In the Battle of Stalingrad, the German Army, led by General Friedrich Paulus, aimed to capture the city to secure the southern flank and gain control of vital oil fields. They employed aggressive tactics, using aerial bombardments and encirclement strategies to seize parts of the city. Conversely, the Soviet Red Army, under General Vasily Chuikov, adopted a defensive approach, utilizing urban warfare and tenacious resistance to hold the city. The Soviets launched a successful counteroffensive, Operation Uranus, in November 1942, encircling the German forces and ultimately leading to their surrender in February 1943.
The simple answer would be that Germany wanted to occupy the city of Stalingrad as to Hitler, it would seem to be a catastrophic blow to the USSR moral if Hitler took over the city, which was called Stalingrad (named after Joseph Stalin). Even though the above is true, there is far more to it. Having been stopped at t Moscow, Adolf Hitler began contemplating offensive plans for 1942. Lacking the manpower to remain on the offensive along the entire Eastern Front for the rest of the war , he decided to focus German efforts in the south with the goal of taking the oil fields, which would result to draining of soviet mechanized vehicles and lender the Soviets defenseless against the German Panzer division's. Code named Operation Blue, this new offensive ,which began on June 28, 1942, and caught the Soviets, who thought the Germans would renew their efforts around Moscow, by surprise. Advancing, the Germans were delayed by heavy fighting in Voronezh which allowed the Soviets to bring reinforcements south. Due to Hitler's stress on how long the battles on the eastern front was, he split Army group south to Army group's A and B, Army group A would go for the oil fields, while Army Group B was ordered to take Stalingrad to protect the German flank. Reason for the attack onto Stalingrad apart from moral reasons was the the Volga River near Stalingrad was a key Soviet Transport hub. After the Germans bombed the city of Stalingrad, which led it to be a massive pile of rubble, the German 6th Army, leaded by General Field Marshall Friedrich Paulus went to push for the Volga River near the city of Stalingrad. However, on September 13, Paulus and 6th Army began pushing into the city. This was supported by 4th Panzer Army which attacked Stalingrad's southern suburbs. Driving forward, they sought to capture the heights of Mamayev Kurgan and reach the main landing area along the river. Engaged in bitter fighting, the Soviets fought desperately for the hill and the No. 1 Railroad Station. Receiving reinforcements from Yeryomenko, Chuikov battled to hold the city. This was the building up to battle of Stalingrad but it wasn't until August it officially started. Between the 2 dates, the Germans and Soviets were engaged in a brutal street fight when guns becomes nearly useless and both sides had to resort to urban guerrilla warfare.
The Stalingrad bone fields are significant because they contain the remains of soldiers who died during the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest battles in history. These fields serve as a somber reminder of the human cost of the battle and the brutality of war.
Italians and Romanians guarding it's flanks. Eventually however the training and discipline of the 6th army enabled it to capture 90% of the city. To end the stalemate Soviet high command launched Operation Uranus to break the stalemate. The plan which had been secret for months was able able to crush the the Italian and Hungarian forces guarding the German flanks. The eventually outcome was the encirclement of the 6th army and 5000 man Croatian Legion, and the virtual destruction of the Italian and Romanian forces. Von Paulus the German commander wanted to break out of the encirclement but Hitler would not let him and vowed that the Germans would never leave the city.The entire 6th army was not encircled at Stalingrad around 50,000 were pushed outside the pocket. Another 42,000 were flown out by transport plane. The battle ended with 117,000 Germans soldiers killed or missing and another 91,000 taken prisoner. Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army which attempted to relieve the Sixth army suffered 40,000 casualties.
The first large-scale German defeat of World War II. The Battle of Stalingrad was as battle of World War II between Nazi Germany and its allies, and the Soviet Union, for for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943. It is often cited as one of the turning points of the war. The battle was the bloodiest in modern history, with combined casualties estimated at nearly two million . The battle involved more participants than any other in history, and was marked by brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties by both sides. The German offensive to take Stalingrad, the battle inside the city, and the Soviet counter-offensive which eventually trapped and destroyed the German 6th Army and other Axis forces around the city, was the first large-scale German defeat of World War II. The Battle of Britain, Moscow and El Alamein preceded it and were large scale defeats. Soviet and Russian studies identify ten campaigns, strategic and operational level operations. It is of great strategic significance because during the battle a large air - sea battle was being fought for the Mediterranean. Much of the German air force was diverted from Stalingrad to fight in that battle. Germany could no longer fight in the East or the West without the battle for one affecting the other. The reason Germany lost: The Germans needed oil for their campaign into Russia. Hitler split his massive Moscow force into three pieces, of which the southern one advanced into the Caucasis to link up with German forces coming through North Africa and the middle east. Stalingrad was a great prize to claim along the way. For political reason the German army became involved in an attritional battle for the city with both Hitler and Stalin ordering "not one step back." Despite weeks of intense fighting, the Russians managed to hold a small bridgehead on the bank of the Volga and supplies and troops were being ferried in large amounts into the city. This allowed General Zhukov the Soviet Commander in chief to build a strategic reserve which was used to strike at the Romanian and Italian army that was fighting alongside the Germans. The Romanians collapsed and the Germans encircled. Hitler would not give and sent in a large number of reinforcements, or permit a breakout by the encircled troops. The attempt at air supply of of the entrapped army failed because the German air force did not have the capacity due to other commitments. Eventually, the Germans gave up and a hodgepodge of 91,000 cold, battered, and half-starved troops surrendered to the Russians.
In the Battle of Stalingrad, the German Army, led by General Friedrich Paulus, aimed to capture the city to secure the southern flank and gain control of vital oil fields. They employed aggressive tactics, using aerial bombardments and encirclement strategies to seize parts of the city. Conversely, the Soviet Red Army, under General Vasily Chuikov, adopted a defensive approach, utilizing urban warfare and tenacious resistance to hold the city. The Soviets launched a successful counteroffensive, Operation Uranus, in November 1942, encircling the German forces and ultimately leading to their surrender in February 1943.
That would be the battle for Stalingrad .
The simple answer would be that Germany wanted to occupy the city of Stalingrad as to Hitler, it would seem to be a catastrophic blow to the USSR moral if Hitler took over the city, which was called Stalingrad (named after Joseph Stalin). Even though the above is true, there is far more to it. Having been stopped at t Moscow, Adolf Hitler began contemplating offensive plans for 1942. Lacking the manpower to remain on the offensive along the entire Eastern Front for the rest of the war , he decided to focus German efforts in the south with the goal of taking the oil fields, which would result to draining of soviet mechanized vehicles and lender the Soviets defenseless against the German Panzer division's. Code named Operation Blue, this new offensive ,which began on June 28, 1942, and caught the Soviets, who thought the Germans would renew their efforts around Moscow, by surprise. Advancing, the Germans were delayed by heavy fighting in Voronezh which allowed the Soviets to bring reinforcements south. Due to Hitler's stress on how long the battles on the eastern front was, he split Army group south to Army group's A and B, Army group A would go for the oil fields, while Army Group B was ordered to take Stalingrad to protect the German flank. Reason for the attack onto Stalingrad apart from moral reasons was the the Volga River near Stalingrad was a key Soviet Transport hub. After the Germans bombed the city of Stalingrad, which led it to be a massive pile of rubble, the German 6th Army, leaded by General Field Marshall Friedrich Paulus went to push for the Volga River near the city of Stalingrad. However, on September 13, Paulus and 6th Army began pushing into the city. This was supported by 4th Panzer Army which attacked Stalingrad's southern suburbs. Driving forward, they sought to capture the heights of Mamayev Kurgan and reach the main landing area along the river. Engaged in bitter fighting, the Soviets fought desperately for the hill and the No. 1 Railroad Station. Receiving reinforcements from Yeryomenko, Chuikov battled to hold the city. This was the building up to battle of Stalingrad but it wasn't until August it officially started. Between the 2 dates, the Germans and Soviets were engaged in a brutal street fight when guns becomes nearly useless and both sides had to resort to urban guerrilla warfare.
The Stalingrad bone fields are significant because they contain the remains of soldiers who died during the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest battles in history. These fields serve as a somber reminder of the human cost of the battle and the brutality of war.
Russian Side: The Russian General chose to pull back a little once winter came about so he could let the Russian Winter do its damage to the Nazis. Excellent decision on his part. The Nazis started starving and freezing to death. He also managed to get ships and planes sunk so the Nazis could not resupply their men in Stalingrad. He also had some units of his army take out the Nazi force sent to relieve the Nazi forces in Stalingrad. So The Russian General (whose name I cannot spell!) Zhukov I guess it is, did another brilliant move. He surrounded the entire Nazi Force. German Side: Adolf Hitler of the demise of his force. He ordered them not to retreat or withdraw. Lousy decision considering his forces became surrounded and they did not have winter clothing, food or ammo. He promised to send a relief force who were stalled by Winter mud and snow. So the poor Nazis were stuck, surrounded and dying off by the thousands each day. As they sat around freezing, unable to fight, the Russians would just walk up to their encampment and just toss in grenades. The Russians had a great laugh over that! When Hitler was told he had to send clothing, ammo, food, medicine or get his people out of there he just yelled at his generals and told them the army had to keep fighting to the death. He simply could not understand or cared that his men would die from exposure to 20 below zero temperatures. The General finally surrendered to the Russians in hopes of getting his men food, clothes and warmth. No such luck. They were made to march to Siberia.
Italians and Romanians guarding it's flanks. Eventually however the training and discipline of the 6th army enabled it to capture 90% of the city. To end the stalemate Soviet high command launched Operation Uranus to break the stalemate. The plan which had been secret for months was able able to crush the the Italian and Hungarian forces guarding the German flanks. The eventually outcome was the encirclement of the 6th army and 5000 man Croatian Legion, and the virtual destruction of the Italian and Romanian forces. Von Paulus the German commander wanted to break out of the encirclement but Hitler would not let him and vowed that the Germans would never leave the city.The entire 6th army was not encircled at Stalingrad around 50,000 were pushed outside the pocket. Another 42,000 were flown out by transport plane. The battle ended with 117,000 Germans soldiers killed or missing and another 91,000 taken prisoner. Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army which attempted to relieve the Sixth army suffered 40,000 casualties.
Yes, during the siege of Stalingrad. Nazi campaigned for the city for over a year but the soviets miraculously managed to hold their grown. Both sides suffered heavy losses with the soviet's eventual loss of provisions, resorting to boiling and eating leather and wallpaper and the Nazis losing more men than gaining ground. When the Nazis retreated, it caused a turning point on the eastern front and was the furthest the Nazis got in the USSR.
The first large-scale German defeat of World War II. The Battle of Stalingrad was as battle of World War II between Nazi Germany and its allies, and the Soviet Union, for for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943. It is often cited as one of the turning points of the war. The battle was the bloodiest in modern history, with combined casualties estimated at nearly two million . The battle involved more participants than any other in history, and was marked by brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties by both sides. The German offensive to take Stalingrad, the battle inside the city, and the Soviet counter-offensive which eventually trapped and destroyed the German 6th Army and other Axis forces around the city, was the first large-scale German defeat of World War II. The Battle of Britain, Moscow and El Alamein preceded it and were large scale defeats. Soviet and Russian studies identify ten campaigns, strategic and operational level operations. It is of great strategic significance because during the battle a large air - sea battle was being fought for the Mediterranean. Much of the German air force was diverted from Stalingrad to fight in that battle. Germany could no longer fight in the East or the West without the battle for one affecting the other. The reason Germany lost: The Germans needed oil for their campaign into Russia. Hitler split his massive Moscow force into three pieces, of which the southern one advanced into the Caucasis to link up with German forces coming through North Africa and the middle east. Stalingrad was a great prize to claim along the way. For political reason the German army became involved in an attritional battle for the city with both Hitler and Stalin ordering "not one step back." Despite weeks of intense fighting, the Russians managed to hold a small bridgehead on the bank of the Volga and supplies and troops were being ferried in large amounts into the city. This allowed General Zhukov the Soviet Commander in chief to build a strategic reserve which was used to strike at the Romanian and Italian army that was fighting alongside the Germans. The Romanians collapsed and the Germans encircled. Hitler would not give and sent in a large number of reinforcements, or permit a breakout by the encircled troops. The attempt at air supply of of the entrapped army failed because the German air force did not have the capacity due to other commitments. Eventually, the Germans gave up and a hodgepodge of 91,000 cold, battered, and half-starved troops surrendered to the Russians.
To my fellow bloggers; To capture and hold Stalingrad which in turn would give the Germans access to and control of the waterway and all shipping that used that waterway.
Stalingrad is the name of a city in Russia, which used to be called Tsaritsyn from 1589 to 1925 when the name was changed to Stalingrad. Now it is called Volgograd because of its location on the Volga River. Stalingrad was laid siege to during World War Two by the Germans, which means that no supplies were allowed into the city. The siege lasted over 800 days. Most of the population of the city died, but the city never fell. Over 1,200,000 Russians died at Stalingrad. And each man had a life expectancy of 24 hours, IF they were able to cross the Volga River.AnswerThe Russians launched an attack that surrounded and cut-off the German VI Army. The Germans held out with supplies and re-inforcements brought in by air. Eventually the German VI Army surrendered and Stalingrad remained in Russian control.The Russians defended the city because it was named after their Dictator.Stalingrad is now called Volgograd. St Petersburg was not called Stalingrad, but was for a short time named Leningrad.AnswerStalingrad, now Volgograd, is a city situated in Russia on the Volga river. It's well-known for the battle that took place there from 1942-43.In early 1942, the Germans were pushing forward through the southern areas of the Eastern Front. The Russians, too weak to fight up front at this point in this region, had been performing tactical retreats. Quickly the German advance arrived at the city of Stalingrad on the Volga river. Fighting in the ruined urban landscape bogged down. Germans struggled to push deeper into the city while Russia gathered what forces it could spare from the fight in the city. On 11/19, a massive encirclement operation was launched by the USSR, successfully trapping the German sixth army. German attempts to break through the Soviet encirclement and send supplies by air to the sixth army all failed. By 2/3/1943, the sixth army had surrendered and the USSR effectively won the battle. Estimates for casualties are unreliable but it is thought that each side suffered in the neighborhood of 500,000 KIA and enormous amounts of other casualties. Stalingrad is generally considered the bloodiest battle in history.ANSWERThis was an unimportant city, Hitler though hated Stalin so much that he diverted all of 7th army to take it, this was half of the force sent to take the oil fields down south. The Russians fortified the city and lost most of it except for a few key strong holds on the city side of the Volger, the Russians resupplies there troops by holding these positions. German Genarl Von Manshtin was in charge of the occupation and when he was surrounded and wanted to break through to the German side Hitler refused and said the Luftwaffa (the German air force) would supply them from the air. They did not reserve enough supplies so they had to surrender.Casualties of Russia in Stalingrad (1,200,000) Russian KIA and over (300,000) Germans KIA or MIA, (90,000) SURRENDERED and less than 4000 Germans in Russian captivity ever returned home. Within one year and 11 months, the Russians had crossed the Odor River, Berlin's defenses mounted over 45,000 Germans, mostly recruits of old and too young to fight the Russians. But the German defence of Berlin was beyond all question. The revenge of Stalingrad was taken out on the defenceless civilians and surrendering soldiers of Germany, 300 German citizens committed suicide within weeks of the Russian noose, and over 93,000 German Women were raped and killed. No surrender, no retreat for Germans, kill or be killed...ANSWER:Stalingrad's definition is also a city put under the USSR leader himself Joseph Stalin. (Stalin means man of steel) or (leader) therefore Stalingrad means(Stalin) as in Joseph Stalin, and (grad) or (Город) which is the Russian word for city. So (The leader's city) pretty much! or Stalin's CityThe Battle of Stalingrad started on Sunday 23rd August 1942.
The Battle of Stalingrad virtually wiped out the German 6th Army, and inflicted massive losses on Germany's satellite armies (Rumanians, Italians, Hungarians, and Russian collaborationists). As a result of this battle, the Axis armies suffered 850,000 casualties, of whom 400,000 were German (statistics come from William Craig's Enemy at the Gates), while the Soviets lost 1,000,000 casualties from all causes. These huge losses make the battle of Stalingrad the bloodiest of all time.The battle of Stalingrad gave the Red Army time to collect itself for a counteroffensive against the Germans that was only stopped at the third battle of Kharkov. After the 1943 Battle of Kursk, the Soviets would permanently hold the initiative on the Eastern Front.
The biggest error Hitler made was to try and hold on to the gains made during the battle for Stalingrad . He should have shortened his lines in the hopes that by doing so he could once again regain the initiative by having stronger forces at his disposal . The loss of mobile warfare while fighting in the streets of Stalingrad caused the loss of the entire Sixth Army under von Paulus along with many Romanian and Hungarian military assets . Hitler had made many mistakes leading up to the loss of Stalingrad by following his political agenda and his pursuit of the oil in the Caucasus .