There is a saying in Russian: “I disappeared like a Swede near Poltava.” In 1943, it was replaced by an analogue: “disappeared, like a German at Stalingrad.” The victory of Russian weapons in the Battle of Stalingrad on the Volga clearly turned the tide of the Second World War.

Reasons (oil and symbolism)

The area between the Volga and Don rivers in the summer of 1942 became the target of the main attack of the Nazis. There were several different reasons for this.

1. By that time, the original plan for the war with the USSR had already been completely disrupted and was no longer suitable for action. It was necessary to change the “edge of attack”, choosing new promising strategic directions.
2. The generals offered the Fuhrer a new blow to Moscow, but he refused. One can understand him - hopes for a “blitzkrieg” were finally buried near Moscow. Hitler motivated his position by the “obviousness” of the Moscow direction.
3. The attack on Stalingrad also had real goals - the Volga and Don were convenient transport arteries, and through them there were routes to the oil of the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, as well as to the Urals, which Hitler considered as the main frontier of German aspirations in this war.
4. There were also symbolic goals. The Volga is one of the symbols of Russia. Stalingrad is a city (by the way, representatives of the anti-Hitler coalition stubbornly saw the word “steel” in this name, but not the name of the Soviet leader). The Nazis failed to strike at other symbols - Leningrad did not surrender, the enemy was driven away from Moscow, the Volga remained to solve ideological problems.

The Nazis had reason to expect success. In terms of the number of soldiers (about 300 thousand) before the start of the offensive, they were significantly inferior to the defenders, but they were 1.5-2 times superior to them in aviation, tanks and other equipment.

Stages of the battle

For the Red Army, the Battle of Stalingrad was divided into 2 main stages: defensive and offensive.

The first of them lasted from July 17 to November 18, 1942. During this period, battles took place on the distant and near approaches to Stalingrad, as well as in the city itself. It was virtually wiped off the face of the earth (first by bombing, then by street fighting), but never came completely under enemy rule.

The offensive period lasted from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943. The essence of the offensive actions was to create a huge “cauldron” for the German, Italian, Croatian, Slovak and Romanian units concentrated near Stalingrad, followed by their defeat by compressing the encirclement. The first stage (the actual creation of the “cauldron”) was called Operation Uranus. On November 23, the encirclement closed. But the surrounded group was too strong and it was impossible to defeat it immediately.

In December, Field Marshal Manstein attempted to break through the blockade ring near Kotelnikov and come to the aid of those surrounded, but his breakthrough was stopped. On January 10, 1943, the Red Army launched Operation Ring - the destruction of the encircled German group. On January 31, Hitler promoted von Paulus, the commander of the German formations at Stalingrad and who found himself in the “cauldron,” to field marshal. In his congratulatory letter, the Fuhrer transparently indicated that not a single German field marshal had ever surrendered. On February 2, von Paulus became the first, surrendering along with his entire army.

Results and significance (radical fracture)

The Battle of Stalingrad in Soviet historiography is called the “moment of a radical turning point” in the course of the war, and this is true. At the same time, the course of not only the Great Patriotic War, but also the Second World War was turned around. As a result of the battle, Germany

• lost 1.5 million people, more than 100 thousand only as prisoners;
• lost the trust of its allies (Italy, Romania, Slovakia thought about leaving the war and stopped sending conscripts to the front);
• suffered colossal material losses (on the scale of 2-6 months of production);
• lost hope of Japan's entry into the war in Siberia.

The USSR also suffered huge losses (up to 1.3 million people), but did not allow the enemy into strategically important areas of the country, destroyed a huge number of experienced soldiers, deprived the enemy of offensive potential and finally seized the strategic initiative from him.

Steel City

It turned out that all the symbolism in the battle went to the USSR. Destroyed Stalingrad became the most famous city in the world. The entire Anti-Hitler coalition was proud of the residents and defenders of the “steel city” and tried to help them. In the USSR, any schoolchild knew the names of the heroes of Stalingrad: sergeant Yakov Pavlov, signalman Matvey Putilov, nurse Marionella (Guli) Koroleva. The son of the leader of the Spanish Republic Dolores Ibarruri, Captain Ruben Ibarruri, and the legendary Tatar pilot Amet Khan Sultan received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for Stalingrad. Such outstanding Soviet military leaders as V.I. Chuikov, N.F. distinguished themselves in planning the battle. Vatutin, F.I. Tolbukhin. After Stalingrad, “parades of prisoners” became traditional.

And Field Marshal von Paulus then lived in the USSR for quite a long time, taught at higher military educational institutions and wrote memoirs. In them, he very highly appreciated the feat of those who defeated him at Stalingrad.

The significance of the Battle of Stalingrad in history is very great. It was after its completion The Red Army launched a full-scale offensive, which led to the complete expulsion of the enemy from the territory of the USSR, and the Wehrmacht allies abandoned their plans ( Türkiye and Japan planned a full-scale invasion in 1943 to the territory of the USSR) and realized that it was almost impossible to win the war.

In contact with

The Battle of Stalingrad can be briefly described if we consider the most important things:

• background of events;
• a general picture of the disposition of enemy forces;
• progress of the defensive operation;
• progress of the offensive operation;
• results.

Brief background

German troops invaded the territory of the USSR and, moving quickly, winter 1941 found themselves near Moscow. However, it was during this period of time that the Red Army troops launched a counteroffensive.

At the beginning of 1942, Hitler's headquarters began to develop plans for the second wave of the offensive. The generals suggested continue the attack on Moscow, but the Fuhrer rejected this plan and proposed an alternative - an attack on Stalingrad (modern Volgograd). The attack to the south had its reasons. If you're lucky:

• control of the oil fields of the Caucasus passed into the hands of the Germans;
• Hitler would have access to the Volga(which would cut off the European part of the USSR from the Central Asian regions and Transcaucasia).

If the Germans captured Stalingrad, Soviet industry would have suffered serious damage from which it would have been unlikely to recover.

The plan to capture Stalingrad became even more realistic after the so-called Kharkov disaster (complete encirclement of the Southwestern Front, loss of Kharkov and Rostov-on-Don, complete “opening” of the front south of Voronezh).

The offensive began with the defeat of the Bryansk Front and from a positional stop of German forces on the Voronezh River. At the same time, Hitler could not decide on the 4th Tank Army.

The transfer of tanks from the Caucasus to the Volga direction and back delayed the start of the Battle of Stalingrad for a whole week, which gave the opportunity for Soviet troops to better prepare for the defense of the city.

Balance of power

Before the start of the attack on Stalingrad, the balance of enemy forces looked as follows*:

*calculations taking into account all nearby enemy forces.

Start of the battle

The first clash between the troops of the Stalingrad Front and the 6th Army of Paulus took place July 17, 1942.

Attention! Russian historian A. Isaev found evidence in military journals that the first clash took place a day earlier - on July 16. One way or another, the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad was mid-summer 1942.

Already by July 22–25 German troops, having broken through the defenses of Soviet forces, reached the Don, which created a real threat to Stalingrad. By the end of July, the Germans successfully crossed the Don. Further progress was very difficult. Paulus was forced to resort to the help of allies (Italians, Hungarians, Romanians), who helped surround the city.

It was during this very difficult time for the southern front that I. Stalin published order No. 227, the essence of which was reflected in one short slogan: “ No step back! He called on the soldiers to strengthen their resistance and prevent the enemy from getting closer to the city.

In August Soviet troops saved three divisions of the 1st Guards Army from complete disaster who entered the battle. They launched a timely counterattack and slowed down the enemy's rapid advance, thereby foiling the Fuhrer’s plan to rush to Stalingrad.

In September, after certain tactical adjustments, German troops went on the offensive, trying to take the city by storm. The Red Army could not resist this onslaught, and was forced to retreat to the city.

Street fighting

August 23, 1942 Luftwaffe forces launched a powerful pre-assault bombardment of the city. As a result of the massive attack, ¼ of the city’s population was destroyed, its center was completely destroyed, and severe fires began. On the same day shock the 6th Army group reached the northern outskirts of the city. At this moment, the defense of the city was carried out by the militia and forces of the Stalingrad air defense, despite this, the Germans advanced into the city very slowly and suffered heavy losses.

On September 1, the command of the 62nd Army decided to cross the Volga and entering the city. The crossing took place under constant air and artillery fire. The Soviet command managed to transport 82 thousand soldiers to the city, who in mid-September stubbornly resisted the enemy in the city center; a fierce struggle to maintain bridgeheads near the Volga unfolded on Mamayev Kurgan.

The battles in Stalingrad entered world military history as one of the most brutal. They fought for literally every street and every house.

Firearms and artillery weapons were practically not used in the city (for fear of ricochet), only piercing and cutting weapons. often went hand-to-hand.

The liberation of Stalingrad was accompanied by a real sniper war (the most famous sniper was V. Zaitsev; he won 11 sniper duels; the story of his exploits still inspires many).

By mid-October the situation had become extremely difficult as the Germans launched an attack on the Volga bridgehead. On November 11, Paulus’s soldiers managed to reach the Volga and force the 62nd Army to take a tough defense.

Attention! Most of the city's civilian population did not have time to evacuate (100 thousand out of 400). As a result, women and children were taken out under fire across the Volga, but many remained in the city and died (counts of civilian casualties are still considered inaccurate).

Counteroffensive

A goal such as the liberation of Stalingrad became not only strategic, but also ideological. Neither Stalin nor Hitler wanted to retreat and could not afford defeat. The Soviet command, realizing the complexity of the situation, began preparing a counteroffensive back in September.

Marshal Eremenko's plan

September 30, 1942 was The Don Front was formed under the command of K.K. Rokossovsky.

He attempted a counteroffensive, which completely failed by early October.

At this time A.I. Eremenko proposes to Headquarters a plan to encircle the 6th Army. The plan was fully approved and received the code name "Uranus".

If it were 100% implemented, all enemy forces concentrated in the Stalingrad area would be surrounded.

Attention! A strategic mistake during the implementation of this plan at the initial stage was made by K.K. Rokossovsky, who tried to take the Oryol ledge with the forces of the 1st Guards Army (which he saw as a threat to the future offensive operation). The operation ended in failure. The 1st Guards Army was completely disbanded.

Chronology of operations (stages)

Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe command to transfer cargo to the Stalingrad ring in order to prevent the defeat of the German troops. The Germans coped with this task, but the fierce opposition of the Soviet air armies, which launched a “free hunt” regime, led to the fact that German air traffic with the blocked troops was interrupted on January 10, just before the start of Operation Ring, which ended defeat of German troops at Stalingrad.

Results

The following main stages can be distinguished in the battle:

• strategic defensive operation (defense of Stalingrad) - from June 17 to November 18, 1942;
• strategic offensive operation (liberation of Stalingrad) - from 11/19/42 to 02/02/43.

The Battle of Stalingrad lasted in total 201 days. It is impossible to say exactly how long the further operation to clear the city of Khivi and scattered enemy groups took.

Victory in the battle affected both the state of the fronts and the geopolitical balance of power in the world. The liberation of the city was of great importance. Brief results of the Battle of Stalingrad:

• Soviet troops acquired invaluable experience in encircling and destroying the enemy;
• were established new schemes for military-economic supply of troops;
• Soviet troops actively prevented the advance of German groups in the Caucasus;
• the German command was forced to devote additional forces to the implementation of the Eastern Wall project;
• Germany's influence on the Allies was greatly weakened, neutral countries began to take a position of non-acceptance of German actions;
• The Luftwaffe was greatly weakened after attempting to supply the 6th Army;
• Germany suffered significant (partly irreparable) losses.

Losses

The losses were significant for both Germany and the USSR.

The situation with the prisoners

At the end of Operation Cauldron, 91.5 thousand people were in Soviet captivity, including:

• ordinary soldiers (including Europeans from among the German allies);
• officers (2.5 thousand);
• generals (24).

German Field Marshal Paulus was also captured.

All prisoners were sent to a specially created camp No. 108 near Stalingrad. For 6 years (until 1949) surviving prisoners worked on construction sites in the city.

Attention! The captured Germans were treated quite humanely. After the first three months, when the mortality rate among prisoners reached its peak, they were all placed in camps near Stalingrad (some in hospitals). Those who were able to work worked a regular working day and received wages for their work, which they could spend on food and household items. In 1949, all surviving prisoners, except war criminals and traitors, were sent to Germany.

Street fighting in Stalingrad

Historical significance of the battle

The Battle of Stalingrad and its historical significance have been thoroughly studied today. The liberation of Stalingrad played a very important role. We are talking not only about the Great Patriotic War, but also about the Second World War, since it became clear to the allies of the USSR and the Axis countries (allies of Germany) that the Wehrmacht's plans finally failed and the strategic initiative of an offensive nature was concentrated in the hands of the Soviet command.

The victory of Soviet troops over the Nazi troops at Stalingrad is one of the most glorious pages in the annals of the Great Patriotic War. For 200 days and nights - from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943 - the Battle of Stalingrad continued with continuously increasing tension on both sides. During the first four months there were stubborn defensive battles, first in the big bend of the Don, and then on the approaches to Stalingrad and in the city itself. During this period, Soviet troops exhausted the Nazi group that was rushing to the Volga and forced it to go on the defensive. In the next two and a half months, the Red Army, launching a counteroffensive, defeated enemy troops north-west and south of Stalingrad, encircled and liquidated a 300,000-strong group of Nazi troops.

The Battle of Stalingrad is the decisive battle of the entire Second World War, in which Soviet troops won their largest victory. This battle marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War as a whole. The victorious offensive of the Nazi troops ended and their expulsion from the territory of the Soviet Union began.

The Battle of Stalingrad surpassed all battles in world history at that time in terms of the duration and ferocity of the fighting, the number of people and military equipment involved. It unfolded over a vast territory of 100 thousand square kilometers. At certain stages, over 2 million people, up to 2 thousand tanks, more than 2 thousand aircraft, and up to 26 thousand guns took part in it on both sides. The results of this battle also surpassed all previous ones. At Stalingrad, Soviet troops defeated five armies: two German, two Romanian and one Italian. The Nazi troops lost more than 800 thousand soldiers and officers killed, wounded, and captured, as well as a large amount of military equipment, weapons and equipment.

The Battle of Stalingrad is usually divided into two inextricably linked periods: defensive (from July 17 to November 18, 1942) and offensive (from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943).

At the same time, due to the fact that the Battle of Stalingrad is a whole complex of defensive and offensive operations, its periods, in turn, must be considered in stages, each of which is either one completed or even several interrelated operations.

For the courage and heroism shown in the Battle of Stalingrad, 32 formations and units were given the honorary names “Stalingrad”, 5 - “Don”. 55 formations and units were awarded orders. 183 units, formations and formations were converted into guards. More than one hundred and twenty soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, about 760 thousand participants in the battle were awarded the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad.” On the 20th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, the hero city of Volgograd was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

By mid-summer 1942, the battles of the Great Patriotic War had reached the Volga.

The German command includes Stalingrad in the plan for a large-scale offensive in the south of the USSR (Caucasus, Crimea). Germany's goal was to take possession of an industrial city, the enterprises in which produced military products that were needed; gaining access to the Volga, from where it was possible to get to the Caspian Sea, to the Caucasus, where the oil necessary for the front was extracted.

Hitler wanted to implement this plan in just a week with the help of Paulus's 6th Field Army. It included 13 divisions, with about 270,000 people, 3 thousand guns and about five hundred tanks.

On the USSR side, German forces were opposed by the Stalingrad Front. It was created by decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on July 12, 1942 (commander - Marshal Timoshenko, since July 23 - Lieutenant General Gordov).

The difficulty was also that our side experienced a shortage of ammunition.

The beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad can be considered July 17, when, near the Chir and Tsimla rivers, the forward detachments of the 62nd and 64th armies of the Stalingrad Front met with detachments of the 6th German Army. Throughout the second half of the summer there were fierce battles near Stalingrad. Further, the chronicle of events developed as follows.

Defensive stage of the Battle of Stalingrad

On August 23, 1942, German tanks approached Stalingrad. From that day on, fascist aircraft began to systematically bomb the city. The battles on the ground also did not subside. It was simply impossible to live in the city - you had to fight to win. 75 thousand people volunteered for the front. But in the city itself, people worked both day and night. By mid-September, the German army broke through to the city center, and fighting took place right in the streets. The Nazis intensified their attack. Almost 500 tanks took part in the assault on Stalingrad, and German aircraft dropped about 1 million bombs on the city.

The courage of the Stalingrad residents was unparalleled. The Germans conquered many European countries. Sometimes they only needed 2-3 weeks to capture the entire country. In Stalingrad the situation was different. It took the Nazis weeks to capture one house, one street.

The beginning of autumn and mid-November passed in battles. By November, almost the entire city, despite resistance, was captured by the Germans. Only a small strip of land on the banks of the Volga was still held by our troops. But it was too early to declare the capture of Stalingrad, as Hitler did. The Germans did not know that the Soviet command already had a plan for the defeat of the German troops, which began to be developed at the height of the fighting, on September 12. The development of the offensive operation “Uranus” was carried out by Marshal G.K. Zhukov.

Within 2 months, in conditions of increased secrecy, a strike force was created near Stalingrad. The Nazis were aware of the weakness of their flanks, but did not assume that the Soviet command would be able to gather the required number of troops.

On November 19, troops of the Southwestern Front under the command of General N.F. Vatutin and the Don Front under the command of General K.K. Rokossovsky went on the offensive. They managed to surround the enemy, despite resistance. Also during the offensive, five enemy divisions were captured and seven were defeated. During the week of November 23, Soviet efforts were aimed at strengthening the blockade around the enemy. In order to lift this blockade, the German command formed the Don Army Group (commander - Field Marshal Manstein), but it was also defeated.

The destruction of the encircled group of the enemy army was entrusted to the troops of the Don Front (commander - General K.K. Rokossovsky). Since the German command rejected the ultimatum to end resistance, Soviet troops moved on to destroy the enemy, which became the last of the main stages of the Battle of Stalingrad. On February 2, 1943, the last enemy group was eliminated, which is considered the end date of the battle.

Results of the Battle of Stalingrad:

Losses in the Battle of Stalingrad on each side amounted to about 2 million people.

Significance of the Battle of Stalingrad

The significance of the Battle of Stalingrad is difficult to overestimate. The victory of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad had a great influence on the further course of the Second World War. She intensified the fight against fascists in all European countries. As a result of this victory, the German side ceased to dominate. The outcome of this battle caused confusion in the Axis countries (Hitler's coalition). A crisis of pro-fascist regimes in European countries has arrived.

Battle of Stalingrad (part 1 of 2): the beginning of the collapse of the Third Empire

The Battle of Stalingrad is the largest land battle in world history, fought between the forces of the USSR and Nazi Germany in the city of Stalingrad (USSR) and its environs during the Patriotic War. The bloody battle began on July 17, 1942 and lasted until February 2, 1943.

The battle was one of the most important events of the Second World War and, along with the Battle of Kursk, was a turning point in the course of military operations, after which German troops lost the strategic initiative.

For the Soviet Union, which suffered heavy losses during the battle, the victory at Stalingrad marked the beginning of the liberation of the country, as well as the occupied territories of Europe, leading to the final defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.

Centuries will pass, and the unfading glory of the valiant defenders of the Volga stronghold will forever live in the memory of the peoples of the world as the brightest example of courage and heroism unparalleled in military history.

The name “Stalingrad” is forever inscribed in golden letters in the history of our Fatherland.

“And the hour struck. The first blow fell,
The villain is retreating from Stalingrad.
And the world gasped when it learned what loyalty means,
What does the rage of believing people mean..."
O. Berggolts

This was an outstanding victory for the Soviet people. The soldiers of the Red Army showed massive heroism, courage and high military skill. 127 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” was awarded to over 760 thousand soldiers and home front workers. 17,550 soldiers and 373 militia received orders and medals.

During the Battle of Stalingrad, 5 enemy armies were defeated, including 2 German, 2 Romanian and 1 Italian. The total losses of the Nazi troops in killed, wounded and prisoners amounted to more than 1.5 million people, up to 3,500 tanks and assault guns, 12 thousand guns and mortars, more than 4 thousand aircraft, 75 thousand vehicles and a large amount of other equipment.

Corpses of soldiers frozen in the steppe

The battle is one of the most important events of the Second World War and, along with the Battle of Kursk, became a turning point in the course of hostilities, after which German troops finally lost the strategic initiative. The battle included the Wehrmacht's attempt to capture the left bank of the Volga in the area of ​​Stalingrad (modern Volgograd) and the city itself, the standoff in the city, and the Red Army counteroffensive (Operation Uranus), which brought the Wehrmacht's 6th Army and other German allied forces inside and near the city they were surrounded and partly destroyed, and partly captured.

The losses of the Red Army in the Battle of Stalingrad amounted to over 1.1 million people, 4341 tanks, 2769 aircraft.

The flower of Hitler's Wehrmacht found a grave near Stalingrad. The German army had never suffered such a catastrophe before...

Historians believe that the total area where military operations took place during the Battle of Stalingrad is one hundred thousand square kilometers.

Background to the Battle of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad was preceded by the following historical events. In December 1941, the Red Army defeated the Nazis near Moscow. Encouraged by the success, the leaders of the Soviet Union gave the order to launch a large-scale offensive near Kharkov. The offensive failed and the Soviet army was defeated. German troops then went to Stalingrad.

After the failure of Plan Barbarossa and the defeat near Moscow, the Nazis were preparing for a new offensive on the Eastern Front. On April 5, 1942, Hitler issued a directive outlining the goals of the 1942 summer campaign, including the capture of Stalingrad.

The Nazi command needed the capture of Stalingrad for various reasons. Why was Stalingrad so important to Hitler? Historians identify several reasons why the Fuhrer wanted to capture Stalingrad at any cost and did not give the order to retreat even when defeat was obvious.

Firstly, the capture of the city, which bore the name of Stalin, the leader of the Soviet people, could break the morale of opponents of Nazism, and not only in the Soviet Union, but throughout the world;

Secondly, the capture of Stalingrad could give the Nazis the opportunity to block all vital communications for Soviet citizens that connected the center of the country with its southern part, in particular, with the Caucasus with its oil fields;

There is a point of view according to which there was a secret agreement between Germany and Turkey to join the ranks of the allies immediately after the passage for Soviet troops along the Volga was blocked.

Time frame of the battle: 07/17/42 - 02/02/43. Taking part: from Germany - the reinforced 6th Army of Field Marshal Paulus and Allied troops. On the USSR side - the Stalingrad Front, created on July 12, 1942, under the command of first Marshal Timoshenko, from July 23, 1942 - Lieutenant General Gordov, and from August 9, 1942 - Colonel General Eremenko.

Battle periods:

defensive - from 17.07 to 18.11.42,

offensive - from 11/19/42 to 02/02/43.

In turn, the defensive stage is divided into battles on the distant approaches to the city in the bend of the Don from 17.07 to 10.08.42, battles on the distant approaches between the Volga and Don from 11.08 to 12.09.42, battles in the suburbs and the city itself from 13.09 to 18.11 .42 years.

To protect the city, the Soviet command formed the Stalingrad Front, led by Marshal S.K. Tymoshenko. The Battle of Stalingrad began briefly on July 17, when, in the bend of the Don, units of the 62nd Army engaged the vanguard of the Wehrmacht's 6th Army. Defensive battles on the approaches to Stalingrad lasted 57 days and nights.

On July 28, People's Commissar of Defense J.V. Stalin issued order No. 227, better known as “Not a step back!”

Defensive stage

• July 17, 1942 - the first serious clash of our troops with enemy forces on the banks of the Don tributaries.
• August 23 - enemy tanks came close to the city. German aircraft began to regularly bomb Stalingrad
• September 13 - storming of the city. The fame of the workers of the Stalingrad factories and factories, who repaired damaged equipment and weapons under fire, thundered throughout the world.
• October 14 - The Germans launched an offensive military operation off the banks of the Volga with the aim of capturing Soviet bridgeheads.
• November 19 - our troops launched a counteroffensive according to the plan for Operation Uranus.

Throughout the second half of the summer of 1942, the hot Battle of Stalingrad raged. A summary and chronology of defense events indicate that our soldiers, with a shortage of weapons and a significant superiority in manpower on the part of the enemy, accomplished the impossible. They not only defended Stalingrad, but also launched a counteroffensive in difficult conditions of exhaustion, lack of uniforms and the harsh Russian winter .

Offensive and victory

As part of Operation Uranus, Soviet soldiers managed to surround the enemy. Until November 23, our soldiers strengthened the blockade around the Germans.

December 12, 1942 - the enemy made a desperate attempt to break out of the encirclement. However, the breakthrough attempt was unsuccessful. Soviet troops began to tighten the ring.

December 31 - Soviet soldiers advanced another 150 km. The front line has stabilized at the Tormosin-Zhukovskaya-Komissarovsky line.

February 2, 1943 - the northern group of fascist troops was liquidated. Our soldiers, heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, won. The enemy capitulated. Field Marshal Paulus, 24 generals, 2,500 officers and almost 100 thousand exhausted German soldiers were captured.

Hitler's government declared mourning in the country. For three days the funeral ringing of church bells sounded over German cities and villages.

Then, near Stalingrad, our fathers and grandfathers again “gave a light.”

Some Western historians, trying to belittle significance of the Battle of Stalingrad, put it on a par with the Battle of Tunisia (1943), El Alamein (1942), etc. But they were refuted by Hitler himself, who declared on February 1, 1943 at his headquarters:

“The possibility of ending the war in the East through an offensive no longer exists...”

Unknown facts about the Battle of Stalingrad

Entry from the “Stalingrad” diary of a German officer:

“None of us will return to Germany unless a miracle happens. Time has turned to the side of the Russians.”

The miracle did not happen. For not only time passed to the side of the Russians...

1. Armageddon

At Stalingrad, both the Red Army and the Wehrmacht changed their methods of warfare. From the very beginning of the war, the Red Army used flexible defense tactics with withdrawals in critical situations. The Wehrmacht command, in turn, avoided large, bloody battles, preferring to bypass large fortified areas. In the Battle of Stalingrad, the German side forgets about its principles and embarks on a bloody slaughter. The beginning was made on August 23, 1942, when German aircraft carried out a massive bombing of the city. 40.0 thousand people died. This exceeds the official figures for the Allied air raid on Dresden in February 1945 (25.0 thousand casualties).

2. Get to the bottom of hell

Under the city itself there was a large system of underground communications. During the fighting, underground galleries were actively used by both Soviet troops and the Germans. Moreover, even local battles took place in the tunnels. It is interesting that from the beginning of their penetration into the city, German troops began to build a system of their own underground structures. Work continued almost until the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, and only at the end of January 1943, when the German command realized that the battle was lost, the underground galleries were blown up.

It remained a mystery what the Germans were building. One of the German soldiers later ironically wrote in his diary that he had the impression that the command wanted to get to hell and call on demons for help.

3. Mars vs. Uranus

A number of esotericists claim that a number of strategic decisions of the Soviet command in the Battle of Stalingrad were influenced by practicing astrologers. For example, the Soviet counteroffensive, Operation Uranus, began on November 19, 1942 at 7.30. At this moment, the so-called ascendant (the point of the ecliptic rising above the horizon) was located in the planet Mars (the Roman god of war), while the setting point of the ecliptic was the planet Uranus. According to astrologers, it was this planet that controlled the German army. It is interesting that in parallel, the Soviet command was developing another major offensive operation on the Southwestern Front - “Saturn”. At the last moment they abandoned it and carried out Operation Little Saturn. Interestingly, in ancient mythology it was Saturn (in Greek mythology Kronos) who castrated Uranus.

4. Alexander Nevsky vs. Bismarck

Military operations were accompanied by a large number of signs and omens. Thus, a detachment of machine gunners fought in the 51st Army under the command of Senior Lieutenant Alexander Nevsky. The then propagandists of the Stalingrad Front started a rumor that the Soviet officer was a direct descendant of the prince who defeated the Germans on Lake Peipsi. Alexander Nevsky was even nominated for the Order of the Red Banner.

And on the German side, the great-grandson of Bismarck took part in the battle, who, as you know, warned “never fight with Russia.” A descendant of the German chancellor, by the way, was captured.

5.Timer and tango

During the battle, the Soviet side used revolutionary innovations of psychological pressure on the enemy. Thus, from the loudspeakers installed at the front line, favorite hits of German music were heard, which were interrupted by messages about the victories of the Red Army in sections of the Stalingrad Front. But the most effective means was the monotonous beat of the metronome, which was interrupted after 7 beats by a commentary in German:

“Every 7 seconds one German soldier dies at the front.”

At the end of a series of 10 - 20 “timer reports,” a tango sounded from the loudspeakers.

6. Revival of Stalingrad

In early February, after the end of the battle, the Soviet government raised the question of the inappropriateness of rebuilding the city, which would cost more than building a new city. However, Stalin insisted on rebuilding Stalingrad literally from the ashes. So, so many shells were dropped on Mamayev Kurgan that after the liberation, grass did not grow on it for 2 years.

What is the assessment of this battle in the West?

What did US and British newspapers write in 1942 - 1943 about the Battle of Stalingrad?

“The Russians fight not only bravely, but also skillfully. Despite all temporary setbacks, Russia will endure and, with the help of its allies, will eventually expel every last Nazi from its land” (F.D. Roosevelt, US President, “Fireside Chats,” September 7, 1942).