Battle of Stalingrad
Stalingrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
What happened
German General Friedrich Paulus's 6th Army fought Soviet forces defending the city under General Vasily Chuikov, while Generals Georgy Zhukov and Aleksandr Vasilevsky planned the Soviet counter-attack. In 1942 Germany drove toward the oil fields of the Caucasus and attacked Stalingrad, a major industrial city on the Volga River that also carried Stalin's name. German bombing turned much of the city to rubble, and soldiers fought for months from house to house. In November 1942 Soviet armies surrounded the 6th Army in Operation Uranus, and on 2 February 1943 it surrendered.
Why it matters
Result: Soviet victory. Leaders: Army Group B / C. Constantinescu-Claps against Stalingrad Front / Don Front. Why it matters: It is often called the turning point of the war in Europe. After Stalingrad, the Soviet army began pushing the Germans back.
What came next
In July 1943 Germany launched its last great offensive in the East, at Kursk, and lost.
Did you know?
Soviet soldiers led by Sergeant Yakov Pavlov held one apartment building for about two months, and it is still known as Pavlov's House.
Timeline
- 23 August 1942The German assault on Stalingrad begins.
- September-November 1942Soviet soldiers defend Pavlov's House.
- November 1942Operation Uranus begins to surround the German 6th Army.
- 2 February 1943The 6th Army surrenders.
- July 1943Germany attacks at Kursk.