The Battle of Stalingrad
"The God of War has gone over to the other side"
Cause of the battle
The battle of Stalingrad, which took place during the winter of 1942 until February of 1943, was know as "the turning point of the war." This battle took place in Stalingrad, Russia, led by Paulus for the Germans and Zhukov for the Russians. This battle seemed to be an unwise choice for the axis army because their other two sectors were en route to capture the city of Caucasus at the time the battle broke out. So trying to take control of the town of Stalingrad was a risky choice because a major city was left unconquered in their shadow. This battle was the first major victory for the allies and turned the war around.
Facts
- Hitler wanted to take control of this city because it is named after his enemy-Joseph "Stalin"
- In a similar mindset, Stalin ordered his troops "not a step backwards"
- Over two-million men fought, over 20,000 artillery guns used, over 1,000 tanks, and over 2,000 planes to fight this one battle
Aftermath Statistics
- Over 40,000 civilians were killed in this battle
- About 91, 000 German troops were taken prisoner
- 150,000 German troops were killed
- Another 300,000 casualties from the two other sectors
- Allied casualties are estimated at about 350,000