The Unknown War is an American 20-part series that documents the World War II conflict between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
Today, SouthFront shares the 6th part of the series titled “Survival at Stalingrad”. The Soviet victory over the Nazis in the Battle of the Volga strengthened the spirit of the anti-Hitler coalition during the critical period of the war.
In the late fall of 1942, it became clear to the world that the outcome of the battle of Stalingrad would be decisive for Russia and Germany. With amazing courage, the Red Army soldiers under the command of General Eremenko continued to hold their positions from the last possible effort.
Stalin approved a plan for a retaliatory offensive drawn up by commanders Zhukov and Vasilevsky with the participation of Marshal of Artillery Voronov. Zhukov carried out preparations for the offensive in secret. Ten Soviet armies, over a million soldiers, 1,500 tanks, 15,000 pieces of artillery were brought in from Siberia, the Urals and Kazakhstan.
A German general later said: “there was nothing here before and suddenly a blow of enormous force of decisive importance was struck”.
Soviet troops began their offensive on November 19. They broke through German fortifications and created a passage 50 miles wide. By November 23, Soviet forces reunited, encircling 22 Nazi infantry and armored divisions. Paulus made no attempt to break out of Stalingrad and by January 31, 1943, he had surrendered as a prisoner of war.
Captured Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus
According to Soviet figures, the number of German soldiers killed since the beginning of the encirclement amounted to 200,000, 91,000 soldiers captured, among them 2,500 officers, at least 24 generals.
Captured at Stalingrad German soldiers
German, Italian, Hungarian and other servicemen captured at Stalingrad, 1943
The victory over the Nazis marked the beginning of a new struggle, the rebuilding of Stalingrad. With immense efforts, normal life quickly returned to the city, which became a historic symbol of courage and resilience.
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