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The Battle of Stalingrad
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True or false? The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most violent and bloody battles of World War II.
In June 1941, Germany invades the Soviet Union. The plan is to quickly conquer the country. In the beginning, things are going well for the Germans, but the Russians are resisting strongly. The German army is not prepared for the cold and snowy Russian winter. The goal of conquering Moscow before the end of the year fails.
As the fighting continues, the Germans' vehicles get stuck in the deep snow, slowing down their attacks. Several German army officers want to withdraw, but Hitler refuses. His refusal will cost the lives of thousands of soldiers. In the spring of 1942 Hitler orders the Army group South to march to the Caucasus on the Caspian Sea. There are oil fields there the Germans need.
Oil is so important to German army vehicles that Hitler says: "If I do not get the oil at Baku under my control, I will have to end the war." To get to the Caucasus and the oil wells, the Germans need to gain control of the Volga River. But the river is used by the Russians to carry weapons and food to their troops and is closely guarded. The center for arms transport is located in Stalingrad, today Volgograd, on the shores of Volga. Therefore, the city must be taken. Plus, Hitler thinks, conquering a city bearing the name of the Soviet leader, Stalin, will surely damage Russian morale.
On June 28, 1942, the attack on the Caucasus, codenamed Case Blau, begins. In August, the German army reaches Stalingrad, a city of 400,000 inhabitants. Hitler orders all men in the city be killed and all women deported. As motivated as Hitler is to take Stalingrad, Stalin is defending the city. It bears his name.
He issues order 227: "Not one step back". Stalin orders anyone strong enough to carry a rifle. He refuses to evacuate civilians. He believes that the Red Army will fight better if they know they are defending civilians. On August 23, the German army attacks.
It is the beginning of one of the most violent and bloody battles of World War II. For weeks, the Germans and Russians fight over every neighbourhood, street, and building inside the city. One day it is the Russians who control a block, the next day the Germans. In mid-October, the Russians nearly lose the city in a German offensive, but they manage to stay. The turning point comes on November 19, when the Russians launch a counterattack, Operation Uranus and manage to surround the German forces.
Germany's top military leadership is asking Hitler to withdraw troops from Stalingrad, but Hitler refuses. December. Once again, the Russian winter strikes. The Germans suffer severely from cold and starvation. They are surrounded by Russians and they lack ammunition and fuel.
Many die. The German commander in Stalingrad, Friedrich Paulus, repeatedly asks Hitler to withdraw the troops. Hitler refuses again, and urges the soldiers in Stalingrad to fight until they die! On January 31, 1943, Paulus gives up; he capitulates. Hitler is furious.
It is a terrible defeat for Germany. The Battle of Stalingrad is one of the largest battles in history. Over six months, over two million men across the two sides participate. In total, about 1.9 million soldiers — from Germany, the other Axis Powers, and the Soviet Union are injured or die during the battle. More than 40,000 Russian civilians die.
Germany's defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad is one of the major turning points of World War II. Until this point, Germany has been victorious in the war, but now they are forced to retreat and the Soviet Union begins its offensive against Germany, which does not end until Berlin in 1945. Most historians believe that Stalingrad is the beginning of the end of World War II.