By the beginning of 1942, it became obvious that the original plan of the command of the German armed forces (Operation Barbarossa) had failed and it was necessary to make adjustments to it.
Photo 1942–1943. Battle of Stalingrad 
The coveted line from Arkhangelsk to Astrakhan, which the troops were supposed to reach during the summer and autumn of 1941, was not reached. However, Germany captured significant territories of the USSR and still had the potential for offensive war. The only question was on which sector of the front to concentrate the offensive.
Prehistory of the Battle of Stalingrad
As the experience of the 1941 campaign showed, in general, the German command overestimated the strength of its troops. The offensive in three directions - north, center and south - brought conflicting results.
Leningrad was never taken, the offensive near Moscow took place much later (due to the need to eliminate resistance on southbound) and lost.
In the southern sector, Germany achieved significant success, but it was far from the original plans. It was concluded that it was necessary to concentrate the strike in the southern direction.
The war and the battle for Stalingrad entered a new phase of confrontation.
Plans of the parties in the Battle of Stalingrad
The German leadership was aware that the solution of such strategic tasks as the capture of Moscow and Leningrad was not achieved during the blitzkrieg, and a further positional offensive would bring enormous losses. Soviet Union managed to strengthen the frontiers on the outskirts of the largest cities.
On the other hand, the offensive in the southern direction could be carried out in the course of quick and large-scale maneuvers, which would reduce losses. Moreover, the strategic goal of the offensive in the southern direction was to cut off the USSR from the largest oil fields in the country at that time.
In the last pre-war year, out of 31 million tons of oil produced, Azerbaijani oil accounted for 71%, and another 15% came from the fields of Chechnya and the Kuban region.
By cutting off the USSR from 95% of all oil produced, Germany could immobilize all military production and the army itself. The accelerated production of new military equipment (tanks, aircraft, etc.) outside the German aviation would be pointless, since there would be nothing to fuel it.
Moreover, all deliveries to the USSR from the Lend-Lease allies, at the beginning of 1942, also began to pass in a southern direction - through Iran, the Caspian Sea and further along the Volga.
In developing plans for 1942, the Soviet command took into account a number of important factors. First of all, it realized that the opening of the second front this year might not take place.
At the same time, the Supreme Commander I.V. Stalin believed that Germany had enough resources to strike in two directions at once: southern and central (to Moscow).
the strategy of the USSR for this period consisted in active defense with a number of offensive operations of a local nature
It was important to create worthy reserves for the subsequent offensive campaign.
Note that the military intelligence of the Soviets provided information that Germany would conduct a large-scale offensive in the summer of 1942 precisely in the southern direction. However, I.V. Stalin believed that the main blow would fall precisely on the center, since the largest number of enemy divisions was concentrated on this sector of the front.
Troop strength
As statistics show, the Soviet leadership miscalculated in the strategic plans for 1942. The general ratio of armed forces to the spring of 1942, on the date of the Battle of Stalingrad, was as follows.
At the same time, in the southern direction, Germany formed the Paulus army, and from the USSR, the Southwestern (later Stalingrad) Front took up defensive positions. The balance of power was as follows.
As can be seen, there is a significant overbalance German troops at the beginning of the battle for Stalingrad (1.7 to 1 in numbers, 1.4 to 1 in guns, 1.3 to 1 in tanks, about 2.2 to 1 in aircraft). The German command had every reason to believe that the tank battle near Stalingrad would ensure the success of the operation and everything would end with the complete defeat of the Red Army within 7 days.
The course of the Battle of Stalingrad
It would seem that after reassessing their own forces and the necessary time to seize the territory of the USSR in 1941, the German leadership should have set more realistic goals and dates for a new campaign.
However, in the southern direction, not only was a numerical advantage achieved, but there were also a number of tactical features that made it possible to count on the shortest period of hostilities.
The fighting took place in the steppe region.
What allowed German tanks carry out fast forced marches, and the Soviet anti-tank guns were in full view of the German aviation.
At the same time, back in May 1942, Soviet troops launched an independent strike in the Kharkov region against German positions. The counterattack of the Red Army came as a surprise to the Reich. But the Nazis quickly recovered from the blow. The German offensive on Stalingrad began after the defeat of the Soviet troops near Kharkov on July 17.
It is customary to distinguish two key dates in the year of the battle of Stalingrad - defensive in the period from 07/17/1942 to 11/18/1942 and offensive in the period from 11/19/1942 to 02/02/1943.
The battle for Stalingrad near the rivers Chir and Tsimpla on July 17 is considered the beginning of this military conflict. Soviet troops fought fierce resistance, but Germany constantly reinforced Paulus's 6th Army with new divisions.
July 1942, the northern and southern strike groups of the enemy went on the offensive
As a result, the enemy in some areas went to the Don, surrounded about three groups of Soviet troops and seriously advanced on the flanks.
Battle of Stalingrad - plans of the parties It should be noted the military genius of Paulus, who, instead of a well-developed offensive methodology along the railway tracks, concentrated the main offensive practically along the banks of the Don.
One way or another, the Soviet troops retreated, and on July 28 order No. 227 was issued, later known as "Not a step back." In accordance with it, retreat from the front was punishable by execution, the loss of personnel and equipment was punishable by execution.
When captured, the officer and members of his family were declared enemies of the people. Barrage troops of the NKVD were created, which received the right to shoot soldiers fleeing from the front on the spot. Penal battalions were also created.
Order No. 227 Not a step back Already on August 2, German forces approached Kotelnikovsky, on August 7-9 to Kalach-on-Don. Despite the failure of the lightning operation, the German troops advanced 60-80 kilometers and it was not far from Stalingrad.
Stalingrad on fire
Briefly about the breakthrough to Stalingrad and the battles - in the following table.
| Battle date | Event | Note |
| August 19 | The resumption of the offensive | |
| August 22 | 6th Army crosses the Don | Occupied foothold on the eastern bank of the Don |
| August 23 | 14th Panzer Corps occupies Rynok village | As a result of the breakthrough, German forces break through to the Volga a little north of Stalingrad. 62nd Soviet army cut off from others in Stalingrad |
| August 23 | The beginning of the bombing of the city | The bombardment will continue for several more months and by the end of the battle, not a single whole building will remain in the city. The Germans surrounded Stalingrad - the confrontation reached its climax |
| September 13-26 | Reich forces enter the city | As a result of the assault, the Soviet troops (mostly soldiers of Chuikov's 62nd Army) retreat. The battle begins in Stalingrad, within the city |
| October 14 - November 11 | The decisive offensive of the Germans in order to eliminate the forces of the 62nd Army and access to the Volga throughout the territory of Stalingrad | For this offensive, significant German forces were concentrated, but the battle in the city was fought for every house, if not a floor. German tankers were ineffective - the tanks simply got stuck on street debris. Despite the Mamaev Kurgan occupied by the Germans, Soviet artillery also supported soldiers from the opposite bank of the Volga. At night, it was possible to transport supplies and new forces to ensure that Stalingrad resisted the occupation. There were colossal losses on both sides, on November 11 there was a breakthrough of fascist forces to the Volga, the 62nd Army controlled only three disconnected regions of the city |
Despite fierce resistance, the constant reinforcements of the Soviet troops, the support of artillery and ships from the Volga, Stalingrad could fall at any moment. Under these conditions, the Soviet leadership is working out a counteroffensive plan.
offensive stage
In accordance with the offensive operation "Uranus", the Soviet troops were to hit the flanks of the 6th Army, namely the weakest positions of the Romanian troops to the southeast and northwest of the city.
Battle of Stalingrad, 1942, Operation Uranus Also, according to the plan, it was envisaged not only to surround the 6th army, isolating it from other enemy forces, but also, breaking it into 2 parts, immediately liquidate it. It was not possible to do this, however, by November 23, Soviet troops closed the ring, meeting in the Kalach-on-Don region.
Later, in November-December 1942, the German military leadership made an attempt to break through to the Paulus army, which was surrounded.
Operation Wintergewitter was led by G. Goth.
The German divisions were pretty battered, but by December 19 they had practically managed to break through the defenses, but the Soviet reserves arrived in time in time and forced G. Goth to fail.
In the remaining days of December, the Middle Don operation took place, during which the Soviet troops significantly pushed the enemy forces away from Stalingrad, finally defeating the Romanian and Italian troops, part of the Hungarian and Croatian corps.
This meant that it remained only to finish off the encircled army of Paulus, so that the complete defeat of the German troops near Stalingrad took place.
Paulus was asked to surrender
But this did not happen, Paulus chose to fight, hoping for reinforcements.
On January 10-17, the first offensive of the Soviet troops took place, and on January 22-26 the second, which ended with the capture of Mamaev Kurgan and the division of German troops into two groups - northern and southern. Possession of the kurgan meant significant superiority for Soviet artillery and snipers.
This became the decisive moment of the battle. Paulus, who was in the southern group, surrendered on January 31, and on February 2, the forces of the northern group were defeated.
The battle for Stalingrad lasted for more than six months, how many days and nights the civilians of the city and soldiers had to endure in the decisive battle of the twentieth century, calculated with scrupulous accuracy - 200 days.
The meaning and outcome of the battle. Side losses
The Battle of Stalingrad is considered the largest and greatest in the history of World War II. Over 1.5 million people took part on the Soviet side during the months of the battle, of which over 450 thousand people were irretrievably lost, and over 650 thousand people were attributed to sanitary losses.
German losses in the Battle of Stalingrad vary depending on the source. It is assumed that the Axis lost over 1.5 million people (not only killed, but also wounded and captured). Over 3,500 tanks, 22,000 guns, and 5,000 aircraft were destroyed in the battle.
3,500 tanks
22 thousand guns and 5 thousand aircraft were destroyed during Battle of Stalingrad
In fact, the victory of the Soviet troops in this struggle was the beginning of the end for Germany. Realizing the tangibility of the losses suffered, the military leadership of the Wehrmacht eventually ordered the construction of the Eastern Wall, on which, in the future, German troops were to take up defensive positions.
Germany also lost the ability to replenish divisions at the expense of the forces of the allies - Romania no longer sent soldiers to the war, Hungary and Slovakia also seriously limited their participation in the war.
Stalingrad in February 1943 was a completely destroyed city (90% of all buildings were destroyed, about 42 thousand houses). 500 thousand inhabitants were left without any shelter.
Foreign experts who visited the city after the end of the fighting came to the conclusion that it was easier to rebuild military Stalingrad in a new place than to restore it from ruins. However, the city was rebuilt.
March to September 1943 more than 150 thousand residents and volunteers arrived in it, by the end of the war 300 thousand mines, over a million artillery shells were collected, and the restoration of the housing stock began.
As a result, the work of the Stalingraders helped to accomplish no less a feat - to return the city from the ashes.
Back forward
Attention! The slide preview is for informational purposes only and may not represent the full extent of the presentation. If you are interested in this work, please download the full version.
Target: to introduce students to one of the most important in the history of the Great Patriotic War battles, determine the stages, find out the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad during the Great Patriotic War.
Tasks:
- to acquaint with the main events of the Battle of Stalingrad;
- reveal the reasons for the victory of the Soviet people in the battle on the Volga;
- develop skills in working with a map, additional literature, select, evaluate, analyze the studied material;
- to cultivate a sense of patriotism, pride and respect for compatriots for a perfect feat.
Equipment: map "Battle of Stalingrad", handout (cards - assignments), textbook Danilova A.A., Kosulina L.G., Brandt M.Yu. History of Russia XX - the beginning of the XXI century. M., "Enlightenment", 2009. Video clips from the movie "Stalingrad". In advance, students prepare messages about the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Predicted results: students must show the ability to work with a map, video clips, a textbook. Prepare your own message and speak to the audience.
Lesson plan:
1. Stages of the Battle of Stalingrad.
2. Results and meaning.
3. Conclusion.
DURING THE CLASSES
I. Organizational moment. Greeting students
II. New topic
The topic of the lesson is recorded.
Teacher: Today in the lesson we have to analyze the main events of the battle of Stalingrad; characterize the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad as the beginning of a radical turning point in World War II; to reveal the reasons for the victory of the Soviet people in the battle on the Volga.
Problem task: Slide 1. Some Western historians and military leaders claim that the reasons for the defeat of the Nazi army at Stalingrad are the following: terrible cold, mud, snow.
Can we agree with this? Try to answer this question at the end of the lesson.
Assignment to students: listening to the teacher's story, draw up a thesis plan for the answer.
Teacher: Let's look at the map. In mid-July 1942, German troops rushed to Stalingrad - an important strategic point and the largest center of the defense industry.
The Battle of Stalingrad is divided into two periods:
I - July 17 - November 18, 1942 - defensive;
II - November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943 - counteroffensive, encirclement and defeat of German troops.
I period. July 17, 1942 Parts of the 62nd Soviet Army came into contact in the bend of the Don with the advanced units of the 6th Army of the German troops under the command of General Paulus.
The city was preparing for defense: defensive structures were being built, their total length was 3860 m. Anti-tank ditches were dug in the most important areas, the city's industry produced up to 80 types of military products. So, the tractor supplied the front with tanks, and the Krasny Oktyabr metallurgical plant - with mortars. (Video clip).
In the course of heavy fighting, the Soviet troops, showing stamina and heroism, thwarted the enemy’s plan to capture Stalingrad on the move. From July 17 to August 17, 1942, the Germans managed to advance no more than 60-80 km. (See map).
But still the enemy, albeit slowly, was approaching the city. The tragic day came on August 23, when the German 6th Army reached the western outskirts of Stalingrad, surrounding the city from the north. At the same time, the 4th Panzer Army, together with the Romanian units, advanced on Stalingrad from the southwest. Fascist aviation subjected the entire city to a brutal bombing attack, making 2,000 sorties. Residential areas and industrial facilities were destroyed, tens of thousands of civilians were killed. Embittered fascists decided to wipe the city off the face of the earth. (Video clip)
On September 13, the enemy, having introduced an additional 9 divisions and one brigade into battle, began to storm the city. The direct defense of the city was carried out by the 62nd and 64th armies (commanders - Generals Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich and Shumilov Mikhail Stepanovich).
Fighting began on the streets of the city. Soviet soldiers fought to the death, defending every five Volga lands.
"No step back! Stand to death!" - these words became the motto of the defenders of Stalingrad.
The famous Pavlov's house became the embodiment of the courage of Stalingraders.
Student message:“There is no land for us beyond the Volga” - this phrase of sniper Vasily Zaitsev became winged.
Student message: In one of the battles in mid-October, the signalman of the headquarters of the 308th Infantry Division Matvey Putilov performed an immortal feat.
Student message: As a symbol of immortal glory, the name of the Marine Mikhail Panikakha entered the history of Stalingrad.
Student message: The height dominating the city - Mamayev Kurgan, during the Battle of Stalingrad - was the place of the most fierce battles, the key position of the defense, which appeared in the reports as height 102.
Student message: During the defensive stage, residents of the city showed perseverance in the struggle for the city.
Student message: Paulus launched his last offensive on November 11, 1942, in a narrow area near the Red Barricades plant, where the Nazis won their last success.
Find the results of the defensive period in the textbook, p. 216.
By mid-November, the offensive capabilities of the Germans had dried up.
II. The counteroffensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad began on November 19, 1942. As part of this strategic plan, an encirclement operation was carried out Nazi German troops near Stalingrad, codenamed "Uranus".
Viewing a video clip. The children complete the task - fill in the gaps in the text. ( Annex 1 )
Questions:
- Which fronts participated in Operation Uranus?
- At what city did the main parts of the Soviet army unite?
Field Marshal Manstein, an assault tank group, was supposed to help Paulus.
After stubborn battles, Manstein's divisions approached the encircled troops from the southwest at a distance of 35-40 km, but the 2nd Guards Army under the command of General Malinovsky, who approached from the reserve, not only stopped the enemy, but also inflicted a crushing defeat on him.
At the same time, the offensive of the army group Gota was stopped, which was trying to break the encirclement in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Kotelnikov.
According to the “Ring” plan (General Rokosovsky led the implementation of the operation), on January 10, 1943, Soviet troops began to defeat the fascist group.
On February 2, 1943, the encircled enemy group capitulated. Its commander-in-chief, General Field Marshal Paulus, was also captured.
Viewing a video clip.
Exercise. Put on the map "The defeat of the German troops at Stalingrad" ( Annex 2
)
- The direction of the strikes of the Soviet troops;
- The direction of the counterattack of the Manstein tank group.
All actions of the Soviet troops during the Battle of Stalingrad were coordinated by Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov.
The victory in the Battle of Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical turning point in the course of not only the Great Patriotic War, but the entire Second World War.
- What is the essence of the concept of "radical change"? (The Germans lost their offensive fighting spirit. The strategic initiative finally passed into the hands of the Soviet command)
- Let's get back to the problematic task: Some Western historians and military leaders say that the reasons for the defeat of the Nazi army at Stalingrad are the following: terrible cold, mud, snow.
slide 8.
– Can we agree with this? (Student answers)
Slide 9. “The Battle of Stalingrad is really a golden page in the military history of our people,” wrote the commander of the Stalingrad Front, General Eremenko. And one cannot but agree with this.
Poem(student reads)
In the heat of factories, houses, station.
Dust on a steep bank.
The voice of the Fatherland said to him:
"Don't hand over the city to the enemy!"
Rumbled in the bloody mist
Hundredth attack shaft,
Angry and stubborn, chest-deep in the ground,
The soldier stood to death.
He knew that there was no way back -
He defended Stalingrad...Alexey Surkov
III. Outcome
To consolidate the material, complete the task on the cards (work in pairs).
(Annex 3
)
Stalingrad is a symbol of courage, steadfastness, heroism of Soviet soldiers. Stalingrad is a symbol of the power and greatness of our state. Near Stalingrad, the Red Army broke the back of the German fascist troops, and under the walls of Stalingrad, a foundation was laid for the destruction of fascism.
IV. Reflection
grading, homework: p. 32,
Literature:
- Alekseev M.N. Wreath of Glory "Battle of Stalingrad". M., Sovremennik, 1987
- Alekseev S.P. A book to read on the history of our Motherland. M., "Enlightenment", 1991
- Goncharuk V.A."Commemorative badges of cities - heroes." M., " Soviet Russia", 1986
- Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G., Brandt M.Yu. History of Russia XX - beginning of XX? century. M., "Enlightenment", 2009
- Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G. Workbook on the history of Russia 9th grade. Issue 2..M., "Enlightenment", 1998
- Korneva T.A. Non-traditional lessons on the history of Russia of the twentieth century in grades 9, 11. Volgograd "Teacher", 2002
The Battle of Stalingrad is one of the largest in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. It began on July 17, 1942 and ended on February 2, 1943. According to the nature of the fighting, the Battle of Stalingrad is divided into two periods: defensive, which lasted from July 17 to November 18, 1942, the purpose of which was the defense of the city of Stalingrad (since 1961 - Volgograd), and offensive, which began on November 19, 1942 and ended on February 2, 1943 of the year by the defeat of the grouping of Nazi troops operating in the Stalingrad direction.
For two hundred days and nights on the banks of the Don and Volga, and then at the walls of Stalingrad and directly in the city itself, this fierce battle continued. It unfolded over a vast territory of about 100,000 square kilometers with a front stretching from 400 to 850 kilometers. More than 2.1 million people participated in it from both sides at different stages of hostilities. In terms of goals, scope and intensity of hostilities, the Battle of Stalingrad surpassed all previous battles in world history.
From the side of the Soviet Union, the troops of the Stalingrad, South-Eastern, South-Western, Don, left wing of the Voronezh fronts, Volga military flotilla and the Stalingrad Air Defense Corps District (operational-tactical unit of the Soviet air defense forces). The general leadership and coordination of the actions of the fronts near Stalingrad on behalf of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (VGK) was carried out by the Deputy Supreme Commander Army General Georgy Zhukov and Chief of the General Staff Colonel-General Alexander Vasilevsky.
The fascist German command planned in the summer of 1942 to crush the Soviet troops in the south of the country, to seize the oil regions of the Caucasus, the rich agricultural regions of the Don and Kuban, to disrupt communications linking the center of the country with the Caucasus, and to create conditions for ending the war in their favor. This task was entrusted to Army Groups "A" and "B".
For the offensive in the Stalingrad direction, the 6th Army under the command of Colonel General Friedrich Paulus and the 4th Panzer Army were allocated from the German Army Group B. By July 17, the German 6th Army had about 270,000 men, 3,000 guns and mortars, and about 500 tanks. It was supported by aviation of the 4th Air Fleet (up to 1200 combat aircraft). The Nazi troops were opposed by the Stalingrad Front, which had 160 thousand people, 2.2 thousand guns and mortars, and about 400 tanks. It was supported by 454 aircraft of the 8th Air Army, 150-200 aviation bombers long range. The main efforts of the Stalingrad Front were concentrated in the large bend of the Don, where the 62nd and 64th armies took up defense in order to prevent the enemy from forcing the river and breaking through it by the shortest route to Stalingrad.
The defensive operation began on the distant approaches to the city at the turn of the Chir and Tsimla rivers. On July 22, having suffered heavy losses, the Soviet troops withdrew to the main line of defense of Stalingrad. Having regrouped, on July 23 the enemy troops resumed their offensive. The enemy tried to surround the Soviet troops in the big bend of the Don, go to the area of the city of Kalach and break through to Stalingrad from the west.
Bloody battles in this area continued until August 10, when the troops of the Stalingrad Front, having suffered heavy losses, withdrew to the left bank of the Don and took up defensive positions on the outer bypass of Stalingrad, where on August 17 they temporarily stopped the enemy.
The headquarters of the Supreme High Command systematically strengthened the troops of the Stalingrad direction. By the beginning of August, the German command also brought new forces into the battle (8th Italian Army, 3rd Romanian Army). After a short break, having a significant superiority in forces, the enemy resumed the offensive on the entire front of the outer defensive bypass of Stalingrad. After fierce battles on August 23, his troops broke through to the Volga north of the city, but they could not take it on the move. On August 23 and 24, German aviation undertook a fierce massive bombardment of Stalingrad, turning it into ruins.
Building up strength, German troops on September 12 came close to the city. Fierce street battles unfolded, which lasted almost around the clock. They went for every quarter, lane, for every house, for every meter of land. On October 15, the enemy broke through to the area of the Stalingrad Tractor Plant. On November 11, German troops made their last attempt to capture the city.
They managed to break through to the Volga south of the Barrikady plant, but they could not achieve more. With continuous counterattacks and counterattacks, the Soviet troops minimized the successes of the enemy, destroying his manpower and equipment. On November 18, the advance of the German troops was finally stopped on the entire front, the enemy was forced to go on the defensive. The enemy's plan to capture Stalingrad failed.
© East News/Universal Images Group/Sovfoto
© East News/Universal Images Group/Sovfoto
Even during the defensive battle, the Soviet command began to concentrate forces for a counteroffensive, preparations for which were completed in mid-November. By the beginning of the offensive operation, Soviet troops had 1.11 million people, 15 thousand guns and mortars, about 1.5 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts, over 1.3 thousand combat aircraft.
The enemy opposing them had 1.01 million people, 10.2 thousand guns and mortars, 675 tanks and assault guns, 1216 combat aircraft. As a result of the massing of forces and means in the directions of the main attacks of the fronts, a significant superiority of Soviet troops over the enemy was created - on the South-Western and Stalingrad fronts in people - 2-2.5 times, artillery and tanks - 4-5 and more times.
The offensive of the Southwestern Front and the 65th Army of the Don Front began on November 19, 1942 after an 80-minute artillery preparation. By the end of the day, the defense of the 3rd Romanian army was broken through in two sectors. The Stalingrad Front launched an offensive on November 20.
Having struck at the flanks of the main enemy grouping, the troops of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts on November 23, 1942 closed the ring of its encirclement. 22 divisions and more than 160 separate units of the 6th Army and partly of the 4th Panzer Army of the enemy, with a total strength of about 300 thousand people, fell into it.
On December 12, the German command made an attempt to release the encircled troops with a blow from the area of the village of Kotelnikovo (now the city of Kotelnikovo), but did not reach the goal. On December 16, the offensive of the Soviet troops on the Middle Don was launched, which forced the German command to finally abandon the release of the encircled group. By the end of December 1942, the enemy was defeated in front of the outer front of the encirclement, its remnants were driven back 150-200 kilometers. This created favorable conditions for the liquidation of the group surrounded by Stalingrad.
To defeat the encircled troops, the Don Front under the command of Lieutenant General Konstantin Rokossovsky carried out an operation code-named "Ring". The plan provided for the sequential destruction of the enemy: first in the western, then in the southern part of the encirclement, and subsequently, the dismemberment of the remaining grouping into two parts by a strike from west to east and the elimination of each of them. The operation began on January 10, 1943. On January 26, the 21st Army linked up with the 62nd Army in the area of Mamaev Kurgan. The enemy group was divided into two parts. On January 31, the southern grouping of troops led by Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus stopped resistance, and on February 2, the northern one, which was the completion of the destruction of the encircled enemy. During the offensive from January 10 to February 2, 1943, over 91 thousand people were taken prisoner, about 140 thousand were destroyed.
During the Stalingrad offensive operation, the German 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army, the 3rd and 4th Romanian armies, and the 8th Italian army were defeated. The total losses of the enemy amounted to about 1.5 million people. In Germany, for the first time during the war years, national mourning was declared.
The Battle of Stalingrad made a decisive contribution to achieving a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet armed forces seized the strategic initiative and held it until the end of the war. The defeat of the fascist bloc at Stalingrad undermined the confidence in Germany on the part of its allies, and contributed to the intensification of the resistance movement in European countries. Japan and Türkiye were forced to abandon plans for active action against the USSR.
The victory at Stalingrad was the result of the unbending fortitude, courage and mass heroism of the Soviet troops. For military distinctions shown during the Battle of Stalingrad, 44 formations and units were awarded honorary titles, 55 were awarded orders, 183 were converted into guards. Tens of thousands of soldiers and officers were awarded government awards. 112 most distinguished soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
In honor of the heroic defense of the city, on December 22, 1942, the Soviet government established the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad", which was awarded to more than 700 thousand participants in the battle.
On May 1, 1945, in the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Stalingrad was named a Hero City. On May 8, 1965, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, the hero city was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
The city has over 200 historical sites associated with its heroic past. Among them are the memorial ensemble "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on Mamayev Kurgan, the House of Soldiers' Glory (Pavlov's House) and others. In 1982, the Panorama Museum "Battle of Stalingrad" was opened.
Day February 2, 1943 in accordance with federal law dated March 13, 1995 "On the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russia" is celebrated as the day of military glory of Russia - the Day of the defeat of the Nazi troops by the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad.
Material prepared on the basis of informationopen sources
(Additional
One of the largest battles of the Great Patriotic War was the Battle of Stalingrad. It lasted more than 200 days from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943. By the number of people and equipment involved on both sides, the world military history has not yet known examples of such battles. total area The territory in which intense fighting took place was more than 90 thousand square kilometers. The main outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad was the first crushing defeat of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front.
In contact with
Previous events
By the beginning of the second year of the war, the situation on the fronts had changed. The successful defense of the capital, the subsequent counterattack, made it possible to stop the rapid advance of the Wehrmacht. By April 20, 1942, the Germans were thrown back from Moscow by 150-300 km. For the first time they encountered organized defense on a large sector of the front and repulsed the counteroffensive of our army. At the same time, the Red Army took unsuccessful attempt change the course of the war. The attack on Kharkov turned out to be poorly planned and brought huge losses, destabilizing the situation. More than 300 thousand Russian soldiers died and were captured.
With the advent of spring, a calm came on the fronts. The spring thaw gave a respite to both armies, which the Germans took advantage of to develop a plan for a summer campaign. The Nazis needed oil like air. The oil fields of Baku and Grozny, the capture of the Caucasus, the subsequent offensive into Persia - these were plans of the German General Staff. The operation was called Fall Blau - "Blue Option".
At the last moment, the Fuhrer personally made adjustments to the summer campaign plan - he divided Army Group South in half, formulating individual tasks for each part:
The ratio of forces, periods
For the summer company, the 6th Army under the command of General Paulus was transferred to Army Group B. It was she who was given a key role in the offensive, on her shoulders lay the main goal - the capture of Stalingrad. To accomplish the task, the Nazis gathered a huge force. 270 thousand soldiers and officers, about two thousand guns and mortars, five hundred tanks were given under the command of the general. They provided cover with the forces of the 4th Air Fleet.
On August 23, the pilots of this formation practically wiped the city off the face of the earth. In the center of Stalingrad, after an air raid, a firestorm raged, tens of thousands of women, children, the elderly were killed, and ¾ of the buildings were destroyed. They turned a flourishing city into a desert covered with broken bricks.
By the end of July, Army Group B was supplemented by the 4th Panzer Army of Hermann Hoth, which included 4 army motorized corps, the SS Panzer Division Das Reich. These huge forces were directly subordinate to Paulus.
The Stalingrad Front of the Red Army, which was renamed the South-Western, had twice as many soldiers, inferior in quantity and quality to tanks and aircraft. The formations needed to effectively defend a section 500 km long. The main burden of the struggle for Stalingrad fell on the shoulders of the militias. Again, as in the battle for Moscow, workers, students, yesterday's schoolchildren, took up arms. The sky of the city was protected by the 1077th anti-aircraft regiment, 80% of which consisted of girls aged 18-19.
Military historians, analyzing the features of hostilities, conditionally divided the course of the Battle of Stalingrad into two periods:
- defensive, from July 17 to November 18, 1942;
- offensive, from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943.
The moment the next offensive of the Wehrmacht began was a surprise for the Soviet command. Although such a possibility was considered by the General Staff, the number of divisions transferred to the Stalingrad Front existed only on paper. In fact, their number ranged from 300 to 4 thousand people, although each should have more than 14 thousand soldiers and officers. There was nothing to repel tank attacks, since the 8th Air Fleet was not fully equipped, there were not enough trained, trained reserves.
Fights on the distant approaches
Briefly, the events of the Battle of Stalingrad, its initial period, look like this:
Behind the mean lines that are in any history textbook, thousands of lives of Soviet soldiers are hidden, forever remaining in the Stalingrad land, the bitterness of retreat.
The inhabitants of the city worked tirelessly at the factories, converted into military ones. The famous tractor factory repaired and assembled tanks, which from the shops, under their own power, went to the front line. People worked around the clock, staying overnight at the workplace, sleeping for 3-4 hours. All this under continuous bombing. They defended themselves with the whole world, but they clearly lacked strength.
When the advanced units of the Wehrmacht advanced 70 km, the Wehrmacht command decided to surround the Soviet units in the area of the villages of Kletskaya and Suvorovskaya, take the crossings across the Don, and immediately take the city.
To this end, the attackers were divided into two groups:
- Northern: from parts of the army of Paulus.
- Southern: from units of the army of Goth.
As part of our army there was a restructuring. On July 26, repelling the advance of the Northern Group, the 1st and 4th Panzer Armies launched a counterattack for the first time. The staff list of the Red Army did not have such a combat unit until 1942. Encirclement was prevented, but on July 28 the Red Army left for the Don. The threat of catastrophe hung over the Stalingrad front.
No step back!
During this difficult time, the Order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR No. 227 of July 28, 1942, or better known as "Not a step back!", appeared. The full text can be read in the article dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad Wikipedia. Now it is called almost cannibalistic, but at that moment the leaders of the Soviet Union had no time for moral torment. It was about the integrity of the country, the possibility of further existence. These are not just dry lines that prescribe or regulate. He was an emotional appeal call to defend the motherland to the last drop of blood. A historical document that conveys the spirit of the era, dictated by the course of the war, the situation on the fronts.
On the basis of this order, penal units for fighters and commanders appeared in the Red Army, barrage detachments from the fighters of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs received special powers. They had the right to use the highest measure of social protection against marauders, deserters, without waiting for a court verdict. Despite apparent cruelty, the troops took the order well. First of all, he helped restore order, improve discipline in parts. Senior commanders now have full-fledged levers of influence on negligent subordinates. Anyone guilty of violating the Charter, disobeying orders could get into the penalty boxes: from an ordinary to a general.
Fighting in the city
In the chronology of the Battle of Stalingrad, this period is given from September 13 to November 19. When the Germans entered the city, its defenders fortified themselves on a narrow strip along the Volga, holding the crossing. With the forces of troops under the command of General Chuikov, the Nazi units ended up in Stalingrad, in real hell. There were barricades and fortifications on every street, every house became a hotbed of defense. To avoid constant German bombing, our command took a risky step: to narrow the clash zone to 30 meters. With such a distance between the opponents, the Luftwaffe risked bombing on its own.
One of the moments in the history of defense: during the battles on September 17, the Germans occupied the city station, then our troops drove them out of there. And so 4 times in one day. In total, the defenders of the station changed 17 times. Eastern part of the city, which The Germans were constantly attacking, defended from September 27 to October 4. Fights went on for every house, floor, room. Much later, the surviving Nazis will write memoirs in which they will call the city battles the “Rat War”, when a desperate battle is going on in the apartment in the kitchen, and the room has already been captured.
Artillery worked from both sides with direct fire, there were continuous hand-to-hand fights. Desperately resisted the defenders of the factories "Barricades", "Silicate", tractor. In a week, the German army advanced 400 meters. For comparison: at the beginning of the war, the Wehrmacht passed up to 180 km per day inland.
During the street fighting, the Nazis made 4 attempts to finally storm the city. With a frequency of once every two weeks, the Fuhrer demanded that Paulus put an end to the defenders of Stalingrad, who held a bridgehead 25 kilometers wide on the banks of the Volga. With incredible efforts, having spent a month, the Germans took the dominant height of the city - Mamaev Kurgan.
The defense of the mound went down in military history as an example of boundless courage, steadfastness of Russian soldiers. Now a memorial complex has been opened there, there is a world-famous sculpture “The Motherland Calls”, buried in mass graves defenders of the city and its inhabitants. And then it was a bloody mill, grinding battalion after battalion on both sides. The Nazis lost at this time 700 thousand people, the Red Army - 644 thousand soldiers.
On November 11, 1942, the army of Paulus went on the last, decisive assault on the city. The Germans did not reach the Volga 100 meters, when it became clear that their forces were running out. The offensive stopped, the enemy was forced to defend.
Operation Uranus
Back in September, the General Staff began developing a counteroffensive near Stalingrad. The operation, called "Uranus", began on November 19 with a massive artillery preparation. Many years later, this day has become professional holiday artillerymen. For the first time in the history of the Second World War, artillery units were used in such a volume, with such a density of fire. By November 23, the encirclement around the army of Paulus and the tank army of Goth closed.
The Germans turned out locked in a rectangle 40 for 80 km. Paulus, who understood the danger of encirclement, insisted on a breakthrough, the withdrawal of troops from the ring. Hitler personally, in a categorical manner, ordered to fight on the defensive, promising all-round support. He did not give up hope to take Stalingrad.
Parts of Manstein were thrown to save the group, and Operation Winter Storm began. With incredible efforts, the Germans moved forward, when 25 km were left to the encircled units, they collided with the 2nd army of Malinovsky. On December 25, the Wehrmacht suffered a final defeat, rolled back to its original positions. The fate of Paulus's army was sealed. But this does not mean that our units went forward without meeting resistance. On the contrary, the Germans fought desperately.
On January 9, 1943, the Soviet command presented Paulus with an ultimatum demanding unconditional surrender. The Fuhrer's soldiers were given a chance to surrender, to stay alive. At the same time, Paulus received another personal order from Hitler, demanding to fight to the end. The general remained true to the oath, rejected the ultimatum, carried out the order.
On January 10, Operation Ring began to finally eliminate the encircled units. The battles were terrible, the German troops split into two parts, held firm, if such an expression is applicable to the enemy. On January 30, Paulus received the rank of field marshal from Hitler with a hint that Prussian field marshals did not surrender.
Everything has the ability to end, on the 31st at noon it ended stay of the Nazis in the boiler: the field marshal surrendered with the entire headquarters. It took another 2 days to finally clear the city of the Germans. The history of the Battle of Stalingrad ended.
The battle of Stalingrad and its historical significance
For the first time in world history there was a battle of such duration, in which huge forces were involved. The result of the defeat for the Wehrmacht was the capture of 90 thousand, the killing of 800 thousand soldiers. The victorious German army for the first time suffered a crushing defeat, which was discussed by the whole world. The Soviet Union, despite the seizure of part of the territory, remained an integral state. In the event of a defeat at Stalingrad, in addition to the occupied Ukraine, Belarus, Crimea, part of central Russia, the country was deprived of the Caucasus and Central Asia.
From a geopolitical point of view, the significance of the battle of Stalingrad briefly can be described as follows: the Soviet Union is able to fight with Germany, to defeat her. The Allies stepped up assistance, signed agreements with the USSR at the Tehran Conference in December 1943. Finally, the issue of opening a second front was resolved.
Many historians call the Battle of Stalingrad the turning point of the Great Patriotic War. This is true not so much , from a military point of view how much with the moral. For a year and a half, the Red Army retreated on all fronts, and for the first time it was possible not only to push the enemy back, as in the battle for Moscow, but to defeat it. Capture the field marshal, capture a large number of soldiers and equipment. People believed that victory would be ours!
The Battle of Stalingrad was a turning point in the Great Patriotic War and throughout the Second World War. The battle is divided into two periods: the first, defensive, which lasted from July 17 to November 18, 1942; the second, offensive, from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943.
Defensive period of the Battle of Stalingrad
After the defeat near Moscow, Hitler and his command decided that during the new summer campaign of 1942 it was necessary to strike not along the entire length of the Soviet-German front, but only on the southern flank. The Germans did not have enough strength for more. It was important for Hitler to seize Soviet oil, the fields of Maykop, Baku, get the bread of Stavropol and Kuban, take Stalingrad, which divided the USSR into central and southern parts. Then it would have been possible to cut the main lines of communication that supplied our troops, and to obtain the necessary resources for waging an arbitrarily long war. Already on April 5, 1942, Hitler's fundamental directive No. 41 was issued - the order to conduct Operation Blau. The German group was to advance in the direction of the Don, Volga and Caucasus. After capturing the main strongholds, the German Army Group South was to be divided into Army Group A (advancing on the Caucasus) and Army Group B (advancing on Stalingrad), the main force of which was the 6th Army of General Paulus.
Already before the start of the main attack in the south of the USSR, the Germans were able to achieve serious success. Our spring offensive operations near Kerch and Kharkov ended in major setbacks. Their failure and the heavy losses of the units of the Red Army, which were surrounded, helped the Germans to achieve rapid success in their general offensive. Wehrmacht formations began to move forward when our units were demoralized and began to withdraw in eastern Ukraine. True, now, taught by bitter experience, the Soviet troops tried to avoid encirclement. Even when they were behind enemy lines, they infiltrated German positions before the enemy front became dense.
Soon heavy fighting began on the outskirts of Voronezh and in the bend of the Don. The command of the Red Army tried to strengthen the front, bring up new reserves from the depths, and give the troops more tanks and aircraft. But in oncoming battles, as a rule, these reserves were quickly exhausted, and the retreat continued. Meanwhile, Paulus' army was moving forward. Its southern flank was to be covered by the 4th Panzer Army under the command of Hoth. The Germans attacked Voronezh - they broke into the city, but they could not completely capture it. They managed to be detained on the banks of the Don, where the front remained until January 1942.
Meanwhile, the elite 6th German Army, which numbered more than 200 thousand people, was inexorably advancing in the bend of the Don towards Stalingrad. On August 23, the Germans carried out a fierce air raid on the city, which involved hundreds of aircraft. And although more than 20 vehicles were shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft gunners and air defense aircraft, the city center, the railway station and the most important enterprises were actually destroyed. It was not possible to evacuate civilians from Stalingrad in time. The evacuation was spontaneous: primarily industrial equipment, agricultural implements, and cattle were transported across the Volga. And only after August 23, the civilian population rushed east across the river. Of the almost half a million population of the city, after the fighting, only 32 thousand people remained on the spot. Moreover, to the 500,000 pre-war population, it is necessary to add tens of thousands more refugees from Ukraine, from the Rostov region, and even from besieged Leningrad, who, by the will of fate, found themselves in Stalingrad.
Simultaneously with the fierce bombing on August 23, 1942, the German 14th Panzer Corps managed to make a many-kilometer march and break through to the banks of the Volga north of Stalingrad. Fighting unfolded at the Stalingrad Tractor Plant. From the south, German columns of the 4th Panzer Army, transferred from the Caucasus, were advancing towards the city. In addition, Hitler sent an Italian and two Romanian armies to this direction. Two Hungarian armies occupied positions near Voronezh, covering the attack in the main direction. Stalingrad from a secondary goal of the campaign in the summer of 1942 became the main task for the German army.
A. Jodl, chief of staff of the operational leadership of the Wehrmacht, noted that the fate of the Caucasus is now being decided near Stalingrad. It seemed to Paulus that it was necessary to throw one more additional regiment or battalion into the gap and he would decide the outcome of the battle in favor of the German army. But the battalions and regiments went into battle one after another and did not return. The Stalingrad meat grinder was grinding the human resources of Germany. Our losses were also very heavy - the Moloch of War was ruthless.
In September, protracted battles began in the quarters (or rather, in the ruins) of Stalingrad. The city could fall at any moment. The Germans had already reached the Volga in several places within the city limits. From the Soviet front, in fact, only small islands of resistance remained. From the front line to the river bank was often no more than 150-200 meters. But the Soviet soldiers held on. For several weeks, the Germans stormed individual buildings in Stalingrad. For 58 days, the soldiers under the command of Sergeant Pavlov resisted enemy fire and did not give up their positions. The L-shaped house, which they defended to the last, was called "Pavlov's House".
An active sniper war began in Stalingrad. To win it, the Germans brought from Germany not just aces in their field, but even leaders of sniper schools. But even in the Red Army, remarkable cadres of well-aimed shooters grew up. Every day they gain experience. On the Soviet side, the fighter Vasily Zaitsev distinguished himself, who is now known to the whole world from the Hollywood film Enemy at the Gates. He destroyed more than 200 German soldiers and officers in the ruins of Stalingrad.
Nevertheless, in the fall of 1942, the position of the defenders of Stalingrad remained critical. The Germans would certainly have been able to completely take the city if not for our reserves. More and more units of the Red Army were thrown across the Volga to the west. One day, the 13th Guards Rifle Division of General A.I. Rodimtsev was also transferred. Despite the losses suffered, she immediately entered the battle and recaptured Mamaev Kurgan from the enemy. This height dominated the entire city. The Germans also sought to seize it at all costs. The fighting for Mamaev Kurgan continued until January 1943.
In the most difficult battles of September - early November 1942, the soldiers of the 62nd Army of General Chuikov and the 64th Army of General Shumilov managed to defend the ruins remaining behind them, withstand countless attacks and tie up the German troops. Paulus carried out the last assault on Stalingrad on November 11, 1942, but it also ended in failure.
The commander of the 6th German Army was in a gloomy mood. Meanwhile, our command more and more often began to think about how to radically turn the tide of the battle for Stalingrad. We needed a new, original solution that would affect the entire course of the campaign. .
The offensive period of the Battle of Stalingrad lasted from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943.
Back in mid-September, when the Germans sought to destroy the Soviet troops in Stalingrad as soon as possible, G.K. Zhukov, who became the first deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief, instructed some senior officials in the General Staff of the Red Army to develop a plan for an offensive operation. Returning from the front, he, together with the Chief of the General Staff A.M. Vasilevsky, reported to I. Stalin about the plan of the operation, which was supposed to tip the scales of a grandiose confrontation in favor of the Soviet troops. Soon the first calculations were made. G. K. Zhukov and A. M. Vasilevsky proposed bilateral coverage of the Stalingrad grouping of the enemy and its subsequent destruction. After listening carefully to them, I. Stalin noted that it was necessary first of all to keep the city itself. In addition, such an operation requires the involvement of additional powerful reserves, which will play a decisive role in the battle.
Reserves from the Urals, Far East and from Siberia came in increasing numbers. They were not introduced immediately into battle, but accumulated until the time "H". During this period, a lot of work was carried out at the headquarters of the Soviet fronts. The newly formed Southwestern Front N. F. Vatutina, Don Front of K. K. Rokossovsky, Stalingrad Front of A. I. Eremenko.
And now the moment has come for the decisive throw.
November 19, 1942, despite the fog, thousands of guns of the Soviet fronts opened fire on the enemy. Operation Uranus has begun. Rifle and tank units went on the attack. Aviation was waiting for more favorable weather, but as soon as the fog cleared, it took an active part in the offensive.
The German group was still very strong. The Soviet command believed that in the Stalingrad area they were opposed by about 200 thousand people. In fact, there were over 300,000 of them. In addition, on the flanks, where the main blows of the Soviet troops were carried out, were Romanian and Italian formations. Already by November 21, 1942, the success of the Soviet offensive was indicated, which exceeded all expectations. Moscow radio reported on the advance of the Red Army for more than 70 km and the capture of 15,000 enemy soldiers. This was the first time such a major breakthrough had been announced since the Battle of Moscow. But these were only the first successes.
November 23, our troops took Kotelnikovo. The cauldron behind the enemy troops slammed shut. Its internal and external fronts were created. More than 20 divisions were surrounded. At the same time, our troops continued to develop the offensive in the direction of Rostov-on-Don. At the beginning of January 1943, the forces of our Transcaucasian Front also began to move. The Germans, unable to withstand the onslaught and fearing to be in a new giant cauldron, began to hastily retreat from the foothills of the Caucasus. They finally abandoned the idea of taking possession of the Grozny and Baku oil.
Meanwhile in Supreme High Command Headquarters the plan of a whole cascade of powerful operations was actively developed, which were supposed to crush the entire German defense on the Soviet-German front. In addition to Operation Uranus (encircling the Germans near Stalingrad), Operation Saturn was planned - the encirclement of the German armies in the North Caucasus. In the central direction, Operation Mars was being prepared - the destruction of the 9th German Army, and then Operation Jupiter - the encirclement of the entire Army Group Center. Unfortunately, only Operation Uranus was successful. The fact is that Hitler, having learned about the encirclement of his troops near Stalingrad, ordered Paulus to hold on at all costs, and ordered Manstein to prepare a deblocking strike.
In mid-December 1942, the Germans made a desperate attempt to rescue Paulus's army from encirclement. According to Hitler's plan, Paulus was never to leave Stalingrad. He was forbidden to strike towards Manstein. The Fuhrer believed that since the Germans had entered the banks of the Volga, they should not leave from there. The Soviet command now had two options at its disposal: either continue the attempt to cover the entire German grouping in the North Caucasus with huge pincers (Operation Saturn), or transfer part of the forces against Manstein and eliminate the threat of a German breakthrough (Operation Small Saturn). We must pay tribute to the Soviet Headquarters - it quite soberly assessed the situation and its capabilities. It was decided to be content with a titmouse in the hands, and not look for a crane in the sky. A devastating blow to the advancing units of Manstein was dealt just in time. At this time, the army of Paulus and the Manstein grouping were separated by only a few tens of kilometers. But the Germans were driven back, and it was time to liquidate the boiler.
On January 8, 1943, the Soviet command offered Paulus an ultimatum, which was rejected. And two days later, Operation Ring began. The efforts made by the armies of the Don Front of K.K. Rokossovsky led to the fact that the encirclement began to shrink rapidly. Historians today express the opinion that then not everything was done perfectly: it was necessary to advance from the north and from the south in order to first cut the ring in these directions. But the main blow came from west to east, and we had to overcome the long-term fortifications of the German defense, which relied, among other things, on positions built by Soviet troops on the eve of the Battle of Stalingrad. The fighting was fierce and lasted for several weeks. The air bridge to the encircled failed. Hundreds of German planes were shot down. The diet of the German military fell to a meager mark. All the horses were eaten. There have been cases of cannibalism. Soon the Germans also lost their last airfields.
Paulus at that time was in the basement of the city's main department store and, despite requests to Hitler for surrender, never received such permission. Moreover, on the eve of the complete collapse, Hitler awarded Paulus the rank of field marshal. It was a clear hint: not a single German field marshal had yet surrendered. But on January 31, Paulus chose to surrender and save his life. On February 2, the last northern German grouping in Stalingrad also stopped resistance.
91 thousand soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht were taken prisoner. In the city blocks of Stalingrad themselves, 140 thousand corpses of German soldiers were subsequently buried. On our side, the losses were also great - 150 thousand people. But the entire southern flank of the German troops was now exposed. The Nazis began to hastily leave the territory of the North Caucasus, Stavropol, Kuban. Only a new counter strike by Manstein in the Belgorod region stopped the advance of our units. At the same time, the so-called Kursk ledge was formed, the events on which would take place already in the summer of 1943.
US President Roosevelt called the Battle of Stalingrad an epic victory. And King George VI of Great Britain ordered to forge a special sword for the inhabitants of Stalingrad with an engraving: "To the citizens of Stalingrad, strong as steel." Stalingrad became the password for Victory. It was truly the turning point of the war. The Germans were shocked, and three days of mourning were declared in Germany. The victory at Stalingrad also became a signal for the countries - allies of Germany, such as Hungary, Romania, Finland, that it is necessary to look for the fastest ways out of the war.
After this battle, the defeat of Germany was only a matter of time.
M. Yu. Myagkov, Dr. i. n.,
Scientific Director of the Russian Military Historical Society