61st anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad

Pravda ^ | Feb 02, 2004 | staff writer

[yankeedame]

14:41 2004-02-02

61st anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad

Today Russia marks the 61st anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi at Stalingrad.

Stalingrad, which is located in the southeastern Russia on the Volga river, has become a symbol of Soviet heroism during the Second World War. The Soviet command was given and accomplished the task of preventing the Germans from crossing the Volga and advancing further into Russia. In February 1943, Nazi troops sustained their first big defeat. The Battle of Stalingrad signified a radical change in the war. Before that battle, Hitler's army was on the offensive, but after Stalingrad it started to retreat and was completely defeated in May 1945.

The Battle of Stalingrad lasted for 200 days and nights. The city was almost completely ruined. During the battle, the Nazis fired 100 mines, shells and bombs per square meter on Stalingrad.

Today, survivors of that historic battle will meet in Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad). According to tradition, flowers and wreaths will be laid to the Eternal Flame in honor of those who sacrificed their lives defending the city. Exhibitions in museums, documentaries and films will be devoted to the Battle of Stalingrad today.

© RIAN

[Tijeras_Slim]

I heartily recommend Anthony Beevor's book "Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege."

[woofer]

Enemy at the Gates

Sniper Bump

[SAMWolf]

Stalingrad Bump

The Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 - February 1943) was the decisive World War II Soviet victory that stopped the German southern advance and turned the tide of the war. At Stalingrad Soviet armies began the series of offensives that were to take them to Berlin.


The first onslaught of Operation Barbarossa in 1941 had carried the German armies to the outskirts of Moscow and Leningrad. In summer 1942 Hitler's main target was the oil fields of the Caucasus - their capture would deprive the Russians of their fuel supply. An army was to advance down the Volga to Astrakhan and ultimately Baku. Simultaneously the German Sixth Army was ordered to take Stalingrad - 'smash the enemy forces concentrated there, occupy the town and block land communications between the Don and the Volga'. Stalingrad was a long urban strip strung out along the west bank of the Volga. Hitler was determined to capture it as it was a major manufacturing centre and the key to the communications system of southern Russia.

In German hands it would block Russian attempts to destroy German armies between the Don and Caucasus. But Stalin was equally determined to defend it, not least as it bore his name. His order was read out to every Soviet soldier - 'Not a step backwards!' Hence the clash of the titans.

By July 1942 the oil fields seemed to be at Hitler's mercy. Then he changed his mind and ordered part of the forces that were to occupy them to the siege of Stalingrad instead. By diverting them to this ultimately futile attack Hitler wrecked the Caucasus campaign, which had a good chance of success.

From August 23, when German Sixth Army forces, commanded by General Friedrich Paulus, reached the Volga at Stalingrad, Soviet and German infantry fought a long, house-to-house battle for the city. The occupying Russian army was fanatical. It contested every street and factory, whether still standing or totally destroyed. Territory which the Germans, with their superior fire power, had won by day was regained by night.

At the same time Soviet armies, ultimately numbering an estimated 1 million men, built up. On 19 November, preceded by an enormous barrage, forces under General Zhukov attacked on both German flanks. Within 5 days they had executed a pincer movement that encircled 250,000-300,000 German and satellite troops - the besiegers were besieged. Hitler forbade Paulus from attempting to break out to the rear, which he might have done early in the encirclement.

Goering promised him an airlift which never materialised. A relief army stalled in December and rations had to be reduced. Ammunition was running low. In January the Russians called on von Paulus to surrender. Hitler ordered him to refuse, made him a Field Marshal and informed him that no German Field Marshal had ever been taken alive.

The German position was now hopeless. Troops slowly froze, starved and ran out of ammunition. Paulus's forces were divided into two parts by a Russian thrust. By 30 January he was trapped in the basement of the large department store in Stalingrad where he had set up his final HQ. To Hitler's disappointment he preferred to surrender and live: on 2 February he and his staff gave themselves up. By then 70,000 Germans had died in Stalingrad. The Russians took 91,000 prisoners, including twenty-four German generals. Only 6000 ever returned. Hitler himself said, 'The god of war has gone over to the other side'.

[colorado tanker]

The decisive battle in Europe. After Stalingrad and Alamein, the Axis would be on the defensive.

[henderson field]

Does this "symbol of Soviet heroism during the Second World War" bear any resemblance to the symbol of Soviet heroism up on the Finnish border, in which Soviet tanks went against Finnish boys armed only with rifles? They're real men, those Russians!

[tet68]

It was only a few weeks ago that the anniversery of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad was celebrated.

The city was surrounded by the Nazis for over 850 days,
that's two years!
Only the ice road over lake Ladoga kept the city going.
People ate their pets, library paste, leather belts, shoes
and sometimes each other.
To lose your ration card meant death as they were only issued every two weeks or so and the daily ration was just a
few hundred grams of bread or grain.
Because the city was surrounded there was no fuel to run the generators and so the city was powerless, because of this in the winter the pipes froze, so water could only be gotten by cutting holes in the rivers.
Most people were so debilitated that they couldn't dig graves and could only carry the dead to collecting points on childrens sleds....if at all.

I have no love for communists, but the heroism of the Leningraders is something deserving of praise.

Of course after the seige, the KGB went back to business as usual, not that they stopped during it.

[gdyniawitawa]

One important thought to share about this: Stalingrad is now Volgograd as it used to be called before Stalin took over. Other thought is Stalingrad/Volgograd was not a major defeat for Nazi army whether it was Kursk where Meinstein and Guderian lost its most panzer divisions. If Russians would lost in Kursk war will be more brutal and longer then most of folks think would be.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Harrison Salsbury's book "The 900 Days" is pretty good.

In so far as the KGB (then the NKVD) is concerned, the number of Soviet soldiers executed for "cowardice" (ie. not fighting to the death or getting captured, then escaping) in 1941-1942 was over 160,000.

[RightWhale]

Stalingrad is when the whole world knew the eventual outcome of WW II. Russians were 10 feet tall.

[SAMWolf]

Stalingrad stopped the German Summer Offensive for 1942, but they didin't lose the Strategic Initiative and were still able to recover and launch a major offensive at Kursk.

After Kusrk the Germans were on the Strategic Defensive. IMHO, Kursk should really be the turning point of the war in the East.

[gdyniawitawa]

Most historians agree with that. Kursk is where biggest tank battle took place. Moscow offensive was hold after Zhukov defended Leningrad/St. Petersburg and Moscow at the same time. That was first Nazi defeat. I would like remind most of you that Zhukov was in Siberia after porch in 30's by Stalin. He was responsible of defensive in Moscow winter of 1941. Kursk is very important, Volgograd is second important is sense it only slow down Nazi offensive. After Kursk tide has changed.

[dfwgator]

Does this "symbol of Soviet heroism during the Second World War" bear any resemblance to the symbol of Soviet heroism up on the Finnish border, in which Soviet tanks went against Finnish boys armed only with rifles? They're real men, those Russians!

Or the ones who murdered the Polish officers in the Katyn Forest.

[SAMWolf]

If I remember corretcly, wasn't it Zhukov who kicked Japanese butt at Khalkin Gol in 1939? The GErmans came close at Kursk but in the end squandered their Armored forces.

[Ben Bolt]

WW 2 Bump !

[gdyniawitawa]

Zhukov offensive in 1945 august kicked Japanese from Manchuria and china territory. Also since that day, Japan and Russia still don't have formally sign agreement of peace because of Curl islands which had been annexed by Russians.

[SAMWolf]

Japan was pretty much finished by 1945 when Russia attacked them in Manchuria. Zhukov still made pretty impressive gains in a short time though.

[gdyniawitawa]

Yes but those gains were made in order to spread communist Russian empire one of them was Mongolia called 16 republic of Russia. What is sad is what happened to Zhukov after war. Look at this scenario: Germany June 22 1941 Japan July 21 1941 attack Russia that would be disaster in making. If Japan attacked Russia one month later in Far East, Russia would not stand.

[SAMWolf]

German Pows captured at Stalingrad

[RedMonqey]

"The Battle of Stalingrad lasted for 200 days and nights. The city was almost completely ruined. During the battle, the Nazis fired 100 mines, shells and bombs per square meter on Stalingrad."

I guess Stalin had his methods to deal with the naysayers who shouted about being in a " hopeless quagmire"