Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was the first of many losses for the German military and is believed to be the turning point of the war, as afterwards Germany was in full retreat. While many people today say that the invasion of Russia, and the later attack on Stalingrad is what caused the war to be lost, any military commander would've done the same, as it is very unwise to leave a major enemy city not only intact, but without any losses.
The Battle of Stalingrad was fought during the winter of 1942 to 1943, by the German sixth army. The Russian's had already been pushed back to the Volga river, after Operation Barbarossa. The entire attack on Stalingrad had called for a million soldiers, over ten thousand artillery guns, nearly seven hundred tanks, and twelve hundred aircraft. The Russian had an equally opposing force, and both sides had exchanged ownership of most of the city many times. Both sides had 'no-surrender' policies but German morale would've been much lower than the Russian's due to the Russian's fighting for a city named after their proud leader. The fighting consisted mostly of hand to hand combat to keep the Luftwaffe from bombing their own soldiers and also bombing the Russian soldiers. The Luftwaffe,however, had still destroyed about 99% of the city, making it looks if the Germans had won the battle. The Russian's had also been able to recapture most of the city during the night, every night the Germans reclaimed the land.
By November 11th, the Russians were in a position to surround the city. Marshal Zhukov had assembled six armies of one million each, which he assembled around the city. The German supply lines had been cut off by one of the armies that had approached from the rear. Hitler knew that the battle had been lost by now, but still ordered General Paulus, the commanding general in Stalingrad, to fight to the last bullet. "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," Hitler to General Paulus. By late January 1943, the Germans had no option but to retreat after a brutal winter - below zero degrees most days - , low food supplies, and persevering Russians. The Germans had surrendered and began retreating by mid February.
The Battle of Stalingrad was fought during the winter of 1942 to 1943, by the German sixth army. The Russian's had already been pushed back to the Volga river, after Operation Barbarossa. The entire attack on Stalingrad had called for a million soldiers, over ten thousand artillery guns, nearly seven hundred tanks, and twelve hundred aircraft. The Russian had an equally opposing force, and both sides had exchanged ownership of most of the city many times. Both sides had 'no-surrender' policies but German morale would've been much lower than the Russian's due to the Russian's fighting for a city named after their proud leader. The fighting consisted mostly of hand to hand combat to keep the Luftwaffe from bombing their own soldiers and also bombing the Russian soldiers. The Luftwaffe,however, had still destroyed about 99% of the city, making it looks if the Germans had won the battle. The Russian's had also been able to recapture most of the city during the night, every night the Germans reclaimed the land.
By November 11th, the Russians were in a position to surround the city. Marshal Zhukov had assembled six armies of one million each, which he assembled around the city. The German supply lines had been cut off by one of the armies that had approached from the rear. Hitler knew that the battle had been lost by now, but still ordered General Paulus, the commanding general in Stalingrad, to fight to the last bullet. "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," Hitler to General Paulus. By late January 1943, the Germans had no option but to retreat after a brutal winter - below zero degrees most days - , low food supplies, and persevering Russians. The Germans had surrendered and began retreating by mid February.