synonymBattle of Stalingrad(Historical events) generally refer to the Battle of Stalingrad (the turning point of the Second World War)
The Battle of Stalingrad (Russian: Сталинградскаябитва, German: Schlacht von Stalingrad, English: The Battle of Stalingrad; July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943) is also called the Battle of Stalingradthe Second World WarinNazi Germany AndSoviet UnionTo compete for cities in southern Soviet UnionStalingrad(TodayVolgograd）And the battle that was carried out.
Stalingrad is the traffic throat from the central region of the Soviet Union to the important economic region in the south, and its strategic position is extremely important.If the German army captured Stalingrad andCaucasus, can attack northwardMoscow, you can go southPersian Gulf。West and south of Stalingrad are the main production areas of grain, coal and oil in the Soviet Union.If the German army occupied this area, the Soviet Union would lose important resources needed for the war.
Battle of Stalingrad It was the most serious failure within the strategic scope of Nazi Germany, which not only ended the offensive situation maintained by the German southern cluster since 1941, but also directly caused the fundamental change in the overall balance of power between the Soviet Union and Germany.From a worldwide perspective, the battle of Stalingrad wasAnti-Fascist War The landmark event of the great turning point, but the battle of Stalingrad did not make the German army lose the initiative completely (after the battle of StalingradBattle of Kursk So that the German army completely lost the initiative).
The Battle of Stalingrad wasthe Second World WarFrom the casualty figures alone, this battle is also the bloodiest battle in modern history. The casualties of both sides are estimated to be more than two million people. The number of people involved in this battle is also more than that of other battles in history. It is also famous for the casualties caused by both sides ignoring the military and civilians respectively.
Stalingrad, formerly known as Tsarizin, was later renamed Volgograd (renamed Stalingrad again in wartime), located inVolga RiverOn the west bank of the lower reaches, there were about 600000 residents before the war.It is an important port on the Volga River, the main inland shipping line of the Soviet Union, as well as a railway transportation hub and an important industrial city in the south of the Soviet Union. It has a large tractor factory——Stalingrad Tractor Plant (Also known as Dzerzhinsky Tractor Factory, this factory was the largest tractor factory in the Soviet Union at that time, accounting for half of the total output of the Soviet Union. It has long played the role of an arsenal, mainly producing tanks during the war.).To the west and south of Stalingrad are the vast and rich downstream basins of the Don River, the Kuban River andCaucasusIt is an important production area of grain, oil and coal in the Soviet Union.In 1941, after the German army occupied Ukraine, Stalingrad became the traffic throat from the central region of the Soviet Union to the important economic region in the south, and its strategic position was extremely important.
Volgograd
If the German army occupied this area, the Soviet Union would lose the oil, food and important industrial base needed for the war, and Germany urgently needed these resources at this time.Before launching the offensive,HitlerThe commander of the 6th Group ArmyPaulusThe general said, "If you can't get itMykopandGroznyThe war must be ended. "
Operation Barbarossa
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany andVassal stateStart“Operation Barbarossa ”, torn《Soviet-German Treaty of Non-Aggression》, invading the Soviet Union,Eastern Front Burst.The German army occupied a large area of the western Soviet Union in a flashterritory。The Soviet Red Army, which suffered a series of blows in the summer and autumn of 1941Moscow DefenseChina has won its first victory.Due to the lack of war equipment and stable supply lines to cope with winter, and the sudden drop in temperature one night, the over consumed German army was completely unable to use its mechanized forces, which hit Moscow seriously and counterattacked some areas.
By the beginning of 1942, the long Soviet German front had been relatively stable, but both sides were preparing for a larger campaign to fight for strategic initiative.In view of the German army's inability to launch the whole lineattack。General Halder, Chief of the Army General Staff, suggested that if the offensive was to be launched again, it should target the Soviet capitalMoscow。howeverHitlerIt believed that the target of attacking Moscow was too obvious, and the Central Group Army Group had been greatly weakened. The German army should give up the plan of attacking Moscow again.Therefore, Germany began to plan to concentrate its forces on the northern and southern fronts to launch a new round of local offensive.In addition, due toU.S.AWhen confronted withPearl HarborAfter the sneak attackJapanDeclaring war, Germany realized that time was pressing.Hitler hoped to end the Eastern Front War or weaken the Soviet Union as much as possible before the United States had a chance to join the European battlefield.
"On April 5, the leader of Instruction No. 41 (Eastern Front Operations) and the Supreme Commander of the National Defense Forces
National Defense Force Headquarters/National Defense Forces
April 5, 1942 Headquarters
Top Secret Document No. 55616 of 1942
Only transmit to the officer's order No. 41
The winter battle in Russia is coming to an end.The German army has won a great victory in the defensive war due to the tenacity and sacrifice of the officers and men on the eastern front.The enemy suffered heavy losses in terms of personnel and materials.In this winter, the enemy's efforts to expand the so-called initial successes have greatly depleted the main force of his reserve team for future operations.Once the weather and terrain conditions are available, the German commanders and troops will win the initiative again and force the enemy to yield.The goal is to finally wipe out the remaining effective forces of the Soviet Red Army and seize as many of its most important war economic resources as possible.To this end, inputGerman Defense ForcesAnd all the forces available to the Allies.At the same time, however, the security of the coasts of the occupied areas in western and northern Europe should be guaranteed. "
Since the German army killed and injured about 1.1 million people from the beginning of the war to the winter of 1941, he successively sentGoeringHe and Marshal Kettle went to various countries to recruit servants and enlisted 52 divisions for summer combat, including 27 divisions in Romania and 13 divisions in Hungary,Italy9 divisions, 2 divisions in Slovakia and 1 division in Spain.
To implement the abovestrategyWith the intention, Germany reorganized its forces on the southern front, abolished the original designation of the southern army group, and established two new army groups, A and B.Group A military groupUnder the command of Marshal List, the 1st Armored Group Army of Admiral List and the 17th Group Army of Admiral Ruff are under the command of the 4th Air Force Air Forceair supportIts mission is to captureCaucasus；Group B Army GroupfromBokUnder the command of the Marshal, General Huote's 4th Armored Group ArmyWeichs General's 2nd Army andPaulusThe General's 6th Army Group is composed of the Air ForceDon RiverThe regional aviation team provides air support. Its mission is to capture Stalingrad and cover the northern wing of Group A army group.In the rear of the A and B army groups, there are second line troops, which are composed of the Hungarian 2nd army group, the Italian 8th army group and the Romanian 3rd army group.In addition, there are the 11th Army Group of General Manstein and the 4th Army Group of Romania in Crimea.The total force is 60 German divisions, including 10Armored Division6 motorcyclists and 43 motorcyclistsVassal stateThe army has 1200 tanks and heavy artillery, 17000 artillery and mortars, and 1640 combat aircraft.
Blue Action
according toHitlerThe German Supreme Command formulated the plan for the summer of 1942Southern OperationsPlan, code“Blue Action”(German: Fall Blau).The main contents are as follows: The First Armored Group Army of Christe Group A is the left wing, and the 17th Group Army of Ruff is the right wingKharkovSouth andTaganrogAttack to the east and southeast in the north and occupy theRostov, march southward to control the oil fields in the Caucasus;The Bok Group B Army Group takes the 4th Armored Group Army of Hote and the 2nd Group Army of Weeks as the left wing, and the 6th Group Army of Paulus as the right wingKurskIn the south and north of Kharkov, they attacked eastwards and southeastwards and occupiedVoronezh, march towards Stalingrad.
In August 1942, the German army advanced to Stalingrad.
The Supreme Command of the Soviet Red Army also stepped up preparations for the summer campaign of 1942.Stalin and the Supreme Command of the Soviet Red Army judged that in the summer of 1942, the German army might launch a large-scale attack in the direction of Moscow and the south, and take Moscow as the main target of surprise, because in this direction, the German army still had more than 70 divisions and more than 1 million people.Therefore, the Supreme Command of the Soviet Red Army decided toReserve teamMost of its forces are concentrated in the direction of Moscow.The strategic intention of the Soviet Red Army is to carry out active strategic defense, but at the same timeLigov- Kursk direction,SmolenskDirection, andLeningradAnd Jameyansk region to carry out a series of offensive campaigns.When discussing the specific combat plan, Stalin directed the southwest commander in chiefTie Mu Xin GeThe marshal was very interested in and fully supported the southwest attack plan.Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Red ArmyShaposhnikovThe marshal said that the General Staff did not agree with the plan, and that the headquarters could not and did not have enough reserves to provide for the southwest.The opinion was rejected by Stalin.Finally, Stalin approved the plan of Tiemuxinge to carry out the Kharkov offensive campaign in the southwest.According to the plan, a centripetal assault was carried out from the Volchangsk region and Balvinko to seize Kharkov and liberate itDonbasCreate conditions.
Early campaign
On May 8, 1942, the German 11th Army under the command of General Manstein first launched an offensive in Crimea and occupied it a week laterKerch Peninsula, captured 170000 people of the Soviet Red Army.On July 4, the guardSevastopolThe nearly 100000 Soviet Red Army in the fortress was forced to surrender to the German army, which occupied the entire Crimea.On May 12, when the Kechi Peninsula was in the midst of fierce battle, Marshal Timoshenko commandedSouthwest Front ArmyAnd the southern front army, a total of about 45 divisions, attacked Kharkov from the northeast and southeast of Kharkov.The attack developed smoothly at the beginning, broke through the German defense, and advanced 25-50 kilometers in three days and nights.Stalin was very happy, and accordingly condemned the General Staff, saying that such a smooth battle was almost cancelled because of the stubbornness of the General Staff.But Stalin was not happy for long.On May 17, with the support of the 17th and 6th group armies, the 1st Armored Group Army of German Crest launched a counter attack from the south of Kharkov to the flank of the Soviet Red Army, and on May 23, it encircled the 9th and 57th group armies of the Soviet Southern Front Army, the 6th group army of the Southwest Front Army, and the Bobkin Campaign cluster.By May 29, most of the encircled Soviet Red Army had been wiped out.Lieutenant General Kostyenko, the deputy commander of the Southwest Front Army of the Soviet Red Army, Lieutenant General Baudelas, the commander of the 57th Army Group, Lieutenant General Gorod Janis, the commander of the 9th Army Group, and Major General Bobjin, the commander of the campaign group, were killed.The Soviet Red Army captured 250000 people, lost 1249 tanks and 2026 guns.
Kharkov battles Pulled awayBattle of Stalingrad In the prologue to the war, the German victory in Kerim and Kharkov exhausted the hard won Soviet reserve team, severely weakened the southern wing, and the German army regained part of its strategic initiative, temporarily in a dominant position.The German army captured the Balvinkovo projection and occupied a favorable starting position for the upcoming offensive.
On June 28, 1942, the fourth armored group army of the left wing Hote and the second group army of Wex of the Group B Army Group suddenly moved fromKurskAttack from the northeast to the eastBryansk Front The 13th and 40th Group Armies of the Tang Dynasty carried out a surprise attack, targeting Voronezh on the upper reaches of the Don River.On June 30, the 6th Group Army of the right-wing Paulus alsoKharkovThe northeast launched an attack, advancing southeast with Stalingrad as the target, and breaking through the 21st and 28th group army defense.In the direction of Voronezh, the reserve teams of all the front armies of the Soviet Red Army were put into operation. The Supreme Command also transferred the 6th and 60th group armies and the 5th tank group army to strengthen the Bryansk front army.With the continuous input of the reserve team, the situation in Voronezh has eased slightly, but the serious risk of German troops breaking through the Don River and assaulting Stalingrad along the Don River has not been eliminated.
On July 2, 1942, the vanguard of the fourth Hote Armored Group Army was forced to enterVoronezh。However, Hitler suddenly changed his plan and decided not to occupy the city. He ordered Hote to turn south quickly and move towards Stalingrad along the Don River after he was succeeded by the second group army.Field Marshal Bok wanted to occupy Voronezh to completely wipe out the main force of the Subryansk front army in the region, which made Hitler very angry. He immediately dismissed Field Marshal Bok as the commander of Group B army group, and General Wex, the commander of Group 2 army, took over. General Sams took over as the commander of Group 2 army.In the direction of the Caucasus in the south, the army group of Lister Group A launched an attack on July 9, 1942.The 1st armored group army of Chrysler on the left flank attacked the north bank of the Donitz River from the south of Kharkov.Ruff's 17th Army Group attacked Voroshilovgrad from the north of Taganrog.At the same time, the Hungarian 2nd Group Army and the 4th Armored Group Army also launched a surprise attack on Froness, and captured the city on July 5, 1942.
The German attack was very successful, and it was difficult for the Soviet army to effectively resist on the open prairie. The Soviet Red Army retreated 100-300 kilometers, and the most fertile areas of the Don River and the Dunbas Basin fell into the hands of the German army.
However, the satisfactory results of the 6th Army Group at the beginning of the campaign made Hitler change his plan again.He thought that it would not take so many troops to capture Stalingrad, so on the 17th he ordered the 4th Armored Group Army of Hote to go south from Stalingrad and transfer to Group A Army Group to support the 1st Armored Group Army of Chrysler to cross the lower reaches of the Don River.In this way, the offensive force in Stalingrad only left Paulus's 6th Group Army (6 armies, including 2 armored forces, 14 divisions, about 270000 people, nearly 500 tanks, 3000 artillery and mortars, supported by 1200 combat aircraft of the 4th Air Force).Due to traffic problems, the advance of the 6th Army Group slowed down, giving the Soviet Red Army some time to prepare.
Soviet Red ArmyThe Supreme Command began to gradually clarify the intention of the German army, and was determined to organize and defend in Stalingrad.On July 12, based on the original foundation of the Southwest Front ArmyTie Mu Xin GeThe Marshal is the commander (replaced by Lieutenant General Gordof from July 23), and Khrushchev is the member of the military committeeStalingrad Front ArmyAnd take on the defense task in the direction of Stalingrad.It consists of the 62nd, 63rd and 64th Group Armies transferred from the strategic reserve of the Soviet Red Army and the 21st, 28th, 38th and 57th Group Armies of the former Southwest Front Army, the 1st and 4th Group Armies with tanks (the 13th, 22nd and 23rd Tank Armies are under the jurisdiction, only 240 tanks), the 8th Group Army of the Air Force and the Volga River Fleet of the Navy.The Stalingrad front army has 38 divisions, but only 16 divisions (all of the 62nd and 63rd group armies, 2 divisions of the 64th group army, and 1 division of the 1st and 4th tank group armies) can occupy the defensive positions in the main areas. Its task is to firmly defend the defensive zone from Pavlovsk to Kurmoyarskaya, which is 530km long and 120km deep.The enemies in front were Paulus's 6th Army Group and the 18 divisions under his command.At that time, the strength comparison between the two sides was 1:1.2 for personnel, 1:2 for tanks, and 1:3.6 for aircraft. The artillery and mortars were roughly equal, and the German army was superior.
In the direction of the Caucasus, the former southern front army suffered heavy losses when retreating, and only 100000 people remained in the original four group armies.The Supreme Command decided to cancel the southern front army and incorporate all the troops into the northern Caucasus front armyBudyonny As commander, the 37th and 12th Group Armies of the North Caucasus Front Army were assigned to cover the direction of Stavropol, and the 18th, 56th and 47th Group Armies were assigned to cover the direction of Krasnodar.From the end of July to the beginning of August, the German army, which had a strong military strength, pushed forward tenaciously.Soon we reached the Kuban River.In August 1942, the war in the direction of Mykop was also fierce.On August 10, 1942, the German army captured Makup, and on August 11, 1942, it captured Krasnodar.In the middle of August 1942, they occupied Mozdok and went out to the Jielieke River.By September 9, 1942, the German army had pushed back the 46th Army Group and occupied almost all the mountain passes.Sukhumi is in serious danger.
Close combat
Battle of Stalingrad
On July 17, 1942, the two sides of the Soviet Union and Germany launched a close and fierce battle in Stalingrad, and the battle officially began.The 6th German Army GroupUnder the command of General Paulus, the 8th Infantry Army and the 14th Armored Army were used as the northern assault group, and the 51st Infantry Army and the 24th Armored Army were used as the southern assault group. The 62nd Group Army of the Soviet Red Army was encircled and attacked in the direction of Karachi.At the same time, part of the troops launched a feint attack on the 64th Group Army of the Soviet Red Army to attract the attention of the Soviet Red Army.On July 23, the German army broke through the right wing defense line of the 62nd Army Group of the Soviet Red Army, surrounded two divisions of the Army Group, and went out to the bank of the Don River west of Stalingrad.On July 25, 1942, the German army launched an attack on the right wing position of the 64th Group Army of the Soviet Red Army, attempting to cross the Don River near Karachi.On July 29, 1942, the Soviet Union 64 Group Army was forced to retreat across the Don River.Stalin could no longer restrain his disappointment with the old Marshal Timoshenko, and dismissed him as the commander of the Stalingrad front army. Lieutenant General Gordof, commander of the 64th Group Army, took over and sent the chief of the general staffWassilevskyAs the representative of the Supreme Command, the general went to Stalingrad to assist in commanding the war.Stalin also decided to transfer the first and fourth group armies of the reserve tanks to the Stalingrad region at once.Subsequently, in order to enhance the morale of Stalingrad's defenders, Stalin issued Order 227 on July 28, 1942. All soldiers who disobeyed the order and left their combat posts or retreated will be severely punished, and the Soviet Red Army will be severely asked to "never step back". The German 6th Group Army was forced to move into a defensive situation due to lack of support from armored forces.The German plan to occupy Stalingrad during the march was shattered.But at this time, the situation of the Soviet Red Army on the west bank of the Don River was very difficult, and both wings were surrounded by German forces.
On July 28, 1942, the Soviet Red Army retreated from Rostov.
On July 30, 1942, Hitler made another decision that affected his destiny.He announced: "Because the fate of the Caucasus is to be decided in Stalingrad, it is necessary to transfer troops from Group A army group to strengthen Group B army group because of the importance of this battle." So the 4th armored group army of Huote returned to Group B army group, and was ordered to march northeast along the Kojier Nicovo Stalingrad railway on August 1, 1942,On the same day, it quickly broke through the defense line of the 51st Soviet Group Army and occupied Montenaya.On August 3, 1942, Hote captured Kjelnikovo, then broke through the defense of the Soviet 64th Army Group on August 5, and went out to the region of Arboganerovo. But later, the Soviet Red Army was more and more tenacious in resistance and counterattack. Hote had to give up the idea of an independent attack on Stalingrad and turned to the defensive on August 9, 1942.
On August 5, 1942, the Supreme Command of the Soviet Red Army decided to reorganize the Stalingrad front army into two front armies, the Southeast and Stalingrad, under the unified command of General Vassilevsky.The Southeast Front Army is commanded by General Yeliao Myenko and consists of the 64th, 57th and 51st Group Armies, the 1st Tank Group Army, the 13th Tank Group Army and the 8th Air Force Group Army.The Stalingrad front army is still under the command of Lieutenant General Gordof and consists of the 21st, 62nd and 63rd group armies, the 4th tank group army, the 28th tank army and the 16th air force group army.
On August 19, 1942, Paulus and Hote launched a new attack.The 6th Paulus Group Army attacked southeast from Trekhostrovkaya in the northwest of Stalingrad, broke through the defense line of the 62nd Soviet Group Army in the Vergac and Piskovatka sections on the 22nd, crossed the Don River and occupied Karachi, and on the 23rd, the 14th Armored Army advanced to the Yerzovka area in the northern suburb of Stalingrad, and went out to the Volga River,Separate the 62nd Soviet Army Group from the main force of Stalingrad Front Army.The 4th Huote Armored Group Army attacked northward from the southern Abgar Nerovo area, breaking through the defense of the Soviet 64th Group Army. On the 29th, it entered the Gavrilovka area in the south of the city, and its front had gone out to Jingguta Station.On September 2, 1942, the right wing of Paulus's 6th Army Group and the left wing of Hote's 4th Armored Army Group made contact in the old Rogachek area.At the same time, the German Fourth Air Force sent out hundreds of planes, and 2000 more at night to bombard Stalingrad.
In view of the extremely serious situation in Stalingrad, Stalin appointedZhukov He was the highest deputy commander and decided to immediately allocate the 24th and 66th group armies and the 1st group army of the guards to Stalingrad.On August 29, 1942, Zhukov flew to Stalingrad and began to organize the counterattack of the 24th and 66th group armies and the 1st group army of the guards.On September 3, 1942, Stalin called Zhukov to demand an immediate raid on Stalingrad to ease the local tension.
At dawn on September 5, 1942, Zhukov launched three new group armies into the counterattack. Due to hasty preparation, the counterattack did not reach the expected goal.That night, Stalin ordered Zhukov to continue the attack.On September 6, 1942, the Soviet Red Army launched another attack and failed again.On September 10, 1942, the Soviet Red Army tried to carry out a surprise attack from the north to restore contact with the 62nd Group Army, but was again defeated.On September 12, 1942, the Soviet Red Army retreated to the urban perimeter, and all the peripheral defense zones were lost. The German army broke through the Stalingrad city defense and broke into the Volga River from the south, separating the 62nd Army Group guarding the city from other forces on the battlefield.
In the direction of the Caucasus, the military group of the Liszt A Group advanced at a high speed.On August 9, 1942, the first armored group army of K Chrysler captured the Maikop oil field.On August 22, 1942, the soldiers of Kleist raised the swastika flag of the Third Reich on Mount Erus, 18526 feet above sea level.On August 25, 1942, the Krest Ministry captured Mozdok, only 50 miles from the largest oil production center of the Soviet Union around Grozny, and only 100 miles from the Caspian Sea.On August 31, 1942, Hitler asked Marshal Liszt, commander of Group A, to make a final attack on Grozny with all his strength and take the oil field as soon as possible.However, the impact of the German army declined rapidly and the progress was slow.On September 9, 1942, Hitler removed Marshal Lister from the post of commander of Group A, and General Klest, commander of the 1st Armored Group, took over, while General McKinsen succeeded the commander of the 1st Armored Group.After he took office, though he tried his best, he could not go any further.Because the main reason for the loss of impact force is the lack of fuel.
On September 12, 1942, Hitler flew in from East PrussiaUkraineVennica summoned General Weikes, commander of Group B Army Group, and General Paulus, commander of Group 6 Army Group, ordered them to launch a new attack on Stalingrad on September 13, 1942, and decided to transfer nine divisions from the Caucasus to strengthen the Group 6 Army.
Urban street battles
The Axis forces in the direction of Stalingrad have more than 50 divisions in total, of which 13 divisions with 170000 people directly attacked Stalingrad.The Soviet Red Army's Stalingrad Front Army and the Southeast Front Army have 120 divisions but are seriously understaffed. The 62nd and 64th Group Armies actually defend Stalingrad, with a total of more than 90000 people, more than 1000 guns and 120 tanks.
On September 13, 1942, the German army began to attack the city.Before that, the German armyJu-88The A-type bombers used incendiary bombs to blow the city into ruins, and the waterway reinforcements along the Volga River to Stalingrad were also affected.Paulus' 6th Army Group acted as the main force and launched a fierce assault from the north of the city.Hote's 4th Armored Group Army pushed forward from the south of the city to support Paulus's main attack in the north of the city.Soviet Red ArmyChuikov The 62nd Army Group under the command of Lieutenant General and the 64th Army Group under the command of Major General Shumilov were assigned the task of defending Stalingrad urban area.
On September 14, 1942, the German army broke into the urban area from the north of the city, and launched a fierce street battle with the Soviet 62nd Army Group.Stalingrad became a rubble field, and 80% of the residential areas in the city were destroyed.In a city full of rubble and ruins,The 62nd Soviet Army GroupThe stubborn resistance led to fierce gun battles in every street, building and factory in the city.The number of German soldiers killed and wounded in the city is increasing.Although the German army frequently bombed the east bank of the Volga River, the Soviet Red Army still received constant supplies and support from there.The average survival time of the Red Army soldiers who just rushed to the city is not more than 24 hours, and the average survival time of the officers is only about three days.The main tactics of the German army were the joint operations of all arms, and they attached great importance to the coordination of ground bombing by infantry, engineering forces, artillery and air force.In order to confront this tactic, the commander of the Soviet Red Army adopted the strategy of close proximity, trying to keep his front line close to the German army.As a result, the German artillery could not play the advantages of long-range attack.
The 11th Regiment of the Soviet Guard AviationIl-2 RaiderIt caused heavy damage to German tanks entering the city.On September 15, 1942, the German army carried out a key raid on the Mamayev Heights.This highland is the commanding height of Stalingrad, from which you can overlook and control the whole city. The headquarters of the 62nd Army Group of Lieutenant General Trikov is located here.After the most brutal battle of the day, the German army occupied the Mamayev Heights.However, on September 16, 1942, the 13th Division of the Soviet Guards crossed the Volga River into Stalingrad, suddenly launched a counter attack against the German army and recaptured the highland.Many important strongholds were repeatedly contested by both sides. The battle for the first railway station lasted for a week, and the German army was desperate to approach the city center step by step.
On September 25, 1942, the German army occupied the city center, rushed into the northern factory area on September 27, 1942, and reoccupied the Mamayev highland, but was recaptured by the Soviet Red Army on September 29, 1942.Later, the fighting became more intense, and the two armies continued to occupy the highland alternately.Stalingrad Industrial Zone is built in hills for buildingsreinforced concreteCast or built with stones.The advance of the German army was not measured in kilometers, but in meters. Hans Deir, an officer of the German 6th Army Group, wrote in his book "Marching into Stalingrad": "The enemy and our sides fought fiercely for every house, workshop, water tower, railway subgrade, and even for a wall, a basement and every pile of rubble.The intensity is unprecedented. "The railway station was repeatedly contested for 13 times.In a large grain warehouse, the soldiers of the two armies were so close that they could even hear each other's breathing. After weeks of hard fighting, the German army had to withdraw from this warehouse.In another part of the city, a small team (6 people in total) under the command of Yankov Pavlov occupied an apartment building in the center of the city and fought tenaciously.The soldiers planted a large number of mines near the building, installed machine guns at the windows, and opened the partition wall of the basement for communication.This tenacious fortress was proudly called "Pavlov Building" by the Soviets (there was only one wall left until the 21st century, on which was carved the picture of soldiers' resistance, and 58 was carved in the upper right corner to show that Stalingrad would fight them for 58 days).
Since the German army could not see the end of the battle, it began to dispatch heavy armored troops, including 600mm mortars, into the city.However, the Soviet artillery units on the east bank of the Volga River put the German troops under their artillery fire.The Red Army defense forces in the city still use the ruins to fight.As the city was covered with rubble piles and abandoned buildings up to several meters high, German tank troops were useless.In addition, the Soviet snipers were very successful in using the ruins as a cover, which caused great casualties to the German army.Zikan, the most successful sniper, had killed 224 enemies by November 20, 1942, which made him a future Hollywood film《the enemy approached the walls》The master ofVasili Zaitsev (Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev).Another sniper also killed 149 enemies.
For Stalin and Hitler, the battle of Stalingrad was the key battle to success or failure.The Soviet Red Army Command will focus its strategy fromMoscowTransferred toVolga RiverAnd mobilized all the air forces in the country to support Stalingrad.At the end of September and the beginning of October, the Soviet Red Army transferred 6 infantry divisions and 1 tank brigade to the urban area of Stalingrad;The German army transferred 200000 additional troops, including 90 artillery battalions and 40 engineering battalions trained to attack the city.
The commanders of both forces are under great pressure.German commander Paulus has eyesMuscle spasmAnd Trikov was also suffering from the sunless basement headquarterseczemaHe was so sick that he had to bind up his hands completely.
At this time, the German front in the southern part of the Soviet Union was from Kursk and Voronezh, through Stalingrad to Mozdok, more than 1250 miles long.Add in the 800 miles from Kursk to Leningrad, and the total length of the German front in the Soviet Union is more than 2000 miles. German forces and resources are simply not enough to maintain such a long front.What is particularly dangerous is that there is no cover for 350 miles from Stalingrad up the Don River to Voronezh.Germany could not spare its troops to fill this gap, so it had to deploy three group armies of the client countries on this front: the second group army of Hungary was south of Voronezh;The 8th Group Army of Italy is farther to the southeast;The 3rd Roman Army is just west of Stalingrad, on the right side of the bend of Don River Bay.This makes the battle line very narrow and long. In some areas, there is only one field platoon to defend the defence line of 1-2 kilometers.The Soviet Red Army reserved several attack points on the south bank of the Volga River, which posed a potential threat to the German army.Hitler was not unaware that the subordinate troops with extremely poor equipment and combat effectiveness were not enough to undertake this task, but he was convinced that as long as Stalingrad could be quickly conquered, enough troops could be drawn out.Franz Halder, the chief of staff of the German army, expressed concern and dissent, and believed that Stalingrad could not fall into the trap. He strongly advocated abandoning the battle and retreating westward.As a result, at the end of September, Hitler removed the post of Chief of Staff of the Halde Army and appointed Kurt, the former German commander in chief in France·ZeitlerGeneral Kurt Zeitzler was the new Chief of the Army General Staff.
On September 28, 1942, the Supreme Command of the Soviet Red Army decided to rename the Stalingrad Front ArmyDon Front Army, the commander is Lieutenant General Rokosovski;The Southeast Front Army was renamed the Stalingrad Front Army, and its commander was General Ye Liaomianko;The first group army of the guards was expanded into the Southwest Front Army, and the commander was Lieutenant General Nikolai Vatutin.General Zhukov, Deputy Supreme Commander, and General Huasilevsky, Chief of the General Staff were instructed to draw up a counter offensive plan secretly.
In October 1942, Stalingrad had been engaged in fierce street fighting.The German army fought house by house and found its way from the ground and underground ruins, so it was also called the "Rat War" (German: Rattenkrieg). It even joked that "even if we occupy the kitchen, we still need to fight in the living room." For Stalin, it was absolutely impossible to let this city named after itself fall into the hands of the German army.He personally gave an order to General Yeliao Myenko, asking him to stick to the city under any circumstances.Every house, as long as there are Soviet soldiers, even if there is only one person, will become an unbreakable fortress of the enemy.For Hitler, the spiritual value of Stalingrad has exceeded its strategic value, and it must be captured. When the new Chief of General Staff of the Army, General Zetsler, carefully pointed out to him that the long Don River front on the northern wing of the 6th Army Group was in danger, and proposed to withdraw the 6th Army Group to the bend of the Don River,Hitler replied harshly, "Where the German soldiers go, they will guard there!"
After three months of bloody fighting to the beginning of November 1942, the German army finally slowly advanced to the bank of the Volga River and occupied 80% of the whole city, dividing the remaining Soviet army into two narrow pockets. The German army never fully occupied Stalingrad.In addition, the Volga River began to freeze, so that the Soviet Union could no longer ship supplies to the defenders in the city.Nevertheless, the fighting near the Mamayev Heights and in the factory area in the northern urban area is still very fierce.Among them, the battles of Red October Factory, tractor factory and barricade factory are known all over the world.While the Soviet soldiers were engaged in a gun battle with the German army, the workers in the factory repaired damaged tanks and other weapons on the side, and sometimes even repaired weapons directly on the battlefield.The tanks were driven by factory workers and volunteers.These tanks often drove directly from the production line of the arsenal to the battle front without even having time to paint and install shooting sights.
On November 11, 1942, the German army launched a strong attack with 5 infantry divisions, 2 armored divisions and 2 engineering battalions on the front with a width of 5 kilometers.The battle formation is highly concentrated.In one day, the Soviet and German armies fought fiercely for every inch of land and every house, with heavy casualties on both sides.Although the German army rushed to the Volga River bank south of the barricade factory, its troops were exhausted and its offensive was at the end of its tether. Paulus was forced to stop the attack the next day and repair his troops.The losses of the Soviet Red Army were also serious. The two divisions of the 62nd Group Army lost 75% of their troops.
According to the statistics of the Soviet Union, from July 1942 to November 1942, the German army lost nearly 700000 people, more than 1000 tanks, more than 2000 artillery and mortars, and 1400 aircraft in the battles on the Don River, Volga River, and Stalingrad.
The Soviet Red Army's Counterattack -- "Iron Clamp Offensive"
Since the end of September, the Soviet Supreme Command of the Soviet Red Army began to prepare for a major counter offensive. Zhukov, who was responsible for the overall strategy of Stalingrad, began to secretly massively assemble forces to Stalingrad.By the middle of November 1942, the Soviet Red Army on the north and south sides of Stalingrad had three front armies and ten arms combined into a group army, one tank group army, four air force group armies and several independent armies, tank armies and brigades. There were 143 divisions with 1.106 million people, 15500 artillery and mortars, 1463 tanks and assault guns, and 1350 aircraft.The German Army Group B in front of us had 80 divisions and 3 brigades, about 1 million people, 10290 artillery, 675 tanks and 1216 aircraft.
Zhukov's strategy was to keep the German army in the city, and then encircle the German army in Stalingrad city by attacking the weak outside of the German army.On November 13, 1942, Stalin approved the counter offensive plan drawn up by Zhukov and Wassilevsky, and personally gave the plan the code name“Operation Uranus ”This echoes the "Mars Operation" aimed at the German central army group.The plan stipulates that the Southwest Front Army is commanded by Lieutenant General Watujing, whose task is to carry out the main attack from the bridgehead positions in the Shiramofivich and Klitskaya regions on the west bank of the Don River, break through the defense of the third group army of Romania, and directly enter Karachi on the east bank of the Don River;The front army of Stalingrad is commanded by General Yeliao Myenko. Its task is to attack from the south of Stalingrad to the northwest, break through the defense of the 4th Army Group of Romania, meet with the southwest front army in Karachi, and complete the encirclement of the 6th Army Group of Germany;The Don River Front Army is commanded by Lieutenant General Rokosovski. Its task is to carry out auxiliary assaults from the northwest of Stalingrad to the southeast to cover the main attack of the Southwest Front Army.The date of the counter offensive was set as November 19, 1942 for the Southwest Front Army and the Don River Front Army, and November 20, 1942 for the Stalingrad Front Army.
On November 19, 1942, the Soviet Red Army began to implementOperation Uranus 。Watujing's Southwest Front Army and Rokosovsky's Don River Front Army launched counter attacks in the heavy snow,vatutin The main attack force commanded by the Lieutenant General consists of three whole group armies (the 1st group army of the guards, the 5th tank group army and the 21st group army), consisting of 18 infantry divisions, 8 tank brigades, 2 motorcycle brigades, 6 cavalry divisions and 1 anti tank brigade, and is supported by the 2nd and 17th group armies of the Air Force.The Romanian 3rd Army Group, which was responsible for defending the flank safety of the 6th Army Group of the German Army, was broken through by the Soviet Red Army just one day after the battle was launched due to its absolute disadvantage in number and lack of sophisticated equipment.
At the same time, the Don River Front Army carried out two auxiliary raids, the 65th Group Army raided southeast from the east of Kletskaya, and the 24th Group Army raided southward from the Kacharinskaya area along the left bank of the Don River to the direction of Welgach, splitting the links between the German army in the small bend of the Don River and the German army in Stalingrad.The 66th Army Group defends in place in the area north of Stalingrad.The Don River Front Army was supported by the 16th Group Army of the Soviet Air Force.
On November 20, 1942, the 51st, 57th and 64th group armies of the Stalingrad front army in Yeliomyenko also turned to counter attack in the south, breaking through the defense line of the 4th group army of Romania defending the region, and the Romanians, mainly composed of cavalry, were quickly annihilated.Since then, the Soviet Red Army quickly headed north to Karachi.On the 22nd, the Southwest Front Army began to cross the Don River in batches.On November 23, 1942, the Southwest Front Army and the Stalingrad Front Army met in Karachi, thus completing the siege of Stalingrad.By November 30, 1942, the three front armies of the Soviet Red Army had surrounded the five armies and 22 divisions of the German 6th Army Group, the Romanian and Italian troops, and some Croatian troops with a total of about 270000 people in a 1500 square kilometer area of Stalingrad. Only about 50000 troops of the 6th Army Group were separated from the encirclement circle.
When the German Supreme Command received the news that the Soviet Red Army had launched a counter attack, General Zeitler, the chief of the army general staff, urged Hitler to order Paulus to withdraw from Stalingrad.However, Field Marshal Goering, the commander of the air force, assured Hitler that he could ensure that the air force had the ability to transport supplies for the 6th group army through the "air bridge".FactsGerman Air ForceThere is no transportation capacity to supply such a large force, and its transportation ceiling of 300 tons per day cannot meet the demand of 700 tons per day.But Hitler still supported Goering's plan, so Hitler ordered Paulus to hold the position, and the 6th group army must stay in Stalingrad, and ordered his group army to be renamed "Stalin Fortress" group army in the future.Due to the bad weather and the Soviet Red Army's anti-aircraft fire, the air drop plan soon suffered failure.According to statistics, the German army only received about 10% of the needed materials, and the 6th Army Group gradually felt the threat of hunger.On the other hand, the Soviet Red Army was constantly strengthening the encirclement of Stalingrad and began to narrow the encirclement.
On November 21, 1942,HitlerIt was ordered to expand Marshal Manstein's 11th Army Group into the Don River Army Group, with Marshal Manstein as the commander, and to hand over Paulus's 6th Army Group, Hote's 4th Armored Army Group and Romania's 3rd and 4th Army Group to him for command.Hitler instructed in the order: "The current task of the Don River Army Group is to stop the enemy's offensive and recapture the lost positions." Manstein believed that Germany's chances of success lie in the breakthrough of the 6th Army Group from Stalingrad to the southwest, and the attack of the 4th Hort Armored Army Group from Kojiernikovo south of Stalingrad to the northeast,The Stalingrad front army of Yeliomyenko was flanked, and then turned to attack the right wing of the southwest front army of Tuvajing.However, on November 30, 1942, Hitler said in a public speech that he would never withdraw from Stalingrad, and again stressed that the besieged troops must not surrender, and Manstein must kill his way to Stalingrad.
On December 12, 1942, Marshal Manstein launched the counter attack code named "Winter Storm" with a heavy heart.The German army, led by the 4th Hote Armored Group Army, broke through the defense line of the 51st Soviet Red Army Group Army on the Aksai River on December 16, 1942.By December 19, 1942, the 57th Armored Army of the 4th Armored Group Army had broken into the place within 30 miles of the southern bread circle.At this time, Manstein found himself in danger of being surrounded by the Soviet Red Army several times more than himself.Therefore, he decided to ignore Hitler's order and ordered Paulus to break out to the south immediately and join the 4th Armored Group Army.However, Paulus had no intention of breaking through before receiving Hitler's direct order. He refused Manstein's order on the ground of insufficient fuel and gave up this last opportunity.On December 27, 1942, the Soviet Red Army launched a strong counterattack to repel the 4th Hote Armored Group Army by 150~200 kilometers, finally making it return to its original position, forcing the German headquarters to finally give up the attempt to rescue the besieged group.Manstein's "Winter Storm" failed.The temperature had dropped to minus 45 degrees Celsius.The ice on the Volga River gradually became thicker, so the Soviet Red Army could more easily supply its own troops.The German 6th Army in the encirclement has less and less air supply, which is less than 100 tons per day on average.The German 6th Army was on the verge of running out of ammunition and food.The distribution of rations has been reduced below the standard of subsistence;The artillery began to feel short of ammunition;Medicine and fuel have been exhausted;Thousands of people suffer from typhoid and dysentery, and more people suffer from frostbite. Thousands of soldiers die of hunger, cold andMalnutrition。Some officers tried to persuade Paulus to break through quickly despite Hitler's orders.But Paulus was afraid of being accused of disobeying the military order, so he insisted on holding his ground.On December 29, 1942, Paulus sent Lieutenant General Hubi, commander of the 14th Army, to fly out of the enclosure to meet Hitler and report the situation of the 6th Army to the head of state.But Hitler still ordered the 6th Army to defend Stalingrad until the spring of 1943.On the same day, because of Zeitler's repeated demands, Hitler finally agreed to withdraw Group A from the Caucasus.
Destruction of the 6th Legion
In January 1943, the Soviet Red Army launched another round of offensive, code named "Operation Jupiter", to try to break through the Italian defense line in the Don River area and attack Rostov.If this operation is successful, the rest of the German Southern Group Army will be completely besieged in the Caucasus.Although the Soviet Red Army has never been able to approach Rostov, this action forced the German army to be more than 250 kilometers away from the German army in the Stalingrad encirclement.In fact, the 6th Army Group has completely lost reinforcements.
On January 8, 1943, Lieutenant General Rokosovski, commander of the Sutton River Front Army, issued an ultimatum to General Paulus, commander of the German 6th Army, urging him to surrender.Paulus telegraphed Hitler, asking for permission to act according to circumstances, which was rejected.On the 10th, Rokosovsky's Don River Front Army launched a code named "Ring" attack on the encircled German 6th Group Army, and the German army in deep encirclement began to shrink from the outskirts of Stalingrad to the city.On January 22, 1943, the Soviet Red Army occupied Gumrak Airport, and the air supply and evacuation of the wounded of the 6th Group Army were completely interrupted.Although food and ammunition were extremely scarce, the German army still resisted tenaciously, because they believed that the Soviets would execute the surrendered soldiers.In Stalingrad, fierce street fighting broke out again.On the contrary, the Soviets were also surprised by the huge number of German troops in the encirclement, so they continued to consolidate the encirclement.Paulus reported to Hitler: "The troops can no longer support us. It is meaningless to continue to resist. Please allow us to surrender." He received a reply: "It is impossible to surrender. The 6th Army should do its heroic duty in Stalingrad until the last man stops." Manstein tried to persuade Hitler to approve the surrender of the remnants of the 6th Army,Hitler explained to Manstein that surrender was not allowed. "For one thing, even if the German army in the encirclement was divided into several smaller units, it could still resist for quite a long time; for another, the Russians would never abide by their promises made after they surrendered to the 6th Army Group."
On January 30, 1943, Hitler granted Paulus a sceptre to the German Field Marshal to encourage him to continue his resistance.He said to Jodl: "In German history, no marshal has ever been captured alive." Hitler also hoped that Paulus could fight to the end or kill himself and die for his country.On January 31, 1943, Paulus sent the last telegram to the headquarters: "The 6th Army Group was loyal to its vows and recognized its extremely important mission. For the sake of the head of state and the motherland, it had stuck to its position and hit the last soldier, shot and shot." However, when the Soviet Red Army attacked the German headquarters in the department store,Paulus chose to surrender.On the same day, the 38th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the 64th Army Group of the Soviet Red Army called the headquarters of Paulus. "The radio station of the 6th Army Group is about to be closed! The Russian army has occupied it! Long live the Bolsheviks and God bless Germany!" On February 1, 1943, the reporter of the headquarters of the besieged 6th Army Group decided to send the last famous telegram to Berlin that touched the Germans,Finally, write "CL" with international code to indicate "This station stops sending messages".The Soviet Red Army ordered the members of the 6th Army Headquarters to surrender outside the basement, and General Schmidt, the chief of staff of the 6th Army, accepted the request.Schmidt asked Paulus: "Excuse me, Field Marshal, do you have anything to say?" Paulus had nothing to say, so he had to surrender.On February 2, 1943, the remnants of the 11th Army besieged in the north of Stalingrad also announced their surrender.Thus, the battle of Stalingrad ended.Twenty three generals, including Marshal Paulus, commander of the 6th German Army Group, Lieutenant General Pfeiffer, commander of the 4th Infantry Army, Lieutenant General Kurzbach, commander of the 51st Army, Major General Kolfes, commander of the 295th Division and division, were captured, about 140000 people died, and only 30000 wounded patients were evacuated in advance by air.
To the great surprise of the Soviet Red Army, but also to the great disappointment of the German army, 22 generals were among the prisoners of war.Hitler was extremely disappointed with the new field marshal, and said publicly that "Paulus was one step closer to entering the glorious palace, but he still chose to retreat." There was no clear evidence that German prisoners of war were severely mistreated, leading to widespread death.However, according to statistics, only 6000 of the 91000 prisoners surrendered survived and returned to Germany.Since most soldiers themselves haveinnutritionThe lack of medical treatment, coupled with the Red Army's distribution of them to prisoners of war camps across the Soviet Union for forced labor, caused most people to die from overwork and malnutrition.A dozen senior officers were taken to Moscow to be used as political propaganda tools of the Soviet Union.The officers, including Paulus, issued an anti Hitler declaration and publicized it to the German army.General Walter von Sedlitz Kurzbach even proposed to form an anti Hitler army from German prisoners of war, but the Soviet Union did not accept this proposal.It was not until 1955 that these senior prisoners of war were repatriated.
Although the German official media had stopped reporting relevant favorable news a few weeks before the end of the campaign, the German people did not know about the tragedy in Stalingrad until the end of January 1943.This was not the first time that the German army suffered a blow, but this defeat was incomparable in terms of scale and strategic significance.On February 18, 1943, the Minister of Propaganda of GermanyJoseph Goebbels The famous Sportpalast speech was delivered in Berlin, encouraging German citizens to accept the concept of overall war, that is, to fight to the end with all resources and forces of the country.
Battle loss
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A total of one million people died on both sides in this battle, including the Soviet Unionromanian、Hungarian, German.The German Sixth Army had 260000 people and 91000 people were surrounded. Only 5000 people returned to Germany alive after the war.
In the most intense stage of the battle, the two sides invested more than 2 million troops, 2000 tanks, more than 2300 aircraft, and 25000 artillery and mortars.
In September and October 1942, the Soviet army had only five infantry divisions crossing the river for reinforcements, while the German army had put in reinforcements of no less than 27 infantry divisions and 19 armored brigades.The number of casualties in its first division often reached 70 percent, leaving only thirty or forty people in a company.The German army has successively invested soldiers in Stalingrad, from the original 25 divisions to 51 divisions.
From July to November 1942, the German army lost 700000 soldiers, more than 1000 tanks, more than 2000 artillery and more than 1400 aircraft.
During the war, Soviet railway workers delivered 300000 wagons of military equipment to Stalingrad.During the whole war, 9568 wagons of ammunition and 8353 wagons of artillery shells were consumed, exceeding the amount of those capturedBattle of BerlinThirteen percent of the shells were consumed.All factories and enterprises in Stalingrad have set up enemy annihilation camps, and more than 80000 people have been added to the Red Army.Many who stayed in the factory continued to insist on production.For example, the factories in Kirov District left only 10% to 15% workers at most, but they produced 5000 tons of food, 100 tons of mustard oil, 67 tons of soap, 12000 bottles of mixed fuel, 5000 military stoves, 1300 mines, and the factories in Stalingrad supplied tanksMore than 4800 artillery and mortars.
Battle evaluation
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General comments
This war is cruel, almost a victory piled up with blood.Although the result of the Battle of Stalingrad was good, its process was horribly bloody.Any war is not a matter for several commanders to devise strategies. It must be built by fresh life.Under Hitler's leadership, Nazi Germany successively won several countries with smaller territory. However, in the face of the vast Soviet Union, the German attack showed difficulty.The German attack on Stalingrad can be likened to the Japanese attack on Nanjing. Their massacre of the people has reached the point of dehumanization.The fall of Stalingrad, however, was not the end of the campaign, but the beginning of another solemn counterattack.In the face of the heavy loss of defensive areas, the Soviet group army still did not give up the last chance of resistance. They still fought against each other in the urban area, building by building. This is known as street fighting.The city was burned out by the war. The Soviet army avoided the enemy's fire and fought bravely in these ruins.Under the strong resistance of commander Cuikov, he finally won the war which was very important to Stalin and Hitler.
Although the Soviet Red Army won the battle of Stalingrad, the losses of the Soviet Union were still higher than those of the German army.The German army, which lost its initiative, was gradually destroyed in the subsequent battles, and the Soviet people who were protecting their homeland were also recorded in history forever.This city is still called the City of Heroes.
The main military reasons for the failure of the German army in the Battle of Stalingrad were: the strategic attempt was out of line with its strength and overestimated its own strength;The deployment of troops is scattered, and the focus of attack cannot be formed;Difficulty in logistics supply, etc.
The Red Army's attack from the front of the city and the northern side forced Hitler to despair of the attack on the city, and in fact had to turn himself into a defensive position day by day.Just over a month ago, some people were in a hurry to discuss the situation after the fall of the Caucasus. They were wrong about the strength of the Soviet Union and Germany.Hitler's "great plan" was there, but it was just like《Pravda》Said by Stalingrad's War of Resistance.The contradiction between Hitler's strength and his ambition was an important reason for his failure.This contradiction is manifested in his policy of avoiding the real and attacking the false.Leningrad and Moscow were supposed to be avoided, so he concentrated on the southern corner.In July, he fought desperately for Voronezh, unable to open it, and avoided it.Struggle for Kretsky desperately, but can't open it and avoid it.So the attack points were concentrated in Stalingrad and the northern foothills of the Caucasus, which was inevitable, and could not be opened, but also to be avoided.But this is the last way to avoid. That is to say, Hitler was forced to abandon the offensive and turn to the defensive position.Hitler has not yet issued a general statement to stop the attack. He may still want to struggle for the last time, but the situation has gone and is irretrievable.All the places he avoided became the starting point for the Red Army to attack him. The Red Army attacked the German army from Kletsky to the north corner of Sicheng.This will force Hitler to finally abandon all his strategic attacks.
Stalingrad was the starting point of the fall of the German fascist army.As we all know, the Germans can no longer recover their vitality after the fierce battle in Stalingrad.
Editorial of Moscow Pravda
Stalingrad's war of resistance shattered Hitler's great plan.The plan was originally planned to move towards Moscow and Baku after the rapid capture of Stalingrad.
From about September 1942, Stalin changed his attitude towards the General Staff and began to rely on it.Since then, all major strategic issues in campaigns have been resolved with the participation of the General Staff, the heads of the various departments of the People's Commission for National Defense and the commanders of the front army.
Churchill
The spring of 1943 marked the turning point of the Eastern Front War.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The turning point of the Allied war against aggression.
Our backbone has been broken along the entire eastern line.
Vladimir Putin
We should make every effort toBattle of StalingradThe memory and truth will never fade away.We firmly oppose distorting the historical facts of World War II and obliterating the achievements of the Soviet Red Army.Our army's journey to Berlin began here, from Stalingrad, an unconquered city.
Del（German officers)
The two sides fought fiercely for every house, workshop, water tower, railway subgrade, even for a wall, a basement and every pile of rubble.Its intensity is unprecedented.
Compared with Hitler's crimes, the sacrifices made by the Soviet people in the just war were particularly noble.I executed the orders of my superiors in Stalingrad, which was a deliberate crime.
The battle in Stalingrad is extremely fierce. I personally think that onlyMoscow BattleComparatively, at that time, our military strength in Moscow was limited, which was not enough to carry out the counter offensive aimed at surrounding the enemy group army;The battle in Stalingrad is extremely fierce.Here, in the process of organizing the counter offensive, I have gained much more practical experience than in Moscow in 1941.
German officer (experienced)
Stalingrad is no longer a city, but a killing stove... The streets here are no longer measured in meters, but in corpses.
Battle influence
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The Soviet army seized it from the German armyStrategic initiativeStalingrad's influence further enhanced the international prestige of the Soviet Union and its armed forces, eliminated the main force of the German army, and greatly weakened the strength of fascism.The Battle of Stalingrad was a decisive battle, but its psychological significance was far greater than its military significance.
This isSoviet Patriotic WarFor the first time since then, the German army has been annihilated in the form of a group army. Before that, it was only an organized retreat, which also disrupted the German army's deployment in the south. The Group A army group that attacked the Caucasus was almost annihilated.
From June 28, 1942 to February 2, 1943, a war lasting more than seven months was staged in the Soviet Union. This large-scale and bloody war was the famous Battle of Stalingrad.This large-scale campaign made the people of the former Soviet Union and the world hate the fascist atrocities to the utmost.
Significance of battle
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For the Second World War, such a battle is bound to be remembered, because Germany has lost the initiative in the war since then, and the Battle of Stalingrad has brought more than that.
The Soviet army saw the hope of victory in this battle, and its morale increased greatly.The war was like magic that made the Soviet Union begin to control the situation, so the meaning of Stalingrad Campaign was really very important.The initiative on the eastern front of Nazi Germany has been lost forever since then.However, the loss of military strength also led to chaos. The situation of neglecting one thing and losing another forced the German army to withdraw from the Soviet Union.The Soviet Union finally began to recover the lost land step by step, so it was inseparable from the war to recover the land finally.And it was through this war that people all over the world saw that Hitler was not invincible, which made people more determined to fight against fascism.
So the meaning of the Battle of Stalingrad is to break the situation and win the most precious opportunity for victory.The Battle of Stalingrad is of great significance to people all over the world.It can be said that this war not only enabled the Soviet army to seize the initiative of the war from the German army, but also gave Nazi Germany a blow, so that the arrogant fascists saw the power of justice, so that the people of the world no longer feel terrible about Nazi Germany.
The commander of the Nazi German Southern Group Army Group said after the battle: "We lost a quarter of our troops in Stalingrad, which is equivalent to breaking our backbone in the east."
Commemoration for future generations
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On February 2, 1943, Paulus, who had just been awarded the rank of Marshal by Hitler, and the commander of the 4th Infantry Army, Lieutenant General Pfeifer, the commander of the 51st Army, Lieutenant General Kurzbach, the commander of the 295th Division, Major General Kolfes, and other German senior generals were forced to surrender and sign the letter of surrender. The battle of Stalingrad, which lasted for six and a half months, ended, while the Soviet Union determined that February 2 wasVictory Day of the Battle of Stalingrad。
In order to commemorate the heroic deeds in the Battle of Stalingrad, the city was named "Hero City" in 1945.In the 1960s, the Soviet Union set up a 52 meter high "Monument to the Russian Mother" on the hill of Mamayev Hill outside the city.The statue includes the ruins destroyed during the battle.The large grain warehouse and Pavlov Building witnessed very fierce battles and received visits from later generations.
Every time the victory anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad comes, old soldiers and youth representatives attend a flower laying ceremony at the Memorial Hall of the Patriotic War on the Bowshou Mountain that day to mourn the Soviet soldiers who died in the Great War.Some of the old soldiers also gathered together to review the historical footage of the bloody struggle against fascism.
documentary
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Stalingrad（Сталинград, 1943): Field recording image shot by the Soviet Union.
The Great Battle on the Volga River（Velikaya bitva na Volge, 1962): A documentary film produced in Finland, compiled by more than 150 war photographers.
The World in War（The World at War, 1973 – 1974): A series of television documentaries produced in the UK, Episode 9 Stalingrad（Deadliest Battle）It recorded the course of the battle of Stalingrad.
The Secret of the Dead（Secrets of The Dead）: TV documentary film "Deadly Battle" produced by the US Public Television Network（Deadliest Battle）One episode recorded the battle of Stalingrad.
The Great Patriotic War（Великая Отечественная война，2012）: A series of TV documentaries shot by Channel 1 of Russia to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War. The fourth episode of Season 1, "War in the City", is a special documentary about the battle of Stalingrad.
cinematographic works
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Battle of Stalingrad（Сталинградская битва, 1948-1949): directed by the Soviet UnionPetrovThe war epic directed is divided into two parts.
Soldier（Солдаты, 1958): According to the Soviet writer Victor Nakalasov（Ви́ктор Плато́нович Некра́сов）The novel of the same name was adapted into a film.
Hound, do you want to live forever（Hunde， wollt ihr ewig leben?, 1959): according toFederal GermanyWriter Fritz Worth（Fritz Wöss）Adapted from the novel of the same name, Frank Vespa（Frank Wisbar）Director.
《Stalingrad's bloody battle》（Сталинград, 1990): byYuri Ozerov Directed by the Soviet Union, the United States, Democratic Germany and Czechoslovakia, it is divided into two parts.
