Battle of Stalingrad
On the 28th of June 1942, the German Army Group South began its attack into southern Russia. This offensive, code-named Case Blue, aimed to capture vital Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus and secure control of the Volga River. Hitler had modified his summer plans on the 1st of June, delaying the start from late May until the 20th of June due to preliminary operations in Ukraine. The initial advance was so successful that Hitler intervened and ordered the 4th Panzer Army to join Army Group South A to the south. A massive road block resulted when the 4th Panzer and the 1st Panzer choked the roads, stopping both in their tracks while they cleared the mess of thousands of vehicles. The traffic jam is thought to have delayed the advance by at least one week. With the advance now slowed, Hitler changed his mind and reassigned the 4th Panzer Army back to the attack on Stalingrad. By the end of July, Soviet forces were pushed back across the Don River. At this point, the Don and Volga Rivers are only apart, and the Germans left their main supply depots west of the Don. The Germans began using the armies of their Italian, Hungarian and Romanian allies to guard their left northern flank. Italian actions were also mentioned in official German communiques. Italian forces were generally held in little regard by the Germans, and were accused of low morale. In reality, the Italian divisions fought comparatively well, with the 3rd Infantry Division Ravenna and 5th Infantry Division Cosseria showing spirit, according to a German liaison officer. Italian forces were forced to retreat only after a massive armoured attack in which German reinforcements failed to arrive in time.
On the 23rd of August, the Luftwaffe dropped some 1,000 tons of bombs on Stalingrad. This aerial attack was the most single intense aerial bombardment at that point on the Eastern Front, and the heaviest bombing raid that had ever taken place on the Eastern Front. At least 90% of the city's housing stock was obliterated as a result. Generaloberst Wolfram von Richthofen's Luftflotte 4 conducted these raids while the German 6th Army reached the outskirts of Stalingrad. Before the Heer reached the city itself, the Luftwaffe had cut off shipping on the Volga. In the days between 25 and the 31st of July, 32 Soviet ships were sunk, with another nine crippled. Casualties due to the air raid on the 23rd of August and beyond are debated, as between 23 and the 26th of August, Soviet reports indicate 955 people were killed and another 1,181 wounded as a result of the bombing. However, death toll of civilians due to the bombing has been estimated to have been 40,000, or as many as 70,000, though these estimates may be exaggerated. Also estimated are 150,000 wounded. The Soviet Air Force, the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily VVS, was swept aside by the Luftwaffe. The VVS bases in the immediate area lost 201 aircraft between 23 and the 31st of August, and despite meagre reinforcements of some 100 aircraft in August, it was left with just 192 serviceable aircraft, 57 of which were fighters. Early on the 23rd of August, the German 16th Panzer and 3rd Motorized Divisions attacked out of the Vertyachy bridgehead with a force 120 tanks and over 200 armoured personnel carriers strong.
On the 13th of September, the battle for the city itself began. With German forces launching an attack which overran the small hill where the 62nd Soviet Army headquarters was established, in addition, the railway station was captured, and German forces advanced far enough to threaten the Volga landing stage. Fighting in the industrial district shifted north after the 27th of September. 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. It took a few more days for them to prepare for the most savage offensive of all, which was unleashed on the 14th of October, which Chuikov considered to be the worst day of the battle. Exceptionally intense shelling and bombing paved the way for the first German assault groups. The main attack led by the 14th Panzer and 305th Infantry Divisions attacked towards the tractor factory, while another assault led by the 24th Panzer Division hit to the south of the giant plant. Werth points out the difficulties the Siberian Division faced, as throughout the course of an entire month, German forces launched 117 assaults at the division's regiments, and on one day they launched 23 attacks. Every trench, pillbox, rifle-pit and ruin in the area was turned into a strongpoint with its own direction and system of communications.
On the 19th of November 1942, Operation Uranus was launched. 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 plan was to punch through the overstretched and weakly defended flanks and surround the German forces in the Stalingrad region. On the 20th of November, a second Soviet offensive two armies was launched to the south of Stalingrad against points held by the Romanian 4th Army Corps. The Romanian forces, made up primarily of infantry, were overrun by large numbers of tanks. The Soviet forces raced west and met on the 23rd of November at the town of Kalach, sealing the ring around Stalingrad. By the time of the encirclement, approximately 330,000 Axis personnel, including Germans, Romanians, Italians, and Croatians, were trapped. Among them were between 40,000 and 65,000 Hilfswillige Hiwi, or volunteer auxiliaries, recruited from Soviet POWs and civilians. These Hiwi often served in supporting roles but were also deployed in frontline units due to their growing numbers.
By the 19th of November 1942, the German forces in the pocket numbered about 210,000, with 50,000 soldiers outside the encirclement. Of those trapped, 10,000 continued to fight, 105,000 eventually surrendered, 35,000 were evacuated by air, and 60,000 died. Despite the 6th Army's dire situation, no reinforcements were pulled from Army Group A in the Caucasus to aid in the relief of Stalingrad. It was only after Soviet forces broke through in Operation Little Saturn, threatening to encircle Army Group A, that a withdrawal was ordered on December 31 to avoid complete entrapment. The airlift fell drastically short, delivering only 105 tons per day, far below the required 750 tons. The situation worsened after the Soviets captured Tatsinskaya Airfield on the 24th of December, forcing the Germans to relocate their air operations to more distant and less effective bases. As supplies dwindled, starvation and disease ravaged the 6th Army. By the time the airlift was terminated, the Luftwaffe had lost nearly 500 aircraft, including 266 Ju 52s, and failed to maintain adequate supply levels. Ultimately, the failure to relieve Stalingrad sealed the fate of the 6th Army, leading to one of the most catastrophic defeats in military history.
On the 30th of January 1943, the 10th anniversary of Hitler's coming to power, Goebbels read out a proclamation that included the sentence: The heroic struggle of our soldiers on the Volga should be a warning for everybody to do the utmost for the struggle for Germany's freedom and the future of our people, and thus in a wider sense for the maintenance of our entire continent. The same day, Hermann Göring broadcast from the air ministry, comparing the situation of the surrounded German 6th Army to that of the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, the speech was not well received by soldiers however. Paulus notified Hitler that his men would likely collapse before the day was out. In response, Hitler then issued a tranche of field promotions to the Sixth Army's officers, with Paulus made a Generalfeldmarschall. In deciding to promote Paulus, Hitler noted that there was no record of a German or Prussian field marshal having ever surrendered. The implication was clear: if Paulus surrendered, he would shame himself and would become the highest-ranking German officer ever to be captured. As a result, Hitler believed that Paulus would either fight to the last man or commit suicide. On the next day, the southern pocket in Stalingrad collapsed. Soviet forces reached the entrance to the German headquarters in the ruined GUM department store.
On the 2nd of February 1943, the 6th Army, having exhausted its ammunition and food, finally capitulated after several months of battle, making it the first of Hitler's field armies to have surrendered. Around 91,000 exhausted, ill, wounded, and starving prisoners were taken. The prisoners included 22 generals. Hitler was furious and confided that Paulus could have freed himself from all sorrow and ascended into eternity and national immortality, but he prefers to go to Moscow. By the time the hostilities ended, the German 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army had been destroyed and Army Group B was routed. The Soviets' victory at Stalingrad shifted the Eastern Front's balance of power in their favour, while also boosting the morale of the Red Army. Both sides placed great strategic importance on Stalingrad, for it was one of the largest industrial centres of the Soviet Union and an important transport hub on the Volga River: controlling Stalingrad meant gaining access to the oil fields of the Caucasus and having supreme authority over the Volga River. The city also held significant symbolic importance because it bore the name of Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did the Battle of Stalingrad begin and end?
The battle for the city itself began on the 13th of September 1942, and the German 6th Army finally capitulated on the 2nd of February 1943. This period marked the duration of the major engagement between Axis forces and Soviet troops in southern Russia.
What was the date of Operation Uranus launched by the Soviets?
Operation Uranus was launched on the 19th of November 1942 to surround the German forces in the Stalingrad region. The plan involved three complete armies punching through weakly defended flanks to encircle approximately 330,000 Axis personnel.
How many tons of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop on Stalingrad on the 23rd of August 1942?
On the 23rd of August 1942, the Luftwaffe dropped some 1,000 tons of bombs on Stalingrad during the most intense aerial bombardment at that point on the Eastern Front. At least 90% of the city's housing stock was obliterated as a result of this single raid.
Why did Hitler promote Friedrich Paulus to Generalfeldmarschall before the surrender?
Hitler promoted Paulus to Generalfeldmarschall because there was no record of a German or Prussian field marshal having ever surrendered. This promotion implied that if Paulus surrendered, he would shame himself and become the highest-ranking German officer ever to be captured.
What were the strategic reasons for controlling Stalingrad during World War II?
Controlling Stalingrad meant gaining access to the oil fields of the Caucasus and having supreme authority over the Volga River transport hub. The city also held significant symbolic importance because it bore the name of Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union.