The Battle of Stalingrad was a battle between the Russians and Germans during World War II. It lasted from August 24, 1942 to February 2, 1943. This battle took place in Southern Russia on the Volga River, which is present day Volgagrad. The Battle of Stalingrad was regarded as the turning point in World War II on the Eastern Front.
    Stalingrad was an industrial city of Russia. Hitler attacked the city because if the Germans took it, it would cut off supplies to Southern Russia. Hitler also insisted Stalingrad must be dominated because it would eliminate the ability for Russian shipping and transportation to occur on the Volga River. Stalingrad could only be obtained by fighting directly, which would turn out even more deadly than trench warfare in World War I.
    Hitler was constantly changing the generals that he appointed to be in control if the army. However, the general that was the most influential was Friedrich Paulas. Friedrich Paulas's foe in this battle was Chukov, the general for the Russian Red Army. These two generals, Paulas and Chukov, were in competition for Stalingrad for about a year. This heavy competition led to many deadly events. The events were very deadly because there were many civilians living in Stalingrad that were killed, and with the lack of supplies many soldiers starved to death.
    During the battle, many street wars occurred in which the German tanks were useless. The German supplies were reduced as more and more time went on. Throughout the winter months supplies were greatly needed. Due to the lack of supplies and men dying, General Paulas disobeyed Hitler's wishes and surrendered on January 31, 1943. The remainder of the German troops surrendered on February 2, 1943. Stalingrad was the farthest German advance into the Soviet Union. However, 140,000 Germans were killed and 90,000 were held captive during the war. There was total destruction of the Sixth Army and German domination on the Volga River in Stalingrad failed. One million one hundred thousand Russians died defending Stalingrad. Although there were so many deaths, the Russians were still victorious.
 Back