...The Battle of Stalingrad The battle of Stalingrad may have very well been the most important battle over the course of World War II. Not necessarily remembered for its course of fighting, the battle is more known for its outcome. Not only did the battle turn out to be a major turning point in the war, it may have saved most of Eastern Europe from incomparable destruction. The battle included two of the biggest political and military icons of their time, Stalin and Hitler. World War II was seen around the globe as a war to end all wars. Combat like this had never been experienced before and it was the largest scale battle in recent history. The death tolls for all sides skyrocketed to heights that had never been reached in any battle ever before. There was one man at the center of it all, one man who came to personify the root of living, breathing evil. That man was Adolf Hitler and to the rest of the world, he was a superhuman military machine who had no other goal but to achieve world domination through destruction. But the roots of the Battle of Stalingrad all began in 1941 when Hitler launched operation Barbarossa. Hitler’s powerful army marched across the east, seemingly unstoppable to any force. Stalin’s Red Army was caught completely off guard and their lines were completely broken apart. A majority of the country’s air force was destroyed when airfields were raided and many of the planes never even got the chance to leave the ground. Hitler’s army finally came...
Words: 1477 - Pages: 6
...people were a threat to society. Next, I’m going to move into talking about some of his flaws that limited his success as a leader. The first one that I will be talking about is Hitler’s distrust for his generals. As the years went by during WWII, “He came to believe that Germany's victories were his alone and that most of his generals were narrow-minded, overly cautious and incapable.” (bbc.co.uk) This just goes to show how self-centered and incompetent Hitler was. Despite his generals remaining loyal to him, he still became less and less fond of them. I believe this was a result of him believing that he could win the war all by himself, without the help or advice of his subordinates. A classic example of how this failed was the battle of Stalingrad in 1942. Before the invasion (of Moscow), two of Hitler’s senior-most advisors told him that they disagreed with the plan. Despite his better judgment, Hitler ignored their advice and continued on anyway. As they entered the city they believed they had a good shot at defeating the Russians, but as time past Hitler realized that he was vastly outnumbered and was heard saying, “Surrender is forbidden. Sixth Army will hold their position to the last man.” (historyplace.com) That...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...Campaign in the West INTRODUCTORY NOTE 4. THE ECLIPSE OF O.K.H. 5. THE OPERATION PLAN CONTROVERSY 6. COMMANDING GENERAL, 38 ARMY CORPS 7. BETWEEN TWO CAMPAIGNS Part III. War in the East 8. PANZER DRIVE 9. THE CRIMEAN CAMPAIGN 10. LENINGRAD - VITEBSK 11. HITLER AS SUPREME COMMANDER 12. THE TRAGEDY OF STALINGRAD 13. THE 1942-3 WINTER CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH RUSSIA 14. OPERATION 'CITADEL' 15. THE DEFENSIVE BATTLES OF 1943-4 APPENDIX I APPENDIX II APPENDIX III APPENDIX IV MILITARY CAREER GLOSSARY OF MILITARY TERMS ILLUSTRATIONS MAPS Key to Symbols used in Maps 1. German and Polish Deployment, and Execution of German Offensive. 2. Southern Army Group's Operations in Polish Campaign. 3. The O.K.H. plan of Operations for German Offensive in the West. 4. Army Group A's Proposals for German Operations in the West. 5. 38 Corps' Advance from the Somme to the Loire. 6. 56 Panzer Corps' Drive into Russia. 7. Situation of Northern Army Group on 26th June 1941 after 56 Panzer Corps' Capture of Dvinsk. 8. Encirclement of 56 Panzer Corps at Zoltsy (15th-18th July 1941). 9. 56 Panzer Corps' Drive into Flank of Thirty-Eighth Soviet Army on 19th August 1941. 10. Battle on the Sea of Azov and Breakthrough at the Isthmus of Perekop (Autumn 1941). 11. Breakthrough at Ishun and Conquest of the Crimea...
Words: 214033 - Pages: 857
...The city was a crucial target for the Germans as it was Russia’s centre of communications in the South, along with being a centre of manufacturing. Many describe the battle as the greatest battle throughout the whole conflict. Over 2 million military and civilian casualties were involved in The Battle of Stalingrad and is described as the “bloodiest battles in history”. 250,000 German and Romanian corpses were recovered by the Soviet Union and a total of more than 800,000 Axis casualties were believed to have been either dead, wounded, missing or captured. The axis casualties involved included Germans, Romanians, Hungarians and Italians. 91,000 men surrendered, but only 5,000-6,000 returned home and the rest died in the Soviet prison and labor camps. As for the Soviet Union side, an estimate of 1,100,000 Red Army were dead, wounded, missing or captured. In addition to that an estimated of 40,000 civilians died during the...
Words: 886 - Pages: 4
...Many important events led up to The Battle in Stalingrad, including the outbreak of World War 2 and Hitler's rampage through Eastern Europe. One of the most important events leading up to The Battle of Stalingrad was Nazi Germany conquering most of Europe. Nazi Germany's conquering of Europe was an important event leading up to The Battle of Stalingrad because this is what started World War 2. World War 2 officially started in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland ("The Battle" 1). After Hitler conquered Europe, he turned his focus to the resources of Russia ("The Battle" 1). This evidence suggests that a reason that The Battle of Stalingrad started because Hitler wanted the valuable resources found in Russia. Another event that led up to the Battle of Stalingrad was Hitler's Operation Barbarossa. This operation was Hitler's first aggressive act toward Russia. Hitler sent more than 3 million troops on to Russian soil for this operation ("The...
Words: 577 - Pages: 3
...disagreements that followed between the US and the Soviet Union in the years following, US history can severely ignore the part the Soviets played in the war. The majority of German causalities suffered in the war came at the hands of the Soviet Union. Both countries suffered and inflicted on one another about ten times the number of causalities of any other country. Nowhere was this more evident than the Battle of Stalingrad. It is...
Words: 1530 - Pages: 7
...such as General Eric Von Manstein and General Herman Hoth, not only dispute the thought that the German army was apolitical but also show that Wehrmacht had in fact been corrupted by Nazi ideology. When considering the order made by General Eric Von Mansteing to the Eleventh Army of Wehrmacht, points are shown to prove that although thought to be apolitical Wehrmacht had indeed become politically driven. Manstein stated, “The Jewish-Bolshevik system must be once and for all. Never again may it interfere in our European living-space.” Through his introduction of Nazi legal and moral concepts into army life Manstein began to corrupt the German army. Quoting Manstein, “The German people are in the midst of a battle for life and death against the Bolshevik system. This battle is conducted against the Soviet army not only in a conventional manner according to the rules of European warfare.” This statement was the only the beginning of Manstein introducing an ideological component to the German soldiers. He began to transform the war into a war of survival against the Jewish and Bolshevik system. Another famous order made to Wehrmacht by a german General Hermann Hoth challenges that belief that Wehrmacht was an apolitical army free of Nazi ideology. Hoth announced,” it has become increasingly clear to us this summer, that here in the East spiritually unbridgeable conceptions are fighting each other.” Hoth then stated, “More than ever we are filled with the thought...
Words: 476 - Pages: 2
...neutralize the germans technological advantage. Still even with these winter counterattacks, the germans looked poised to seize the Caucasus oil fields which would have sucked the Soviet army dry. Their first goal was to block oil from traveling up the Volga river, so in July 1942 they attacked Stalingrad. After first it looked as if the germans were going to completely annihilate the soviet defenders. Everything changed though when Georgy Zhukov was given command of the city, he ordered that all available Soviet units be sent to stalingrad. As the battle raged on the germans centered their army in the main part of the city, thinking that the soviets...
Words: 903 - Pages: 4
...allies worked hard and it came to good use. And it also showed that Hitler was probably scared of what was gonna happen to him if they captured him. So he decided to end his life in order to not be captured possibly. The Battle Of Stalingrad happened before D-Day. According to the article (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad) ‘’The Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942-Feb. 2, 1943), was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their do Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies.’’ That shows that The battle of stalingrad was a pretty good battle and that’s when it marked the turning tide of war for the allies”. That shows that the battle was pretty important for the allies cause it gave them a chance for them to win. As well as it also possibly gave more encouragement to the men. They also had the upper hand in the battle (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad) ‘’In subsequent days the invaders fought their way into Stalingrad against fierce resistance. This was urban street fighting of the most bitter sort, occasioning tremendous losses on both sides. The blasted ruins of houses and factories began to stink as hot winds carried the smell...
Words: 1738 - Pages: 7
...power within Europe had taken aggressive military action towards one of the biggest existing nations of the time – one that was considered extremely backwards socio-economically. On the 23rd of August 1942 the USSR launched a major counterattack against the Nazi-German forces trapping them within the city of Stalingrad and thus initiating the controversial battle of Stalingrad. This action, Operation Uranus – approved by Stalin, would mark the retreat from the Nazi invasion of Europe that would not end until Berlins fall on May 1945. Thus this battle catalysed the conclusion to one of the most horrifying wars of our time. Few events have been up for as much analysis of historical importance as this military action. This due to how it had the ability to cause such an immense war loss and the eventual retreat of Nazi-Germany - particularly after Nazi-Germany´s consecutive military triumphs since the dawn of World War Two. Few, including...
Words: 596 - Pages: 3
...The German army were quite aware that the taking of Stalingrad would make or break their seize of The Soviet Union and although Hitler ensured success, there were many factors which had not been accounted for which contributed greatly to the failure of the Germans in Stalingrad. The commonly affective and brutal Nazi’s struggled immensely due to the harsh weather conditions of Russia, the health of their soldiers and the tactics which were put into place during the battle. Despite both the Red Army and the German army both encountering many similar challenges, the Red Army took each disadvantage and adapted themselves in many ways that the German’s had never considered; rendering the Germans ineffective during the battle of Stalingrad. Although...
Words: 1150 - Pages: 5
...INTRO(WHO ARE WESTERN ALLIES) 2.ALLIES CREATING WAR ON TWO FRONTS 3.THE U.S, SUPPLY FOR THE USSR 4.THE USSR ITSELF 5.THE AXIS MISTAKES 6. CONCLUSION Allied forces consistent from countries which opposed the Axis powers. The main policy makers of Allies were the U.S.A., USSR and British Empire. These coalition and its cooperation helped the USSR, but importance of allied support for the USSR victory is arguable as there are several factors which oppose that statement. Allied forces were crucial for the USSR victory in the 2 World War as they created war on two fronts, which did not allow German to use all its power against the USSR. After defeat of Germans in Moscow, the USSR army advanced on the east, defatting Germans in Stalingrad, Leningrad and Kursk. However, even when Eastern was the biggest front in the 2 World War, and the USSR was fighting against bigger proportion of German soldiers, allies created pressure on Nazi army from the West and in North Africa. If the USSR would have fought against the hole Reich Army, the war for it would be lost. Also the allies were highly advanced in technology, what resulted in a lot of bombing operation from the USA and Britain. This allowed the USSR to meet less german tanks and avoid German airfares in their full presence, as the USSR was not able to produce aircrafts or tanks which would be affective against Germans. Allied forces created more difficulties for German army on the western front, helping the USSR to win weakened...
Words: 2251 - Pages: 10
...years of 1942 and 1943. As Doris Bergen discussed in her book War and Genocide, World War II is usually not defined as the war itself, but the annihilation of the people Nazis considered their enemies above all the Jewish people. However without the military conquest of the Hitler and his Nazi party, which gave them the ability to reach the 95 percent of the Jews outside of Germany, was handed to them on a plate through their victories in war (172). These years of relentlessness killing however would eventually lead directly to the downfall of Adolf Hitler, his Nazi Party and bring about the end of World War II. Hitler’s inability to focus more on the war itself than the “Jewish problem” led him to lose control of Europe, through the battle of Stalingrad and his production of killing in the new killing centers. Prior to 1942 it seemed the defeat of the ever-powerful Germany was impossible, in 1944 though it seemed it was inevitable as the Allies and the Red Army pressured Germany from all sides. Before the German lose of World War II, The Nazi party was literally a killing machine. The special murder squads in 1941 that would first make people dig their own graves in which they would be shot into was now too traumatizing and insufficient for the Nazi armies (156). In response to this their most important advancement in the years of 1942 and 1943 was the effective and horrifying use of killing centers. Evolved from the T-4 program that granted mentally and physically handicap...
Words: 768 - Pages: 4
...To begin with, Americans made a crucial contribution to the war effort. The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7,1941 brought America into the war. The Americans want revenge for the Pearl Harbor and soon they started a series of attack in Japan. Before they joined the war, American decided to focus on building up their air forces as Roosevelt thought air strategy is one of the ways that can decrease their casualties in the war. Americans were not only using their money for building atomic bombs, they were also used it for building hundreds of aircraft carriers, ships as well as planes. The Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway involved a new kind of naval warfare and Japan undergoes a crushing defeat from America. They eventually...
Words: 1311 - Pages: 6
...It was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with combined military and civilian casualties of close to two million. It was a successful battle in defense of the city of Stalingrad. German soldiers advanced into Moscow but the the Germans soon realize that the Russian winter was too much for them to bear. The German’s offense was then launched the next spring but resulted in millions of deaths and many months of war. D-Day was a day in which allied forces invaded northern France by landing on the beaches of Normandy. General Dwight Eisenhower realized that his prior attempts of invasion had become predictable. On June 6, 1944, a day with wind and overcast weather, General Eisenhower ordered thousands of aircrafts, ships and soldiers to invade France. By August, most of France had been liberated and Germany was defeated. The last affair of World...
Words: 458 - Pages: 2
