battle of stalingrad definition
One thrust would come from the area of Kotelnikovo, well to the south, and around a hundred miles from the Sixth Army. ", harvnb error: no target: CITEREFCraig1973 (, {{cite web Though initially successful, the German attacks stalled in the face of Soviet reinforcements brought in from across the Volga. The man was probably already dying. [121] On 18 February, Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels gave the famous Sportpalast speech in Berlin, encouraging the Germans to accept a total war that would claim all resources and efforts from the entire population. Scholars have produced different estimates depending on their definition of the scope of the battle. "[96], The toll on the Transportgruppen was heavy. German director Joseph Vilsmaier's 1993 "Stalingrad" is a powerful antiwar film that focuses on the disintegration of the German army under the combined forces of the Soviet army and the brutal Russian winter. The German offensive started well. Luftflotte 4 flew 1,250 sorties on 14 October and its Stukas dropped 550 tonnes of bombs, while German infantry surrounded the three factories. The British historian Antony Beevor noted the "sinister" message from the Stalingrad Front's Political Department on 8 October 1942 that: "The defeatist mood is almost eliminated and the number of treasonous incidents is getting lower" as an example of the sort of coercion Red Army soldiers experienced under the Special Detachments (later to be renamed SMERSH). David Glantz, Armageddon in Stalingrad, The Stalingrad Trilogy Volume II (2009), 380–383. The delay is thought to have delayed the advance at least one week. These tanks, unpainted and lacking gun-sights, were driven directly from the factory floor to the front line. Ninety percent of the living space in the Voroshilovskiy area was destroyed. [41]:106 Civilians, including women and children, were put to work building trenchworks and protective fortifications. The soldiers surrounded it with minefields, set up machine-gun positions at the windows and breached the walls in the basement for better communications. A year of German gains during Case Blue had been wiped out. "[33]:166, 168–69, The Germans inside the pocket retreated from the suburbs of Stalingrad to the city itself. This would include the subsequent breakout of Sixth Army, in the event of a successful first phase, and its physical reincorporation in Army Group Don. The prisoners included 22 generals. "[28], During the siege, the German and allied Italian, Hungarian, and Romanian armies protecting Army Group B's north and south flanks had pressed their headquarters for support. Some were kept in the city to help rebuild it. Contributor: C. Peter Chen ww2dbase The southern Russian city of Stalingrad was a major industrial city, producing tanks, among other equipment, for the Soviet war effort. [132], At this point, the British had won the Battle of El Alamein in November 1942. [1]:84, The Soviet bomber force, the Aviatsiya Dal'nego Deystviya (Long Range Aviation; ADD), having taken crippling losses over the past 18 months, was restricted to flying at night. In particular, the so-called HiWis, Soviet citizens fighting for the Germans, had no illusions about their fate if captured. The Soviets burned large amounts of grain during their retreat in order to deny the enemy food. Anton Joly, Stalingrad Battle Atlas, Volume II (2017), 34. [71], After 27 September, much of the fighting in the city shifted north to the industrial district. They assembled tanks from leftover parts at the tractor factory. Paulus requested that he be granted permission to accept the terms. The scope can vary from the fighting in the city and suburbs to the inclusion of almost all fighting on the southern wing of the Soviet–German front from the spring of 1942 to the end of the fighting in the city in the winter of 1943. The Germans used aircraft, tanks and heavy artillery to clear the city with varying degrees of success. Then we came into the yard. Delays in ending the siege pushed back the start date for Blau several times, and the city did not fall until early July. [49][50][51][52] The Germans pushing forward into Stalingrad suffered heavy casualties. Combat raged for three days at the giant grain elevator in the south of the city. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the largest and deadliest battles in World War II. [118], The USSR, according to archival figures, suffered 1,129,619 total casualties; 478,741 personnel killed or missing, and 650,878 wounded or sick. It was a turning point in the war. The Battle of Stalingrad was fought during the Second World War between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The Romanian Air Force lost 79 aircraft, most of them captured on the ground along with their airfields. Bergström quotes: Soviet Reports on the effects of air raids between 23–26 August 1942. Battle of Stalingrad. The Luftwaffe helped repel the offensive by heavily attacking Soviet artillery positions and defensive lines. [Note 7], As historian Chris Bellamy notes, the Germans paid a high strategic price for the aircraft sent into Stalingrad: the Luftwaffe was forced to divert much of its air strength away from the oil-rich Caucasus, which had been Hitler's original grand-strategic objective. [33]:215 Four Soviet armies were deployed against the northern pocket. 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Having slowly advanced over 10 days against strong Soviet resistance, the 51st Army Corps was finally in front of the three giant factories of Stalingrad: the Red October Steel Factory, the Barrikady Arms Factory and Stalingrad Tractor Factory. Hitler proclaimed that after Stalingrad's capture, its male citizens were to be killed and all women and children were to be deported because its population was "thoroughly communistic" and "especially dangerous". Army Group South was selected for a sprint forward through the southern Russian steppes into the Caucasus to capture the vital Soviet oil fields there. [33]:183, 185, 189. [70] The Soviet command moved units from the Red Army strategic reserve in the Moscow area to the lower Volga, and transferred aircraft from the entire country to the Stalingrad region. Before Operation Uranus, the 1st Romanian Armoured Division consisted of 121 R-2 light tanks and 19 German-produced tanks (Panzer III and IV). [53] Assigned to counterattack at the Mamayev Kurgan and at Railway Station No. [40]:401 He remained in the Soviet Union until 1952, then moved to Dresden in East Germany, where he spent the remainder of his days defending his actions at Stalingrad and was quoted as saying that Communism was the best hope for postwar Europe. Based on the information of the expert Richthofen, he declared that contrary to the example of the pocket of Demyansk the permanent supply by air would be impossible. [33]:153 As Zhukov states, "The military and political leadership of Nazi Germany sought not to relieve them, but to get them to fight on for as long possible so as to tie up the Soviet forces. Marked by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in air raids, it is one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, with an estimated 2 million total casualties. The Luftwaffe retained air superiority into November, and Soviet daytime aerial resistance was nonexistent. [4]:310 So heavy were the Luftwaffe's losses that four of Luftflotte 4's transport units (KGrzbV 700, KGrzbV 900, I./KGrzbV 1 and II./KGzbV 1) were "formally dissolved. [66] Though women were not usually trained as infantry, many Soviet women fought as machine gunners, mortar operators, and scouts. Heavy fighting continued for another two months. – М.: Воениздат, 1993. [41]:117 The operation was code-named "Uranus" and launched in conjunction with Operation Mars, which was directed at Army Group Center. Soviet Union tanks defend Stalingrad Rodimtsev's 13th Guards Rifle Division had been hurried up to cross the river and join the defenders inside the city. The next day he made a six-page situation report to the general staff. The battle was essentially the Soviet’s defense of the city of Stalingrad. [68] Three air regiments at Stalingrad were entirely female. The Front was reformed from reserve armies on 22 October 1942. Hence it was ineffective in relieving the 6th army. The initial objectives in the region around Stalingrad were to destroy the industrial capacity of the city and to block the Volga River traffic connecting the Caucasus and Caspian Sea to central Russia. Three days later, when the first trainload of Raus's division steamed into Kotelnikovo station to unload, his troops were greeted by "a hail of shells" from Soviet batteries. Anton Joly, Stalingrad Battle Atlas, Volume II (2017), 178–302. A massive German air raid on 23 August caused a firestorm, killing hundreds and turning Stalingrad into a vast landscape of rubble and burnt ruins. On 5 September, the Soviet 24th and 66th Armies organized a massive attack against XIV Panzer Corps. "As quick as lightning, the Panzergrenadiers jumped from their wagons. Stalingrad definition at Dictionary.com, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. Amid the debris of the wrecked city, the Soviet 62nd and 64th Armies, which included the Soviet 13th Guards Rifle Division, anchored their defence lines with strong-points in houses and factories. a city in the SW Russian Federation, on the Volga River: battles in World War II, 1942–1943. Another advance to the river south of the city followed, while the Soviets abandoned their Rossoshka position for the inner defensive ring west of Stalingrad. [100]:930 Hitler rejected it on a point of honour. It was one of the most important battles of the war because it marked the end of Germany's advances. Daily sorties decreased from 1,343 per day to 975 per day. By the spring of 1942, despite the failure of Operation Barbarossa to decisively defeat the Soviet Union in a single campaign, the Wehrmacht had captured vast expanses of territory, including Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic republics. Hitler told Goebbels that the plight of the 6th Army was a "heroic drama of German history. By the end of August, Army Group South (B) had finally reached the Volga, north of Stalingrad. "Stalingrad anniversary: 70 years on, Russian city still gives up its WWII dead", "Russia marks 70th anniversary of Stalingrad battle", Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, Military History Research Office (Germany), Adolf Hitler's Proclamation on the 10th Anniversary of Coming to Power (30 January 1943), Stalingrad battle Newsreels // Net-Film Newsreels and Documentary Films Archive, Story of the Stalingrad battle with pictures, maps, video and other primary and secondary sources, Volgograd State Panoramic Museum official homepage, The Battle of Stalingrad in Film and History, Stalingrad-info.com, Russian archival docs translated into English, original battle maps, aerial photos, pictures taken at the battlefields, relics collection, H-Museum: Stalingrad/Volgograd 1943–2003. a city in the SW Russian Federation, on the Volga River: battles in World War II, 1942–1943. 999,000. The letter was signed by Colonel-General of Artillery Voronov and the commander-in-chief of the Don Front, Lieutenant-General Rokossovsky. Stalingrad has been described as the biggest defeat in the history of the German Army. By 18 December, the German Army had pushed to within 48 km (30 mi) of Sixth Army's positions. С. The remains of central Stalingrad after the end of the battle in February 1943 (RIA Novosti). The battle began with the heavy bombing of the city by Generaloberst Wolfram von Richthofen's Luftflotte 4, which in the summer and autumn of 1942 was the single most powerful air formation in the world. After losing the battle, the German army lost so many soldiers and took such a defeat that they never quite recovered. Army Group B was in disarray and faced strong Soviet pressure across all its fronts. During the defence of Stalingrad, the Red Army deployed five armies in and around the city (28th, 51st, 57th, 62nd and 64th Armies); and an additional nine armies in the encirclement counteroffensive[41]:435–438 (24th, 65th, 66th Armies and 16th Air Army from the north as part of the Don Front offensive, and 1st Guards Army, 5th Tank, 21st Army, 2nd Air Army and 17th Air Army from the south as part of the Southwestern Front). [126][127] It is often identified as the turning point on the Eastern Front, in the war against Germany overall, and in the entire Second World War. The Soviets were forced to withdraw at midday after only a few hours. "[33]:193, On 26 January 1943, the German forces inside Stalingrad were split into two pockets north and south of Mamayev-Kurgan. Here lay more more [sic?] Ultimately, however, Romanian armoured warfare proved to be a tactical success, as the Romanians destroyed 127 Soviet tanks for the cost of their 100 lost units. A long and bitterly fought battle of the Second World War, in which the German advance into the Soviet Union was turned back at Stalingrad in 1942–3. Manstein, however, who knew that Sixth Army could not survive the winter there, instructed his headquarters to draw up a further plan in the event of Hitler's seeing sense. Bitter fighting raged for every ruin, street, factory, house, basement, and staircase. In response, Hitler issued a tranche of field promotions to the Sixth Army's officers. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFManstein2004 (. The He 111 gruppen lost 165 aircraft in transport operations. Vol•go•grad. [4][Note 8] To supplement the limited number of Junkers Ju 52 transports, the Germans pressed other aircraft into the role, such as the Heinkel He 177 bomber (some bombers performed adequately – the Heinkel He 111 proved to be quite capable and was much faster than the Ju 52). In the porch lay the skeleton of a horse, with only a few scraps of meat still clinging to its ribs. As a result of the battle, the 6th … Anton Joly, Stalingrad Battle Atlas, Volume II (2017), 360–380. The German public was not officially told of the impending disaster until the end of January 1943, though positive media reports had stopped in the weeks before the announcement. By 27 Sept. the Germans occupied the southern portion of the city, but the Soviets held the centre and northern part. The German 6th Army was only a few dozen kilometres from Stalingrad. horses' skeletons, and to the right, there was an enormous horrible cesspool – fortunately, frozen solid. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major and decisive battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in … The attacking Soviet units under the command of Gen. Nikolay Vatutin consisted of three complete armies, the 1st Guards Army, 5th Tank Army and 21st Army, including a total of 18 infantry divisions, eight tank brigades, two motorised brigades, six cavalry divisions and one anti-tank brigade. The public mood was sullen, depressed, fearful, and war-weary. [30]:153 Transport aircraft also evacuated technical specialists and sick or wounded personnel from the besieged enclave. Ivan's War (New York: 2006), 156. quoted in Merridale, Catherine. Army Group South had overrun the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1941. However, the combination of constant air support operations on the German side and the Soviet surrender of the daytime skies began to affect the strategic balance in the air. [90] The American historian Gerhard Weinberg wrote that Manstein distorted his record on the matter. Exceptionally intense shelling and bombing paved the way for the first German assault groups. "[103] Paulus notified Hitler that his men would likely collapse before the day was out. 2 Nomonhan: Japanese-Soviet Tactical Combat, 1939; MAPS, Meine Stalingradeinsätze (My Stalingrad Sorties), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ4Jz0H4fAA&feature=youtu.be. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFGolovanov2004 (. The Germans adopted a simple defence of fixing wire nets over all windows to protect themselves from grenades. Thus, they converted multi-floored apartment blocks, factories, warehouses, street corner residences and office buildings into a series of well defended strong-points with small 5–10-man units. Definition. [43], The Soviets had enough warning of the German advance to ship grain, cattle, and railway cars across the Volga out of harm's way, but Stalin refused to evacuate the 400,000 civilian residents trapped in Stalingrad. The Germans cut the pipeline from the oilfields when they captured Rostov on 23 July. The Germans lost 900 aircraft (including 274 transports and 165 bombers used as transports), 500 tanks and 6,000 artillery pieces. "[102] On 24 January, in his radio report to Hitler, Paulus reported "18,000 wounded without the slightest aid of bandages and medicines. Stalingrad. Historical Memorial Complex "To the Heroes of the Stalingrad Battle" at Mamayev Hill. "[62] At the beginning of the battle there were 75,000 women and girls from the Stalingrad area who had finished military or medical training, and all of whom were to serve in the battle. The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943) was the largest confrontation of World War II, in which Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in Southern Russia. Sgt. It will describe the events leading up to the battle, and include a description of the battle from both Russian and German perspectives. |title=Secrets of The Dead: Deadliest Battle 4,341 tanks (~150 by Romanians) (25–30% were total write-offs. [40]:280 General Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach offered to raise an anti-Hitler army from the Stalingrad survivors, but the Soviets did not accept. [33]:159, 166–67, On 23 December, the attempt to relieve Stalingrad was abandoned and Manstein's forces switched over to the defensive to deal with new Soviet offensives. Overy, Richard. [30], The Soviets realised their critical situation, ordering everyone who could hold a rifle into the fight.[31]:94. [47] Deserters and presumed malingerers were captured or executed after fighting. These losses amounted to about 50 percent of the aircraft committed and the Luftwaffe training program was stopped and sorties in other theatres of war were significantly reduced to save fuel for use at Stalingrad. 3. We start 1943 under conditions I would never have dared to hope. The battle started with the South Western Front. He acknowledged the heavy moral sacrifice that giving up Stalingrad would mean, but this would be made easier to bear by conserving the combat power of the Sixth Army and regaining the initiative. The Battle of Stalingrad is considered to be the most important battle of World War II (1939–45). At a minimum, 500 tons were required. In addition, the German 6th Army included between 40,000 and 65,000 Hilfswillige (Hiwi), or "volunteer auxiliaries",[86][87] a term used for personnel recruited amongst Soviet POWs and civilians from areas under occupation. – С. In deciding to promote Paulus, Hitler noted that there was no record of a German or Prussian field marshal having ever surrendered. [134], The news of the battle echoed round the world, with many people now believing that Hitler's defeat was inevitable. The fleet's total strength decreased by 40 percent. Ice floes on the Volga now prevented boats and tugs from supplying the Soviet defenders. The prestige of Stalin, the Soviet Union, and the worldwide Communist movement was immense, and their political position greatly enhanced.[137]. [21] After their defeat at Stalingrad, the German High Command had to withdraw considerable military forces from other theaters of war to replace their losses.[22]. Behind the front lines, no preparations had been made to defend key points in the rear such as Kalach. [citation needed] Some have presumed that they were motivated by a belief that fighting on was better than a slow death in Soviet captivity. "[33]:133[89] After 1945, Manstein claimed that he told Hitler that the 6th Army must break out. The situation of the Romanian tanks is known, however. How football's healing power is still at work in Volgograd, Friendly Russians revel in influx of visiting fans, To Russia with love; England fans pay tribute to Stalingrad's war victims, MAN WHO MADE SWORDS FOR QUEEN VICTORIA, HAILE SELASSIE..AND THE HEROES OF STALINGRAD; Weapon created to pay tribute to Soviet city's stand against Nazis, Zverev bids to end Germany's 81-year French Open drought. These forces were also lacking in effective anti-tank weapons. However, according to Adam, "On not one single day have the minimal essential number of tons of supplies been flown in. The director of Luftflotte 4, Wolfram von Richthofen, tried to get this decision overturned. He had been crouching over another cesspool, and now, noticing us, he was hastily pulling up his pants, and then he slunk away into the door of the basement. Buildings had to be cleared room by room through the bombed-out debris of residential areas, office blocks, basements and apartment high-rises. ", harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBergström2007 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFGlantz1995 (, Великая Отечественная война 1941–1945 годов. The plan was to punch through the overstretched and weakly defended German flanks and surround the German forces in the Stalingrad region. The 16th Panzer was shocked to find that, due to Soviet manpower shortages, it had been fighting female soldiers. Lieutenant General Alexander Rodimtsev was in charge of the 13th Guards Rifle Division, and received one of two Heroes of the Soviet Union awarded during the battle for his actions. [142][143][144], Approaching this place, [Stalingrad], soldiers used to say: ". Inside the pocket (German: Kessel, literally "cauldron"), there were also around 10,000 Soviet civilians and several thousand Soviet soldiers the Germans had taken captive during the battle. The Soviets did not bother employing tanks in areas where the urban destruction restricted their mobility. While a motorised breakout might have been possible in the first few weeks, the 6th Army now had insufficient fuel and the German soldiers would have faced great difficulty breaking through the Soviet lines on foot in harsh winter conditions. The starving encircled forces at Stalingrad made no attempt to break out or link up with Manstein's advance. This "harvest victory" left the city short of food even before the German attack began. Sensing that this was the last chance for a breakout, Manstein pleaded with Hitler on 18 December, but Hitler refused.