Battle of Stalingrad
By: Rachel Grosklags
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle fought in WW2. It was fought on the Eastern Front in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for the city of Stalingrad in southern Russia. The battle started on August 23rd, 1943 until February 2nd 1943. This battle is often known as the bloodiest battle in the history of warfare. The Germans lost 750,000 men and the Soviets lost 420,000 men. As well as soldiers from Germany and Russia, troops from Romania, Hungary, Italy and Croatia also fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, on the side of Germany.
Backround
By the spring of 1942, the Germans had captured vast expanses of territory, including Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic Republics. With their initial operations being successful, the Germans decided that their summer campaign in 1942 would be directed towards the southern parts of the Soviet Union. Germany planned to capture Stalingrad and block the Volga River.
Above is a map of Stalingrad and the routes that the Germans used.
Technology
The German's started the war in two ways: air and ground. They had the Luftwaffe bomb the city. The battle had many advances in fighting technology. The German machine gun was able to shoot around corners. The Russian plane glided silently over German positions at night, dropping lethal bombs without warning. Both sides lacked food, water and medical supplies and technology. They battle also could have used a better communication technology.
In the photo above you can see an example of the advanced technology used in the battle.
In the photos above you can see the amount of destruction caused in the battle of Stalingrad.
Significance in WWII
The Battle of Stalingrad was marked as the turning point of World War Two because it marked the end of Germany's advances in Europe and Russia. The Soviets gained a lot of army strength the regain the land they lost. The battle was also the first major German loss in World War Two. The German army was weakened because of the battle. German's confidence and reputation went down after this battle.