 14278: 14273: 14161: 13971: 13597: 13562: 13543: 13521: 13497: 13478: 13459: 13440: 13421: 13402: 13374: 13355: 13332: 13313: 13300:]. German Life and Civilization (in German). Vol. 23. Peter Lang Publishers. 13284: 13238: 13215: 13176: 13147: 13124: 13105: 13083: 13073: 13050: 13022: 13003: 12977: 12954: 12935: 12913: 12894: 12875: 12856: 12837: 12814: 12795: 12758: 12739: 12720: 12694: 12657: 12634: 12608: 12587: 12563: 12546: 12524: 12505: 12486: 12467: 12437: 12418: 12394: 12372: 12314: 12284: 12259: 12234: 12007: 11952: 11897:"ВОЕННАЯ ЛИТЕРАТУРА --[ Военная история ]-- Уткин А. И. Вторая мировая война" 11876: 11820: 11792: 11739: 11714: 11689: 11663: 11550: 11504: 11429: 11402: 11251: 11200: 11173: 11145: 11091: 11061: 11036: 11009: 10982: 10894: 10827: 10736: 10699: 10668: 10637: 10610: 10549: 10539:

Poteri Vooruzhonnykh Sil SSSR v voynakh, boyevykh deystviyakh i voyennykh konfliktakh

10513: 10463: 10435: 10407: 10367: 10340: 10332: 10294: 10255: 10229: 10208: 10178: 10081: 10001: 9910: 9696: 9668: 9641: 9585: 9556: 9531: 9506: 9431: 9388: 9361: 9243: 9212: 9158: 9136: 9124: 9081: 9034: 8961: 8736: 8673: 8530: 8438: 8403: 8292: 8178: 8139: 8096: 7915: 7805: 7718: 7416: 7341: 7316: 7291: 7266: 7205: 7166: 6952: 6894: 6866: 6815: 6714: 6346: 6154: 6125: 6077: 6043: 6015: 5937: 5798: 5768: 5726: 5701: 5674: 5649: 5624: 5569: 5535: 5501: 5464: 5344: 5316: 5001: 4922: 4907:

Consul in Moscow predicted that "the lands which the Germans have destined for their

4785: 4675:

book, based on a first-hand account of his visit to Stalingrad on 3–5 February 1943,

4652:

The operative report of the Don Front's staff issued on 5 February 1943, 22:00 said,

4364: 4221: 4157: 4018: 4010: 3994: 3880: 3644: 3358:, a substantial force of over 2,000 men, to the fighting at the Red October Factory. 3254: 3231: 3190: 3114:

in 1916 more than it did the familiar blitzkrieg war of the previous three summers".

3070: 2741: 2734: 2691: 2664: 2638: 2474: 2425: 2049: 2012: 1509: 1337: 446: 14742: 13669: 8627: 8254: 4667:

The condition of the troops that surrendered was pitiful. British war correspondent

2961:

to enter Stalingrad city during assault operations, with it fighting as part of the

18607: 18587: 18347: 18340: 18284: 17948: 17713: 17699: 17602: 17539: 17490: 17303: 17156: 17103: 16913: 16864: 16778: 16008: 15985: 15518: 14854: 14812: 14762: 14156: 14008: 13903: 13889: 13535: 13272: 13230: 13168: 12334: 10884: 10569: 10073: 9991: 9983: 9421: 9114: 8930: 8881: 8834: 8493: 8231: 8009: 7338:

Why Stalin's Soldiers Fought: The Red Army's Military Effectiveness in World War II

7313:

ru:Война на весах Фемиды: война 1941–1945 гг. в материалах следственно-судебных дел

6115: 5189: 5163: 5095: 4976: 4834: 4753: 4598: 4360: 4337: 4282: 4184: 4153: 4145: 3943: 3909: 3905: 3873: 3863:

form a new front that would be able in some measure to check our counter-offensive.

3728: 3679: 3656: 3593: 3118: 3117:

On 5 September, the Soviet 24th and 66th Armies organized a massive attack against

3111: 3005: 2885: 2877: 2558: 2493: 2446: 2344: 2297: 2276: 2229: 2176: 2143: 2059: 1950: 1869: 1788: 1756: 1663: 1657: 1646: 1619: 1555: 1463: 1316: 1305: 1278: 1270: 1249: 1192: 1006: 731: 514: 410: 356: 15527: 14817: 13698:

Stalingrad Battle Data Project: order of battle, strength returns, interactive map

13692:

The photo album of Wehrmacht NCO named Nemela of 9. Machine-Gewehr Bataillon (mot)

13691: 10816:"Динамика демографических показателей Сталинградской области в 1940-х - 1950-х гг" 10546:

Losses of the Armed Forces of the USSR in wars, hostilities and military conflicts

10020: 8235: 7531:

McLaurin, R. D.; Jureidini, Paul A.; McDonald, David S.; Sellers, Kurt J. (1987).

3569:

Similarly, on the southern flank of the Stalingrad sector, the front southwest of

361: 18741: 18713: 18627: 18370: 18082: 17997: 17955: 17853: 17796: 17664: 17446: 17437: 16966: 16548: 16524: 15778: 15187: 15053: 14991: 14931: 14849: 14318: 14247: 14237: 14232: 14091: 14044: 13704: 13676: 13625: 13576: 13511: 13202: 13190: 13097: 12755:

To the Gates of Stalingrad – Soviet-German combat operations April to August 1942

12088: 11812: 11571: 11338: 10573: 10170: 8466: 8430: 8395: 8054: 5146: 4889: 4769: 4724: 4668: 4566: 4314: 4138: 3964: 3812: 3663: 3652: 3437: 3342: 3269: 3024: 2592: 2489:. Despite opposition from Shaposhnikov and Vasilevsky, Stalin approved the plan. 2249: 2221: 2034: 1668: 1575: 1437: 1402: 1327: 1217: 703: 691: 603: 490: 434: 58: 18482: 12104:"Stalingrad anniversary: 70 years on, Russian city still gives up its WWII dead" 11599: 11525: 10077: 10042: 9879: 9310: 9011: 8906: 8859: 7532: 6907: 5987: 5961: 5854: 4285:

during the battle, though this is thought to have resulted from natural causes.

4141:

to clear the city with varying success. Towards the end of August, the gigantic

18764: 18728: 18377: 17913: 17839: 15891: 15750: 15073: 15068: 14921: 14916: 14906: 14901: 14013: 13976: 13631:

Stalingrad battle Newsreels // Net-Film Newsreels and Documentary Films Archive

13276: 12993: 12712: 12687:

The Eastern Front 1943–1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts

10932: 9987: 9334: 6681: 5134: 4777: 4624: 4555: 4487: 4477: 4447: 4306: 4188: 4115: 3762: 3736:), or "volunteer auxiliaries," recruited from Soviet POWs and civilians. These 3640: 3380: 3214: 3186: 2896:

The Germans formed bridgeheads across the Don on 20 August, with the 295th and

2748: 2316:, the legacy of the Red Army's victory at Stalingrad is commemorated among the 2290: 2286: 1898: 1795: 1381: 1212: 665: 552: 12791:

Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East 1942–1943

12230:

To the Gates of Stalingrad: Soviet-German Combat Operations, April-August 1942

12160: 10889: 9426: 9409: 9119: 9102: 8048:

Leavenworth Papers No. 2 Nomonhan: Japanese-Soviet Tactical Combat, 1939; MAPS

6914: 6912: 6910: 6120: 4206:

coercion Red Army soldiers experienced under the Special Detachments (renamed

3921:

extraordinarily high till the end of the battle. In particular, the so-called

3710: 3598: 3461:

In mid-October, after receiving reinforcements from the Caucasus theatre, the

18895: 18188: 16113: 15962: 15801: 15016: 14996: 14926: 14891: 14782: 13312:. Stalin's War with Germany. Vol. 1. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. 13294:

Eingekesselt: Die Schlacht um Stalingrad im deutschsprachigen Roman nach 1945

13038:

The Unknown Eastern Front: The Wehrmacht and Hitler's Foreign Soldiers Müller

12981: 12602: 12550: 12408: 11681: 11667: 10898: 10831: 10760: 10523: 10110: 9589: 9435: 9128: 8391: 7951: 6718: 6129: 4663:] were found, who refused to surrender, the Germans found were destroyed. 4457: 4437: 4390: 4378: 4227: 4211: 4172: 4102: 4098: 4055: 4030: 4014: 3990: 3837: 3406: 3163: 3061:

In the early stages of the battle, the NKVD organised poorly armed "Workers'

2980: 2831: 2807: 2672: 2470: 2409: 2272: 2225: 965: 818: 634: 478: 465: 429: 257: 162: 149: 81: 10175:

Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples since 1500

9256: 5313:

Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples since 1500

4562:, followed by the announcement of the defeat at Stalingrad. On 18 February, 4393:

gives a figure of one million Soviet soldiers dead on the Stalingrad front.

18569: 18487: 18291: 16591: 16496: 16127: 15490: 15254: 14961: 14896: 14880: 14747: 14732: 14721: 14484: 14307: 14203: 14146: 14076: 13988: 13966: 13956: 13881: 13846: 13657: 13298:

Encircled: The Battle of Stalingrad in the German-language Novel After 1945

12785: 12708: 12081: 10542:Потери Вооружённых Сил СССР в войнах, боевых действиях и военных конфликтах 10085: 10005: 8437:(1st ed.). Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. p. 578. 5087: 4820: 4773: 4716: 4546: 4142: 4111: 4075: 4059: 4051: 3951: 3933: 3885: 3581: 3551: 3289: 3226: 3089: 2937: 2889: 2827: 2715: 2611: 2607: 2603: 2397: 2381: 2305: 2253: 2213: 2205: 2201: 1681: 1332: 1051: 947: 855: 799: 767: 725: 698: 686: 674: 659: 598: 586: 576: 570: 547: 535: 522: 509: 497: 485: 473: 459: 393: 381: 374: 369: 351: 338: 329: 323: 305: 226: 50: 13237:. Marshal of Victory. Vol. II. Pen and Sword Books. pp. 110–11. 12855:. Translated by Richard Harrison. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Military. 12199: 11896: 10633:

The Price of Victory: The Red Army's Casualties in the Great Patriotic War

10062:"Tularemia, Biological Warfare, and the Battle for Stalingrad (1942–1943)" 9850: 8931:""За Волгой для нас земли нет". Маршал Чуйков - Радио Sputnik, 26.05.2021" 6202:"Битва за символ. Сталинград стал точкой перелома во Второй мировой войне" 4687:] horses' skeletons, and to the right, there was an enormous horrible 2196:(17 July 1942 – 2 February 1943) was a major battle on the 18551: 18126: 18112: 17774: 16450: 16271: 16256: 15610: 15098: 14828: 14036: 12927: 12386: 11113:"'They would have preferred hell': The Battle of Stalingrad, 80 years on" 10360:

Wagner, Margaret; Osborne, Linda; Reyburn, Susan; Kennedy, David (2007).

6754:(transcript). Season 10. Episode 9. 11 November 2011. PBS. Archived from 5595: 4867:

I felt Russia could never hold, Caucasus was bound to be penetrated, and

4856: 4842: 4697: 4628: 4602: 4585: 4325: 4199: 3804: 3718: 3570: 3562: 3141:

and 24th Army launched an offensive against VIII Army Corps at Kotluban.

2881: 2653: 2438: 2430: 2209: 93: 5838:

Seventy-five years ago in July of 1942, the battle for Stalingrad began.

17481: 17234: 17213: 16106: 15439: 15367: 14027: 13940: 13744: 12538: 11579:(Master's thesis). United States Army Command and General Staff College 10710:

Perhaps these losses are underestimated, but in any case they are huge.

10432:

The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won

10404:

The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won

9884:(Master's thesis). United States Army Command and General Staff College 9315:(Master's thesis). United States Army Command and General Staff College 8886:(Master's thesis). United States Army Command and General Staff College 8839:(Master's thesis). United States Army Command and General Staff College 7990: 6812:

The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won

6762: 6151:

The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won

5671:

The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won

4908: 4793: 4780:

were no longer feasible. Its importance was further noted by historian

4580:

that would claim all resources and efforts from the entire population.

4519: 4310:

recovered 250,000 German and Romanian corpses in and around Stalingrad.

4274: 2880:

on 17 July on the distant approaches to Stalingrad, in the bend of the

2794:); and an additional nine armies in the encirclement counteroffensive ( 2733:

After German intentions became clear in July, Stalin appointed General

2610:'s 4th Panzer Army, was to move east towards the Volga and Stalingrad. 2599: 2442: 2267:: controlling Stalingrad meant gaining access to the oil fields of the 2070: 13648:

Written with strong Socialist/Communist political under and overtones.

12681:; Wegner, Bernd (2017). "German Conduct of the War after Stalingrad". 11573:

Stalingrad and the Turning Point on the Soviet-German Front, 1941-1943

10245:Матишов, Г.Г.; Афанасенко, В.И.; Кринко, Е.Ф.; Медведев, М.В. (2016). 8291:. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Security International. p. 177. 7714:

Island of Fire: The Battle for the Barrikady Gun Factory in Stalingrad

4871:(our Achilles heel) would be captured with the consequent collapse of 4187:

during the German push towards the city into positional warfare, with

17744: 17149: 16946: 16757: 16555: 16510: 15212: 15192: 13998: 10820:Известия Волгоградского государственного педагогического университета 5249: 4954: 4720: 4577: 4317:: German forces suffered 800,000 casualties, including the Romanians. 4278: 4133:

German soldiers positioning themselves for urban warfare (colourised)

4043: 3078: 2973: 2950: 2922: 2811: 2803: 2738: 2737:

commander of the Southeastern Front on 1 August 1942. Yeryomenko and

2668: 2580: 2573: 2566: 2508: 2405: 2385: 2320:. It is also well known in many other countries that belonged to the 2281: 2217: 1933: 1729: 1713: 1348: 773: 197: 136: 107: 86: 16031: 13596:(1995 translation Revised ed.). New York: Sterling Publishing. 12969: 11335:

After the Reich: From the Liberation of Vienna to the Berlin Airlift

10726: 10698:] (in Russian). Санкт-Петербург: Terra Fantastica. p. 118. 10689: 10667:] (in Russian). Санкт-Петербург: Terra Fantastica. p. 118. 10658: 10600: 9578:"The First World War tactic helping Ukraine fight a modern conflict" 8647: 8016: 6606:

confidence in what they thought were well built defensive positions.

6395: 5559: 5525: 4606: 4160:, with significant efforts made to resist German tank assaults. The 3846:

supported by at least 100 tanks – attacked the Italian Cosseria and

2625:

had been planned for late May 1942. However, a number of German and

2212:

allies attacked and became locked in a protracted struggle with the

18774: 16015: 15743: 13369:

Grossman, Vasily (2007). Beevor, Antony; Vinogradova, Luba (eds.).

12519:

Bergström, Christer; Dikov, Andrey & Antipov, Vladimir (2006).

12434:

Russia: War, Peace and Diplomacy: Essays in Honour of John Erickson

8799: 8797: 8795: 8504: 5519: 5517: 4829:

that "Stalingrad's role in this war was that of the Battles of the

4688: 3578: 3555: 3293: 3250: 3093:

Soviet soldiers running through trenches in the ruins of Stalingrad

2434: 2417: 2268: 2257: 193: 73: 13047:

Russia War, Peace and Diplomacy: Essays in Honour of John Erickson

13000:

Lost Victories: The War Memoirs of Hitler's Most Brilliant General

11289:(Television documentary. German original: "Stalingrad" Episode 3: 10526:

on 29 July 2018 – via Militera.lib.ru (Military Literature).

10495:

Isayev, Alexey Valerievich (2008). "Epilog. Operatsiya "Kol'tso""

8908:

Commonalities in Russian Military Operations in Urban Environments

3379:

ground behind the Barrikady Factory where the remnants of Colonel

13371:

A Writer at War: A Soviet Journalist with the Red Army, 1941–1945

12371:. Translated by Tony Le Tissier. England: Pen & Sword Books. 11374: 8372: 8312: 6725: 6153:(Reprint ed.). New York: Basic Books. pp. 3, 136, 308. 4805: 3683: 3675: 3222: 3183: 3062: 2993: 2482: 13640: 12693:) (in German). Vol. VIII. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 9063:. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Press. p. 64. 8792: 8780: 7731: 7530: 7340:(First ed.). University Press of Kansas. pp. 164–165. 7242: 7055: 6571: 6547:"Text of the Day's War Communiques on Fighting in Various Zones" 6544: 6520:"Text of the Day's War Communiques on Fighting in Various Zones" 6517: 6490: 5514: 4938:

The Eternal Flame in Mamayev Kurgan, Volgograd, Russia (collage)

3879:

Soviet envoy party (comprising Major Aleksandr Smyslov, Captain

3670:, 5th Tank Army and 21st Army, including a total of 18 infantry 3054:

One of the first units to offer resistance in this area was the

2872:

The German advance to Stalingrad between 24 July and 18 November

2441:

to central Russia. The capture of Stalingrad would also disrupt

1104: 18972:

World War II aerial operations and battles of the Eastern Front

18514: 16625: 15223: 15063: 13517:

Stalin and His Hangmen: The Tyrant and Those Who Killed for Him

13437:

Death of the Leaping Horseman: 24 Panzer Division in Stalingrad

13348:

Nomonhan, 1939; The Red Army's Victory That Shaped World War II

13079:

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

11631: 10244: 6176:"Stalingrad at 75, the Turning Point of World War II in Europe" 5420: 5418: 5416: 4904: 4868: 4765: 4701: 4250: 4207: 4168: 3913: 3538: 2997: 2562: 2561:

was selected for a sprint forward through the southern Russian

2525: 2521: 2421: 2404:. In the east, the Germans had stabilized a front running from 2313: 13735:. Video showing the excavation and reburial of hundreds bodies 11621: 11619: 10107:"Heeresarzt 10-Day Casualty Reports per Army/Army Group, 1943" 8579: 7948:"Heeresarzt 10-Day Casualty Reports per Army/Army Group, 1942" 5117:

The Front was reformed from reserve armies on 22 October 1942.

4863:, reflected on the change in the position from a year before: 3365:

Soviet soldiers in one of the shops of the Red October Factory

2972:

Smoke over the city center after aerial bombing by the German

2690:

By the end of July, Soviet forces were pushed back across the

18841: 16813: 14135: 12020: 10790:"Самсонов А.. Сталинградская битва (стр. 42) - ModernLib.Net" 10537:

Krivosheev, G. F.; Andronikov, V. M.; Burikov, P. D. (1993).

10476: 9798: 9796: 6407: 6383: 5130: 3917:

intermittent air drops of ammunition and food until the end.

3751:

Soviet soldiers with German supply canisters after the battle

3148: 2478: 2264: 1843: 9723: 9721: 9077:

The Bones of Berdichev: The Life and Fate of Vasily Grossman

7456: 7378: 7263:

Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the Twentieth Century

5553: 5551: 5413: 2884:. A significant clash in the early stages of the battle was 2641:. Delays in ending the siege pushed back the start date for 2602:

to split in two. Army Group South (A), under the command of

13329:

After Stalingrad: The Red Army's Winter Offensive 1942–1943

11616: 10871:

Krinko, Evgeniy F.; Medvedev, Maksim V. (1 February 2018).

10536: 10359: 9343:. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. pp. 197–198. 8768: 6472: 6102:

Krinko, Evgeniy F.; Medvedev, Maksim V. (1 February 2018).

5893:"Urban Warfare Project Case Study #1: Battle of Stalingrad" 3264:

Hans Doerr stated about the conditions of the battle that;

2645:

several times, and the city did not fall until early July.

2454: 96:

prisoners of war (Germans, Italians, Romanians, Hungarians)

13697: 13418:

Stalingrad: How the Red Army Survived the German Onslaught

11087:

Stalingrad: How the Red Army Survived the German Onslaught

10939: 10574:"Soldiers in Cities: Military Operations on Urban Terrain" 9793: 9615: 9603: 8982:"CHEMICAL ARMS TALKS NEARING WITH U.S. FAR BEHIND SOVIETS" 7978: 7823: 7821: 7007: 6690:. Office of the Chief of Military History. pp. 37–38. 6628: 6626: 6419: 6286: 4156:

was important, and the basis of every Soviet position was

13235:

The WWII Memoirs of Soviet General Georgy Zhukov, 1942–45

12677:; Schmider, Klaus; Schönherr, Klaus; Schreiber, Gerhard; 12502:

Stalingrad: The Air Battle, November 1942 – February 1943

12391:

Hitler's Army: Soldiers, Nazis and War in the Third Reich

10366:(1st ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 527, 528. 10268: 9832: 9718: 9080:(1st ed.). New York: The Free Press. pp. xvii. 8698: 8591: 8567: 8324: 7779: 7767: 7743: 7598: 7434: 7432: 7366: 7104: 7094: 7092: 6662: 5548: 5243:

History of the Second World War 1939–1945. In 12 volumes.

5216: 4682: 4659: 4531:

A Soviet soldier marches a German soldier into captivity.

2228:, being the single largest and costliest urban battle in 11481: 10548:] (in Russian). Voenizdat. pp. 178–82, 369–70. 10434:(Reprint ed.). New York: Basic Books. p. 308. 9555:(1st ed.). Osprey Publishing. pp. 38, 45, 91. 9502:

Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II

9384:

Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II

8756: 8266: 7866: 7854: 7833: 7619:"Defense of Stalingrad Called Miracle of Modern Warfare" 7586: 7218: 7179: 7140: 6970: 6968: 6814:(Reprint ed.). New York: Basic Books. p. 318. 6742: 6740: 6462: 6460: 5794:

Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II

5403: 5401: 13049:. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 169–211. 12436:. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 154–168. 12037: 12035: 11985: 11983: 11170: