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Battle of Stalingrad

August 23, 1942 - February 2, 1943

Prior to Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, Stalingrad was a modern city which homed over 600 000 people.1 On the 23rd of August 1942, the German Luftwaffe started its two-day air raids which turned the city to rubble running up an appalling death toll of 40 000, nearly 7% of the cities population wiped out in two days.2 One might think these raids were targeting military structures, however the actual purpose was to kill as many civilians as possible.3 This type of savagery was only the beginning of the brutal warfare at Stalingrad which lasted five months. The battle totaled nearly 2 million casualties of Axis and Soviet soldiers.4 Although the price was a heavy one, most historians would agree that the Battle of Stalingrad was essential in the Allied victory of World War II. The Battle of Stalingrad marked the first defeat for Nazi Germany, this shifted the momentum in the war which ultimately lead to the destruction of the Third Reich.5

 

This webpage displays how the Battle of Stalingrad was the most devastating battle of World War II as seen through the testimonies of soldiers fighting in the battle, the combat style, and the savage destruction of the German 6th army.

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Although the Nazis are viewed by the public as one of the most villainous groups in history, the horrors which happened within the city of Stalingrad to the Germans is nothing less than a tragedy. The Russian winter was incredible. Starvation, hypothermia, and disease left the German 6th Army to die horrendously and inhumanly.6 The German Generals stopped playing chess due to the weather effects on their cognitive functions.7 There was no value of human life in this battle, of course it was war, however when these soldiers died in the cold no one bothered to bury them, German and Soviet corpses were scattered across the city.8  

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In the western hemisphere especially in the US, many underestimate the contribution the Russians had in winning World War II. Although battles like D-Day were important in the Allies victory, the majority of Germany’s forces fought and died in the Soviet Union.9

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One of the most fascinating facts about the Battle of Stalingrad is how despite the heavy German assault from both land and air, Stalingrad’s factories continued to operate, pumping out tanks, weapons, ammunition, and repairs.10

1. Roberts, Geoffrey. Victory at Stalingrad : the battle that changed history. n.p.: London : Longman, 2002.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Greezicki, Roger. "Living Under the Muzzle of a Russian Gun: A Consideration of the Generalship of

Paulus and Chuikov at Stalingrad." Journal Of Slavic Military Studies 27, no. 4 (October 2014): 618-638. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost

6. Schneider, Franz, author, and author Gullans, Charles. Last Letters from Stalingrad. The Hudson

Review no. 3 (1961): 335. JSTOR Journals, EBSCOhost

7. Greezicki, Roger. "Living Under the Muzzle of a Russian Gun: A Consideration of the Generalship of

Paulus and Chuikov at Stalingrad." Journal Of Slavic Military Studies 27, no. 4 (October 2014): 618-638. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost

8. Schneider, Franz, author, and author Gullans, Charles. Last Letters from Stalingrad. The Hudson

Review no. 3 (1961): 335. JSTOR Journals, EBSCOhost

9. Roberts, Geoffrey. Victory at Stalingrad : the battle that changed history. n.p.: London : Longman, 2002.

10. Ibid. 

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