06/22/09

Battle of Stalingrad

On September 14^th through the 22^{nd (1942)} the German 6^th Army first started it’s major attack on Stalingrad. It would start one of the biggest battles in history. By the end of September, Berlin announced they had captured Stalingrad. By the beginning of November, the 6^th Army had launched six big attacks on the Soviets. By that time Germany controlled almost the whole city. Zohukov, of Russia, planned to start on November 19^th  to encircle the 6^th Army. The plan was to have two armies, one from the south and one from the north, to break through the Romanians. Which was flank of German army. Three days later the armies of the Soviet broke through the Romanians. The Soviet armies encircled the 6^th Army and cut them off. This put the 6^th Army trapped in Stalingrad. German Field Marshal Erich von Manstein of the 11^th army was to break the encirclement. Manstein launched operation Wintergeuitter.

On December 21^st the operation failed. Meanwhile, the 6^th army did not try to break out without orders. On December 25^th the German forces in the north were pushed back. After that at the beginning of 1943 Germany hastily prepared a defense in Stalingrad. Ten Soviet armies surrounded them. On January 8^th, General Rokossovsky of Russia, sent a proposition of surrender to the Germans but it was turned down. Then he launched the attack to destroy the 6th Army. By the 17^th the battle was raging again in Stalingrad. At this time there was around 150,000 casualties, around half caused by the freezing cold and by being ill supplied. On January 24^th, Pulus became Field Marshal. Hitler wanted Pulus not surrender since no field marshal had been captured alive. On February 2^nd the rest of the 6^th army surrendered.        

                                                           The map Above shows the German lines while fighting at Stalingrad.

The 6^th Army’s death count was half or more. There had been 250,000 that had been in Stalingrad had been killed by the time of the surrender. 35,000 escaped by air. 90,000 survived and were march to Siberia. Many thousand died on the march. Only 5,000 Germans from the army made it back to Germany.

The map to left shows the Red army offensive.

Stalingrad 1943

 The Video Documentary video down for moment there will be new one up on next update.

 Battle For Stalingrad

Video is not documentary it to see combat footage in Stalingrad.