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The Battle of Stalingrad is considered by many historians to have been the turning point in World War Two in Europe!. The battle at Stalingrad bled the German army dry in Russia and after this defeat, the Germany Army was in full retreat!. One of the ironies of the war, is that the German Sixth Army need not have got entangled in Stanlingrad!. Army Groups A and B were well on their way to the Caucasus in south-west Russia, when Hitler ordered an attack on Stalingrad!. From a strategic point of view it would have been unwise to have left a major city unconquered in your rear as you advanced!. However, some historians believe that Hitler ordered the taking of Stalingrad simply because of the name of the city and Hitler's hatred of Joseph Stalin!. For the same reason Stalin ordered that the city had to be saved!.

The Battle for Stalingrad was fought during the winter of 1942 to 1943!. In September 1942, the German commander of the Sixth Army, General Paulus, assisted by the Fourth Panzer Army, advanced on the city of Stalingrad!. His primary task was to secure the oil fields in the Caucasus and to do this, Paulus was ordered by Hitler to take Stalingrad!. The Germans final target was to have been Baku!.

Stalingrad was also an important target as it was Russia’s centre of communications in the south as well as being a centre for manufacturing!.

In early September 1942, the German Army advanced to the city!. The Russians, already devastated by the power of Blitzkrieg during Operation Barbarossa, had to make a stand especially as the city was named after the Russian leader, Joseph Stalin!. For simple reasons of morale, the Russians could not let this city fall!. Likewise, the Russians could not let the Germans get hold of the oil fields in the Caucasus!. Stalin’s order was "Not a step backwards"!.

The battle for the city descended into one of the most brutal in World War Two!. Individual streets were fought over using hand-to-hand combat!. The Germans took a great deal of the city but they failed to fully assert their authority!. Areas captured by the Germans during the day, were re-taken by the Russians at night!.

On November 19th, the Russians were in a position whereby they could launch a counter-offensive!.

Marshal Zhukov used six armies of one million men to surround the city!. The 5th tank regiment led by Romanenko attacked from the north as did the 21st Army (led by Chistyakov), the 65th Army (led by Batov) and the 24th Army (led by Galinin)!. The 64th, 57th and 521st armies attacked from the south!. The attacking armies met up on November 23rd at Kalach with Stalingrad to the east!.

The bulk of the Sixth Army – some 250,000 to 300,000 men - was in the city and Zhukov, having used his resources to go around the city, north and south, had trapped the Germans in Stalingrad!.

Paulus could have broken out of this trap in the first stages of Zhukov’s attack but was forbidden from doing so by Hitler!.

Unable to break out, the Germans also had to face the winter!. Temperatures dropped to well below zero and food, ammunition and heat were in short supply!.

Hitler ordered that Paulus should fight to the last bullet, and to encourage Paulus, he promoted him to field marshal!. However, by the end of January 1943, the Germans could do nothing else but surrender!. Paulus surrendered the army in the southern sector on January 31st while General Schreck surrendered the northern group on February 2nd, 1943!.

The failure of the German Army was nothing short of a disaster!. A complete army group was lost at Stalingrad and 91,000 Germans were taken prisoner!. With such a massive loss of manpower and equipment, the Germans simply did not have enough manpower to cope with the Russian advance to Germany when it came!.

Despite resistance in parts – such as a Kursk – they were in retreat on the Eastern Front from February 1943 on!. In his fury, Hitler ordered a day’s national mourning in Germany, not for the men lost at the battle, but for the shame von Paulus had brought on the Wehrmacht and Germany!. Paulus was also stripped of his rank to emphasise Hitler’s anger with him!. Hitler commented:

"The God of War has gone over to the other side!."

Pretty much it 'like' sucked for all involved!!!Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Stalingrad (Volgograd) is arguably the pivotal battle of WW 2!.
The Soviets attacked German forces on Nov 19, 1942 at their weakest point where German ally Roumania was guarding their flanks!. The majority of the German Sixth Army was engaged in battle in the city proper when the attack occurred!. The Germans were surrounded for 2 months but finally had to capitulate on Feb 2, 1943 due to lack of food and ammunition!. There was a serious attempt to aid them in Mid December and this attack came within a few days of linking up with the forces in Stalingrad but again this attack had to be called off because of another Soviet offensive in a different part of the front!. In this new attack the Soviets crushed Italian and Hungarian armies that that were being used to guard so-called quiet sectors of the front!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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The German Army fought and lost in Stalingrad!. They were surrounded and trapped by the Army of the Soviet Union (Communist Russian), it was a bloodbath, the once who survived were taken to Labor Camps in Siberia!. It was in 1953 when then Chancellor Adenauer of West Germany, secured the release of German POW!. Many still remain missing to this day, they starved to death and died in these Labor Camps!. The Soviet Union has never provided any information of the names etc!. who were held there for so many years!. Many German Families believe that their missing
family members were held in Siberia after the negotiation with West Germany and only the ones that could still walk were released!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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In December the Germans were surrounded and cut off, relying on aircraft for resupply!. The planes were promised but couldn't keep up the needed minimum of 300 tons a day!. The relief effort was cancelled about 40 km short of linking up with them!.

After that, the Germans got weaker and weaker, the Russians closed in and finished them off in January!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Operation Saturn!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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