The battle

On July 9, 1942

Hitler ordered the simultaneous capture of Stalingrad and the Caucasus.

On July 28

They made much of the city to rubble.

He also refused the evacuation of any civilians, stating that the army would fight harder.

Stalin issued that the defenders at Stalingrad would take “Not One Step Back.”

On September 3

the Russians had built up their defenses.

German tanks had trouble fighting in the streets of Stalingrad.

Streets and individual buildings were fought over by many small units of troops. This was urban street fighting

the Germans fought their way into Stalingrad against strong resistance.

By mid-September

Areas which were captured during the day by Germans, were retaken by the Russians at night.

The city’s buildings were pounded into rubble by close combat.

By late September

The Russians developed defensive tactics that took advantage of the wrecked buildings, which gave them advantages.

Anyway, they could not eliminate the Russians from the industrial quarters along the Volga.

the Germans could raise the flag in the center of town

In mid-November

The Germans now had to face temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius (the temperature in your freezer is about minus 20 degrees Celsius).

With winter setting in and food and supplies fading away, German’s forces grew weaker.

The counteroffensive surprised the Germans. They thought the Soviets are incapable of launching such an attack.

Hitler ordered his army to hold their ground at all costs.

Six Russian armies of one million men are used to surround the city.

In mid-December

He promoted Paulus to field marshal and reminded him that no German officer of that rank had ever surrendered.

Hitler forced the trapped German forces to fight to the death

Hitler refused to let Paulus fight his way out from the city in order to link up with Manstein.

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January 10

The Sixth Army was surrounded by seven Soviet armies.

February 2

About 150,000 Germans had died in the fighting.

Interesting facts

The Soviet victory was a great humiliation for Hitler

It is believed that Hitler ordered the taking of Stalingrad simply because of the name of the city. For the same reason, Stalin ordered that the city had to be saved.

Hitler’s communication with von Paulus, January 24, 1943: “Surrender is forbidden. 6 Army will hold their positions to the last man and the last round and by their heroic endurance will make an unforgettable contribution towards the establishment of a defensive front and the salvation of the Western world.”

“My hands are done for, and have been ever since the beginning of December. The little finger of my left hand is missing and – what’s even worse – the three middle fingers of my right one are frozen. I can only hold my mug with my thumb and little finger. The best thing I can do with the little finger is to shoot with it. My hands are finished.”Anonymous German soldier

Snipers had become one of the most feared opponents for both sides.

Zaytsev is one of the most well-known snipers in history. He attached a scope to an anti-tank gun so that he could take out enemies who were taking cover behind walls. He established a sniper school in a factory in the middle of Stalingrad, during the battle itself. His students killed between1000 and 3000 German soldiers during the course of the war.

A regular Red Army conscript had a life expectancy of just 24 hours,

A Soviet officer had a life expectancy to around 3 days.

Cannibalism was a common occurrence.

Most of the T-34 tanks were driven straight off the production and into battle by factory workers.

At the end, the city of Stalingrad was comparable in appearance to Hiroshima or Nagasaki

A huge statue was built in memory of the battle, named “The Motherland Calls” - it is comparable in height to the Statue of Liberty.

Only cruel and evil man as Stalin could match the disregard for human life that Hitler had.

This was the biggest defeat the Germans had ever experienced