Battle of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad took place in the winter of 1942-1943 during World War II on the Eastern Front.

Having failed to conquer the Soviet Union in 1941, the Axis armies changed strategy. Hitler directed them to take the oil fields in the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia. The capture of the oil would deprive the Soviets of this resource, as well as provide the Germans with a much needed supplement to Romanian oil. It would also cut the Russians off from Allied supplies coming through Iran.

The German offensive was initially successful in that Army Group A broke out to the south and was able to capture an oil field north of the mountain passes (though it had been thoroughly wrecked beforehand). Army Group B, however, ran into trouble as it attempted to take the city of Stalingrad, on the northeastern flank of this movement. Failure to secure Stalingrad meant that the Soviet armies could threaten the supply lines of Army Group A. As the Russian resistance stiffened, Group A was forced to retreat to prevent itself from being cut off in the Caucasus.

Hitler would not accept defeat, and the German army ground into Stalingrad, eventually taking 90% of the city and inflicting horrific casualties as the Soviets launched wave after wave of counterattacks. In order to do this, however, the Germans had to weaken their flanks outside of the city, relying in some cases on less reliable troops from Italy and Romania.

The Soviets sprang a trap, launching massive armies against these vulnerable flanks from the north and south. The two Soviet armies performed a double pincer, trapping the German 6th army within Stalingrad. General Paulus, the German commander, saw that the situation was hopeless and asked Hitler for permission to withdraw. Hitler ordered him to stand fast, and promised resupply by air.

The Luftwaffe was only able to deliver a fraction of the supplies needed. As the Germans ran low on food, the Soviets tightened their grip on the city. A German relief force composed of elements of Army Group A was unable to break through. As the situation deteriorated, Hitler promoted Paulus to the rank of Field Marshal. This was a message that he was expected to die defending the city or to committ suicide. Prior to Stalingrad, no German field marshal had ever surrendered.

In February 1943, the starving German survivors, including General Paulus, surrendered and were marched into Soviet prison camps. Most were sent to Siberia and never heard from again.