THE CITY OF STALINGRAD
Stalingrad possessed many characteristics that made the city a valuable target for Germany in World War II. Geographically, it being proximal to the Volga River was a major advantage. While the Germans conquered much of Europe, they controlled a lot of the railroads. Not only was the Volga a major advantage, but the nearby oil fields producing petroleum products helped supply the USSR’s vehicles. This fuel was vital to any army that controlled it, and would have helped the Germans push into Russia further if they had managed to control Stalingrad.
Stalingrad was a major industrial city in southwestern USSR, being the site of many various factories, even including a tank factory. If the city was captured, the Germans could have reformatted the factories to benefit themselves in future conquests. Stalingrad was a very important city, but also the name was important. If Stalingrad fell to the Germans, then they would have a massive amount of propaganda. The city was named after Stalin himself; if he allowed the city to fall, his reputation would be injured. Stalingrad was renamed to Volgograd in 1961, and Volgograd remains the name of the city to this day.
Stalingrad was a major industrial city in southwestern USSR, being the site of many various factories, even including a tank factory. If the city was captured, the Germans could have reformatted the factories to benefit themselves in future conquests. Stalingrad was a very important city, but also the name was important. If Stalingrad fell to the Germans, then they would have a massive amount of propaganda. The city was named after Stalin himself; if he allowed the city to fall, his reputation would be injured. Stalingrad was renamed to Volgograd in 1961, and Volgograd remains the name of the city to this day.