Events of the Battle
This video clip shows the beginning of the German attack on Soviet Russia during July of 1942.
Battle of Stalingrad
Officially, the Battle of Stalingrad began in mid 1942. It ended on February 2nd, 1943. Adolf Hitler ordered that the 6th army take the oil fields near Stalingrad. Once the 6th army arrived, they split into two groups, group A and group B. Group A had most of the army’s armor, and group B consisted mainly of infantry units. Group A was ordered to capture and control the oil fields, while group B was assigned to capture Stalingrad.
The fighting consisted of mainly urban combat, Soviet and German troops would barricade themselves in buildings and fire defensively. Conquest was slow; infantry groups would capture and recapture blocks at a time. Axis bombing destroyed many of the cities buildings, killing numerous civilians. However, the Soviets also had a few advantages, the tank factory in Stalingrad still churned out T-34 tanks while the battle went on.
Combat between the two forces was very destructive as seen on this firsthand account of a Stalingrad veteran from the Russian side who said,
“…the German snipers now and again would get one of us anyway – either in the head or in the back. Eventually, there were not that many defenders left and the Germans had nothing else to do but to shell the building with artillery guns." -Anatoly Kuryshov, Russia
In August, group B reached the Volga River, cutting off all supply lines, except by the Soviets crossing the Volga River. In September, group B began pushing into the city, with the aid of aircraft and artillery. The Russians fought fiercely, fighting from the pre-constructed defenses they had hastily constructed weeks prior. Once they were no longer able to fight from their sedentary defenses, bitter battles raged into the city’s streets. Casualties mounted, and by late October, the Soviets still managed to control the majority of the city.
Once the Germans were set at bay, Stalin saw an opportunity to go on the offense. Stalin concentrated troops on north and south of Stalingrad. On November 19th, Operation Uranus was launched. Attacking from all sides, the USSR and allies circled around Germany’s 6th army, enclosing them in a double envelopment. Slowly the USSR closed in on the 6th army, heavy fighting went on between the opposing countries, and the Germans failed to break out of the trap. Soon, the 6th army began running out of ammunition and other supplies. Out of desperation, Friedrich Paulus asked for permission to surrender to the USSR, but was denied by Adolf Hitler. Paulus was captured late January, and fragments of Germany’s soldiers fought on until the final group of soldiers surrendered on February 2nd, 1943.
The fighting consisted of mainly urban combat, Soviet and German troops would barricade themselves in buildings and fire defensively. Conquest was slow; infantry groups would capture and recapture blocks at a time. Axis bombing destroyed many of the cities buildings, killing numerous civilians. However, the Soviets also had a few advantages, the tank factory in Stalingrad still churned out T-34 tanks while the battle went on.
Combat between the two forces was very destructive as seen on this firsthand account of a Stalingrad veteran from the Russian side who said,
“…the German snipers now and again would get one of us anyway – either in the head or in the back. Eventually, there were not that many defenders left and the Germans had nothing else to do but to shell the building with artillery guns." -Anatoly Kuryshov, Russia
In August, group B reached the Volga River, cutting off all supply lines, except by the Soviets crossing the Volga River. In September, group B began pushing into the city, with the aid of aircraft and artillery. The Russians fought fiercely, fighting from the pre-constructed defenses they had hastily constructed weeks prior. Once they were no longer able to fight from their sedentary defenses, bitter battles raged into the city’s streets. Casualties mounted, and by late October, the Soviets still managed to control the majority of the city.
Once the Germans were set at bay, Stalin saw an opportunity to go on the offense. Stalin concentrated troops on north and south of Stalingrad. On November 19th, Operation Uranus was launched. Attacking from all sides, the USSR and allies circled around Germany’s 6th army, enclosing them in a double envelopment. Slowly the USSR closed in on the 6th army, heavy fighting went on between the opposing countries, and the Germans failed to break out of the trap. Soon, the 6th army began running out of ammunition and other supplies. Out of desperation, Friedrich Paulus asked for permission to surrender to the USSR, but was denied by Adolf Hitler. Paulus was captured late January, and fragments of Germany’s soldiers fought on until the final group of soldiers surrendered on February 2nd, 1943.