During World War II there were two separate allied powers, the Allies (The United States, Britain, France, The Soviet Union, and various other countries) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan, and a few others). World War II started in 1939 and in 1942 Germany was on the path of winning the Second World War. Then, in 1942, Germany bombed the Soviet city of Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad was a very significant turning point in World War II. This battle was a turning point because there was a tremendous amount of deaths in this battle alone, this battle completely changed Germany’s morale about the war, and the Germans had finally lost a big battle which turned the war into the favor of the Allies.
Stalingrad was a major industrial city in the Soviet Union at the time of the war. Most of the Soviet Union’s armaments were produced in Stalingrad and it was also the Soviet Union’s transport links to southern Russia. If Germany was to take control of Stalingrad, the Soviet Union would have been at a huge disadvantage. Germany would have made a huge advance because the point that Stalingrad was at on the Volga River would make it easier for the Germans to launch more assaults on the Caucuses. The Germans had fought their way into the city although it was against a great fight. Eventually the Soviets enacted a counter offensive that got the Germans encircled. At this point, the Germans could have fought their way out but Hitler kept ordering them to stand their ground. Hitler actually sent in a rescue group for the 91,000 men that were encircled but the rescue team couldn’t get to them because the army was not allowed to fight towards them. This eventually caused the German Generals to surrender, against Hitler’s orders (1).
The Battle of Stalingrad was significant for many reasons but one of those reasons has to be how many lives were lost during this battle. In the beginning of the battle the German military committed 270,000 men and the Soviets had 187,000 men. By the time of the Soviet counter-offensive the German military had 1,011,000 men fighting and the Soviets had 1,103,000 men fighting. Even though we will never know how many people actually died in the Battle of Stalingrad, the estimates are immense. It is estimated that the Germans lost more than 750,000 men killed, missing, or wounded. The Soviets lost 478,741 men killed or missing and 650,878 wounded. This is a vast amount of casualties for one single battle. Something to compare it to, is that the United States lost 416,800 men throughout the entire Second World War. As a result of the Battle of Stalingrad 91,000 Germans were taken as Prisoners of War and only 6,000 of those men ever returned home alive (2).
After the Battle of Stalingrad Hitler lost all trust in his generals. This caused him to assume personal day-to-day operational command of the Army. Hitler got rid of some of the world’s finest military experts and started pouring himself over the maps and making the strategic moves by himself. General Alfred Jodl, one of the men that was nearest Hitler during the whole war said, “He did not care to hear any other points of view; if they were even hinted at he would break into short-tempered fits of enraged agitation. Remarkable – and, for soldiers, incomprehensible – conflicts developed out of Hitler's almost mystical conviction of his own infallibility as leader of the nation and of the war." This just shows you how much Hitler was hurt by the big loss he took at the Battle of Stalingrad. This battle pushed him to the point of not trusting any of his generals so that he was in charge of the German Army by himself completely. This changed the morale of the war completely in Germany. On Wednesday, February 3, 1943, the German people were informed that they had lost the Battle of Stalingrad. This news cast an undeniable shadow of doubt on Hitler and the future of Nazi Germany itself. A secret survey was taken soon after the loss of the Battle and it stated that, “People ask, above all, why Stalingrad was not evacuated or relieved, and how it is possible, only a few months ago, to describe the military situation as secure? Fearing that an unfavorable end to the war is now possible, many compatriots are seriously thinking about the consequences of defeat.” This is a prime example that the people of Nazi Germany had a low morale after losing this battle and that the people lost all faith in their leaders decisions (3).
Germany’s army had made very many advances and had taken over most of Stalingrad until the Soviet’s reinforcements arrived. When the Soviet’s reinforcements arrived they surrounded the Germans and made them surrender. This battle not only made Germany lose a lot of their men, it also ended their offensive in Russia and resulted in Germany’s defeat in the Second World War (4). Germany never fully recovered from losing over a million casualties. Since Germany couldn’t recover from these losses, they started losing battle after battle. This, in the end, resulted in Germany losing the Second World War.
On the other side of the spectrum, in Soviet Russia, the people rejoiced in the battle that they had barely won. Yes, they had lost a lot of their people and had a hard time recovering but the Battle of Stalingrad is still idolized in Russia today. In 1945 the city of Stalingrad was officially proclaimed as a Hero City of the Soviet Union. In 1959 construction began of an enormous memorial complex on Mamayev Hill. This memorial complex still stands in Russia today (5).
Today, the Battle of Stalingrad is still thought of as one of the bloodiest battles in history. The battle is also thought of as one of the most significant battles of World War II. The Battle of Stalingrad is an enormous turning point in World War II. This battle is extremely important because it is the exact moment when the Second World War turned in the favor of the Allies. If the Battle of Stalingrad did not happen, Germany could have possibly won the Second World War.
Bibliography
Alarcon, Amo. "Stalingrad, the decisive battle of World War II." stalingrad.net. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://www.stalingrad.net/highlights/decisive.html.
Cowley, Robert, and Geoffrey Parker. "Battle of Stalingrad." History.com. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle- of-stalingrad.
Limbach, Raymond. "Battle of Stalingrad." brittanica.com. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Stalingrad.
"The Defeat of Hitler." historyplace,com. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/defeat/catastrophe-stalingrad.htm.
Young, Andy. "Battle of Stalingrad Facts." historyofrussia.org. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://historyofrussia.org/battle-of-stalingrad-facts/.
Stalingrad was a major industrial city in the Soviet Union at the time of the war. Most of the Soviet Union’s armaments were produced in Stalingrad and it was also the Soviet Union’s transport links to southern Russia. If Germany was to take control of Stalingrad, the Soviet Union would have been at a huge disadvantage. Germany would have made a huge advance because the point that Stalingrad was at on the Volga River would make it easier for the Germans to launch more assaults on the Caucuses. The Germans had fought their way into the city although it was against a great fight. Eventually the Soviets enacted a counter offensive that got the Germans encircled. At this point, the Germans could have fought their way out but Hitler kept ordering them to stand their ground. Hitler actually sent in a rescue group for the 91,000 men that were encircled but the rescue team couldn’t get to them because the army was not allowed to fight towards them. This eventually caused the German Generals to surrender, against Hitler’s orders (1).
The Battle of Stalingrad was significant for many reasons but one of those reasons has to be how many lives were lost during this battle. In the beginning of the battle the German military committed 270,000 men and the Soviets had 187,000 men. By the time of the Soviet counter-offensive the German military had 1,011,000 men fighting and the Soviets had 1,103,000 men fighting. Even though we will never know how many people actually died in the Battle of Stalingrad, the estimates are immense. It is estimated that the Germans lost more than 750,000 men killed, missing, or wounded. The Soviets lost 478,741 men killed or missing and 650,878 wounded. This is a vast amount of casualties for one single battle. Something to compare it to, is that the United States lost 416,800 men throughout the entire Second World War. As a result of the Battle of Stalingrad 91,000 Germans were taken as Prisoners of War and only 6,000 of those men ever returned home alive (2).
After the Battle of Stalingrad Hitler lost all trust in his generals. This caused him to assume personal day-to-day operational command of the Army. Hitler got rid of some of the world’s finest military experts and started pouring himself over the maps and making the strategic moves by himself. General Alfred Jodl, one of the men that was nearest Hitler during the whole war said, “He did not care to hear any other points of view; if they were even hinted at he would break into short-tempered fits of enraged agitation. Remarkable – and, for soldiers, incomprehensible – conflicts developed out of Hitler's almost mystical conviction of his own infallibility as leader of the nation and of the war." This just shows you how much Hitler was hurt by the big loss he took at the Battle of Stalingrad. This battle pushed him to the point of not trusting any of his generals so that he was in charge of the German Army by himself completely. This changed the morale of the war completely in Germany. On Wednesday, February 3, 1943, the German people were informed that they had lost the Battle of Stalingrad. This news cast an undeniable shadow of doubt on Hitler and the future of Nazi Germany itself. A secret survey was taken soon after the loss of the Battle and it stated that, “People ask, above all, why Stalingrad was not evacuated or relieved, and how it is possible, only a few months ago, to describe the military situation as secure? Fearing that an unfavorable end to the war is now possible, many compatriots are seriously thinking about the consequences of defeat.” This is a prime example that the people of Nazi Germany had a low morale after losing this battle and that the people lost all faith in their leaders decisions (3).
Germany’s army had made very many advances and had taken over most of Stalingrad until the Soviet’s reinforcements arrived. When the Soviet’s reinforcements arrived they surrounded the Germans and made them surrender. This battle not only made Germany lose a lot of their men, it also ended their offensive in Russia and resulted in Germany’s defeat in the Second World War (4). Germany never fully recovered from losing over a million casualties. Since Germany couldn’t recover from these losses, they started losing battle after battle. This, in the end, resulted in Germany losing the Second World War.
On the other side of the spectrum, in Soviet Russia, the people rejoiced in the battle that they had barely won. Yes, they had lost a lot of their people and had a hard time recovering but the Battle of Stalingrad is still idolized in Russia today. In 1945 the city of Stalingrad was officially proclaimed as a Hero City of the Soviet Union. In 1959 construction began of an enormous memorial complex on Mamayev Hill. This memorial complex still stands in Russia today (5).
Today, the Battle of Stalingrad is still thought of as one of the bloodiest battles in history. The battle is also thought of as one of the most significant battles of World War II. The Battle of Stalingrad is an enormous turning point in World War II. This battle is extremely important because it is the exact moment when the Second World War turned in the favor of the Allies. If the Battle of Stalingrad did not happen, Germany could have possibly won the Second World War.
- Robert Cowley and Geoffrey Parker, "Battle of Stalingrad," History.com, Accessed March 21, 2016, http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad.
- Andy Young, "Battle of Stalingrad Facts," historyofrussia.org, Accessed March 21, 2016, http://historyofrussia.org/battle-of-stalingrad-facts/.
- "The Defeat of Hitler," historyplace,com, Accessed March 21, 2016, http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/defeat/catastrophe-stalingrad.htm.
- Amo Alarcon, "Stalingrad, the decisive battle of World War II," stalingrad.net, Accessed March 21, 2016, http://www.stalingrad.net/highlights/decisive.html.
- Raymond Limbach, "Battle of Stalingrad," brittanica.com, Accessed March 21, 2016, http://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Stalingrad.
Bibliography
Alarcon, Amo. "Stalingrad, the decisive battle of World War II." stalingrad.net. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://www.stalingrad.net/highlights/decisive.html.
Cowley, Robert, and Geoffrey Parker. "Battle of Stalingrad." History.com. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle- of-stalingrad.
Limbach, Raymond. "Battle of Stalingrad." brittanica.com. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Stalingrad.
"The Defeat of Hitler." historyplace,com. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/defeat/catastrophe-stalingrad.htm.
Young, Andy. "Battle of Stalingrad Facts." historyofrussia.org. Accessed March 21, 2016. http://historyofrussia.org/battle-of-stalingrad-facts/.