Battle of Stalingrad

Battle of Stalingrad

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B24543, Russland, Kampf um Stalingrad, Soldaten.jpg German soldiers in the ruins of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad was a major confrontation of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in Southern Russia. Marked by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians by air raids, it is often regarded as one of the largest and bloodiest battles in the history of warfare.

Background

The battle began on 23 August 1942, when the German Wehrmacht launched Operation Barbarossa, aiming to capture the city of Stalingrad, a major industrial center on the Volga River. The capture of Stalingrad was important to Hitler for two main reasons: it was a key industrial city and a major transport route between the Caspian Sea and northern Russia.

The Battle

The battle can be divided into two phases: the German offensive to capture the city, and the Soviet counter-offensive that eventually encircled and destroyed the German 6th Army.

German Offensive

The German offensive began with heavy bombing by the Luftwaffe, which reduced much of the city to rubble. Despite this, Soviet forces, under the command of General Vasily Chuikov, mounted a determined defense, engaging in brutal house-to-house fighting.

Soviet Counter-Offensive

On 19 November 1942, the Soviets launched Operation Uranus, a massive counter-offensive that encircled the German 6th Army. The encirclement was completed on 23 November, trapping about 300,000 Axis troops inside the city.

Aftermath

The battle ended on 2 February 1943 with the surrender of the German 6th Army. The defeat was a turning point in the war, marking the beginning of the Soviet offensive that would eventually lead to the capture of Berlin in 1945.

Significance

The Battle of Stalingrad was a turning point in the Eastern Front and in World War II as a whole. It marked the first major defeat of the German military and significantly weakened the Wehrmacht's ability to wage war.

Also see

• Operation Barbarossa
• Eastern Front (World War II)
• Siege of Leningrad
• Battle of Kursk
• Vasily Chuikov
• Georgy Zhukov